Chestnut Hill Sound (CHS) announced Tuesday that it plans to introduce George, a new digital audio system for the iPod, at next week’s Macworld Expo and Consumer Electronics Show. George will be available beginning January 9, 2007 starting at $549, or $599 with a remote control charging stand.
A dock connector-equipped tabletop audio system, the George features a wireless remote that “fully controls” the iPod. The remote doubles as the face of the George; it’s removable, sports its own display and integrates a wheel controller that lets you navigate iPod menus remotely. That remote also lets you control the George’s radio tuning and other capabilities.
The George has an AM/FM radio that features a patent-pending “bandless” tuner and station presets that you can assemble by category. It also sports a multi-alarm system. It also has external antenna inputs, pre-amp output, headphone jack and USB port for synchronizing to a computer.
The George is also modular, according to the manufacturer: It plans to introduce a consumer-installable HD radio tuner (licensed from iBiquity) in the second half of 2007.