iPod docks are well and good if you're content to run a playlist, or trust that the capricious God of Shuffle won't shame you by playing your "one" Cyndi Lauper track. Reclaim control with GEORGE.

Inexplicably named after Beatles producer Sir George Martin, GEORGE is the only high-end sound system that puts the spinning functionality of the iPod's menus right into your mitts. Just pull the display/control unit off the dock's face, and it works as a remote that'll scroll through albums, artists, and songs from up to 30 feet away -- so you can cue up a crowd-pleaser from the kitchen, or, if you're tired of sharing the bean dip, drive guests away by flipping John Tesh's "NBA on NBC Theme" on repeat from the safety of a locked closet. To power your selections, George packs a five-speaker setup with a downfiring subwoofer and two real tweeters -- a sound-quality upgrade from the two-speaker "electronic boosting" systems favored by crummier docks and the men who steal them.

GEORGE's also got an AM/FM radio, auxiliary input, and a USB port, allowing for software updates, e.g. "Menu Tracking" that'll remember your last position, and "Skip", which'll let you zoom to the middle of "Time After Time" -- because "The chorus is actually really good. Shut up."

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Get a look at GEORGE at ChestnutHillSound.com