Macworld - USA (2019-09)

118 MACWORLD OCTOBER 2019

PLAYLIST REVIEW: GRACE DIGITAL MONDO+ CLASSIC

metal face plate, and
tweedy grill cloth. (Or you
can choose a boring
all-black look [go.
macworld.com/albl].)
Take a gander at all the
old-school radio push
buttons: 10 source presets
offering a happy
throwback for listeners
with an eclectic nature—or
a short attention span. But
this entertainer is young at
heart. Instead of tuning in
local FM and AM stations,
the Mondo+ Classic’s twin whip antennas
access your Wi-Fi network to connect to
the wide world of internet radio—
including your local broadcast stations’
simulcast streams.
In addition to the excellent onboard
and IR remote controls, the newer of
two Grace Digital apps (“GD+”) nicely
works basic radio operations and
services on your Android or iOS
smartphone and tablet.
It’s not entirely a glitch-free ride into the
future, though. For some odd reason, the
radio listened more attentively to
Chromecast and Bluetooth-fed content
triggered by an IPad Pro than it heeded
signals coming from an iPhone X. And I
never got the touted voice control going
with Google Assistant devices. A fast Qi

wireless induction charger pad built into

the top of the radio proved a better match

to recent Samsung phones than to the

current Apple of my eye.

Still, with a price tag that’s $100 less

than rivals such as the Como Audio Solo

(go.macworld.com/como) and the Tivoli

Audio Model 1 Digital (go.macworld.com/

tvm1) (the model in walnut, that is), you just

might find the Mondo+ Classic to be the

bedmate of your dreams.

ALL THIS AND MORE

Grace Digital has been serving up

streaming music radios longer than

practically anyone else in the game.

When the maker jumped into the fray 12

years ago, its major competitors were

From the top, you can see the large Qi charging panel and a

conveniently placed snooze/sleep timer button.