- Lossless Formats (Apple Lossless, FLAC, WMA Lossless) and Uncompressed formats (AIFF, WAV, PCM)
- Compressed formats (MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, MP2, MusePack, WMA)
- Bridging capability allows Ethernet devices to connect to the network through Squeezebox Wireless
- True 802.11g wireless networking
- "Always-on" Internet Radio, powered by mysqueezebox.com, lets you tune in to Internet Radio streams even when the home PC is switched off
Pros:
-Amazing sound quality
-Burr-Brown DAC (pretty much the best around)
-Easy to configure
-Great interface
-Rock-solid performance (no waiting when you hit play, and no network issues)
-Created for IT people by IT people, but doesn't require a lot of IT literacy to get up and running (and their documentation is great).
-Price
Cons:
-The only thing I can think of is that it would be cool to have a USB port with USB Mass Storage Device support so you can plug a USB HDD directly in to this puppy and rock and roll. But, this is just nit-picking, and they probably didn't include USB because it would increase the price and wouldn't offer a lot of performance to a lot of people.
Details:
Every once in a while there is a product so genius that it reminds me why I love technology. I had read up about the Squeezebox and I figured it would be really cool. When I picked it up I immediately noticed that it was small. Smaller and sleeker than I expected. It seems to be made of high-quality materials, and at this point I'm feeling pretty unimpressed about the whole thing (since I figured the sound quality would let me down like most digital audio devices... *cough* *cough* *iPod* *cough* *cough*).
My brother and I plug it in to his Denon receiver and B&W speakers, and we power it on. I immediately notice that I like the interface. It's snappy, and the slide transitions actually look pretty cool. The screen is also pretty nice, so I'm starting to feel good about things at this point.
The configuration of this device was a breeze. It auto-detects networks (with broadcast SSID turned on) and I was able to get it on the network in a matter of minutes without reading the manual. The SlimServer software for the PC is also pretty easy to install and configure, and I noticed that they released the source code for the server software.
I first listened to some streaming radio, and I have to say: I was impressed with the quality of the radio stations. I hate MP3 compression (I use FLAC), but the classical stations actually sounded pretty good to my ears. The best part is that the radio stations just work. No problems. No weird network timeouts. Just on-demand radio by Genre, City, Etc.
After playing around with the radio, I decided to listen to some FLAC that I am really familiar with to get an idea of the DAC and the fidelity of the player. My brother and I were blown away by the sound quality of my FLAC files. It sounds about as good as his Denon CD player, and it puts every other digital audio player I have ever heard to complete and utter shame.
There are a lot of things I like about this product. The fact that they release the source and allow you to create custom plug-ins is cool. Everything about this seems like it's created by some friggin' good engineers that want other IT people to appreciate it.
This thing is simply amazing. For price-to-performance, you can't beat it!
Buy Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Wireless Music Player Now
The Squeezebox is a terrific device! The Squeezebox itself stores no music, you have to have another computer act as a "server" to contain the music files. This server runs software called "Slimserver" and it will run on any Linux, and it also works from Mac OS X and Windows (including Vista.) I have over 400 CDs converted to FLAC (lossless) and they stream perfectly from my server, even streaming the average 30mb FLAC files via 802.11g no problems whatsoever. You use a remote control to work the Squeezebox, there are no buttons or anything on the device itself. You can also use a web browser to connect to the Slimserver software and perform all the same functions as the remote and more.
One drawback I found was when I tried running the Slimserver on Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit on my AMD Athlon 64 X2 (dual-core) system with 2gb RAM. The web interface was pretty pokey and would become unresponsive at times, even while the Windows machine was doing nothing else. I moved the Slimserver and music to my Linux server, again an AMD Athlon 64 X2 system running Debian 4.0 and that improved it 1000%. The other drawback I have noticed is that file format is important. The Squeezebox hardware itself can decode MP3 and FLAC formats in hardware, right on the Squeezebox. But Apple formats (MP4, Apple Lossless, etc.) and others such as Ogg Vorbis must be decoded on the *server* using supplemental software. The two biggest problems with that is, increased load on the server and lack of ability to fast-forward and rewind within a track.
Regardless, I like this device so much, I'm planning on getting another one that I can move around where I like, while leaving the first one permanently at the main stereo.
Read Best Reviews of Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Wireless Music Player Here
I purchased the Squeezebox to listen to FLAC encoded files from my Olive Musica music center. After waiting for over a year for the non existent Olive Sonata, I looked at several forums and concluded that the SlimServer & Squeezebox option was the only viable option at this time. After installing the SlimServer software on the Olive, I was optimistic enough about Slim Devices to buy the Squeezebox.
The Squeezebox arrived in record time. I was impressed by its compact size, sleek look, and substantial heft. I plugged it in, and it immediately detected my wireless network (an my neighbor's) and after entering my network's security code made easy by the well designed remote, the Squeezebox displayed my music collection.
FLAC and MP3 files play flawlessly, with high quality. The larger FLAC files require a better signal strength, which is a problem only in the most remote corners of my house, and more an issue for Olive's wireless transmitter than the Squeezebox. The SlimServer web interface is a bit slow, but that's also more of an Olive issue (the Olive can be slow, and precludes the use of the latest SlimServer version).
It is a joy to have such quality, easy to use access to my music collection anywhere in the house. I'm ready to buy a second unit for my bedroom.
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I've been running my Squeezebox on my wireless network for a month now and have had no issues whatsoever .
There are many ways to stream music but not that many to do it at the highest possible quality . It reads Itunes Playlists and uses Rhapsody so will work with most peoples libraries. It has no built in amp so need to connect to one .
In short this unit is excellent especially for the price (but not perfect). See the bottom of the review for pros and cons .
Setup
It connected to my WEP encoded wireless network with no problems and reconnects every time with no problems when I restart my music library PC.
You install Slimserver s/w on your PC/Mac (or Ip addressable NAS)and point it to 1 music location (in my case Itunes library = s/w default location). Once slim server is running let the streaming (wireless or wired) begin
Streaming
It has never stuttered let alone dropped the stream even when the laptop that is running Slimserver (with my mp3s on it ) is downloading and also using bandwidth . As mentioned in other reviews make sure your home network is solid before blaming devices . The quality of the sound is exactly as good as the mp3 due to lossless streaming .
Playback quality
The playback quality is amazing . I stream to the Squeezebox and then send the music out of the optical digital out of the unit (few devices in this price range have a digital out ) . So the digital music file I am playing on my PC is not altered / compressed in ANY way . The receiver I use has a high end 24 bit digital / analog converter which sends the music to my speakers = I get the highest quality wireless and lossless playback for under 300 bucks !
The unit also has analog outs ..so you can let the unit do the d / a conversion and send an analog signal to your amp . So if you don't have a high quality d/a don't worry ..Squeezebox has included a 24 bit one . Again great for under 300 bucks !
Mp3s played on this unit sound MUCH better than an Ipod attached to the same amp whether you send them digial out or analog out of the Squeezebox. The d / a converter seems much better .
Interface : unit and browser interface
The unit looks small and sleek . The display is bright and the remote is intuitive but due to it's size the unit will display 1 line of info at a time . This can be a pain with a large music library so the web interface built into the Slimserver becomes a must . This runs on the PC/Ip device you have your music on and is accessed in a browser ( http://PC_address:9000) . It displays Itunes Playlists and you can search by Album/Artist etc as you'd expect . For me the browser tool sometimes hangs in IE but never in Mozilla .
Pros :
Understands 16 and 24 bit digital files (many high end devices only handle 16 bit) .
Understands lossless/high quality format files as well as mp3 .
Supprots Lossless streaming (FLAC) .
Wireless and wired .
Analog and Digital outs .
MP3s sound much better than played on an Ipod .
All this for under 300 bucks !
Cons :
Web/browser interface is not very sexy and sometimes hangs IE (not Mozilla)
Unit only displays 1 line of info at a time ( has to for the size) .
Remote is easy but basic (compared to Sonos for example) .
Summary
For the price this unit is unbeatable for quality and functionality .
It can stream digital files without loosing any digital quality .
The built in digital to analog converter is very good and better than most for under 300 bucks (much better than an Ipod for example so mp3s will sound much better coming from this compared to your Ipod) .
Some less advanced users may opt for a sexier looking choice ..Logitech has some for example .
Or those with cash to burn may go for a Sonos solution ( sexier but 3 x the price) .
The web interface is essential if your library is big . It works fine but is not the sexiest .
for many years i have been a bit of an "audiophile snob", thoroughly enjoying to high quality recordings (kevin mahogany's "pride and joy" is a great test vehicle) on an accuphase cd player and amplifier system that feeds into tuned high end speakers. you know the ritual: walk up to CD stand, look for the CD, find it, check it's clean, grab it by the edges, inster in cd player, walk back to favorite listening chair, enjoy... while thinking about what to listen to next, then repeat the above...
along came the Squeezebox. very simple premise: rip your music to a computer, install squeezecenter software, which scans it and streams it to the squeezebox, and the squeezebox connects to your sound system of choice.
the Squeeezebox offers
fantastic sound quality for the price, and furthermore the ability to tune it to your system and requirements
extreme convenience: a great user interface that allows you to access your entire CD collection with just the remote, and listen to it in CD quality if you have ripped the CDs accordingly...
the build quality is great. and the price is right the audio RCA analog sound has no right to sound this good on a $299 device, really, excellent DA conversion is built in. but if you have a high end reference system the SB gives you the digital interfaces to connect to an external DA converter and achieve truly outstanding sound quality paired with extreme convenience. enjoying your entire music collection and reconnecting with it has never been this easy. it changed the way i listened to music, i hardly ever have touched a CD again, which is a shame given the fact i own a $6k CD player i only use as a DA converter. :-)
make sure you rip your favorite CDs into a non-lossy format, i'd recommend FLAC open source, which the SB handles natively. that will save your music in perfect condition forever. make sure you use good CD ripping software, i have made great experiences with dbpoweramp. make sure you back up your collection it is a lot of work and you never ever want to do this again.
in a nutshell: this thing rocks and works very well.
Appears to be the exact same model sold under three differerent brand names, differentiated only by price and the color of the buttons. Those considering this radio might want to check out the (mostly very positive) reviews of these other two brand names.
