Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Wireless Music Player by Logitech
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Digital camera reviews of Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Wireless Music Player
Digital camera Review: Fulfills the Promises the MP3 Player Can't
Summary: 5 Stars
It took me a few tries to get the Squeezebox and new router to communicate with one another, but once they did they made sweet music.
My expectations were fairly high after all of the research I did, but they were also tempered by my previous Logitech experiences, which consisted of a cheap imported web cam and an equally cheap set of computer speakers.
I have a lower-end audiophile two channel set-up, with some NAD components and some era design4 speakers, in a small apartment. I also have some decent cables. I took the pair of cables from my CD player and plugged them into the squeezebox. I haven't missed the CD player since. I used exact audio copy and burned my library onto an external drive in a lossless format. Aside from a slight (very slight) decrease in volume output compared to the CD player, I have no complaints. Highs, lows and depth are all there. Plus, I get the added bonus of access to streaming internet radio.
Bottom line, this little unit is well built and delivers on the promise that the MP3 player could never fulfill. You can actually listen to CD quality music streamed from your hard drive. The whole library is available in one place and with virtually no compromise in quality.
As an aside, once set up and running, this thing gets a huge Wife Approval Factor rating.
Digital camera Review: Good for music playback, radio is fiddly, not user friendly
Summary: 4 Stars
I've very little to add to the other reviews posted here. I have connected my SqueezeBox to my wired home network. The SqueezeCenter server software runs on an old laptop PC which in turn accesses my music stored on a separate networked harddisk. Since I bought the device and after many hours ripping all my CDs to the network harddisk, no more problems with scratched, lost or misplaced CDs. The device works great for music playback. Be aware that the device classifies your music collection according to how it is ID-tagged, so I had to spend considerable time getting the tags sorted out.
For Internet radio, the situation is not so easy. For a start, the server software has to be running to use Internet radio - the SqueezeBox itself is not able to receive radio streams directly from the Internet. Further, the device is not always compatible with the large number of transmission standards used for Internet radio. Eg, some of the stations included in the alienBBC add-on simply do not work. As a software engineer, I was able to solve this by requesting help from people active in the SqueezeCenter community (see next paragraph). Ironically, I bought the device for music playback, since buying it I use it mainly for Internet radio.
The SqueezeCenter software itself is open-source, which means that there is a large community of people actively maintaining and contributing to the software. Eg, there is a software add-on to automatically switch off the server PC when the SqueezeBox is no longer being used; also the alianBBC add-on already mentioned to allow world-wide access to BBC radio stations. Confusingly, Logitech also markets its on-line SqueezeNework, which allows the device to access on-line services and Internet radio stations. When using SqueezeNetwork, the SequeezeCenter is not used, and locally-stored music is not accessible.
My wife refuses to use the device. It is obvious that it was designed by engineers for engineers, with no clear concept of ease of use. All the functionality is accessible via hierarchically-accessed menus, which are not logically organised. Eg, the Settings menu is stuck between Extras and SequeezeNetwork. There is no graphical user interface, and no display of album artwork. Compare this with the competing Philips Streamium, which has an attractive colour LCD display, and where Philips' consumer pedigree shows itself. However, reading the Streamium reviews here, it seems that this device is not as well engineered as the SqueezeBox.
In summary, 4/5 stars, the last star withheld because of the user interface deficiencies.
Digital camera Review: Great - with a couple of flaws
Summary: 5 Stars
I did a lot of research into finding a way to stream music from my PC to my home stereo. I began with a list of requirements:
- the streaming had to include the ability to handle "lossless" formats, such as Apple uses for iTunes,
- the connection had to be wireless,
- the setup should be straightforward and not technically demanding,
- the user interface needed to be simple and web-based if possible,
- the product should integrate with iTunes at least to the extent of using my existing iTunes library, genres, and playlists,
- the device needed to be visually unobtrusive,
- the ability to use a remote control would be a plus.
I'm happy to say that the SqueezeBox meets all of my requirements and, once set up, it simply works. The SqueezeBox requires a separate piece of software (known as a server) to be running on the PC which controls the music library, but the installation of that software is straightforward, takes about three minutes, and doesn't place any noticeable load on my PC - which is an HP laptop running Windows Vista. As an additional benefit the server also runs under Linux and Mac which is a distinct plus as I plan on migrating my music to a Linux server in the near future.
The set up process for the SqueezeBox is about as simple as it can get and is well explained in the documentation which comes with the device. However, the overall level of documentation leaves a lot to be desired and is the only real problem with the hardware. There is an active on-line community and it's easy to obtain the answers one needs from there. The on-line help function takes one to the SlimDevices website which has links to the on-line forums. So far I haven't had a question that I couldn't get an answer to, it's just that I'm old enough to appreciate the feel of a "real" owner's manual.
Using the SqueezeBox via the built-in web interface is also easy. The device allows one to make playlists though here the process is not as straightforward, or obvious, as it could be and better documentation would be helpful. If one uses the available iTunes integration all of the genres, etc. that are set up under iTunes are available via the SqueezeBox. Be aware, the iTunes integration is not perfect and, sometimes, playlists and album artwork don't transfer properly. However, given the overall capabilities of the unit I'm able to live with the occasional flaw of this type. All of the web interface functions can also be accessed via the unit's remote control, though it sometimes takes a few button pushes to get to where one wishes to be in the various menus. I'll be honest and say that I do 90% of my control via the web though I have found the remote to be useful under some circumstances - such as when I need to stop the music to get a phone call and I'm not at my PC when the call comes in.
Overall, I rate the SqueezeBox with five stars. If this were a ten-star rating system I'd give it a nine, primarily because of the paucity of user documentation that comes with the unit. It does take a while to get used to all of the functions that the SqueezeBox offers and there are a number of third-party add-ons that extend the product's basic abilities. I haven't really touched on the device's ability to play Internet radio feeds - that's a whole 'nother world and I haven't played with it much other than to set up links to some local NPR stations, which was a simple process. I've had my SqueezeBox for about two weeks now and I'm still finding new things that I can do with it. If you're serious about streaming high-quality (non-MP3) audio from your PC to a stereo there is simply nothing else that matches this product for overall performance, user interface, and usability. It is more expensive than other solutions, but it's the only one I know of that allows for streaming digital audio all the way through to the receiver if desired. The SqueezeBox does have a very good 24-bit DAC built-in and, for my money, I think it's better than the DAC in my Pioneer Elite receiver. In any case, the product has a lot of capability, is well-built, has an active user community, and simply works. It's well worth the money and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
Digital camera Review: Great But???
Summary: 4 Stars
The squeezebox is a great piece if you like listening to many different types of music via online radio and it integrates well with your laptop to play your mp3s wirlessly, however the directions on getting set up are a little vague and you need an IT degree to figure out how to save your favorite online stations. Overall, it a great itemDigital camera Review: Great Device
Summary: 5 Stars
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.