[JohnnyLightOn]

The SlimDevices (Squeezebox) website says that you can:

http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_remotes.html

 

[marc_dc]

You're right. Technically, some of these products are not first generation.

I still wouldn't buy a Squeezebox or a Roku as is. I waited three generations for the iPod to mature into something I'd use. I'd wait on the Squeezebox and the Roku for another generation or two before I spent more than a hundred on them.

Just my two cents.

 

[1racerx]

Quote:

The price-to-performance ratio isn't quite there yet.

I am going through the same dilema as you are blessingx at the moment. I have looked at all 3 and also another: The netgear MP101Netgear MP101. I am yet to purchase anything though.

Brief rundown on what I have discovered/heard/read. Caveat Empore

MP101: nice looking unit, display is hard to read from a distance, laggy interface (not good when navigating thru large playlists) good remote control, server software is a closed system and chews up alot of system resources & slightly buggy. only 11mBit and there is talk about it slowing the rest of a wireless network down.


Roku: Im only talking about the m2000 and m1000. Seem to be a very high quality versitile unit, BUT that comes a much higher price. only 11mbit as above. BEAUTIFUL display, "Multiplatform. Plays directly from iTunes, Musicmatch, Windows Media Connect, Windows Media Player 10, Windows Media DRM 10, and more. No additional software required." Or can take advantage of multiple types of music server software. There is only 1 of these in Perth WA at the moment as a display model. They have recently become available for sale on the east coast and *should* be availble march next year. They are pretty much the current top of the line most versitile unit available.

AX:Simple, Small, could just be stuck on a powerboard behind your av setup out of site and stay there invisible for years. Easy to use. Restricted to only using Itunes as a way to stream to it (for the moment)
CHEAP! and runs at 54mbit.
Has a more uses after it becomes obselete:
-as a wireless network booster (plug it in at the far end of you house to get some extra range)
-print server for the office/house
-set it up for your kids to enjoy in there bedroom
-small enough to put it inside a headphone amp box, set your favouite playlist on shuffle and put next to your bed.


Squeezebox: Dont know a great deal about these as they are hard to come by here in Perth. Nice looking, not too bad to control. only 11mbit. opensource/freeware software?? Cant be streamed to from a computer, must use remote.



I guess the decision I had to make as I decided what I wanted (which is the AX at the moment ) was:

Do I want to control it from a computer OR from a remote control on a small screen??

With 45gig of songs I found the idea of navigating on a small LCD screen from the couch a bit hard to grasp. Its hard enough to keep it organized and search thru my library in winamp or itunes with a keyboard, mouse and 15.4" screen. I guess in my circumstanses its not too bad as I have a old computer with large disks in it and a wi-fi card storing all my music. From there i have my laptop which plays all the music from the server (wi-fi). The laptop lives on the study desk, kitchen counter, outside table, lounge suite, bedroom. It is easy for me as its always on with itunes/winamp running already.

If i had no laptop i would find the AX hard to justify as everytime i wanted to change songs I would have to go to the spare room, open the door, turn on the monitor change songs and then do the reverse. A remote controled box accessing a server would be more ideal (though hard to navigate if not organized really well) Thats were the roku i guess comes into play, best of both worlds.

tough decision but the ax is dirt cheap for what it is, soon you will be able to stream from anything to it, and it has more features that may be usefull in 3/4 years time than a squeezebox. and hey . . . think how good a roku will be in another few years! and cheaper too!!!

Dan

 

[tyrion]

If I didn't have a notebook I don't think I would have gone with the AX. My notebook is set up on a coffee table in front of the couch that I sit in when listening to music. If it weren't for that I would still have a cdp. I may be going back to a cdp again for unrelated reason and passing on my AX to my daughter.

 

[DanielNTX]

Here's my Roku SoundBridge M1000 Review and how to get it for $179.99.

 

[gorman]

Got my SqueezeBox (wired version, have 811.b at home and wanted to stream FLAC files without worrying).

Well... Installing it was super-easy. I connected it through coaxial to my Amp, using its internal DAC. FLAC files sound awesome, the interface is easy... seriously, I couldn't be happier.

I'll probably write a full fledged review in a couple of weeks, once I will have had the time to grow accustomed to all its feature.

So far so good, in any case.

 

[JohnnyLightOn]

Congrats on your new Squeezebox, gorman. Looking forward to reading your review!

 

[morphsci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bundee1 Does anyone know if you can use a Pocket PC as a remote to access the music files off of your computer?

You sure can. I use a Dell Axim to control it through a web interface and it works great.

I have been using my wireless squeezebox for about six months and I would have to say that it is a mature, well supported product, even though some who have not even used it may disagree.

The slimserver software is also very well written and supported and makes the whole system very flexible and easy to use. I highly recommend it.

 

[jhenderson010759]

Quote:

Originally Posted by morphsci You sure can. I use a Dell Axim to control it through a web interface and it works great. I have been using my wireless squeezebox for about six months and I would have to say that it is a mature, well supported product, even though some who have not even used it may disagree. The slimserver software is also very well written and supported and makes the whole system very flexible and easy to use. I highly recommend it.

I am also using Squeezebox controlled by a pocket PC - in my case an HP iPaq4700. Works great. I am using the TelCanto software on the iPaq. It has a wonderful interface, is very readable, full-featured and fast. Much nicer than using Terminal Services.

 

[gbeard]

Howdy all,

I am also a happy Squeezebox user. I am connected via toslink to my Yamaha DSP-A1 and use a Niles switcher to play music throughout the house. I can't really comment on the quality of the sound vs. a high-end source, but I will state that I think it sounds pretty good through the rather marginal (for music) Yam dacs.

Here is my basic set up:

Squeezebox>Toslink>DSP-A1>Niles speaker Switcher> four different stereo speaker systems!

PC running XP with a Maxtor external 300gig HDD currently holding 452 cds encoded in APL. Using itunes for the music management and ripping, with Slimserver running the show.

Ethernet from PC to hardwired netgear hub, Ethernet from hub to Linksys WAP located in a closet central to my home (approximately 20 feet from the SQB location) 70% wireless signal at 802.11b. No discernable dropouts with APL or wave files.

An Ipaq xr3115 PDA running TelCanto software to wirelessly access any of almost 6000 songs anytime, anywhere!! The TelCanto developer, Malcolm Green, tells me with a freeware program called GSPlayer, I can set my PDA to play all the songs from the Slimserver as if it were an mp3 player!! I will be checking this out soon. Imagine, I could access my music and play it back through headphones from any wireless hotspot-anywhere!

I am slowing converting my LP's to APL (very tedious process) using my Terratec 6fire soundcard and Wavelab to manipulate the files. It takes about 15 or 20 minutes (after real time recording) to put in the titles and all in itunes, but wow, my whole collection at my fingertips!!! Whoa baby!!!!

Internet Radio is very, very cool too.

And to agree with everybody else, the Squeeze is a 2nd gen open source product. I am on my 3rd firmware revision, and 2nd version of SlimServer.

It is a tweaky product to be sure, but once set up, it is very easy to use and stable. The LCD display is great, the remote works well, and it only drops a signal once in a while. All in all, I am VERY satisfied.

gb

 

[Super-Gonzo]

I'm also a satisified Squeezebox owner. I use it exclusively... I don't even own a stand alone CD player at this point.

I chose the squeezebox because it had FLAC support, digital outs and a web interface. Right now I control it with whatever computer I might have handy or the remote, but the eventual plan is to buy a cheap web enabled touchpad to control the system.

I have a fair amount of music on the system, 450+ albums at last count. Everything is speedy, and I haven't had a dropped connection since I upgraded to the latest version of the slimserver software and squeezebox firmware.

Mostly, I like the fact that the slimserver software is open source, and under constant improvement. It's one of the few products I've purchased that continues to gain features. I can honestly say it works better and does more now than when I purchased it. That's a pretty strange concept when it comes to most consumer electronics.

Rumor has it that the 6.0 version of slimserver will contain a proper database back-end, probably SQL-Lite. This should allow for really fast searches, and the ability to sort and search based on lots of different characteristics.

I can't say much about the Apple streamer, but I will say a few things about Roku. They have a fairly bad reputation. I won't go into it too much (as I'm not an owner myself) but search around a bit, you'll find a lot of disgruntled customers, especially of their older products. It should also be noted that a good deal of their format compatibility list is based on use with the SlimServer software, the very same open source software used by the SqueezeBox. Thus, if you use their box with iTunes, you won't get the same file format support.

 

[jefemeister]

Has anyone seen or tried the Sonos? I saw it Popular Science and it looks pretty sweet but is pricey.

http://www.sonos.com/

 

[tyrion]

The Squeezbox is becoming very tempting. I really would like to have flac support which the AX does not have at the moment. It would save a lot effort in having to move from flac to wav to apple lossless. Does anyone know the best (cheapest) placed to buy one?

 

[gbeard]

Quote:

Has anyone seen or tried the Sonos? I saw it Popular Science and it looks pretty sweet but is pricey.

Jefemeister, the Sonos guy was doing some posting a while ago at Audiocircle I think (coulda been AVS), and the system does indeed look cool--and pricey. I think it is a very good idea for people that are not technically savy with wireless networks, and for those who do not already have a system and/or don't want to mess with lots of gear. I haven't actually seen one yet, or heard any reports of those who have. Perhaps that will change after CES.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion The Squeezbox is becoming very tempting. I really would like to have flac support which the AX does not have at the moment. It would save a lot effort in having to move from flac to wav to apple lossless. Does anyone know the best (cheapest) placed to buy one?

Foobar's batch converter to convert FLAC to WMA Lossless, then import them into iTunes for conversion to ALAC, shouldn't be too difficult actually (from what I've heard). Plus DBPowerAmp now has a ALAC plugin. But it's certainly understandable if you don't want to go through that.

Slim Devices is supposedly going to be at Macworld next week. Vendors usually offer a discount at the show and sometimes also on their website. You may want to check it after the 10th.