[philodox]

Hi all,

I'm considering the Squeezebox 3, but haven't been able to find many pictures of the UI on the unit itself. From the shots I have seen I am worried that it may not be able to display enough information and would make selecting albums in a large music collection difficult.

Thanks in advance,

Jay

 

[episiarch]

A very good way to get a feel for the UI is to download SoftSqueeze, which fully emulates a Squeezebox on your computer. (I'm not sure how well it works if it doesn't find a SlimServer to connect to, but at least some of the functionality should be there.)

 

[raylpc]

You can just grab and install slimdevices server. It's open source and free.

I feel it gives me enough information. As for a huge music collection, it's not a problem at all. You can search instead of browse. Just type in the album, title or artist using the number pad on the remote like what you do on a cell phone. I'm very satisfied with my SB3 right now.

 

[philodox]

Thanks guys, that helped a lot.

 

[mkozlows]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox I'm considering the Squeezebox 3, but haven't been able to find many pictures of the UI on the unit itself. From the shots I have seen I am worried that it may not be able to display enough information and would make selecting albums in a large music collection difficult.

I've got a 400+ CD collection, and have no problem browsing with the Squeezebox's UI. A couple of things that make it work well for browsing are:

1. Ability to browse in a bunch of different ways, including the three tier "Browse by Genre" that I almost always use (which lets you go Genre->Artist->Album, a large benefit over the more standard Genre->Album).

2. The ability to jump to points in a long list by pushing number buttons. I can push 7 (labelled P,R,S) to jump to the "P" section of a list; pushing it again goes to R; and again goes to S. If you know what you're looking for, this is efficient enough that I've never actually used the searching functionality.

 

[agile_one]

philodox: I have SB3, love it, and have no problem navigating through hundreds of artists/albums, and 10's of playlists.

Stop stalling, and just get one

You will love it.

ps: recommend a good DAC asap to give a big hit in SQ.

 

[chadh]

Just some things I've heard about user interfaces for the SB:

If you have a wifi PDA, then Telcanto gives you a really nice handheld interface.
If you have a Nokia 770, then you can find a SUPER-nice interface for the SB.

In my own experience, if you have neither then the Slimserver interface on your PC is fine. And the SB is just an awesome device.

Chad

 

[philodox]

Well I'm sold... especially after reading the SanFran meet impressions. I am seriously considering that Nokia as well... but will probably use my PS2 in the mean time. As for the DAC, I found a local source for the Lavry.

 

[tyrion]

I just checked out Squeezbox3's website. That is a huge difference from what I remember of the older model. I don't know if anyone has tried www.pandora.com but it's call way to find and stream new music that is similar to music you currently enjoy. You can now use the sb3 to stream with pandora.com in addition to all the other media formats it accepts. It says on the website that it accepts AAC and lossless. Does anyone know if it works with Apple Lossless?

I've been using the Airport Express with a DAC2 and love it but while it's less expensive than the sb3 it's not nearly as versatile. With agile_one giving his seal of approval this maybe my next purchase.

 

[Genetic]

So many options..........

The DAC additional step is gonna cost another $1000 sorry for my wallet.

«Look for look» this one is much nicer, different but nicer : http://www.olive.us/p_bin/

Amicalement

 

[philodox]

I don't think the Olive has been getting the greatest reviews...

 

[tyrion]

Has anyone found any deals on the wireless version of the sb3?

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion Has anyone found any deals on the wireless version of the sb3?

I'd be interested in this as well. I'm considering having mine sent to Red Wine to have all of the mods except the analog output stage mods done as well as the battery power supply.

EDIT: There was a buy two get $100 off deal for a while, but I think that is over.

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox I'd be interested in this as well. I'm considering having mine sent to Red Wine to have all of the mods except the analog output stage mods done as well as the battery power supply. EDIT: There was a buy two get $100 off deal for a while, but I think that is over.

The deal is still on the website.

Edit: Nevermind, it says 2/28.

 

[tyrion]

I started to put in an order for 2 using the promocode and it seems like it will go through. Now I have to decide whether to do it.