[nfusion770]

Pretty happy with mine too. I have a ready NAS where all my music stored, but I use slim server on my main desktop (streaming the NAS files). Running directly off the NAS is very slow (even though slim devices sells them as a package claiming what a great combo they are). Anyway, for some reason it is much faster running via the desktop (talking 5 seconds and 30 seconds- literally).

I also don't really use slimserver for anything other than settings for streaming. I am not a playlist listener, I only listen by artist/ album. The internet radio stuff is very, very cool, but I have only had time to play with it a little bit.

My Squeezebox has a bolder modded Elpac power supply and I run it with an external DAC to my HR-2- I think it sounds great.

To add to what others have said above- which I agree with- its takes very little technical aptitude to setup the SB. Complete setup should take most people 10-20 minutes at most. Its one of those products that just works.

 

[The Monkey]

I'm assuming that the MicroDAC is superior to the SB3's internal DAC. Would others agree?

 

[Sheynkman]

ok so the slimserver is like a jukebox (mediamonkey/itunes/etc) that instead of playing out the computer streams the music to the SB?

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheynkman /img/forum/go_quote.gif ok so the slimserver is like a jukebox (mediamonkey/itunes/etc) that instead of playing out the computer streams the music to the SB?

I am not too sure what you mean, but I guess it is a sort of modern day jukebox.

Ya know if you do as others have suggested and download the software you can try it before you buy it!

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm assuming that the MicroDAC is superior to the SB3's internal DAC. Would others agree?

The SB's internal DAC is a 24-bit Burr-Brown PCM1748 with dual linear power regulators, I am using it straight to my amp. I am sure it would be a slight improvement when used with an external DAC, it would have to be a pretty good one to really notice a difference.

 

[dwchin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheynkman /img/forum/go_quote.gif ok so the slimserver is like a jukebox (mediamonkey/itunes/etc) that instead of playing out the computer streams the music to the SB?

It is like a 'jukebox,' but the software is a valuable download even if you don't own a physical Squeezebox. If you follow the links above, you can put the Slimserve on your computer and stream music to any computer. I don't have a Squeezebox (though I'd definitely like to pick one up soon) but I have the software to stream all my digital music to any computer in my house and to my work computer at the office. My favorite thing is to either choose an album from my collection to listen to at work, or else have it do a random mix and pick an album or artist for me. It's a nice piece of software even if you don't own a Squeezebox, though once you have the software, you'll probably end up wanting to buy an SB of your own

 

[Sheynkman]

So I installed slimserver...

from what I understand all it is is a playlist-creating app....that sends that playlist to the SB

Does it play gapless??

 

[episiarch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm assuming that the MicroDAC is superior to the SB3's internal DAC. Would others agree?

No, I find the two to have equal sound quality. I carefully A/B'd them (lossless files of songs I know very well into ER-4S via Gilmore Lite) and found them so nearly indistinguishable that it was pointless for me even to try to make up my mind which was better.

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheynkman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does it play gapless??

Yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, I find the two to have equal sound quality. I carefully A/B'd them (lossless files of songs I know very well into ER-4S via Gilmore Lite) and found them so nearly indistinguishable that it was pointless for me even to try to make up my mind which was better.

Wow, that's great news! Considering the HeadRoom DAC is $300 alone that is really impressive. I haven't even considered a DAC upgrade, just the power upgrade which seems to work wonders.

 

[woodcans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheynkman /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I installed slimserver... from what I understand all it is is a playlist-creating app....that sends that playlist to the SB Does it play gapless??

It is much, much more than this. I've had my SB3 & Transporter for a little over a month now. The main function, imo, of the units are to create an interface from your computer or NAS wirelessly to your stereo system. The interface created by these devices is incredibly easy to use - via the remote with only a few button presses you have access to your entire music collection as well as numerous internet radio stations. This is its main function and while it sounds simple, it has really changed the way I listen to music and I have listened to more of my collection in the last month & 1/2 than I have in the past year. While I would say that the software only version is a nice 'demo', the physical units themselves and the excellent remote control capabilities (not to mention the sound quality) are the strengths of these products.

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, I find the two to have equal sound quality. I carefully A/B'd them (lossless files of songs I know very well into ER-4S via Gilmore Lite) and found them so nearly indistinguishable that it was pointless for me even to try to make up my mind which was better.

I must admit that I'm surprised. Thanks for the info. Have you tested with full-sized cans, too?

 

[episiarch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif I must admit that I'm surprised. Thanks for the info. Have you tested with full-sized cans, too?

I haven't. I don't own any full-sized cans that I really trust more overall than my ER-4S. And since they're what I use if I'm listening critically anyway, they're what I test with.

True, my CD3K and SA5K are more revealing in certain areas and might possibly have shown me something the ER-4S didn't. But they have flaws of their own and I don't listen to them nearly as much nor rely on them. For purposes of my own listening, if I can't discern enough difference with a well-amped ER-4S to make a call, then I know there's not enough difference to justify my spending $300 to add a Micro DAC to the Squeezebox (which question was the whole reason I spent time doing that test). Your mileage may vary of course, but I completely satisfied myself that for my purposes, they were the same.

The only difference I could really detect all was a slight variation in the texture in some sustained (female vocal) vowel sounds. But was one "clear and clean" and the other "just a little more grainy" -- or was one "hiding a little detail" and the other "revealing more" of it?* I went back and forth over and over and still couldn't say which statement was true -- that is, which one I would consider better. And I could barely hear that difference even when listening very closely for it. So I decided to heck with it. As far as I'm concerned, they're equally good.

*[size=xx-small](I don't, by the way, remember which was which. Sorry.)[/size]