Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Wireless Music Player

by Logitech

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000VZL9C2
• Item model number: 930-000009
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,393 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #30 in Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Radios > Internet Radios
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Logitech Squeezebox enables you to stream your favorite music to your stereo--even when your computer is off. You'll be able to tune in to thousands of Internet radio stations as well as listen to online music services such as Pandora and Rhapsody when connected to your home's wireless network. Additionally, you can play songs from your personal library stored on your computer.

This Logitech network music player uses 802.11g wireless technology, so you don't have to string wires everywhere just to listen to music from your computer. You'll enjoy crisp, clear sound through your home stereo or powered speakers thanks to 24-bit DAC, advanced audio rendering technology, and digital outputs. And the Squeezebox supports just about any format you've got, including MP3, FLAC, WMA, WMA Lossless, AAC, Apple Lossless, WAV, and AIFF.

The Logitech Squeezebox is simple to install and operate. A wizard walks you through connection to your home network and the Internet, while an intuitive interface makes browsing and playing music easy. And it's easy to add more Squeezebox players around your home and listen to a different song in each room--or synchronize them to hear the same music everywhere.

Key Features

• High fidelity 24-bit Burr-Brown DAC
• Digital optical, coaxial, and analog connectors
• Plays MP3, AAC, WMA, Ogg, FLAC, Apple Lossless, WMA Lossless and WAV music files
• Connect to SqueezeNetwork for access to Internet radio and music services, including Pandora, Rhapsody Direct, Live 365, radioio and Shoutcast.
• Connects to SlimServer software for access to music libraries on local computers
• Built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi and Ethernet port
• On-screen clock with 7-day alarm

A World of Music--Fast

Squeezebox players aren't designed for computer experts--they're designed for music lovers like you. No bridge or proprietary network hardware needed. You just connect it to the network you already have in your house and enjoy. It's as easy as adding a new computer.

Just plug it in. And you're half way to listening to a world of music through your Logitech Squeezebox network music player.

The first time you power up your Squeezebox, it automatically finds your wireless network. You just enter your network password and use your computer to sign up for a free SqueezeNetwork account. You can then use your Web browser or your Squeezebox to find Internet radio stations, sample interactive music services, create playlists, and more.

Your personal music collection is easy to access, too. SqueezeCenter--which you can download for free--will automatically find and organize the music on your computer (registration is required). After that, you're ready to browse and play your library with your Squeezebox.

What's in the Box

Logitech Squeezebox Digital Music Player; remote control; power supply; RCA audio cables; installation guide

Product Description

Squeezebox is the affordable way to deliver music into every room of your home. It plays a wide variety of digital music files, including uncompressed and lossless formats — across a true 802.11g wireless network connection. Squeezebox will revolutionize the way you listen by freeing you and your music. Its convenient and stylish form makes it ideal for placing in any room, whether connected to an existing hifi system or simply powered speakers. By utilizing true 802.11g Wi-Fi networking and dual internal antennas, your listening is no longer restricted by cables and connectors. Squeezebox offers you the widest choice of listening options beyond your digital media collection. The product includes a directory of thousands of internet radio stations and features Pandora's personalized music service and Rhapsody's 2 million song collection. All internet music streaming services are even available when your computer is turned off.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow..., December 23, 2006

By 

D. Davidson "Music Lover" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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!

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Device, November 29, 2007

By 

Robert Klingsten (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Wireless Music Player (Electronics)

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.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to setup, quality results, March 9, 2007

By 

Christopher E. Behr (Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

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.