Customer Reviews

Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio Receiver

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been wanting a Squeezebox for some time but didn't want to pay for the controller. The Logitech Squeezebox software has long been open source and has a large and very active online community that is supported by the company. I looked through their forum (http://forums.slimdevices.com/) and found that one of their senior members wrote software allowing the Squeezebox Receiver to be configured WITHOUT the remote control. A link directly to the software, as reported in a comment to a previous post, can be found at http://robinbowes.com/projects/Net-UDAP. It's not officially supported by the Logitech, but I was able to get my receiver configured with it in less than an hour.

One caveat though; you should be a bit tech savy if you are going to go this route. The software is still in beta, has not been *offically* released (by reading through the thread on this topic (http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=43722&highlight=network+configuration), mostly because the guy who wrote it hasn't had time to package it up). So, currently the software is only available through an online subversion repository, which if you haven't worked with before, could take an hour or two of fiddling around to get repository software and check out the code. The configuration itself is done via a perl command line, so windows users will need ActivePerl. Check out the documentation, it's pretty straightforward.

So if none of that scares you, this is an incredible solution for wireless streaming music from a computer to a stereo for 150 bucks.

I currently have the Logitech Squeezebox Duet Network Music System which includes one receiver (like this one sold here) and the controller. I wanted to add an additional receiver without spending $400, so this worked perfectly. My one squeezebox controller now controls both receivers, so my husband can listen to talk radio in one room while I get to listen to my favorite Pandora stations in the other room. This will not work stand-alone as the other reviewer stated, but if you already own the Squeezebox Duet system, you can expand and add several receivers and there won't be a need to buy another controller.

If you love music, and if you have a decent home network, wireless (preferred) or wired, do not hesitate to take a plunge in the Squeezebox Revolution. I first bought the Duet, then a few more Receivers, then the Classic, then the Boom, well you get the picture. If I had set up my house in the traditional way of distributed music system, with in-wall speakers and zone-based amps and a rackful of disc changers, it would have cost me over $10,000 to achieve half of what I have accomplished with the superbly cost effective Squeezebox. But cost is not even the point here. It is about quality and philosophy. Squeezebox products simply work, in a elegantly simple and reliable way that you would usually only expect from Apple. And they work both as joyful listening devices for causal internet radio, home server streaming, and as utterly serious audiophile grade equipment to digitally feed you high-end 2-channel system. Sync them, run them independently, set an alarm, wake up a sleeping computer, read an artist bio, hide it in a closet or display it on your precious system rack, Squeezebox simply rocks. Unfailingly. Now the philosophy. I love the technology, but it is the Squeezebox vision of freeing your music by way of adhering to open audio standards and open source computing that has earned my highest respect and devotion. If you are a passive user, great - Squeezebox will be routinely updated to bring you the latest new features, from 192/24 high definition audio decoding to power saving digital amp update, just enjoy them all without having to go out and buy new components (remember the days when you just bought a great CD player then SACD suddenly came out?). If you are geeky (not that anything's wrong with it), you can tweak your SqueezeCenter (the totally free software server powering your SqueezeBox hardware devices) in a myriad of creative ways, from importing your entire iTunes library to writing your own plug-ins, so that you can make your SqueezeBox experience that much more special. It is unfortunate that most reviewers reporting problems are in fact having underlying issues with their home network. Let's hope SqueezeBox keeps making its products more user-friendly to overcome some of the more complicated computer / network difficulties associated with enabling such a powerful digital music reproduction experience. One beef I have with the product - in this day and age, it is a shame that the N wireless protocol is not yet integrated in SqueezeBox. While I applaud you and thank you for all the great new firmware and software upgrades, it will be a dream come true if all my devices can be updated with N support one of these days. Remember folks, it is all about the music! Happy Listening.

We purchased several of these Logitech C-RM66 receivers. As another review states, it is not necessary to purchase the much-more-expensive Logitech Duet Controller to control the output, view album art, and read lyrics. There is a highly-regarded controller implementation for the iPhone, plus, any web browser can also control the receivers and the metadata about the music. We had been using the receivers without a Logitech controller for some time. Unfortunately, one of the receivers stopped providing both the analog and digital audio signal that feeds an amplifier or AV system. The units each came with a 2-year warranty provided by Logitech. I telephoned Logitech to verify the suspect unit had failed (another C-RM66 in the same location with the same audio amplifier, audio connections, Ethernet cable, and power cable functioned perfectly). The Logitech rep had me perform a test (power cable out, press and hold power button, power cable back in, listen for sound from amplifier and speakers [none]) and confirmed that the Logitech Duet receiver had failed electronically, and required replacement.

Unfortunately, Logitech requires that both a Logitech Duet Controller and the failed Logitech Duet C-RM66 Receiver be returned together to be covered under warranty. Two reps and a Logitech supervisor said that Logitech now sells only pairs of Controller/Receiver, and will not replace a separately-purchased Receiver unless it's sent to them with a Logitech Duet Controller. Each Logitech rep agreed that the policy was illogical, and nevertheless said that only if a logitech controller is included with the failed receiver will they warranty the receiver.

Given this Logitech policy, I suggest avoiding Logitech products altogether.

I didn't purchase this from Amazon, although it is the lowest price around, instead i was able to purchase mine from Circuit City at an insane price due to liquidation.

At first installation was tricky, but i mostly blame this on a bogged down 9 year PC I was using. My laptop had crashed a week prior to purchasing the Duet. i figured I would at least get a "taste" of the Duet's features while i waited for my laptop's recovery disks to arrive.

With squeezecenter(program needed to stream throuhout house) installed on my PC i was able to get internet radio and Rhaposody to steam. But i was having problems streaming my Itunes library. At the end of the day i really blame this on my old bogged down PC.

Into the picture comes my newly formatted laptop. I installed the squeezecenter on there. At first I was still having the streaming problem with Itunes. I was able to find the FULL manual on the slimdevices(Logitech) website. After reading through it a quick change in my settings and resestting my Duet painlessly solved my problem. Within seconds i was streaming my 3,000+ itunes music.

My only real gripe with the Duet was it not including the FULL manual, but instead a Quick Setup Guide. I now enjoy listening to music more than ever and plan on converting all my music to FLAC and eventually purchasing a DAC to really get the most out of this unique system. But don't get me wrong the squeezebox sounds pretty good as it stands right now

I can't say enought great things about this baby!
The sound is fantastic.
The price is very very good for what you get.
The system works like a charm.

Details:
I bought a Logitech Squeezebox Boom and it was nice but not great. Sounded like a (decent) boom box... hence the name I guess!
I already have a great sounding Klisph iFi system for my computer and adding just this receiver (w/o paying big bucks for a remote)
worked like a charm (as someone else posted).

My setup:
Good computer speakers/amplifier (Klisph iFi)
squeezecenter software running on a linux box
squeezebox receiver (this product)
ipod touch (used, just over a [...] bucks) running "ipeng" software gives you an even better user interface than the squeezebox duet.
I also control my receiver through the squeezecenter's web interface on my computer.

Warning:
If you have a linux system and you know the basics of home networking (what is an ip address, a gateway address, a netmask your primary DNS address etc)
than it's pretty easy to setup (the instructions are ok and there is an associated discussion forum where you can as for help if needed).
Note that a friend with a linux laptop can come and help you set it up. It's only a one time deal to setup the box. After that you don't need
linux to run it.

If you are windows only user and don't know any linux user, then if you're very technically inclined you could install perl (activestate)
on your machine and setup the software. But it seems like it would be a pain in the butt to setup that way. You may just have to pay the
premium of getting the squeezebox duet (OR borrowing the remote from a friend who has one!).

I found the instructions and links to the software to setup this box at:

[...]

Good luck and enjoy a fantastic product!

It is not 100% because the software that runs on the server is still under development and have a couple of rough edges. Nothing major.

Also, one can setup the receiver without the remote control. My remote control is my wireless laptop. Works beautifully.

Although some folks have been able to set this unit up as a standalone system, its intended use is as an extra "receiver" (speaker driver) for the Squeezebox Duet system, which is a bundle of a Squeezebox Controller and a Squeezebox Receiver. That's the system I have.
Logitech Squeezebox Duet Wi-Fi Internet Radio

Since my original system is working well, I did not want the auxiliary unit to disrupt things. I did want the capability to play different program material in two different rooms, or to synchronize the program stream on occasion.

The SB Receiver works admirably along this line. I removed it from Logitech's elegant package, connected it to sound outputs and power, and watched it configure itself to my WPA2-protected network in about one minute. No sweat! Since network passwords are stored in the SB Controller, I did not have to go through the tiresome routine of entering the password using the vertical scroll-wheel method.

I gave the SB Receiver a new name using the Squeezebox Server software, which at v 7.4.1 is working very well on my ReadyNAS Duo network attached storage device, and all was ready to go.
Netgear ReadyNAS Duo 2-Bay (Diskless) Desktop Network Storage RND2000

The SB Receiver is located in our living room, which is a bit constrained for space. We wanted to put neither the cash nor the space toward a full stereo receiver setup in this room, so we purchased the Z-2300 powered speaker system, also by Logitech.
Logitech Z-2300 THX-Certified 200-Watt 2.1 Speaker System (Silver)

Although this is most often used as a computer speaker system, it is THX-certified, and includes a large (and heavy!) subwoofer control unit. Paired with the SB Receiver, it provides deep and rich sound in our room, and cannot be turned up all the way without hurting our ears! The SB Receiver feeds a clean signal to the speakers using the standard RCA left/right outputs (its twin in the other room is using the digital optical output, and it is hard to distinguish the difference between the two).

The only issue I've so far encountered with adding a second unit is that it complicates the Controller interface just a bit. There is no one-button shortcut to switch between receivers; one scrolls and selects, iPod style. This becomes, again, tedious when performing such operations as synching/desynching receivers. It's more of a Controller issue, though, and does not detract from the performance of the SB Receiver itself, which is responsive and clean.

In truth, this is something that would have barely worked at all five years ago, and it is impressive that a wireless product like this can perform without interruption, and even carry multiple program streams, with so few problems. I recommend it highly.

Absolutelly wonderful. Can listen to MP3's, internet radio, satellite radio and local as well as international radio stations. Will never go back to regular radio systems.

The Logitech Squeezebox Receiver is the third digital music player I've purchased from SlimDevices/Logitech, and all three of them have exceeded my expectations. This particular device is intended to be used along with a Squeezebox Controller, which is the advanced remote control with LCD display that can either be purchased separately or packaged together with this receiver as the "Duet" product. If you already own a Controller, then you can use it to control this stand-alone receiver, allowing you to expand your music library to more rooms in your house without having to pay for a second Controller.

If you do not have a Controller and are not interested in using a fancy LCD remote to browse your digital music library, then you should probably purchase the classic Squeezebox since you will not be able to set up this stand-alone Receiver without the Controller. The Receiver will not auto-configure itself for your network, even if you are using a wired connection. There is an third-party download available, Net-UDAP, which allowed me to bypass the normal configuration process even without a Controller, but at this time I would not recommend that option for most people.

Once configured for the network, my SqueezeCenter software detected the device immediately and I was able to play my digital music library on my home stereo as intended. This device complements my classic Squeezebox so I can have different music playing on two stereos in separate rooms using my digital music library on my home PC. If I had another stereo in the house, I would buy another Squeezebox Receiver to hook up to it. The size of this device is nice and small, allowing you to fit it into a stereo cabinet next to another component if you don't have an extra shelf handy.