Customer Reviews

Motorola 485757-001-00 Simplefi Wireless Digital Audio Receiver

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Before purchasing this item I compared it to the RIO and TurtleBeach Audiotron. The main thing that made the decision easy was the fact that it was wireless (no need for a phone line or network connection). While it does use an older (less crowded) wireless protocol, the sound that it provides in my home is CD Quality or near CD Quality. The sound quality is much, much better than the old 900MHz-FM audio transmitter that I was using, and now I can even change Internet Radio Stations or Tracks without having to walk to my computer. The Zapit feature is also cool. Push the Zap button and your computer will bring up information related to the song you are hearing (Song, Album and Artist Info etc...). If you plan to purchase the SimpleFi, be sure to download the latest software update. It makes setup much easier and adds the ability to play media files that were not in the original release, such as WMV, WMA etc. One TIP, during setup be sure to assign a static IP to the SimpleFi. It can prevent the SimpleFi box from temporarily loosing connection with the Wireless Network Card. A Bargain considering that I now have access to my entire (1000+) MP3 Collection, and Commercial Free Internet Radio. The only thing that would be nice in a future version would be video out to your television, so you could see track and zapit info on a big screen instead of on the tiny LCD Display. Hope this helps, John

I am just about to send my Simplefi back. Functionally, the unit is exactly what I wanted. It even installed in 15 minutes and worked first time. Then the bad news started. It lost its PC connection, and I couldn't get it back. I reinstalled the software, I rebooted the PC. My PC - running Windows XP Home - BSD'd on bootup. I spent two separate hours on the phone to Motorola tech support ahout all of this. They basically admitted it doesn't work with XP, and they don't know why.

So this is a real shame. I'd love to keep this device. But it is going back, and Motorala of course won't repay me for shipping it back, or my wasted time. So I have to pay to debug this for Motorola and Simple Devices.

I got one of these about two months ago. I'm running XP, & it took about 15 minutes to install, from the time I opened the box to the time I started listening to music through my stereo. Installation was straight forward, and you could tell that Motorola put alot of thought into the product, based on their excellent documentation. Between the hundreds of internet radio stations available with the Simplefi software & the music I have on my hard drive, I should have plenty of commercial-free music to listen to outside on the deck as I grill the steaks.

I have been encoding my CDs for months into 192 kb mp3s, and playing through my computer (ugh). Suffice to say, I have been looking for a DAR solution that was HQ and easy to use with my current system.

Now, I only paid $$ for this including shipping (ebay), but it would be worth the full $$$$. For starters - as another reviewer said - download the new firmware before you "discover" your mp3 files on your hard drive. I made the mistake of plowing into the install and it's clear that Motorola / Simple Devices took giant strides from 1.1 - 1.2. They new software provides all the features you need to enjoy a large music collection (shuffle, "watch folders", genre search, artist, etc.)both on the device or on your computer.

The "Tagit" feature with Muze content is an excellent way to learn more about your music, and the Internet Radio is such a plus.

Great work and enjoy this!

But when the rubber "hit's the road",the Kima, at $40 does the job equally well. The Kima transmits in analog of course, but you'd be suprised how little the difference is noticed.

Does what it is supposed to do: Allows you to listen to mp3's and streaming internet radio on your stereo. The interface is not perfect, mostly because it is a pain to page through every single artist or album (in alphabetic order) to get to the one you want.
On the other hand: it is wireless, and it uses an older wireless system, not the newer 802.11b or g. Believe it or not, this is an advantage. 802.11b is notoriously undependable, especially in a home environment, because it shares the same spectrum as cordless phones.
Unfortunately, it does not appear that there will be any further development on this product. The software has been at version 1.2 since I bought it months ago. But while the software could be slicker, it is fully functional, and does what it is supposed to do.
I recommend this product.

This product rocks!! I finally found a way to listen to my music on my home stereo. This will be the Christmas gift to get this year!!

I've tried the Simplefi and it was a pain to use. Compared to my SLIMP3, the Simplefi is hard to setup, hard to use and unreliable. And it costs fifty dollars more!

The SLIMP3 is super easy to set up and use, works with Windows, Mac and a variety of Unix platforms. The software is open source and well supported by the company and the user community. Check it out!