Squeezebox Network Music Player - White

by Logitech

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.5 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000BUX3I0
• Item model number: SDI-SBX3W-01-W
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,853 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Deciding how to offer a review of the third-generation Squeezebox by Slim Devices without gushing forth a stream of typical market-speak accolades ("Incredible!" "Outstanding!" "A must-have for any music lover!") is not easy. And even more difficult, given all that Squeezebox has going for it, is deciding where to start describing the wealth of features this little box boasts.

Squeezebox gives you full control over your entire digital music library. And it couldn't be easier. (Black model and remote shown).

Stereo level meters are a nice touch. View larger.

All the connections you need are on the back. See detail.

From Digital Files to High Performance
Although the tools to convert CDs to digital files have become standard fare on nearly every computer, by comparison the tools needed to play those files on a high-performance sound system can be clunky, inconvenient, and downright frustrating to use. Until recently, our options have been either to drag expensive computers to the living room and wire them directly to our stereos, or to buy an expensive digital music player that we then need to continually plug and unplug.

Enter Squeezebox to save us from this hassle. After plugging this streamlined device into your stereo via a standard RCA cable, and taking all of five minutes to download software to your computer and configure Squeezebox to your wireless network (okay, maybe seven minutes if you're chewing gum at the same time), you can immediately start "pulling" music off your Mac or PC for full-sounding playback through your entertainment system. Imagine being able to keep your computer on your desk, and your digital player in your pocket, and still crank your digital music with abandon! It's really that simple: within a few minutes of unpacking the Squeezebox, your digital files are yours for the asking from the comfort of your couch. (Squeezebox is also offered in a "wired-only" model that connects directly to the Internet via an Ethernet cable.)

Once Squeezebox is set up, it immediately presents your music on its easy-to-read display by genre, artist, song, album and even year. With the help of a handy remote, you can scroll through just about every music file on your computer and play songs in whatever sequence you desire. As long as your digital files are in a single location (in your iTunes folder, for instance), Squeezebox will get them to you. Although your computer must be on in order to play your digital files, you don't necessarily have to start it up just to play your music. Squeezebox also gives you the option of using the remote to wake your PC or Mac from a "sleep" state remotely, adding to the system's ultimate ease of use.

Squeezebox offers lots of setup options.

A handy remote is included (black remote shown, white model ships with white remote). View larger.

Squeezebox supports most popular formats, such as AAC (on Mac or Windows), and AIFF, FLAC, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WAV or WMA (Windows only). The sound quality is limited only by how well you burned your CDs in the first place, and by the performance of your entertainment system.

Surely there must be a catch, you're probably thinking. In fact, there are a couple of glitches that beg for improvement in the next-generation model.

First, while you can create play lists for Squeezebox on your computer via the software's browser interface -- a somewhat clunky procedure --, or with the remote itself -- an easier, though still time-consuming process --, Squeezebox could not access the play lists we had already created in our iTunes player. According to the manufacturer, only iTunes users suffer from this problem; Squeezebox recognizes lists created in Windows Media and other popular players. The second issue has to do with encrypted files. Simply put, it can't play any files you purchase or download from an online store, such as the iTunes Music Store, that are protected. For those files, you'll have to continue to resort to the primitive plug-and-play method.

Internet Radio without a Computer
In addition to playing digital files, you can use Squeezebox to stream Internet radio straight into your living room without a computer. Squeezebox feeds directly from your wireless network to do this. With the Web interface, or via the remote, you can create a list of your favorite Internet radio stations for streaming. Squeezebox also comes loaded with several stations covering the full array of musical genres, from jazz and world music, to 70's pop and 90's electronica. For news junkies, Squeezebox can also stream your favorite RSS feeds across its aqua blue display.

About the size of a bedside digital alarm clock, Squeezebox can sit inconspicuously on any horizontal surface. The ports, all located on the back of the unit, include a mini headphone jack, RCA connections, a digital optical output and coax output, and an Ethernet connection. An extremely intuitive interface on Squeezebox lets you easily configure the display's text size, illumination, screen saver, and track information.

Until the day comes when affordable entertainment systems exist that offer seamless convergence of wireless Internet and digital technology with high-performance playback, Squeezebox will let you share your digital music loudly and clearly with just a few clicks of the remote.

Pros:

• A seamless way to stream digital music through entertainment systems
• Offers easy and remote access to all unencrypted digital music files on our computer
• Streams Internet radio through your receiver without a computer

Cons:

• Does not play encrypted music files from online digital services
• Creating playlists can be time consuming

What's in the Box
Squeezebox Network Music Player, AC power adaptor (appropriate plug by region), user's manual, SlimServer software (requires download), custom infrared remote (2 AAA batteries included), and 6-foot gold plated RCA patch cord.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing device...it will change how you experience music, November 30, 2005

By 

Glass Audio lover "netgear customer" (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Squeezebox Network Music Player - White (Electronics)

Why are audiophiles buzzing about this inexpensive product? It is the first mass consumer unit to sound as good as much more expensive audio products. I had it up and running with my wireless network in 15 minutes, and was simply stunned by how good it sounded playing my music on computer. Even the internet radio playing through this unit sounded better than any standard radio tuner. Read my experience at musicserver.blogspot.com

I have a huge investment in my current audio system (more than $20k). I read about the Squeezebox on one of the audiophile websites, and was intrigued by having all my music accessible on a computer, but with sound quality to match my high end CD player. After a month of living with the Squeezebox, I can confirm how good it sounds, how simple it is to set up, and how versatile it is. I have not turned on my $3000 CD transport in 2 weeks, and plan on selling it shortly.

I encourage anyone ready to set up a computer system to visit my blog at musicserver.blogspot.com to see how easy it was to set up your music collection on a computer.

For the 95% of people out there who don't understand or care about audiophile quality sound, don't worry. A stock Squeezebox playing your music stored on your computer will sound better than anything you can buy for any reasonable amount of money.

For the uninitiated, a Squeezebox is part of a system of storing your CD collection on computer, and you use the Squeezebox to access/browse your computerized music collection. You need a computer, of course, and to get the best sound quality, you need to rip your music using a high quality format, like WAV or Apple Lossless or FLAC. It works with computers running Windows, Linux or Apple operating systems, and it does not require an expensive computer. Many users are running it with a laptop! It connects to your computer either wirelessly (using built in wifi connection) or via an ethernet cable.

After a month of playing with this unit, I cannot see how I could ever go back to using a CD player.

For audiophiles who are dubious about how an inexpensive box can compete with separates, read my blog. This box is the real deal, and when upgraded using a few simple tweaks (and when used with an external DAC), it is awesome!!! If you don't have or don't want a external DAC, the Squeezebox can be modified by a number of companies to upgrade the existing DAC and produce great quality sound.

The audiophile press and internet gurus are abuzz about this product for good reason. I was pretty skeptical, but it was so cheap I figured I had little to lose. I am not one to gush about gear, but this box is just phenomenal!!!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very good, December 6, 2006

By 

C. Franz (Zurich, ZH Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Squeezebox Network Music Player - White (Electronics)

I have to admit that I'm totally taken with this product. Over the past years I have purchased well over 5 of these devices (starting with the original 'SliMP3'), in their various incarnations.

The squeezebox is a mature product, having aged *very* well both in hardware design and software.

The software part is open-source (and so good that at some time even competitors like Roku used it to base their product on), and has more features that I can remember. Setting up the server is a two-step process:

First you set up your PC as music server. This means that you need to have a PC that is always turned on (at first I used an old Windows 2000 based laptop, but have since exchanged that with a Mac mini that does nothing else but serve up media content). Installing and starting the server is very simple for anyone but the most basic users (it requires your PC to enable web serving, and you must configure your firewall accordingly). The server starts up, and immediately begins scanning your music library. It integrates very nicely with both Windows Media Player and (particularly well) iTunes.

Configuring the server is done using a web interface, and can be done from anywhere in your home LAN where you can reach the server. This is especially nice if you have more than one PC in your home. You can remotely control any Squeezebox that is connected to the server (more than one can connect to a server and play independently from each other), and even build playlists on the fly.

The Squeezebox itself you set up next. Basically, installing it involves connecting it to a stereo or active speakers, connecting power, and turning it on (the wired variant requires you to connect an ethernet cable as well). The 'box starts up, and guides you through the setup process. You control all aspects of setting up the box with it's remote. Set-up is quick, but I highly recommend you use your wireless security features (in this case, setting it up takes an additional but painless step). After roughly a minute, your Squeesebox is connected to your LAN, and has access to all the music that is stored on your PC. The more recent squeezeboxes also now have access to Internet streams, making it possible to listen to Internet radio even without your local server being on.

You can remotely control the Squeezebox either via Web interface, or a (rather cheaply made) IR remote control unit. This remote control is actually the low-point of the device, and I have replaced it on most devices with a much better-feeling remote from Logitech (who, ironically, have now acquired SlimDevices, SqueezeBoxe's manufacturer).

Sound quality is good in my opinion - but then I'm definitely not an audiophile. Some albums that are meant to be played gapless (e.g. Rush's 'Hemispheres' or Pavarotti's interpretation of Verdi's 'La Traviata') have noticeable short gaps between songs as the server switches beetwen songs. This can be annoying, but are no show-stop for me (it *is* a bit jarring in Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' and 'Wish you where here')

Since the Squeezebox is actually 'just' a smart frontend to your fully fledged computer, it can do a *lot* more than just play music. You can easily configure it to be an alarm clock (with different alarm times for each day of the week, alternating play lists etc), an internet stock/news ticker, weather forecast etc. I really love the versatility of this thing.

An annoying shortcoming (hardly a fault of the manufacturer) is the fact that it currently can't play protected (DRM's) songs (at least neither iTunes nor Zune). I'm still hoping that this changes in the future. On the other hand, it also plays some of the more obscure music formats available (some natively, other using a technique called transcoding).

The SqueezeBox uses only a tiny fraction of your LAN's available bandwidth, so you can use it without problems on low-bandwidth networks such as Ethernet-over-Powerline or 802.11b wireless.

Unexpected benefits
- Squeezebox also acts as wireless bridge
- Mini-Games available
- Internet radio available even if server off-line

Room for improvements:
- Synchronous play for multiple Squeezeboxes
- Playback of DRM'd songs

All in all I can heartily recommend this device to anyone who looks for a painless method to play their computer-bound music library on the stereo (which traditionally is not connected to the LAN - this is where the wireless connection comes in handy).

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making my iPod Jealous, January 16, 2006

By 

Erik DC (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Squeezebox Network Music Player - White (Electronics)

I just picked up the Squeezebox over the holidays and it has quickly become one of my favorite toys. I mostly listen to music in my car and living room and was transporting my iPod between both places and to the computer to add new files. This arrangement caused several inconveniences. I always had to update the iPod playlists before I could listen to new/seasonal music. I was limited to listening to what my iPod could hold. My wife had no music at the house while I was in the car and I had to shuttle the docking station between my stereo and PC.

The Squeezebox has resolved all these issues and more. Now I have access to my entire collection from the living room. All my iTunes playlists and artist/album/genre/song/etc information is available and searchable. The remote control is constantly being passed around when I have friends over, the intuitiveness of the product means that everyone finds their favorite songs in seconds.

While I didn't buy the Squeezebox for internet radio I find myself regularly using it. It gives you easy access to thousands of stations, many commercial free with no fees like satellite radio. Since the signal is digital each radio track displays artist and song info. Whatever you listen to, you will find several stations that beat the ClearChannel garbage on traditional radio. For some reason I get a kick out of having a choice of 5 Russian stations.

Setup is a cinch, and I have not experienced any technical difficulties that were caused by the squeezebox. The Squeezebox is a fraction of the price of Sonos and technologically superior to the Roku Soundbridge. Definitely a worthwhile purchase, highly recommended.