Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Wireless Music Player Review

After helping a neighbor buy and set up one of these a few years ago, I've been anxiously awaiting purchasing one myself. For many years, I've been using an Audiotron, which is a digital music player that was great for its time, but it was discontinued years ago, and the Squeezebox offered more features, including access to the excellent Pandora music service.
Adding to the attraction of its many features, it also has a stellar reputation for audio quality and an active support community on the Squeezebox forums. There are many instances where audiophiles are using Squeezebox devices to play lossless music files through high-end equipment; a situation that years ago would have been done through a dedicated and very expensive CD transport. Slim Devices (now purchased by Logitech) even designed the Squeezebox Transporter to cater to that crowd, offering a premium-priced product that was based upon this Squeezebox hardware.
When I had the chance to purchase the Squeezebox for a very good price, I didn't hesitate, and I'm very glad that I made the purchase!
A primary difference between the Audiotron and the Squeezebox is that the latter requires the SqueezeCenter software to be running on a host computer in order to provide anything more than Internet Radio. I wasn't thrilled about the idea of having something like that taking up computer resources, so I used this as an opportunity to purchase the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo 2-Bay (Diskless) Desktop Network Storage RND2000 that also provides the ability to run SqueezeCenter along with hosting the files. Now, I don't need to have a computer running 24/7 and I don't have to deal with a software package running on my primary PC.
The tradeoff is that the ReadyNAS is somewhat underpowered, and the response time of the web interface is a little slower than I'd like. Hopefully, a software update will improve that situation, even if just a little.
The Squeezebox is an audio-only device, so you will not find a video connection on its back panel. Control is in the form of a standard IR remote control and the vacuum flourescent display, which is very good quality. I actually prefer to the use the web interface, even if it's a little on the slow side through the ReadyNAS. I'm looking forward to trying the iPhone app for controlling it. The flexibility that there are so many different ways to control the Squeezebox is a testament to the technical prowess behind the designers of the product.
Even though I'm glad that I don't have to turn on my TV to control the Squeezebox, I have to admit that I'd really like to be able to use an on-screen GUI to navigate my music library, change settings, and see cover art and visualizations while music is playing. Such additions would likely make the player more expensive and out of reach for many people, though.
There are so many capabilities of this device, I haven't looked through them all and experimented with them. Tops among them are iTunes library integration, where it appears that I could access my iTunes playlists for a more seamless and integrated experience.
By far, I get the most use out of the Pandora music service. Pandora is an online service that allows you to specify an artist or a song that you like and it will go out and find similar artists and songs. You can create multiple stations, so that you can listen to music to match your mood, from Johnny Cash Country to 80's rock to relaxing piano music from the likes of Jim Brickman. You can access Pandora on your computer, but nothing beats the convenience being able to pipe that music throughout your house!
Pandora access was the primary reason I wanted a Squeezebox, and I'm very happy with it. The only thing I would like is a way to access "thumbs-up" and "thumbs-down" ratings more easily from the remote.
The advantage of having a centralized server software program is that you can add more Squeezebox devices and control them from the software and even synchronize them for simultaneous playback if you wish. I bought a used 1st generation Squeezebox and it works great to access my entire music collection as well as Pandora, etc.
Having the Squeezebox allows us to enjoy more music more often. We get more use from the music library we have, and listening to Pandora opens us up to artists and music we may not have heard otherwise. While you can attach an iPod to your stereo system to play your music, it's not the same as having a device dedicated to the task. The sound quality is fantastic, there are more features than most people will know what to do with, and it's a great addition to our entertainment system!
Highly recommended!
Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Wireless Music Player Feature
- Lossless Formats (Apple Lossless, FLAC, WMA Lossless) and Uncompressed formats (AIFF, WAV, PCM)
- Compressed formats (MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, MP2, MusePack, WMA)
- Bridging capability allows Ethernet devices to connect to the network through Squeezebox Wireless
- True 802.11g wireless networking
- "Always-on" Internet Radio, powered by mysqueezebox.com, lets you tune in to Internet Radio streams even when the home PC is switched off
Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Wireless Music Player Overview
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.
Available at Amazon Check Price Now!
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 10, 2010 01:05:15
See Also : Supertoys4u.com Bestprice2you.com















