Slim Devices Squeezebox

[Nuuk]

Has anybody seen or heard of the Slim Devices Squeezebox

It looks very good but are there any shortcomings?

[cheesehead]

BUMP!

They have a new model out - Squeezebox 2

What it does is pull streaming audio out of the ether (wireless or ether(net)) and output it to your stereo amp.

It's got 802.11g,
24-bit DAC,
digital out,
can access internet radio...
built-in support for most digital formats...
computer software for mac/wintel/linux...
can access music off your remote computer running the software through its remote control
oh yeah, and can act as a network bridge
makes your coffee (OK, so it doesn't do that.)

Sheesh. Any thoughts, experience, anyone? It's $279 for wireless, $199 for wired ethernet.

cheesehead

P.S. - yeah, I know internet radio is "mid-fi" - but the music selection is awesome!

[andy_c]

Originally posted by cheesehead
Sheesh. Any thoughts, experience, anyone? It's $279 for wireless, $199 for wired ethernet.

I've got one, the wireless version. I'm very happy with it. I rarely play CDs anymore because the Squeezebox is so convenient. I can't imagine navigating one's music directory using just the remote and one-line display of the Squeezebox though - unless it's a very small collection. I have a laptop that I connect to and control SlimServer with. SlimServer acts like a web server, so you just connect from another computer using a web browser to access its user interface.

The downside is that the UI of SlimServer is established via a web-like forms interface. That's much more klunky than, say, a native Windows app using all the latest UI goodies in in a client-server mode.

I don't use the analog outputs, so I can't comment on their quality. I use the digital output into a Benchmark DAC. I ripped my CD collection to FLAC files, so it's still lossless, but compresses on average to about 65 percent of the WAV file size.

[bjackson]

Well, does anyone know the quality of the onboard DAC? It's by BB and therefore should atleast be decent.

(i.e. if I were to purchase one of these, would a DAC upgrade be neccisary or optional later down the road)

[JoshK]

I own the SB2 but I haven't gotten it online yet as I am messing with a linux file server for my backend. However, I know a bunch of people who have them and have compared it to a vast array of really hi-end transports and DACs.

The short answer is they are stupid good as a transport, bone stock. In stock form they compete with the best transports out there, if not beat them. They are dirt cheap and convenient, which otherwise would signal it can't be that good in my head but so far the overwhelming evidence is that it is.

On AC there is a lot of discussion by modders about these and many are ranting and raving that this is the next coming of ____. I don't know as I haven't heard it myself but I do know the CEO of slim devices Sean Adams took the audiophile community very seriously and listened to suggestions when coming out with the SB2. He has also embraced pro modders that want to improve it as well as DIYer like us. They have their own forum and many are modding it to apparently stupid good results.

All I know is that as a transport it was the bomb, it is unbeatably convenient and I am using a DEQX so that is all I need it to be.