Squeezebox v3 reviewed
By Ryan Block 
posted December 30th 2005 2:00PM
posted December 30th 2005 2:00PM
Every Squeezebox Slim Devices releases seems to get substantially better, and the third version of their device, besides being incredibly attractive, backs that beauty up with brains: it's got support for FLAC, WMA and Apple lossless, OGG, AAC, MusePack, WMA, WAV, PCM, AIFF, wireless, a 320 x 32 vacuum fluorescent display, and a whole lot more. So what'd Pocketnow make of the thing? Well, besides not having a backlit remote and no controls on the main box (and the arguably prohibitive price of $250 US), they liked their unit quite some bit -- and we can pretty much understand why.
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What about the UI? Is it any easier to scroll through thousands of songs or artists two lines at a time?
Well, beauty is subjective. This thing looks like a medical device to me.
I concur... That's part of my beef with my jukebox CD/DVD player. No bling in the UI at all.
I guess this gives new meaning to:
Momma's got a squeeze box, daddy never sleeps at night. Or does it? oh well
had mine for a month
love it
pictures aren't the same as actually looking at it
you're right, beauty in the eye of the beholder and all, but definitely one the of the purchase highlights of 2005 for me
Well, I know that I'd love one. But, right now, affording one is not an option. So, instead, i'm using an old laptop with wireless card, and ancient stereo + slimserver.
Slimserver is a damn fine piece of software; the only thing I wish is that there was a way to set favorites through the web UI. (Maybe there is, I just haven't figured it out.) And, if I open port 9000 on my firewall; tada, streaming to work solution.
Well I think the SB3 and slimserver software is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I bought one unit on a whim about a month ago and was so impressed that I just ordered two more to take advangtage of the $100 off Xmas offer.
I set up a dedicated linux shoebox appliance from parts I had around and ordered from Newegg for less than $300. I installed the free Clarkconnect home server and installed slimserver. The Clarkconnect Home linux server is great because it runs headless out of the box. So, once I had everything installed I just moved it to my utility room and turned it on. All admin is from Windows pc.
For someone with too many CDs and never enough time to figure what I want to play this is a godsend. I've got about 700 cds ripped so far and I still haven't made a dent. Putting this thing on random song mix is just heaven. The Podcast plugin is awesome. The internet radio is fantastic. This is way better than anything that Satellite radio has to offer.
-CB
Sorry, but the Roku Soundbridge is a far superior (and prettier) product. The fact that it uses the iTunes Bonjour Service is outstanding... zero config, plus the device decodes the music streams rather than your server having to do it (slim server has to decode then send). Plus Slim Server is a dog to run.
All Roku has managed to do is build a cheaper copycat of the Slim box and then direct customers to use the Slim software if they want certain functionality that Roku can't provide.
The fact that the Slim folks build their product as a massive open source project and encourage lots of end user participation in the development process only wins me over even more to their product. I'd like to see the price come down $75 but that won't stop me from shelling out for one.
@Paul, leaving iTunes open on your computer is more of a resource hog than SlimServer, plus SB3 supports plugins, way more file formats, has a nice web interface and is community supported.
Roku *kinda* latches onto iTunes.
I plan on adding one of these to another purchase I am about to make (http://www.infrant.com/products_ReadyNAS_X6.htm). I especially like that it can act as a wireless bridge.
When will slim add USB mass storage device support? I don't want to have to keep a server running in my flat all day and night. Thats why I like the Dlink 520.
Long live the audiotron?
They don't really talk much about connecting it to your PC. Hmm, looks like you need to run the web interface server on your PC. What if you have music on two PCs? Frankly, it doesn't look very impressive. For $250, I'd expect it to have a built in web server (the "Slimserver"), get songs from samba, nfs, or something like that, and decode the audio itself.
#8 - if roku is so superior why doesn't support WPA wireless security? The SB3 does. I don't want to downgrade my network just to run my music server. This was a deal breaker for me with the Roku. Plus, as I investigated more I discovered that Slim Devices were the real innovators.
For the naysayers, I think your really need to experience it first hand before you judge. You can download the free slimserver software that includes a java software version of the SB3 box interface and get a feel for how cool this thing is. I'm a longtime audiophile and I haven't been this excited about a product in a long time.
$20 off the at slimdevices.com when you enter the promo code "live365"
They put the $250 into audio quality instead of horsepower for a web server. It's a fine product, you have to hear one before making judgement.
Sure the slimserver software may support more file formats (like OGG etc) and open source will always appeal to the hardcore.
But lets face it, who needs FLAC and OGG support apart from the linux geeks? Most people have tons of MP3's which they manage using either Windows Media Player or iTunes. They want to get a wireless music device, turn it on and get instant satisfaction. The Soundbridge integrates with current setups... the Slimdevice does not, it requires further setup.
Hey, I'm a fan of opensource too.. and linux, but I have enough on my plate without having to care about music servers.
I did try the Slimserver software (as the Soundbridge supports it), and basically I found it cumbersome.
Plus look at that thing... it's brutal. It looks like a medical instrument.
The pictures don't really do it justice. It's a whole lot prettier in person (and personally, I think it looks a lot cooler than the current Roku offerings).
Regaring the Matt's multiple library question. The SlimServer software can navigate shortcuts, mount points, or symbolic links. So all you need to do is place a link in your main music folder to any other music location and it will be indexed.
tgk has a great idea (as does Chris) - if you want to experience the capabilities, download the SlimServer software and the java client and try it out for yourself. If you like the software version, the hardware is essentially the same.
"But lets face it, who needs FLAC and OGG support apart from the linux geeks?"
If you download tons of live music recordings like I do, such a thing is very useful. .flac (& shn) are the standard means of trade. Also, I would much prefer to rip a CD in a lossless format and place it on my media server than have .aac or .mp3 .
The UI is one thing that really does concern me with these devices. I have held off on purchasing because I just cannot seem to figure out how I would be able to navigate in any realistic way using a typical remote. If I want playlists or random, I am content with my iPod or computer jacked into the stereo system. Even AirTunes would be a cheap alternative with that particular functionality.
Until I find a local shoppe with hands on demo, i may continue to save up for the Sonos system, which appears to have the most intuitive UI out there.
It as a 24-bit Burr-Brown DAC and you will not be able to tell the difference between it and a CD. Also, the RSS feeds screensaver is the coolest thing ever.
That's a great review.
What is the optical output for?
The optical connection is for direct digital audio connectivity (for those that have it) - minimizing loss and distortion.
Roku is an imitator, not an innovator. Slim Devices is the real thing. Since buying the SB3 last month, it has completely changed the way I listen to my music collection, as well as prompted me to disconnect my cd player and preamp/tuner. I now run the SB3 directly to an outboard DAC, and run that straight into my amplifier, which is being modded with a pair of stepped attenuators for volume control. Now, I can listen to all my CD's, and internet radio from one digital source. Yes, the SB3 cost $300, but it's so worth it.
Just to correct an earlier comment, it was said that all decoding for the SqueezeBox is done by SlimServer. That is completely false. SqueezeBox decodes several formats natively in the hardware, including mp3, wav, and FLAC. Whoever said this (I believe his name is "Paul") must be a Roku fanboy, god only knows why.
I recently did a three way comparo for a local magazine of the Squeezebox, Soundbridge and Sonos systems. While the aricle does not come out for a month or so, I can tell you that each system had it's strongpoints. The M2000 Soundbridge was beautiful, had a huge screen readable from the couch and a much more intuitive interface than the Squeezebox. The Squeezebox ough was more versatile in the kind of stuff that is of interest to the gadget freak as it allows you to read rss feeds, access podcasts directly and has an extensible server. I found the interface simpler to use on the Roku mostly due to it's two level scrolling that allows you to go to a letter and then scroll through artists names, a nice touch. The Sonos is the choice if you are running multiroom though it is quite pricey. People seem to be beating on Roku for not being an innovator, but all of these companies learn from each other, for example Roku was the first to use a bitmapped fluorescent dispay and Sonos definitely has used the iPod interface as inspiration. I just wish that people would not have to beat up on other products just to pump up the fact that they made the *right* choice to themselves. There is a niche for each of these products, and they all offer generous return policies. Go ahead and try them out and come up to your own conclusions.
The aesthetics are obviously up for debate; I think the Roku, esp. the more expensive ones, are nicer looking, but they're both very elegantly designed. They both have semi-cumbersome UIs onboard, but nothing too terrible.
My issue is that neither Roku nor SlimDevices natively supports synchronization of two or more players; the only solution right now is to use SoftSqueeze, which (at least on the Mac) buffers so badly as to be unusable. I set up a simple two-room Roku system in my friend's store, and after a few minutes of more buffering silence than music, we went back to playing the same iTunes library separately in each room. Bleah.
I've used the Roku 1000 for the past year. It rocks! It's had minor flaws, and firmware updates to fix them have been somewhat slow. The 2-dimensional browsing is a great feature (horizontal=letters, vertical=matches); it's priceless for large collections (which until recently performed poorly). I prefer to use Windows Media Connect, because I favored the audio-quality/compression ratio of Windows Media over MP3 and thus encoded my collection primarily to WMA. I also prefered not to transcode to an uncompressed format and flood my network with needless bits.
I was always a little annoyed that it wouldn't do WPA or 11g. Well, it's high time I make both the only active standards in my home for performance and security reasons; so the Roku, though I find it more attractive than even the new SqueezeBox3, is out!
Moving from 11b, where raw CDDA would consume a base ~1.35Mbps plus overhead and could easily consume my entire wireless link at not-too-great a distance, to 11g makes me willing to transcode for playback. Concurrently the mass-storage market will make it possible for me and others to move to lossless media storage, for which the Squeezebox3 wins hands-down. OGG is also a worthy competitor to WMA as I understand it. More bandwidth tends to be the way of the future anyway, no?
I haven't heard it yet, but every review I've read says the Squeezebox3 has better audio quality, less required bass emphasis. Fine, I loved the Roku and my ear may not notice!
Finally, a quick quote for those whining that Roku sells their box and then tells consumers to download Slimserver (I assume the vitriol comes from not supporting the open-source software substancially?)
"We highly suggest that you use iTunes or Windows Media Connect for seamless integration with your SoundBridge, and
support for SoundBridge’s complete feature set. However, if you choose to use SlimServer as a music client, please
follow the steps below to get the most out of your SoundBridge experience."
http://www.rokulabs.com/support/SlimserverGuide-102504.pdf