Thread: Logitech Squeezebox Review

Design:-Logitech's Squeezebox has a simple design that works either as a separate unit or included into a home audio answer. It looks rather like a solitary computer speaker; although that's the one thing it's absent. It's a simple wireless streaming box for audio only, which can be either integrated into a home theatre set-up or simply plug into cheap speakers or headphones. The basic unit we tested came in Henry Ford's favorite color, black -- although white is available -- and has family members for RCA, digital and 3.5mm audio jacks on the rear, along with a power socket.

Features
As you'd expect from a stream device, the first thing you need are some files to stream -- in the case of the Squeezebox, this covers the bulk of the digital music range -- MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, AAC and Egg. It also supports Internet radio services, including Pandora and Rhapsody, though your physical IP location may limit which services will actually be obtainable.



Serving files out to the Squeezebox involves install the Slim server software which is obtainable for Windows, Mac and Linux platforms. Why Slim server, and not Log server? That'd be because the Squeezebox is a rebated slim server device (Logitech bought out parent company Slim Devices a little while back). One slight annoyance is that slim server isn't provided in the Squeezebox packaging. Similar to Apple's recent moves with bipods, you've got to download it each and every occasion.

It's not strictly necessary to install the Slimserver software -- the Squeezebox can run on its own steam, but this limits you to essentially Internet radio and very simple Alarm clock functions. Without Slimserver, it'll basically beep at you. With Slimserver, you can be woken with your choice of playlists automatically, which is a nice extra, as long as you've got speakers in your bedroom.

presentation
If there's a word to explain setting up the Squeezebox, that word would have to be "easy". The navigation via the supplied distant is simple, and it took us only a couple of minutes to arrange it onto a WPA protected wireless network. It then sought out any nearby slim server installations. We'd installed slim server onto a nearby Mac book, and it found that, read from side to side our tunes library and was ready to go.

At AU$499, there's definitely a price to pay for this kind of expediency, and we'd praise the Squeezebox even extra highly if it came with even simple speakers -- thus making it a fully functional alarm clock, amongst other things -- but given that the lower-cost market simply can't match the Squeezebox's ease of use, that's a minor concern.