Logitech Slim Devices Squeezebox review: Logitech Slim Devices Squeezebox

A veteran in the digital audio receiver category, Slim Devices launched its third-generation Squeezebox in November 2005. Like other digital audio receivers, it connects to your home stereo and uses your wireless network to stream audio from the Internet and network-connected PCs. However, since its debut, the Squeezebox has undergone a series of upgrades (downloadable for free via Slim's Web site) that have made a great product even better. New features include tight integration with Slim Device's SqueezeNetwork portal, expanded Internet radio capabilities, and support for two key premium audio services: Rhapsody, Real Networks' online jukebox that offers access to thousands of songs for a flat monthly fee, and Pandora, a clever service that creates custom stations based on your preferences. Only the Squeezebox's relatively high price of $300 and its absence of support for DRM-protected audio files (those you buy at online stores such as Apple iTunes Store and Napster) are stumbling blocks. Potential buyers should also be aware of the latest Squeezebox release, the Squeezebox Duet ($400), which offers an innovative remote control that lets you browse your digital music from the palm of your hand.

Design
The third-generation Squeezebox is far more attractive than previous Slim Devices models--past incarnations include the 2005 second-generation version, the 2003 first-generation Squeezebox, and the company's trailblazing 2001 product, the SLIMP3--and some may even find it more fashionable than its closest competitor, the Roku SoundBridge M1000. Measuring 3.7 inches high, 7.6 wide, and 3.1 inches deep (including the unit's U-shaped metal foot stand), the Squeezebox has a sleek, vertically oriented design. Its body consists of a silver-metallic lower half, accented with black side and rear panels.

The unit has a bright 320x32-pixel vacuum-fluorescent display capable of showing several lines of aqua-colored text. Compared to many other digital audio streamers, the display size is generous and enables you to browse your music from a reasonable seating distance of about seven feet (with good eyesight). On the other hand, in normal navigation you can really only read about one line of text at a time, which feels cramps compared to the spacious interface of the Apple TV or even the Squeezebox Controller.

The 30-button remote control provides a bit more direct access to features than you'd get with the simpler 18-button remote of the Roku SoundBridge, but it still manages to keep things intuitive with a four-way keypad for menu navigation, as well as play, rewind, forward, and pause buttons. Because the remote has volume controls, the Squeezebox is suitable for connection directly to powered PC-style multimedia speakers. The Size button enlarges the unit's front-panel text enough that it's readable from a distance of approximately 15 feet.

Features
The Squeezebox can draw audio from two main sources: the Internet or a networked PC--Windows, Mac, or Linux. The breadth of the online sources is impressive and varied:

• Online music services: If you like online music services, chances are you'll love the Squeezebox Duet. You get full access free services like Last.fm, Slacker, and the Live Music Archive, plus the ability to access premium (think: subscription) web audio services likes Rhapsody, MP3tunes, and Pandora.
• Internet radio: Traditional Internet radio services are also available, including completely free services such as RadioTime and Shoutcast, as well as tiered Internet radio services like Live365 and RadioIO.
• Podcasts: As with the Internet radio bookmarks, you can add the feeds for your favorite podcasts on the SqueezeNetwork homepage.

You'd think that controlling access to that wide range of online music sources would be a challenge, but Logitech and Slim Devices couldn't have made things simpler. All of the online music sources are aggregated under a single online location called SqueezeNetwork. Set up a free account (it takes about 30 seconds, and you don't need to give more than your e-mail address), and the SqueezeNetwork service provides a single location to coordinate everything: all of your account information for any of the premium online services to which your subscribed. (The Squeezebox generates a PIN code during setup that you input to the SqueezeNetwork page, linking the two together.) The SqueezeNetwork homepage is also where you add your Internet radio favorites and podcast RSS feeds (just cut and paste the appropriate URLs).

In all, the SqueezeNetwork site provides a quick and easy way to pull together all of the online assets available on the Squeezebox. Anything we added was instantly available on the Squeezebox just a couple of seconds later. Moreover, because everything is accessed via the Web, it's effectively universally compatible, regardless of what browser you're using (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, or whatever) or from what sort of computer (Windows, Mac, Linux--or even a portable device, for that matter).

Of course, many of us have a multigigabyte library of music sitting on our computer's hard drive--and the Squeezebox can access that as well. Download and install the latest version of the SqueezeCenter software (7.0 or later). Thanks to its open-source roots, the software is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux machines (it can even be installed on Infrant NAS drives). During installation, just point the software to the directories holding your music files and playlists, and the SqueezeCenter will make them available to your Squeezebox.

A few things we liked about the software: like the SqueezeNetwork site, the controls are all browser-based, and it's very noninvasive--it doesn't change any of your file preferences or make itself the default music player. In other words, it works in concert with your existing music management software--namely, iTunes, Windows Media Player, and Winamp--so any DRM-free music and playlists you add in those programs will be instantly available to the Squeezebox as well. As a result, iPod users can continue to use iTunes for their music management, and let SqueezeCenter do its thing in the background.

Note that we specified "DRM-free music." If the Squeezebox has one caveat, that's it--by default, it can't stream most files purchased from the iTunes Store, Zune Store, or any service that uses the Windows PlaysForSure DRM scheme. (Rival Sonos and some other products support Zune and PlaysForSure files, but Apple refuses to license its FairPlay DRM--ensuring that only Apple's own Apple TV and AirPort Wireless products can handle stream purchased songs from the iTunes Store that are so encoded.) At this point, that's not a huge knock against the Squeezebox, thanks to the fact that there are plenty of DRM-free music stores online--most notably, Amazon, eMusic, and some songs at the iTunes Store ("iTunes Plus"). The DRM issue notwithstanding, the Squeezebox's file compatibility is otherwise stellar: MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Apple Lossless, WMA Lossless, and Ogg Vorbis files can all be streamed without issue. In other words, if your music files are free of DRM restrictions, there's a good chance the Squeezebox will play them.

Another advantage of the SqueezeCenter software: it's effectively another "remote control" for any Squeezebox on the network. Using the browser interface, you can set preferences on the Squeezebox from afar (change the audio outputs from variable to line-level and back again, for instance), as well as build playlists, access music services, and the like.

If you're an advanced user looking for more elaborate options, the Squeezebox includes a wide range of software plug-ins (again, thanks to its strong support from the open-source community). But you don't have to take our word for any of this: the SqueezeNetwork site and SqueezeCenter software are both completely free, regardless of whether you have a Squeezebox. Feel free to setup an account (SqueezeNetwork) or download the software (SqueezeCenter) and test-drive it yourself.

Also note that the Squeezebox can be controlled by the Squeezebox Controller ($300) from the Squeezebox Duet system. The Squeezebox Controller can be purchased separately to control the Squeezebox, or you can use it with the Duet for multiroom functionality.

Performance
Setting up the Squeezebox is a pretty easy task, especially compared with some other network devices we've set up. Simply connect the Squeezebox to an amplifier, stereo, boombox, or anything with speakers, then fire it up and follow the instructions on the screen. After connected to your wired network connection or Wi-Fi network, you'll get a PIN number that can be entered into your SqueezeNetwork account to enable online music services--a much better option than entering all that info using the remote. If you have a computer running the SqueezeCenter software, you'll also be able to access your personal collection of digital music. Once you get past those steps, everything is pretty much set.

In terms of performance, the Squeezebox is a class act. The unit's Burr Brown digital-to-analog converter makes audio sound crisp, clear, and vibrant through the analog outputs, while the digital connections further provide ample flexibility for connecting the unit to just about any A/V receiver or speaker set, for instance. Wireless audio streaming performance was consistently smooth and hiccup-free--same with using a wired Ethernet connection. We did experience one or two occasions where the devices would slow down for a second or two when browsing through menus, but they were rare and only a minor annoyance.

Overall, the Squeezebox is still a solid choice for digital audio enthusiasts, but we definitely recommend that interested buyers check out the newer Squeezebox Duet, which features a unique remote with a color screen that really adds to the Squeezebox experience.