Slim Devices Squeezebox-Third Generation

With a big MP3 collection and a networked home, there’s no reason not to create your own music on-demand service. Not with new devices like the Squeezebox, a network music player available in wired and wireless (802.11g) configurations. This redesigned third-generation player features an intuitive interface and clear sound quality for those that want to listen to their music collection through their home theater or stereo rather than through a PC.

The Squeezebox is a slick black-and-silver or white-and-silver device, slightly smaller than a DVD case laid on its side and about as thick as an average trade paperback novel. The front panel features a bright LCD screen which displays customizable track information. Rear connections are well-marked; RCA jacks, digital optical and coaxial plugs, Ethernet port, headphone jack, and A/C power.

Any fears about configuration issues evaporated quickly. Our wireless network was immediately found, and the remote was an acceptable way to enter the WEP key.

The player is only half of the package, however. Much of the work is done by the SlimServer application, which must be installed on a PC or Mac. If the server PC is turned off, music can be accessed only from Internet radio and through Slim Devices’ SqueezeNetwork. Server installation was fast, the application is quite customizable (via an HTML interface), and the basic setup is painless. The application must be downloaded from the company’s Web site, so an Internet connection is necessary. Scanning our large music library took a while, however, at nearly two hours.

The server app can use an iTunes library file, if available, which cut our scan time down to about twenty minutes for 7,500 songs. Playlists were imported, but the server’s list of “new music” seemed to be culled randomly from the library, rather than simply listing the most recent imports. The option to browse by artwork was quite cool, and the server can fully control the Squeezebox, even waking it from an off position.

The device powers up in about two seconds, and browsing music is fast, even with thousands of songs. Playback starts immediately. When using the remote to browse a sizable library, switching from one album to another was far faster than getting up and changing CDs.

Several file formats are handled well. MP3, WAV, AIFF, and even FLAC are streamed directly. Formats like WMA, AAC, and Ogg Vorbis are transcoded by the server, and performance varies. When the server was otherwise idle, playback was smooth; while performing a periodic scan of the library, however, there was noticeable stuttering.

Through the included RCA line, the Squeezebox delivered sound that was a bit thin and flat. The audio was somewhat less robust than what we got by hooking a laptop up to the same receiver.

Using the optical digital output produced much better results, with thicker bass and a warmer overall tone. No digital cable is bundled, but even a $15 optical cable made a huge difference in sound quality. Slim Devices should really think about including such a cable, as we’d be more hesitant to recommend the product for use with an analog line only.

An unexpected bonus was the suite of features available through the Squeezebox network. The option to view RSS feeds is little more than a novelty, but the quick access to Internet radio and a large catalog of live recordings adds a lot of value. The live recordings span artists, genres, and decades and played as quickly as if the files were stored locally.

At $249, the third-generation Squeezebox is about $50 too expensive, but the performance is admirable and it’s a cinch to set up. We’d hope to see better analog and AAC playback, but for consumers with loads of MP3s, the latest from Slim Devices is a solid performer.