Squeze Box Question

For me definitely.

For you? IMHO probably

On the whole, most people will agree that a hard drive based transport will out perform all but the very best CD transports.

While the devil is in the details, all computer based systems basically work the same way:

- a CD is ripped to a hard drive at pre-determined resolution and format - this tends to be along PCvsMac lines.

- the metatags for the CD are populated (name, title etc) automatically from a web database accessed by your software

- the files are organized in any number of browser or player metaphors - Squeezebox includes a web browser

- using the file organizing software, the files are retrieved from the hard drive. Most often the file is moved out of the computer via USB, SPDIF, Toslink, Ethernet or WiFi to a DAC

- The same DAC can be used with either type of transport - hard drive or platter based (the Squeezebox comes with a built in DAC so in addition to SPDIF it can also output analog to a suitable input)

It is very important to understand that a single set of files (ie a hard drive full of rips) can be accessed by multiple kinds of software and hardware. It is very common to access one library with both a Mac and a PC running iTunes, an iPod and a Squeezebox. This is why closed proprietary systems and formats have largely failed.

This is a transitional period - there are certainly lots of people who have both a traditional CD player and a computer based system in various rooms of their house

I tend to think about the decision to go to computer based audio as a lifestyle choice as much as a technology choice. Most often people who select computer audio solutions do so because:

- they can achieve better audio quality for the same or less money

- they enjoy being able to access every nook and cranny of their collections, make playlists etc

- they are thrilled to remove the physical presence of a large CD library from their living space. I would say filing but some people really enjoy the tactile experience of managing their collections

- they already have music on hard drives for their iPods and other devices and they have experienced the benefits.

- they like to listen to Internet radio

- they want to be able to distribute a single library to one or more locations in their home or office. They do not want to maintain multiple copies. Nor do they want to constantly ferry CDs from room to room. The Squeezebox is particularly well suited to distribution.

The mantra of this movement is "rip once, use many"

So - if lower cost, higher quality and greater flexibility is appealing, then this might be a logical way for you to go.

Depending on your very specific situation and plans, it may or may not also be true that a Squeezebox is the best solution for your system.

You probably need to do some homework - there are a million threads on the by now very broad subject of computer based audio.

You'll never get a consensus in regard to which setup sounds best, so the basic decision you have to make is how you want to listen to music. If you like the perceived convenience of a hard drive based system, then there are computer/DAC options that can sound very good and arguably equal to comparably priced CDP's. Otherwise, a good CDP is the simplest and most direct method to top quality sound. I use a bit of a hybrid approach. I have 20-30 "desert island" discs on my hard drive. For everything else I rely on the CDP.

Assuming you use uncompressed or lossless audio files and you use error correction (built into iTunes or other software) you will probably get as good if not better results out of the Squeezebox than most CD transports. I found it to be a suitable replacement for a $6,000 Goldmund. It is not a PERFECT solution because the power supply and circuitry could stand to be improved, but it is a fantastic entry level solution that is comparable to a very good CD transport.

I've got to say we are loving the squeezebox.. it, with a DAC, sounds as good as either of our CD players and the "fun" factor is right up there. Add the internet radio for learning about new genres of music and it's downright hard to leave the listening chair!

Grab the remote and access each song from a multitude of artists as you think of them, one leads to another and another and another...bored with that, access the internet radio systems and listen to something you've never heard before at pretty good quality, not as great as the cd but good enough to know if you want to purchase it....Sunday I went from my own favourites to String quartets, jazz fusion, alternate country and back again.....really puts the fun of discovery back into the music.

Am getting tired of ripping those cd's though...almost done - ripping to apple lossless with error correction this time!

Get one, hook up a DAC, and enjoy!