Squeze Box Question


I am new to music servers and would like to know he advantages of the Squeze Box and if using this device in addition to a computer and DAC would be an equal or better alternative to a Red Book CD player / Transport.

Thanks
insight
Wayne,

I own a Roku, not Squeezebox, and can only speak about the sound of the Soundbridge's internal DAC. A good external DAC clearly adds value for better sound with the Roku. In my case, I started with the internal DAC and moved to the mhdt Paradisea....a big improvement.

I've read Squeezebox internal DAC is generally considered better than Roku, but I suspect a major improvement there still as well with the right external DAC.

Again, sound quality with different computers and USB configurations may vary as a result largely of jitter produced so it is not possible to say which will sound better in general. The devil is in the details.

In the end, the key to good sound is to have a handle on jitter either at the source feeding the DAC or at the DAC itself, as is the case with the Benchmark, but also use a DAC that sounds good to you.

Not all will like the sound of the Benchmark despite its technical acumen regarding jitter, particularly those that may levitate to the often less fatiguing world of analog and vinyl.

Other DACs that produce a smoother more analog-like sound, like the tubed Paradisea in my system or the better Bel Canto's for example, would appeal more to those listeners I suspect.
Wayne -

There is an old phrase, horses for courses. The bottom line is you don't need a Squeezebox unless you want music where you don't have a computer.

As I tried to point out in my first post, all computer audio works basically the same but there are many variations.

Let's deal with a few that have cropped up here.

1) Computers are not created equal. This is especially true in the PC world where they are assembled to many price points with no particular concern for this type of application.

The biggest problem with most computers is that they are electronically very noisy. That is why you have to get the music data out from the computer before converting it to an analog signal. And why almost no one who is serious does this with a sound card (with the exception of some very expensive cards from Lynx and Apogee).

2) Computer speed as measured by MIPs, RAM, GHz or whatever you like is a moot point with audio. Audio files are very small and require virtually no processing by the computer - the processing is done outboard by a dedicated piece of hardware called a DAC...

3) There are significant differences between PCs and Macs. In addition, many PC users are not that happy with the quality of iTunes especially when compared to using EAC, FLAC etc. On the other hand with a Mac, iTunes is great and EAC is not even available.

4) There is some debate about which cabling format is the best. Many people will argue AES/EBU followed by SPDIF followed by USB. But as in all things audio the devil is in the details. That is why an unmodded Squeezebox can't touch a Wavelength Brick - though one uses Ethernet and SPDIF and the other USB.

But keep in mind that because USB is a global computer standard it represents the biggest market for a manufacturer by an enormous margin. This is why you see so much activity in USB DACs.

Plus USB is good to 15 feet at a reasonable price. A 15 foot SPDIF cable would break the bank.

5) SLIM Devices developed the Squeezebox. They were recently purchased by Logitech.

6) What to do and why. The unique selling proposition that Squeezebox offers is that it is a two-way node on a computer network. Michael and Mapman both addressed this.

Let me try paint a picture.

If you use USB to connect your computer to a DAC in the other room (which could be done), you cannot control the content. Meaning that if you want to change tracks or pick a different playlist you will have to go back to the room with the computer, make the change on the computer then go back to the other room to listen.

ERGO USB devices are best suited to systems where the computer and the audio system are in the same space and can be used simultaneously. That is one reason the MacMini is so popular - it is small and quiet.

On the other hand, if you put a Squeezebox (Roku etc) in the other room using either Ethernet cabling or WiFi you can sit in the listening room and using the remote and the display on the device access the computer - wherever it is - to change tracks, select playlists etc. (How much fun that is with a large library and a single line display is a different question.)

ERGO A Squeezebox or similar device is only necessary if you want to control the content (interact) from the listening area that does not have a computer. Or as Michael describes his rig, if you want to distribute your content to multiple rooms simultaneously (which of course requires multiples of all the hardware)

Now to be clear there are alternative strategies. In the Apple world you can look at distributing your audio via Airport Express. Or controlling a remote computer using your iPhone with the free remote software.

And a Squeezebox can be controlled on small PDA type devices using specialized software.

Both these solutions utilize larger displays making the browsing experience more pleasant. Both these solutions have limitations because they are wireless devices - as does a wireless Squeezebox solution. It is location specific - you'll have to try it in your space to know.

AND FINALLY The Squeezebox can be used as a cost effective DAC in the same room. Or it can be used as an analog source. What this means is that you would then control it from your computer using the free browser based software that SLIM provides instead of something like iTunes.

In this scenario you would be using a Squeezebox instead of a USB DAC. If you are a PC guy there would be an advantage because the Squeezebox will decode FLAC.

Which brings us back to the beginning. The bottom line is you don't need a Squeezebox unless you want to control your music where you don't have a computer. Or you want a low cost DAC or analog source.
Ckorody and Mapman, great text book info, just what I needed, this really clarifies.

Thanks again,

Wayne
I own both a Transporter and Squeezebox, which Slimdevices gave to me when I ordered the Transporter...but were behind in production.

1. The Transporter DAC is by far superior to that of (the original) squeezebox.

2. The Transporter's DAC is a bit too analytical (less warmer). less 'musicality'

3. For the longest time I used my Audio Aero Capitole DAC with the Transporter and was very happy

4....Until I got an Anthem D2 and this DAC has been the best, so far.

Now, prior to the D2, CDs sounded better on the Capitole than from my computer (Apple G5, on Lossless, error correction) than even from burned CDs on my computer. No comparison; just much better.

Since, with my D2, the comparison is such that I have not listened to a CD in many months. What I don't know is

1. Have squeezecenter downloads made the improvement or is it the D2.

I think it is both.

Either way, I have finally gotten my computer-based library to sound so good that I no longer feel I have to go to the 'source', the original CD to get the 'best' rendition of my songs.
One note with Roku is that the Soundbridge uses a a very simple and conventional remote control device. You have to be within eyesight of the Soundbridge to use it. It won't work from a different room.

To control the Roku from a different room you access a web page provided by the Soundbridge via a web browser from any computer on your network or you log into the Radio Roku Website (www.radioroku.com) via internet from same browser and use that web site to control your Soundbridge(s).

Note that the Soundbridge has no controls on the device itself, you must use either remote control or web browser to control it and actual control functionality varies significantly with each approach. Eventually, I would like to see each approach (remote, Soundbridge-provided webpage, RadioRoku site) provide similar complete functionality for both internet radio and music servers, but that is not the case currently.