Experiences with SlimDevices Squeezebox.

Interesting. I would still prefer the Squeezebox. My server computer is in the basement, running full-time. I never need to go down there because I manage it remotely using VNC from another computer when required. I don't want a computer running in the same room as the stereo if I can help it, and do not see the need to have a full screen open to access the music. I find the little Squeezebox client to be just fine for accessing the music. Where I think we also differ, is that I have a wired ethernet connection from my PC to the Squeezebox client - I found the WiFi painful with drop-outs and clearly inferior sound, particularly with full resolution wav files.

Since you are happy to run wired connection to the Xitel and then to the stereo Harry, why not try an ethernet cross-over cable from your PC to the Squeezebox and see how the sound/performance is then?

Redkiwi:

That's the next step....i'll try wired Squeezebox. But I still have the issue of the squeezebox eating up a fair bit of bandwith on our network. I'll give it a try though.

Harry

Anybody listening to Internet radio?

My only issue is the squeezebox can't play live365.com subscriber access which has higher bitrate streams and no commercials but require the live365 player.

Re dropouts it can be a problem but Apple lossless files dramatically reduce/eliminate drop outs in my wifi network compared to wav files and sound identical. Also the ethernet crossover cable that comes with the squeezebox will run directly from a pc to the squeezebox without impacting the network.

Yes...i forgot to mention this. The squeezebox also could not play streaming radio from Sirius because they have their own "player" interface...and the squeezbox server couldn't pick it up.

With the Xitel, I'm able to play the Sirius streams through my stereo. Incidentally, the streaming algorithms are improving and internet radio is becoming very tolerable from a sonic standpoint.

This stuff is going to get better and better!!!

Harry

I'm currently looking for something like that, but I'm really concerned with the quality of the unit: it's role is to receive, to buffer, and then to clock the signal into SPDIF out. But in order to do it with acceptable level of jitter it must have audiophile-grade circuitry: power supply, crystall, etc. - why people modify digital sections of their DACs and CDPs? I just don't get how this $200 device can produce anything good?