I have a bit of experience with Squeezeboxes. I have a Classic, two duets and a Boom.

As Mr Wombat eater stated some versions of Squeezebox Server just don’t work. I have currently settled on V7.5.6 and it is bullet proof.

Most of my issues have revolved around wireless issues. I have mostly used Netgear routers and that was fine with my classic, but when I bought the duets they were nothing but problems. I changed my wireless access point to a TPLink and they have not missed a beat since. As stated above somewhere having them hard wired would be a better solution if you are not running duets.

Someone commented about wma playback. If Squeezebox Server is running on a Windows PC then it can play wma format. Microsoft will not release the wma format to enable it to be used on other operating systems.

As for the RaspberryPi I already have my name on the waiting list. I see no reason it could not run Squeezeplay. Just be aware it may not sync well?

CYA

Matt

Do you think my girlfried uses the Boom under these circumstances? Logitech should take usability seriously, and fix such design flaws. They’re loosing a lot of money not doing so; just look at me, I use the system a lot, want to love it, but most of the time won’t recommend it.

Since then

1. My Squeezebox2 had to have a new case. The old had become STICKY (yuk!). Discovered when I moved house. Luckily I was able to find a source and I bought a spare power supply for good measure. This unit has been in continuous use since 2005.

2. One of my Squeezebox Duet receivers died.

3. My 5+ year old ReadyNAS NV has had new hard drives (now 4x 1.5Tb) and new OS updates and still runs perfectly as my music server. I’m a bit surprised by the reports of problems people have had with Squeezebox gear and assume that the problems may be a result of using

a) wireless connections. (I prefer wired links and would rather use Homeplug type adapters than wireless; wireless is great for web pages and email but streaming.. I’ve found it ok but less reliable. YMMV)

b) the wrong server software. If you read the squeezebox forum its apparent that some versions work better than others. Trying to stay up with the latest is a mug’s game. I stay well away from the bleeding edge and have only once used something other than the stock version provided by Netgear for my ReadNAS (it was Infrant when I bought it). I have a hunch I’ll get 10 years out of my NAS box.

I wouldn’t buy the Logitech Duets again. A phone/tablet app is a better solution to the handset. I’ve been told that a phone app cannot set up a receiver; am not sure if that’s still true.

I’d like to think that someone will make receiver units based on something like the RaspberryPi (see http://www.raspberrypi.org) one of these days.

I’ve just invested in a starter Sonos setup mainly because of its Mesh network and it really is a revelation. Like they all say it just works, but knowing the wifi issues I’m mightily impressed , and I haven’t even got multi rooms (yet) just a Bridge and a Play:5 but even so it works over the whole house without a glitch (I gather however that the earlier generation products did not have such a good wireless range, so if you buy second hand units on eBay your mileage may vary).

I won’t repeat all the ease of use stuff, but I’m delighted with my choice and shall be expanding despite the cost.

The support in terms of never making components obsolete means it really is the Rolls-Royce solution and I’m got that warm secure feeling that I’ve bought into a flexible system that will last a lifetime. You only have to look at the price used (even older generation) units fetch on eBay to realise how prized this system is, although watch out for the expensive CR200 controller which some have problems with the touch screen. I’m fine controlling it from my PCs, Android and iPhone apps which all play together perfectly at the same time. It’s clear to see this system has a first class pedigree.

I found it pretty frustrating to start with however, once I got it and my Netgear ReadyNAS talking to each other it’s fantastic – I have listened to a CD since.

I’ve now bought a 2nd Duet for the Kitchen (it cost me £120 direct from Logitech) and at that price might as well get a 3rd for my daughter’s bedroom.

I’ll admit that it was mostly price that put me off the Sonos but the bulky controller didn’t appeal (I have Nokia phone so there’s no simple App for either device – I can control it with the phone but it’s not a pleasant experience, however my daughter seems to manage fine with her Android phone).

What surprised me when I looked was that I couldn’t find a Squeezebox on the high street (so couldn’t listen before i bought it) and Sonos wanted to sell me a device with an amp and speaker built into it (as I already have Linn speakers and pre/power amps i wasn’t impressed).

I did add an external Linn Numerik DAC (£200 off eBay) which I think improved the sound quality (I didn’t bother in the cheaper stereo in my kitchen and won’t for my daughter’s mini-system as it sounds excellent as is through those).

My reservation is, that as others say it was a hassle to get it working initially and I still experience occasional niggles. Some might be due to a weak wifi signal in certain parts of the house but sometimes the device just seems to hang – it usually restores itself if you wait or restart it but can be pretty irritating.

I also love it for BBC Radio including their podcasts but haven’t been overly impressed with the selection of online radio stations or Apps (but then I’m too mean to pay for Spotify premium – I’d rather buy the music on CD and rip it to FLAC format myself).

One point about needing an always-on server to run the SqueezeServer: I’ve installed a standby app (available from the SlimDevices site) that puts the server into standby after a period of non-use; it can also put the server into standby at a predefined time. The SB support WOL, to allow it to wake up the server from standby.

make your choice…

If you listen to mp3′s, don’t care about sound quality, can’t handle any hiccups and need convenience, get the Sonos.

I’ve been through ups and downs with the Squeezebox, it has required asking people in the Squeezebox user forums for help, and required a few hours of time here and there, but the sound quality is far beyond the Sonos.

Music is available in one room via a Squeezebox Touch and in another on a Naim Uniti. Both produce great sound. My Touch doesn’t suffer from the connectivity issues some mention maybe because in effect it has a wired connection.

I went down the Squeezebox route because it’s cheaper than alternatives and because I could store/play music stored in Flac or WAV – playback quality is so superior to MP3. Love internet radio too but quality there is patchy.

Set-up was relatively painless but based on the comments in this blog I’m sure it was a bit more laborious than for a Sonos system. My suggestion…compare music stored in MP3 and in lossless WAV or Flac on the amp/speakers to be used. If you can’t tell the difference and can afford Sonos, buy Sonos otherwise Squeezebox and/or the Uniti present a far better solution.

I´ve missed it until now but same month as we shared the comments above, the main stream hi-fi company Marantz released this tasty little stereo

http://www.hifix.co.uk/hi-fi-package-deals/marantz/mcr603-inc-mx1-speakers.html

Its a complete standard bookshelf stereo and it comes with networking and UPNP/DLNA enabled

I assisted setting up the home entertainment at my parents house. They had a serious budget, and for the music side of it we went with Sonos. They have got 29 zones in their house now (started off with 5 to see what it was like and kept growing it since), and 3 years on, I am still blown away at how perfectly the Sonos works. It simply works, and even with issues over the years such as internet going down, changing wireless routers, power blackouts etc, the thing just keeps going without any needed maintenance.

I wanted a similar setup for my apartment, and didnt have the same budget, so I opted for the Squeezebox. I started with one Duet, and ended up with 3 Duets and a Squeezebox Radio as my alarm clock. My comments on squeezebox are that I simply love it….WHEN IT WORKS!

My Squeezebox would have some sort of connectivity issue at least once a month, whereby it either cannot connect to my computer, the wireless router, or something else. It has gotten to the point where I go to use it, and question whether it is going to work or not! I purchased it thinking that there would be an update to allow the communication with NAS drives, but to no avail. I even purchased a Netgear ReadyNas Duo….and that thing was so slow that by the time the song started I didn’t want to hear it anymore.

I will be taking all of my Squeezebox stuff to my holiday house, because at the end of the day it is a good product, but it is just unreliable/needs a lot of continuous tweaking, and buying a SONOS system for my house now that it is so cheap from the USA.

That is the final thing I will say. Playback Systems in Australia need to start adjusting their prices inline with the US dollar or they will go out of business. My local dealer quoted nearly twice the price as if I buy it from the USA, and said it would be 2 weeks! They probably take the order and then just order it online and keep the difference!!! The world is a small place now, they need to get with the times!

Jon doesn’t state what kind of Network Attached storage he has, but perhaps he can add some detail as that may be the weak link. I have no experience with Napster, but the Squeezebox is supposed to support it.

Essentially I wanted a NAS running Squeezeserver and Squeezebox Duet. The problem with this is that although you can install the Squeezeserver on the NAS, you can’t use Napster with it, even though you can add it is an app to the Squeezebox Server. The problem is with streaming WMA – NAS boxes don’t support the format due to the hardware required.

I think the main difference is that the Sonos has the hardware onboard, whereas the Squeezebox Duet products need a Squeezeserver running on a computer attached to the network.

I understand that this post is about Squeezebox as a whole (not just the Duet), and also I have specific requirements in using Napster.

However, I’m just guessing that the price differential is multiple times the cost.

The more products, the better.