Jump to content

Slim Devices Squeezebox 3 Pictorial and Review

Rate this topic


streaml1ne

Recommended Posts

Unfortunately I can't seem to take a decent set of photos tonight so I'm going to use what's on Slim Devices' website for the pictorial. Also note, while this is a LONG post, it really doesn't even cover half of what this thing does.

Eye Candy:

Black and White trim:

IPB ImageIPB Image

Plenty of output options:

IPB Image

Decent remote control w/ matching trim colors:

IPB Image

Another perspective:

IPB Image

Features:

o Crisp fluorescent display.

o Wired (100baseT) and wireless (802.11g) connectivity options.

o Optical, digital coaxial, stereo RCA outputs.

o Headphone out (possible caveat)

o Burr Brown 24-bit 44.1 / 48 kHz DAC

o Full 6.0 Vpp line level, S/N Ratio > 100 dB, THD < -93.5dB (0.002%)

o Native support for MP3, FLAC, WMA/WMA Lossless, Apple Lossless, AAC

o Any format playable via transcoding

o Visualizations (Analog VU, Digital VU, 64 Band Spectral Analyzer (32L, 32R), Screensavers)

o Open source SlimServer software written in Perl.

o More at Slim Devices website.

Setup:

Setup was a breeze. I installed the SlimServer software a few days before receiving the SB3 so I could start cataloging my music and learning how to use it. The file server that houses my ripped CD collection runs FreeBSD and is on 24x7 so it makes for the perfect SlimServer. There is a FreeBSD port for this software which made installation even easier. The Windows and Linux installs are even easier than the FreeBSD one. The setup of the SB3 unit itself was a snap. It literally takes less than 5 minutes to get the box running. I ordered the wired ethernet unit and installation was as simple as removing it from the box, plugging in the power and ethernet and configuring an IP address. Once the unit is powered on for the first time it immediately runs a setup wizard. You can use DHCP, a static IP (what I did), or Slim's own "Discovery Protocol". The wireless version gives you options for configuring WEP/WPA/Whatever. Also, the wireless unit can act as a wireless to ethernet bridge which is a pretty slick bonus.

Software:

IPB Image

The software is completely open source with a decent size community behind it, so updates come fairly quickly and it runs on everything since it's written in Perl. As I said before the software setup was easy. Within a few minutes it was off cataloging my Monkeys Audio files.

The web interface is pretty intuitive and includes documentation and help sections for all the major operations of the server software and Squeezebox. The web interface gives you complete control over the Squeezebox, you can change visualizations, screen savers, text size, brightness, analog AND digital volume controls, crossfade, menus and menu order, etc.

This software, while simple to use for the average joe, is a hacker's dream. For instance, Monkeys Audio isn't natively supported by the DSP on the SB3. I figured I might have to switch to FLAC or some other lossless format for the few hundred albums I have on my file server. Not so. You can essentially decode any format you want provided you have a decompressor for it. This is great for the Linux/Unix crowd as we have tons of (de)compressors for all sorts of odd file types. There's a convert.conf file included in the software distribution that has tons of file types and what to do with them:

ape wav * *
        [mac] $FILE$ - -d
ape mp3 * 192.168.0.11
        [mac] $FILE$ - -d | [lame] --resample 44100  -x --silent -V 2 --vbr-new - -
[/code]

Note the second 'ape' entry. Not only does the SlimServer software feed the Squeezebox.. It also acts as a Shoutcast server of sorts. You can stream your music out to HTTP capable players like XMMS or Winamp, etc. Anything that can play a Shoutcast stream can connect to SlimServer and play music from your collection. The bonus of the convert.conf flexibility comes when you want to do something like stream music remotely from your home. If you have a limited internet connection you can add a conversion line and give it different lame options so you can create a lower bandwidth stream. Neat!

SlimServer's cataloging support is very good albiet very occasionally buggy. It supports IDv1 and 2 tags as well as APE tags. A properly tagged music collection will go a long way to make browsing through your collection simple and quick. The only caveat I've come across with cataloging was updating one set of tags. They didn't properly update in the browsing lists. I had to recatalog a few times before they got it right. I believe however, this "bug" is fixed in the latest version of the SlimServer which is due for release soon.

Hardware:

Sound quality of the SB3 is very good. While I do most of my output via fiber into my AVR, I did try the analog outs. Given the unit has a high quality Burr Brown 24-bit DAC it's no suprise that it outputs quality sound. The only gripe I have is with the headphone output. There's definitely a lack of bass there. I measured this with the MD recorder and I see a definite rolloff. I brought this to the attention of the SD community on their forum, but it's been met with mixed replies so far. This isn't such a big deal for me since I use the unit in concert with my AVR. However I can definitely see people using this with headphones only so YMMV.

The display is AWESOME. They did not skimp on this hardware in the least and the display shows it. It's a very clear/fast fluorescent display. It's bright and readable from across a room and really makes the visualizations come to life. Combine the display with the very sexy body of the unit and you have a real winner on looks. The pictorial shots may be prerenders but they are very true to the real thing.

The remote is basic, but it does a good job. Surprisingly, the Slim people made browsing collections on the unit as easy as through the web interface. If you navigate to the Browse Music menu you're presented with a few options. Browse by Artist, Album, Genre, Year, New Music, Music Folder and Playlists. If you need to skip forward a few letters when within say a Browse Albums menu, simple press the numeric button on the remote associated with the letter you want to skip to. eg. For 'N' tap '6' twice. It's much like inputting text messages on cell phones and it makes browsing music on the unit a breeze.

Support:

Since the SlimServer software is open source and has a good size community of developers/contributors, responses on the forums appear helpful and come quick. The most surprising thing is the CEO and CTO of Slim Devices are active contributors on the forum. The CEO replied to my inquiry about the headphone out bass rolloff problem within 20 minutes of my post. That is a pretty good indicator of the level of support the company gives to their clients.

Conclusions:

I'm impressed with the Squeezebox. It's well worth the price tag IMO and aside from the cataloging issue and the headphone out I have had NO issues with it at all. It's an excellent piece of A/V gear. The combination of form and function really make it a great item.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are quite a few on eBay:

http://electronics.search.ebay.com/squeeze...Z300QQsacatZ293

Also looks like Slim is running a sale where you get $100 off the second one. Nifty device and I notice it has Ogg Vorbis support (woot).

Yea, I saw that sale, unfortunately I didn't know anyone else who wanted go in on it at the time. In addition to file support the SB3 will play internet radio streams. It has support for live365, shoutcast, radioio and others. There is also a podcast plugin which I haven't yet played with, but noticed this morning. Regarding the ebay sales, there seem to be alot of SB2's there as well. The SB2 and SB3 have the same DSP and audio internals with the SB3 having the better display and different form factor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...