squeezebox

If you took one of Logitech's increasingly ubiquitous Pure-Fi desktop stereos and integrated one of its Squeezebox network-audio streamers, you'd probably come up with something like the Logitech Squeezebox Boom. Previous Squeezebox models had to be plugged into an existing stereo receiver or speaker system, but the Boom is the first model in Logitech's network-audio line to have the speakers built-in.

The result is a full-service Wi-Fi radio that can access a wide variety of digital music straight from the Internet or from a networked PC.

We've been playing with an early sample of the Squeezebox Boom, and so far, it's one of the best products in its class we've ever seen. That's not surprising, given that it has the same guts as the recent Editors' Choice Squeezebox Duet.

As far as abilities are concerned, the Boom pretty much has the identically impressive range of features as the Duet: the ability to stream everything from premium Rhapsody and Sirius content to freely available Internet radio, podcasts, Pandora, Slacker, and Last.fm music straight off the Web, as well as nearly any non-DRM digital-audio format from a networked PC (Windows, Mac, or Linux). (Editor's note: CNET and Last.fm are both subsidiaries of CBS.) But the Boom trades the Duet's digital and analog outputs for a pair of good-sounding stereo speakers (3-inch woofers flanked by 0.75-inch tweeters), so the entire system is self-contained.

The unit's handsome, black housing is a mere 5 inches high by 13 inches wide and 4-inches deep. It's got the same sort of bright, vacuum, fluorescent display found on the "classic" Squeezebox, which makes it easily viewable, even from halfway across the room. The control panel is pretty much a spread-out version of the Squeezebox Duet remote (itself strongly modeled on the iPod). Most functions are accessed from a single scrollwheel--depress the wheel to make a menu choice, use the nearby "back" button to reverse course. Six preset buttons are also on board for quick access to Internet radio stations of your choice. A small wireless remote is also included--it magnetically attaches to the Boom's topside (or any other metal surface) for easy locating. … Read more

Back in the day, the easiest way to listen to your PC-based digital music collection on your home stereo was to drag the two into the same room, and hook up the stereo to the PC's headphone output--easy with a laptop, a bit harder with a desktop. Over the past few years, a variety of network audio streamers have made that process considerably easier and less disruptive. These products connect directly to your home stereo (or minisystem, boombox, whatever--anything with speakers and an auxiliary input), and access a variety of digital audio selections via your home network--all the MP3s on your PC's hard drive, Internet radio, podcasts, and many Internet music services (some free, some paid).

A quick perusal of CNET's list of best network music players shows that the three top dogs in the category are the Logitech Squeezebox Duet, the Sonos, and the Apple TV. But that hierarchy doesn't quite tell the whole story. Finding the best streamer for you involves a bit more research. All three of these products are excellent overall, and each of them offer an option for perusing your music collection from a screened remote (that is, a handheld remote control with a nice color screen, so you can pull up songs, artists, playlists, and Internet radio stations from the palm of your hand). Of course, each of them has varying strengths and weaknesses, different price points, and may involve purchasing additional accessories to get the full experience. To that end, we've gone beyond the in-depth reviews on all three products to highlight the pluses and minuses of each. … Read more

While Jasmine takes a vacation, Donald Bell interviews Pandora Internet radio founder Tim Westergren about the company's future, life after iPhone, and the switch to ad-supported radio streams. Listen now: Download today's podcast

Pandora goes free (and ad-supported) on Logitech Squeezebox--with other devices likely to follow

Photos: Hands-on with Pandora's Internet radio iPhone app

Newsmaker: Revelations from Pandora's music box

Add Pandora to the list of free online music services you can access through the Logitech Squeezebox. Previously, the music service--which creates the equivalent of personalized radio stations based on your favorite artists and music genres--required a $36 yearly subscription fee to be accessed on a network digital audio player in the home. But there is a trade-off: the free service will be ad-supported (the subscription plan remains available to users who prefer an ad-free experience).

Initially, it appears that the Logitech Squeezebox products will be the only home audio streamer with access to the free Pandora service. However, it's a safe bet that the ad-supported Pandora service will also be making its way to the other two devices that support the current subscription service:… Read more

A report from the MacRumors blog shows supposedly leaked details of Apple's plans to allow the iPhone and iPod Touch to act as an in-home remote control for iTunes. As CNET's News.com reported this morning, the leaked remote control feature was discovered in a developer-only beta release of iTunes 7.7, evidenced in part by this unconfirmed screen shot.

If the rumors are accurate, the new iTunes remote control feature will be offered as a free application for iPhone and iPod Touch users once the iTunes App Store goes live. Presumably, a touch-screen remote control for iTunes … Read more

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A propos (of) nothing (Oh, my god edition) Squeezebox Duet http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-media-receivers/ logitech-squeezebox-duet/4505-6739_7-32815168.html… Read more

UPDATE: The full review is now up at CNET.com.

The Logitech Squeezebox Duet, our pick for the best home audio product of CES 2008, has just shown up at the office. We spent a few minutes with the system before at CES, but this has been our first chance to sit down and live with the product in our own environment. A full review will follow, but in the meantime, here are some off-the-bat first impressions: … Read more

John Falcone already beat me to the punch with a detailed preview of Logitech's Squeezebox Duet, but I'll second his verdict: this looks like a more affordable competitor to the Sonos multiroom digital audio system, which I got a chance to experience in a real home environment last summer. In a nutshell: you connect the base station to any stereo with RCA inputs, and it draws music from your PC over a home wireless network, and lets you control it all with a handheld remote with a color screen. It supports every imaginable digital audio format, and is … Read more

Digital audio is great--especially if you've got a multigigabyte music collection sitting on your computer or you subscribe to an "all you can eat" music service like Rhapsody. The problem, for a lot of people, is that they're stuck listening to all that great music on the tinny speakers of their computer--or perhaps patching the laptop into their living room stereo system. Dedicated audio streamers have helped somewhat, but they have tiny little screens, which--like docked iPods--aren't very useful if you're sitting on a sofa across the room. And the best solution to date--the excellent Sonos Digital Music System--costs a prohibitive $1,000. Enter Logitech's new Squeezebox Duet: the $400 network digital audio streamer employs a winning handheld remote with a brilliant color screen (not unlike an iPod) that lets you navigate your entire music collection--including some online services and the majority of free Internet radio stations--from the palm of your hand, even while you hear the music from the big speakers of your home stereo. … Read more