OT: anyone using a squeezebox?

[AngryScientist]

the wife (and I) would like a simple, self contained music source in the kitchen. no wired speakers, easy - turn on and listen.

the squeezebox looks like a good solution. $140 on amazon, gets mixed reviews there (like just about everything). we arent looking for booming party typed music, just some background music when cooking/hanging out in the kitchen. I would also like to listen to NPR in the mornings when i'm home.

anyone using on of these self contained units?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LtyK8MyUL._AA300_.jpg

[witcombusa]

I thought this was going somewhere else......

[El Chaba]

I have a squeezebox that I use as my bedside radio. It's handy and simple to use. the sound quality is quite acceptable for that particular use. I should note that the one I have now is a warranty replacement. The first one lost its ability to receive the wifi signal...I assume that it was an antenna failure. The software can be buggy, but that seems greatly improved as I have not had to reboot it for months....In summary it is a simple solution to receive internet radio without involving a whole computer, etc...

[echelon_john]

fantastic sound quality for its size

http://www.bostonacoustics.com/Duo-i-plus-AMFM-Stereo-Radio-with-iPhone-iPod-Dock-P393.aspx

[FastVegan]

I use one on my toolbox at work, we have a wi-fi so it is perfect. The sound is great for a small single speaker. I use the "line-in"feature a lot also to listen to my ipod/phone. Great deal for the $ IMHO.

Dave

[Ken Robb]

I have had a SONY "under-counter/cabinet" radio/CD player over my work bench for 9 years and the sound is decent. It was marketed for kitchen use. I'll bet the new models can also work with modern sources too. It is a real plus that it takes up no counter space and is at eye level for easy tuning.

[crownjewelwl]

you can link this to your itunes. a little pricier, but really slick. just put one in our kitchen over the holidays. there is an app for iphone or android that you use to control the device...

[rugbysecondrow]

you can link this to your itunes. a little pricier, but really slick. just put one in our kitchen over the holidays. there is an app for iphone or android that you use to control the device...

We did the same thing and I LOVE it. I have the Sonos Play3 and it is plenty for the kitchen. I plan on buying a few more for the sunroom and basement.

[rwsaunders]

I have had a SONY "under-counter/cabinet" radio/CD player over my work bench for 9 years and the sound is decent. It was marketed for kitchen use. I'll bet the new models can also work with modern sources too. It is a real plus that it takes up no counter space and is at eye level for easy tuning.

+1....it's simple to use, out of the way, has decent sound and ours has been in use in our kitchen for +/- 10 years or so.

http://reviews.bestbuy.com/3545/8692435/sony-under-cabinet-cd-r-rw-clock-radio-reviews/reviews.htm

[jimcav]

I thought this was going somewhere else......

nm

[MattTuck]

http://www.tivoliaudio.com/products/table-radios/model-one-reg-radio-in-classic-walnut-beige.html

Sounds excellent, especially for NPR and kitchen listening.


http://d8hefwii4ir9c.cloudfront.net/media/catalog/product/m/1/m1cla_001_1.png

Doesn't fit everyone's design preferences, but there are several color/housing options. It does have an input, so you can hook it up to an iPod.

[Don49]

I have the red one you pictured. You will want the remote control and probably the battery pack, which are an additional $50.

I'm using mine as a bedside clock radio and I'm basically satisfied with it but with some reservations:

The radio firmware and Logitech Media Server (LMS) software are both somewhat buggy and technical support really isn't there. The LMS runs on your computer to make iTunes available to the SB radio.

The radio can play a number of common file formats, but not being able to play enhanced podcasts was a problem for me.

If you go to sleep listening to something streaming from iTunes via LMS, the radio won't automatically switch over to Mysqueezebox.com, so the morning alarm you are expecting won't work.

All of the control buttons on the radio and remote are programmable which is nice for configuring the radio the way you want to use it. Also a fair number of "Apps" can be downloaded to give extended features to the radio.

[sc53]

I have been using Squeezeboxen for several years now--3 of the Classic Squeezebox 3's, a Boom, and a Touch. I do not have the radio. Mine have all worked very well right out of the box and I love the apps (you can buy an iTunes store app to use your iPod Touch or iPhone to control the device) and software that come with any Squeezebox. How well your Radio works will depend on how well your home network works. If it's buggy, or your neighbor's microwave or network interferes with yours, then you will have problems that can be solved but may take some time to diagnose. There is a good users' forum at forums.slimdevices.com that provides speedy answers to any set up problems you may have and can help you debug if things later break down. I have also called Logitech Support for help and had good results there, so I don't think the comment that "customer support is nonexistent" is fair. I think it's a great device, and the server software (current iteration is called Logitech Media Server 7.7.2) is flexible, sophisticated and super useful at least for my listening habits. If you don't want to stream your home music library to the Squeezebox, but just listen to internet radio feeds, I think setup and reliability are far easier.
Also--you don't need to buy a separate remote if you want to use the Android or iTunes app for your smartphone or iPod touch/iPhone. I rarely use the remote that came with my devices. I use my iPhone or Touch exclusively, the app is much better and more sophisticated than the remote.

[Chad Engle]

I have had a SONY "under-counter/cabinet" radio/CD player over my work bench for 9 years and the sound is decent. It was marketed for kitchen use. I'll bet the new models can also work with modern sources too. It is a real plus that it takes up no counter space and is at eye level for easy tuning.

Second this unit. Love it.

[schwa86]

I have basically same experience(s) as SC53 -- well designed stuff, etc. Like Sc53, I use a pretty hybrid environment. I also don't have the radio specifically. A couple of additional points:

1) server software runs on linux making media server set up easy if you have an older machine you want to repurpose;

2) you can also turn your phone into an on-the-fly media node -- eg (and to bring this back to bike forum relevance) I take my phone out into the garage to work on my bikes and stream from the server. For my kitchen, I bought a pair of high quality bookshelf powered speakers and just plug the phone in when I want music there (infrequent -- I'd probably buy the radio if I wanted a more full time dedicated unit);

3) the iPad app is pretty great too if you own one -- gives you a bigger screen etc.

4) any networked computer can also act as node;

5) synchronization between rooms/nodes works pretty well for parties etc.

[charliedid]

[QUOTE=AngryScientist]the wife (and I) would like a simple, self contained music source in the kitchen. no wired speakers, easy - turn on and listen.

the squeezebox looks like a good solution. $140 on amazon, gets mixed reviews there (like just about everything). we arent looking for booming party typed music, just some background music when cooking/hanging out in the kitchen. I would also like to listen to NPR in the mornings when i'm home.

anyone using on of these self contained units?

Hey thanks! ! never even knew these things existed...

[nephron]

i have one and i love it. i can stream all of my home music. best part is being able to access all of the internet radio stations. jazz station from the netherlands, rock from the uk and bollywood music from poland. the possibilities are endless.

i actually bought the duet also which i like more. hooks up to any amp/preamp and the big speakers. overall much cheaper than the sonos w/ roughly the same results. if you keep an eye out, logitech often has sales on refurb units which is how i bought both units.

[sjbraun]

Bought a refurbished one of these for about $100

http://www.bostonacoustics.com/Duo-i-plus-AMFM-Stereo-Radio-with-iPhone-iPod-Dock-P393.aspx

Nice sound and love streaming Pandora through my ipod Touch.

[Jason E]

Slightly more money, but doubles as an island in the kitchen.

http://uncrate.com/stuff/behringer-inuke-boom/

[neiltron]

That Behringer iNuke Boom is easily the best choice. Behringer say they are producing it too...

A friend of mine has a Sonos 3 and loves it. I have a Jawbone Jambox, which may not be a good option for you since it's a portable bluetooth speaker.

[TMB]

I have had a SONY "under-counter/cabinet" radio/CD player over my work bench for 9 years and the sound is decent. It was marketed for kitchen use. I'll bet the new models can also work with modern sources too. It is a real plus that it takes up no counter space and is at eye level for easy tuning.

And it's about $40 or so.

Ours is 16 years and going strong.

[AngryScientist]

UPDATE:

I appreciate all of the good advice folks, in the end I did go with the Squeezebox. It shipped lightening fast to my house, and it's perfect for what we were looking for. the ipod controls are excellent and the sound quality is acceptable for what it is. it's a great kitchen music player.