As some of you probably know, I'm on the official Slim Devices/Logitech test program. My new Duet (Squeezebox Receiver + Squeezebox Controller) arrived today. Because I already have a SB Controller and SB3, i am pretty used to the new (ever increasing) features for the new platform. So what i was most interested in was ease of setup, build quilty and, most importantly, the sound quality compared to my SB3, which i have always been very happy with. This is not a review, it's still in beta, just a quick preview as some people have requested of me.
Setup: Very easy if you are already an SB user. I already had Squeeze Center 7.0 installed and running, it it was simply a case selecting 'Set Up Receiver' and pressing the button on the front of the SBr. 30 seconds or so later it was ready to go. Yes, i had an advantage, but i cant see any one really struggling here - Squeeze Center is easy peasy to install and setup, less hassle than iTunes and the like.
Build quality: Good quality materials used. Minimal design reminds me a bit of a router and wont look as good on show as the SB3 but most people will have them tucked away i think as there is no screen to look at (it's the controller that's going to take centre stage with the Duet). Quite light, but the bottom has a large rubber pad, so heavy cables etc wont drag it around. Not much else to say really.
Sound Quality Vs SB3: The fact that the players can be synced made A-B testing very easy. It was simply a case plugging them in to the same AMP, choosing a track then hitting sync (with the volume at the same level). All i did then was flick between inputs on the AMP. The SBr uses a High fidelity
Wolfson® 24-bit DAC and the SB3 a High fidelity
Burr-Brown™ 24-bit DAC. The only other real difference is the fact the SBr has no screen. The kit i tested with was; Cambridge Audio 640 Azur AMP, Mission 701 Speakers and decent quality after market phono cables. Not exactly audiophile, but a good medium end system to test them with, and type that many people with use their SB3's and SBr's with. Anyway, audiophiles will be using there own DAC's.
I played a number of cd rips (using EAC and FLAC) from various genres from R&B to Break Beat, from Rock to the likes of Nina Simone. Flicking between SB3 and SBr was not what i had fully expected - i had read testers in the US saying that they are just as
good, but i did not expect them to sound so much the
same. I listened for over an hour and there are remarkably similar, but i did notice a slight difference after a while - i felt that the SB3 sounded a little warmer at times and the SBr was a touch brighter. I really could not hear any difference between the bass, midrange and treble and instruments equality separated and represented.
So basically, in my opinion, if anyone wants to buy a SB3 or SBr and use the built in DAC (like the vast majority of people will) rather than your own external one, i can honestly say dont worry about sound quality differences. If i was forced to say which i preferred, i would probably say SBr (Duet). But only by a baby's bum hair, and it might just be that it newer to me.
I dont have any higher end kit to test will here, so its quite possible differences might become more obvious with better kit. But if anyone wants me to try anything else, or if there is something obvious i'm missing, i'm open to suggestions.
Now, if they would kindly send me a Transporter...