roku soundbridge M1000 or slim devices squeezebox2??

[J_C_COOL]

Ok, was gonna get the creative wireless music gizmo but have read lots of bad things about it. The 2 mentioned above seem to be pretty popular and at the moment I'm thinking of going for the roku 'cos it looks cooler and is a wee bit cheaper but I'm interested in everyones opinion b4 I part with my cash. Assistance greatly appreciated. Ta.

[andrew1810]

I'd go for the Squeezebox2, it has extra features (decent web interface, support for BBC radio) and is slightly better sound quality than the Roku.

It may not look as good, but it is IMO the superior player. There have also been some price cuts in America which may filter through to the UK, I should find out soon.

There have been a few threads on here about the two:
Can anyone recommend a lossless, wireless streaming music solution.

Slim Squeezebox vs Roku Soundbridge

Need some advice on Roku M1000.....

MP3 Media Player Advice - Separates Unit

If you have any questions, let me know

Andrew

[J_C_COOL]

squeezebox it is then. I just have 1 question at the mo- not all(in fact about only 1/2) of my tunes are tagged and the ones that have been have generally been tagged my musicmatch. The question is when musicmatch tags my tunes does it put the information into the mp3 so other software can use it (ie slimserver)? or does it keep it seperate and therefore will I have to re identify all my tunes?
Cheers

P.S. Let me know if these price drops are coming to uk am planning on buying in about a month and where should I get one from?

[hinesle]

Its a vote for the Roku from me. Purely so you have freedom when it comes to choosing your music server software. Remember if slim devices goes bust (and im not saying they are/will) then development of the software stops. That’s why I prefer the ROKU as it uses UPnP server which is none proprietary.

Lea

[andrew1810]

The tagging will be fine, you don't need to use itunes at all, just point slimserver to the music directory.

I'll definitely know within a month and am looking at starting a power-buy on here, so watch this space!!

Andrew
p.s. I can also supply the Roku, so I'm not biased!!

[surfermc]

My vote would be for the Roku. It can use several different servers uPnP and daapd.

[johnrevill]

I had a play with the Roku soundbride 1000 in my local audio-t shop the other day and I was quite impressed. It looked quite nice, felt well made and the remote was not too cheap looking and was easy to use.

However, I keep hearing that the Soundbridge is the one to go for. I'd like to have a play with it in the flesh. Its going to sit in the lounge so the styling ia quite important really...!

[andrew1810]

Where in the Uk are you jehnrevill?

If you're anywhere near Newcastle I can pop around with the squeezebox.

If not, you can download softsqueeze which is an emulator of the squeezebox, or Slimdevices also offer a 30 day return policy if you aren't happy with it.

I owned a Roku myself prior to the squeezebox and although it looked nice, it lacked a few features and really benefited from an outboard Dac. I also had reliability problems with both the original and its replacement.

Andrew

Edit: If you only listen to mp3 rather than lossless, this is due for release sometime soon and looks pretty good. Terratec have a good reputation and my Noxon1 has been excellent, very reliable:
http://www.my-noxon.com/noxon.html

[johnrevill]

Cheers andrew1810 - I'm down south though so no good. I'm going to download the squeeze software and have a play.

How do you think the remote on the squeezebox compares to the roku?

The Noxon looks quite interesting - not too sure on the styling. I don't see why somebody doesn't make a hifi seperate size component that does the same as the squeezebox etc.

[andrew1810]

If I'm honest, I found the Roku remote more comfortable, but it was a bit short on buttons. Although its not s comfy, you get numbers and letters to quickly scroll through tracks/artists etc.

Generally I use the web interface on my laptop or PDA though to save time!

I agree on the design, there was a thread on the slimdevices forum not long ago where we discussed this and gave ideas for designs.
This was the final one we came up with (drawing isn't perfect, I'm still very much a beginner):
http://audiofi.dudehost.com/other/sq...xtextured9.gif

Now its just up to slimdevices to build it

[dpoulson]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a decent place to buy these? Dabs have the wired ones for 125 quid, including VAT (I have cat5e throughout my house. Only use wireless for mobile devices!) but from past experiences Dabs don't usually turn out to be the cheapest!

They also should hopefully integrate directly with plutohome!

[andrew1810]

That is very cheap, I doubt you'll find it for less (I would make a loss at that price!)

There are VERY strong rumours of a new device so prices may drop, or lots may become available on ebay soon

Originally Posted by johnrevill

I don't see why somebody doesn't make a hifi seperate size component that does the same as the squeezebox etc.

About a month a go I was in the same situation weighing up what device to go with. Then I stumbled across www.sonos.com

They do a unit which could be considered a hifi seperate

--
RoB

[stuart-f]

Couldn't recommend Sonos highly enough. It's not cheap but it's not that expensive either. The thing about it is that it just works - even the wife likes it and doesn't see it as 'another useless gadget'.

I had an Audiotron device, similar to the Roku, but not as good. The AT caused me nothing but grief and I never had working satisfactorily. Was looking at the Roku when I came across Sonos and how glad am I. Check out the forums on www.sonos.com for more opinions.

[McCol]

I've had a squeezebox2 for about 3 months and would recommend it, very easy to set up. I'm using the wireless version.

Problem i have is that i no longer really use it due to using the line out feature on my mp3 player.

Not sure if i will get told off for this but make me an offer for my unit if you want, going to put it on ebay later this week.
Sorry if that breaks any forum rules.