Squeezebox 3 - Setup Clarification

[TimmyP23]

Hi all

I'm on the verge of purchasing the Squeezebox 3 and have been trying to get my head round the setup.

Here's what I'm proposing:

I'll have the SB3 connected wirelessly to my router to which my laptop running the Slimserver will also be connected. I'm planning on hooking up the SB3 to some Acoustic Energy Aego M speakers, however I'm unsure of the best connection. Would a standard 3.5mm cable be sufficient or is there a better method.

I understand you set up the server showing it where all of your music is stored, and can manually input radio stations (that correct?). I'm a subscriber to Last.fm so can I listen to my personal radio through the SB3 using the available plugin? Is that correct?

I think I've got the basics right and apologise if this thread is a waste of space! Just wanted to ensure that I've got my head round the setup before making the purchase.

Thanks in advance for your help / advice.

[florca]

What you're proposing should work just fine (don't know about Last.fm but I know others use it - do a search on the very friendly user forums at www.slimdevices.com if you want more info?). If you want to try out Slimserver then download it and get a feel for the Squeezebox interface by using "Softsqueeze" on any PC or Mac, which emulates a Squeezbox 3 with a few minor restrictions.

The SB3 works just fine with Aego Ms - a perfect and very stylish match. Use a Twin phono / Twin phono lead. If you want to get really fancy then there's a software plugin available ("Ampswitch") which allows you to control the Aego amp power from the squeezebox via a very simple circuit + relay combination.

I'm assuming that the Slimserver / router connection is cable (Ethernet) - this is a better choice, especially if you may add more SB3s.

I can't recommend the Squeezebox highly enough - one of the very few pieces of kit which has wildly exceeded my expectations. High quality, stylish and simple. I have two and am contemplating a couple more. I started off with a Windows XP-based Slimserver but have now moved to a very small Linux file/print/Slimserver system - good luck, I'm sure you won't regret it.

[TimmyP23]

Originally Posted by florca

What you're proposing should work just fine (don't know about Last.fm but I know others use it - do a search on the very friendly user forums at www.slimdevices.com if you want more info?). If you want to try out Slimserver then download it and get a feel for the Squeezebox interface by using "Softsqueeze" on any PC or Mac, which emulates a Squeezbox 3 with a few minor restrictions.

The SB3 works just fine with Aego Ms - a perfect and very stylish match. Use a Twin phono / Twin phono lead. If you want to get really fancy then there's a software plugin available ("Ampswitch") which allows you to control the Aego amp power from the squeezebox via a very simple circuit + relay combination.

I'm assuming that the Slimserver / router connection is cable (Ethernet) - this is a better choice, especially if you may add more SB3s.

I can't recommend the Squeezebox highly enough - one of the very few pieces of kit which has wildly exceeded my expectations. High quality, stylish and simple. I have two and am contemplating a couple more. I started off with a Windows XP-based Slimserver but have now moved to a very small Linux file/print/Slimserver system - good luck, I'm sure you won't regret it.

Thanks for that, you've been extremely helpful and I feel a lot more confident now!! Just need to look at re-ripping my CD's in .flac format now as I'm guessing they'll sound a lot better than standard 192k mp3's?

Yeah, the slimserver can be wired to the router, I'm guessing that helps with the upload etc and releases pressure on the wireless network?

Just need to make the jump to purchase now!! The Aego's are on their way already, just hope I'm not going to be disappointed!!

[Druboo]

Originally Posted by TimmyP23

Just need to make the jump to purchase now!! The Aego's are on their way already, just hope I'm not going to be disappointed!!

You won't

It's been said many times and I'll just add to it, my Squeezebox is one of the best pieces of kit I posses.

Once your cd's are ripped to FLAC they can go into storage. I moved house 4 months ago haven't even unpacked my cd's yet. Still in a packing box I hope

[TimmyP23]

Thanks for your guidance. Much appreciated!!

How do standard mp3's sounds through the Squeezbox / Aego's?

I've never had a decent audio setup so fingers crossed my first one works out ok!!

[amcluesent]

>How do standard mp3's sounds through the Squeezbox<

128kbit MP3 sound ghastly as you would expect, 192kbit encoded by LAME is OK, VBR better, 320CBR in LAME is good.

[scooby_doo]

Originally Posted by TimmyP23

Thanks for your guidance. Much appreciated!!

How do standard mp3's sounds through the Squeezbox / Aego's?

I've never had a decent audio setup so fingers crossed my first one works out ok!!

If the MP3s are purchased ie. you can't re-rip as lossless then you're stuck. If you've ripped your music in MP3 format then rip a few in lossless and compare the two for sound quality etc. With any luck you'll end up re-ripping your whole collection as lossless

Re last.fm, I'm a big fan of that too. You can set your squeezebox to auto-scrobble so it updates your account with the music you're listening to on your squeezbox.

[TimmyP23]

I've got plenty of ripping to do then by the sounds of it!!

My SB3 is arriving on Friday, with my new Aego's arriving tomorrow. So I've been messing about with the slimserver software and that softsqueeze software.

Seems pretty good so far - hopefully can get my head round its "workings" before the beast arrives on Friday! So far so good!

[scooby_doo]

Originally Posted by TimmyP23

I've got plenty of ripping to do then by the sounds of it!!

My SB3 is arriving on Friday, with my new Aego's arriving tomorrow. So I've been messing about with the slimserver software and that softsqueeze software.

Seems pretty good so far - hopefully can get my head round its "workings" before the beast arrives on Friday! So far so good!

I'm confident you'll be extremely chuffed with both your purchases. Clearly you've put some research in to come up with that combo.

Give it a few days and you'll wonder how you ever lived without them!

The key to getting the best out of the squeezebox (or any other similar device for that matter) is to properly tag your music. Not a trivial task but worth the effort.

EDIT: oops, I forgot to mention, make sure you browse through all the available plugins on the slimdevices site. There are some cracking ones available which turn a great product into an even better one. Try AlienBBC, LastFM, LazySearch (my favourite!) & the weather plugin.