Logitech Squeezebox Touch Owners Thread - Page 5

Originally Posted by rbohling

I have only scanned this thread, so hopefully this has not been answered before. I am looking as music server options and like everyone these days, price is an object. This looks to be a good product and reviews have been good. My question is...If I rip all of my CDs and vinyl to a USB HDD, can I plug it directly into the USB port on the SBT? I know I can, but will the SBT directly control the content of the HDD, or do I have to stream it from a computer, which has the software installed.

Also, in my scanning of the thread, I saw some comment about the lack of bass in the audio reproduction. This was one of the cons I read in a review. They said the sound was much improved by utilizing the digital output vs. the analog.

Thanks

Originally Posted by rbohling

CDLehner, thanks for the reply. I will keep and eye out and possibly get one of these. Nobody locally has them (Spokane, WA), so will end up buying online. Though Logitech shows they are out of stock there. Was going to use a 10% off discount code and buy direct from them. Guess I will first go get an external HDD drive and start ripping CDs. That will be a chore @ somewhere between 400-500...later, I will start selecting the LPs that I want to convert...really dreading that task. It will be nice to have everything ripped to HDD though.

Originally Posted by 60SXRD

It just arrived here at work. I can't wait to get home and fire it up! Any opinions on what format sounds the best for lossless CD rips? I don't know if I should use WMA Lossless or FLAC. I'll be using the coax digital output to my Bel Canto DAC2 in my main rig or into a Denon AVR-987 in my HT room. TIA

Originally Posted by Pugnax555

If it's lossless, it won't matter cos they'll all sound the same. I went with FLAC because I know it'll always be supported somewhere due to it's openness. Come to think of it, I don't even know if the Touch can deal with WMA lossless.

Grab yourself a copy of Exact Audio Copy (EAC), then set it up using this (or one of the other) setup guides, then go to town.

Originally Posted by Pugnax555

Come to think of it, I don't even know if the Touch can deal with WMA lossless.

Originally Posted by CDLehner

+1 for FLAC...but save yourself the headache and use dbpoweramp instead; it has been confirmed many, many times...by exacting "audiophile" rippers...that it is every bit as good as EAC, and much easier to set-up.

CD

Originally Posted by 60SXRD

I read that the Touch has to do some kind of internal transcoding for WMA Lossless so FLAC it is!

Originally Posted by jimwhite

it only has to DECODE the compressed track and again, the result is the same. I use WMA lossless since windows understands it and when I set up a new machine I don't have to do anything to play the tracks...

Originally Posted by kiwi2000

I am a squeeze box wanna b. I have a Marantz av8003 that supports a network connection. I do not believe it supports flac though. I have a computer desk top hard drive with vista and media server software and would like to physically position it next to the Marantz in the theater room and connect it via a network cable, I guess.

I do not have any cd's copied as of yet onto the hard drive. Can I use the touch screen of the squeeze box for this task?

I am hoping that I do not need an additional keyboard, mouse and screen for this set up.

I think that I would then plug the supplied ir into the Marantz as I have buffalo repeaters throughout the house. This should allow control of the touch throughout the home and control the various zones within.

So is this the product I require to do what I have stated above? Or do I need an additional keyboard et al and rip the cds first?

In theory, you do not seem to need the Touch as the AV8003 should be able to access everything from the computer via either ethernet or other connections directly.

Originally Posted by kiwi2000

Kal

It was you review that sparked my interest in this product.


I am wondering about the rippping and then viewing and sorting of the cds. Also as stated the use of keyboard, mouse, and monitor are these unavoidable? I was hoping that this unit would replace those.

Originally Posted by mwok

Logitech has been showing this product out of stock for quite sometime, any idea when they will get it?

Originally Posted by shakes8993

Oh Yeh, DBPoweramp is amazing. only ripping program I use.

Originally Posted by 60SXRD

That's where I got mine - it came in less than a week.

Originally Posted by mwok

So wait a minute, they are shipping EVEN if the website says out of stock?

Originally Posted by jpaik

Guys, I have a newbie question, so here's my scenario. I want to put all my music on a server and have the signal path end at my pre-amp. I may buy the vortexbox appliance as the server: I am test-driving the vortexbox software on a old pc and it's very slick. I know it will do the job. It has the Squeezebox server built in.

Problem: my router (wired and wireless combo) is NOT in proximity to my audio gear. I assume the appropriate Squeezebox media player will route the files wirelessly?

Also, do I need a separate DAC, from the Squeezebox media player into the pre-amp?

Thanks for any guidance!

Originally Posted by mikefl52

I have recently acquired a squeezebox touch and it really was the convergence of a number of events:

Event 1. I had been running Plex 8 off my Mac Mini & NAS storage (mainly in FLAC format) and at the beginning of September they rolled out Plex 9 and so I switched. This was a big mistake since when it scanned my files it missed 90% of them. With a plug-in I reduced this down to about 30% and so I decided to switch back to Plex 8, however when I did switch back Plex kept freezing and loosing the music database.

Event 2. My wife has had an iPad for a while and then went to a conference and won another (lucky us). It was the basic one but hey still a nice bonus! Anyway I was looking round the available apps and noticed that there were a couple that were related to the Squeezebox which seemed to very cool.

Event 3. One of the other cool features on the iPad was the ability to get magazine subscriptions on line and one of the first magazines I ordered was Stereophile which lo and behold had an article which sang the praises of the Squeezebox Touch.

Anyway I ordered one and it is now installed in my system and streams music in the easiest manner possible. I subscribe to B&W Society of Sound and on a monthly basis you can download new music often in FLAC 24/48k format and the Touch can play this without issues. I do not have to have the TV on and can control the music from anywhere in the house (or by the pool) using either Squeezeplay or iPeng on the iPad and most importantly the quality of the audio is excellent fed by coax digital to my Anthem D1/P5 & B&W803D speakers.

My wife loves it as well since all she has to do now is hit Squeezebox on the harmony remote, wait a few seconds and then hit play or use the iPad to choose the music she wants to listen to.

So anyone who is sitting on the fence about this item or thinks it is too expensive for such a small piece of plastic. Do not hesitate, your music will be free again (to quote what it says as you boot up the Squeezebox).

Originally Posted by petacat

Anyone able to comment on gapless playback and buffering of network streamed music on this device?

Originally Posted by Pugnax555

Totally gapless playback on everything I've thrown at mine (FLAC, DTS, NPR playlists, etc). Network playback only takes a second or two to start (at most).

Originally Posted by 60SXRD

Wired or wireless? Thanks.