Squeezebox Duet opinions?

Anyone use the Squeezebox Duet? Currently, I stream FLAC to my PS3 and it works OK, but the PS3 menus are clunky, control sucks, and it will not randomly play from all songs. I am hoping that the Squeezebox is a bit better. Anyone use it ? What does everyone think?

i've had one for about 8 months. it's fine. not great, but fine. i recently hooked up the rest of that system and the CD transport and duet are now served by the same DAC.

i have to say that i prefer the CD to the lossless ripped version from the duet. but that may be a reflexion of the the burner i used or a reflexion of the wireless streaming or a reflexion of the apple lossless conversion done on the server before streaming.

as your stuff is in FLAC, you will not have that last concern.

I use a Roku and AppleTv to stream my ripped music and can't see myself going back to CD again.

You might want to consider the new Squeezebox Touch, which is 24/96 capable, and has even higher quality analog and digital outputs than the older Squeezebox models. Only caveat is the Touch color display is only readable from ~8-10' distance. Unlike the Duet, the Touch remote does not have a display screen, but there are apps for iPhone, Android, and Palm WebOS handhelds, that allow full control of the device from your listening position.

I was previously running my Squeezebox 2 digital coax into a Benchmark DAC, and felt the sound quality achieved 95+% of other "audiophile" transports I've heard. IMHO, the Touch (into a quality outboard DAC) is 99% there.

Squeezebox options

Hocky said:

Anyone use the Squeezebox Duet? Currently, I stream FLAC to my PS3 and it works OK, but the PS3 menus are clunky, control sucks, and it will not randomly play from all songs. I am hoping that the Squeezebox is a bit better. Anyone use it ? What does everyone think?

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I have a Squeezebox Classic and Duet. I listen to internet music sources a lot but I have also streamed FLAC from my PC. This might sound like overkill but if you output the Squeezeboxes into a really good DAC, the improvement in sound over the internal Logitech DAC is amazing! Further you can upsample and you have an option of integrating an outboard clock, if you want to go to the next level. It really depends on whether you want to go this way or invest way more money in a SooLoos or another high end music server.

Go for it! There is no competition for a dedicated music server. Best of all, you'll avoid having to run a screen/monitor while you're listening!

The Duet is great, and also check out the Touch which has just been released.

I run a Squeezebox 3 into an external DAC, and contrary to Alan, I think I'm 100% of the way there. There is no discernable difference between my transport and SB. Sometimes I've even felt the SB3 sounds better! So maybe I can say 101% of the way there. Standard redbook and not SACD of course!

Cool, I am glad to hear this good feedback. I think I will be picking one up and giving it a try. The PS3 works OK, but it is just too clunky.

I looked at the duet but went apple tv iPod touch instead. Refurbished iPod $160 + apple tv $180 same price better interface and zero networking hassles+ 160 gig hard drive. Also you can watch movies surf the web etc

macallan said:

I looked at the duet but went apple tv iPod touch instead. Refurbished iPod $160 + apple tv $180 same price better interface and zero networking hassles+ 160 gig hard drive. Also you can watch movies surf the web etc

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......and no FLAC.

The OP specifically states he uses FLAC.

You're locked down to Apple and whatever rubbish they want to throw at you.

good point, i missed that, personally i would convert the Flac to applelossles or re-rip the collection. The squeezebox is a poor interface compared to the apple. Additionally the streaming issues with drop out etc. are eliminated with the local hard drive of the apple tv. It is truly a device that works right away without all of the geek tinkering of the squeezebox

amey01 said:

I run a Squeezebox 3 into an external DAC, and contrary to Alan, I think I'm 100% of the way there. There is no discernable difference between my transport and SB.

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I agree with Adam, I'm running the same SB3 to an external DAC and I like what I hear!:music:

Squeezebox will be here tomorrow.... we'll see how it goes. I will play with both the remote that it comes with along with the iPeng app for the iphone to see which I like better. No matter what the case, I expect it to be a significant improvement from my current configuration of streaming through the PS3.

You're locked down to Apple and whatever rubbish they want to throw at you.

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Now that's just silly. You can use MP3 or AAC (both lossy and lossless). I use a mix of AAC lossless for critical music and high bit rate MP3 for background noise (ie pop etc)

Andrew Pratt said:

Now that's just silly. You can use MP3 or AAC (both lossy and lossless). I use a mix of AAC lossless for critical music and high bit rate MP3 for background noise (ie pop etc)

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Silly? With the AppleTV, you can't use an open-source lossless format!

How is that point silly? For an audiophile, it's serious!

The OP says he uses FLAC, and why should he change his nice, open-source library? "The mountain moving to Mohammed" rings true here.

And for anyone with a halfway decent sized CD collection, re-ripping is not an option (the thought of re-ripping my collection sends shudders through me!)

macallan said:

are eliminated with the local hard drive of the apple tv.

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And in response to Macallan's post, most audiophiles don't want a hard disk spinning in their listening room. That's the whole idea behind the Squeezebox! Otherwise you may as well just plonk a laptop on top of your rack!

The harddrive is completely silent but if FLAC is a requirement the ATV will not work. I researched the Squeezebox extensively and the reviews are split between those that love it and those that find it unreliable, difficult to set up and overall frustrating. Ultimately, I was content with using CDs rather than messing with a networking device that drops out, requires configuration, etc. The ATV entered the picture when the remote App came out and made the iPod/iPhone a perfect touch remote. It is the most plug and play device I have ever used and you can use it as a streaming device if you wish, you can decide to stream or sync. The Sync for me was the appeal, the computer does not need to be on and router issues will not interrupt play. It also acts as an additional back up.

The iphone will be my remote for the squeezebox, too, most likely. The OEM remote will sit in a table somewhere and never get used. I am an IT professional... networking and servers do not scare me. The bottom line is SQ and control. If those are good, I will be happy. We'll see soon since I will have it today.

AAC is an open standard and as Macallan points out you can stream data just like you can with a squeezebox.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Audio_Coding

Anyway my point wasn't that the OP should consider an AppleTV given the FLAC issue but to refute some of the miss information in this tread.

Andrew Pratt said:

AAC is an open standard and as Macallan points out you can stream data just like you can with a squeezebox.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Audio_Coding

Anyway my point wasn't that the OP should consider an AppleTV given the FLAC issue but to refute some of the miss information in this tread.

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And forget AAC because what audiophile is interested in a compressed format. APPLE LOSSLESS is NOT a form of AAC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_lossless

Although open source encoders exist, it is reverse engineered and not the work of Apple. Apple could (not saying they will, but who knows) change it in the future.

Hocky said:

We'll see soon since I will have it today.

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So did it arrive? What's the verdict?

Just setting it up now.