Logitech Squeezebox Boom All-in-One Network Music Player / Wi-Fi Internet Radio

2 reviews for Logitech Squeezebox Boom All-in-One Network Music Player / Wi-Fi Internet Radio

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   – April 23, 2024 Jacky Schinner

   The short version: The Logitech Squeezebox Boom is a tremendous product: with excellent wifi/internet radio capabilities, tremendous flexibility in setup, attention to detail, intelligent layout, best lighting scheme out there, good sound as a standalone table radio, and easy to use (once you’ve completed the initial setup). That initial setup is the one caveat. You don’t have to be an IT professional to get it up and running, BUT the documentation available is sketchy, and you’ll need to be patient as you work your way through all the paramenters that can be tweaked by the user. Setting up your […] account on your computer first makes this inital setup/tweaking much easier. Downloading the Squeezebox Server software to your computer is really only necessary if you wish to acces your music files on your computer.The Longer version: I began researching internet radios about a year ago as the local classical music station was changing format, and because a debilitating neurological condition means spending hours at a time immobile and in pain: soothing music at the touch of a button is a life saver. Features that were most important to me were: ease of operation and access to a wide range of internet based radio broadcasts. Decent sound at low volumes and the possibility of accessing my own computer-stored music files were next on the list. The unit also had to be compact enough to sit on a small table: I was not looking for something that would rival a high-end music system in volume or sound quality. Last December I purchased a Sanyo r-227. The size was right, the sound went from fair to good with the addition of a 2.1 powered set of computer speakers, setup was tedious, daily use was OK, features and “tweakability” were spartan, and the display not easy to read. The best feature was the wide range of internet radio stations available through […]. Slow response and dropped signals were frustrating. After about 6 months, I was sold on the idea of internet radio, and decided to get a 2nd internet radio for a different room. Since I was not completely happy with the Sanyo, I thought I would give the Squuezebox Boom a try. WOW! What a difference!PROS:+ Sound quality: While the unit is not much bigger than an average clock radio, the sound is clear, with a wide frequency respons that sounds great both at low and moderate volumes. Bose wave radio better watch out! You can easily add a subwoofer and/or powered satellite speakers, if desired. Bass, treble, and stereo field are all adjustable.+ “Tweakabilty:” If you’re someone who often says ” If only I could adjust X, this would be a great product,” you’ll love the Boom. You can even change the order in which the menu items are displayed. Or even IF they’re displayed. To get an idea of the depth of the “tweakability” factor: there are 15 different parameters you can customize just on the dispay menu alone. You can even change the display font! Other parameters that are user adjustable are noted below.+ […]: Logitechs web-based interface allows easy management of all the radio’s settings from your computer. Using the menus and jog wheel on the Squeezebox Boom are not difficult, but using the web app adjustments are a breeze.+ Display/lighting: One of my pet peeves usually. Logitech does it right with the Boom. Buttons are back lit, making them easily identified in the dark, but not so bright that they light up your bedroom. The blue display also automatically dims: You can adjust the range of brightness AND what is displayed.+ Controls: Buttons are small, but easy to push and the backlighting makes them easy to identify. The small remote rests in a magnetized cradle on top of the unit when not in use. 6 preset buttons are programmable, and a “Favorites” menu allows for unlimited saving of stations/tracks/etc. Happen on a great station and a simple push of a button adds it to your Favorites.+ Signal stability: This will always be dependent on the signal available from your wireless router, but the Boom starts up and acquires a station in under 5 seconds for me. My Sanyo takes 2-3 minutes. Drop outs/lost signals have been almost non-existent. In a month of daily use, I have only had the signal drop for a few seconds 2 or 3 times.+ Access to personal music files and online music services: Using what Logitech calss “Apps,” setting up the boom to access your own music files and services like Pandora, Last.fm or Live365 is straightforward– set and forget. Suggestion: Use the free MP3 Music Locker web service to upload your music files and you don’t have to leave your computer on to access your own music files.CONS:- Documentation/manual is sketchy at best. I highly recommend setting up your (free) […] account 1st– it will make set up and adjustments much easier.- The radio can be set to access the internet 2 ways: one (Squeezebox server– downloadable software program from Logitech) requires that your computer is on, and allows for access of your personal music files stored on the computer. The second […] requires only a wired or wireless connection through a router- the computer can be off. I suggest making this your deault setting on the radio. This has been a source of much user frustration, as it is not clearly explained.RELIABILITY/CUSTOMER SERVICE: Only time will tell how this unit holds up, but the 1st unit shipped was dead in the water. Logitech support was very helpful (after an interminable wait on hold), even offering some suggestions on the return/exchanhe process, but I got the sense that this was not an isolated incident. Amazon was GREAT: I had a new unit shipped free and on my door step in less than 48 hours, and they supplied a return shipping label to send the defective unit back to them.I highly recommend this radio, and am planning the purchase of a 2nd unit myself.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   – October 10, 2024 Shaylee O’Conner

   I purchased this device for use in our kitchen to access over 100GB of DRM-free MP3s that resides on our desktop PC. While there are many desktop radios out there, and many that now use WiFi to access Internet radio, there are not many that devote so much of their feature set to streaming music you already own over your home network. My two main requirements were that it do a good job of accessing my music and that it sound good. I’m happy to say it has met both of those requirements.It’s hard to get a good sense from reading reviews how good or bad the sound quality will be from a device like this. In this size range you will find everything from $10 computer speakers to audiophile quality mini-monitor speakers costing hundreds of dollars. In a device that packs so much functionality, you have to wonder how much effort they put into sound quality. This review can’t answer that much better than others, but I will say that it met my expectations. There is more low range than the average set of cheapo computer speakers, and the overall sound quality is clear, even at moderately loud listening levels that can fill the room. On the other hand, there is definitely some low end missing that would provide a more enveloping sound, and you can turn it up loud enough to start distorting the sound so this is not the device to flood the backyard with music around the pool. I will add that there is a sub-out jack if you have a sub to use, but for our intended purpose in the kitchen, it’s not really aesthetically an option. Given the diminutive size of the device, it gets good marks for sound quality.After installing the SqueezeCenter software on my PC and letting it scan my music directory, it was very straightforward to start playing my collection. The SqueezeCenter user interface is a web based application that you can access from any browser on your network and gives you full dynamic control of the device. This is a very handy feature and I’ve found myself setting up playlists and browsing my music from my laptop while the Squeezebox is playing in the adjoining room. The software is quite feature rich. There are tons of configuration options for how the device functions, including lots of configuration for how playing music is displayed. Unfortunately, the flexibility comes at a price because the web-based UI is somewhat slow and clumsy compared to a “thick client” like iTunes.A note about streaming your MP3s. I have an ALL wireless network. This is considered a problematic configuration for streaming MP3s by those in the Slim Devices forum because the music has to stream over two wireless hops, rather than one. The recommended configuration is that your PC with your music is hardwired to a wireless hub. Because of my configuration, songs were stalling and skipping as the network was unable to buffer enough data. The SqueezeCenter software has great network streaming tests to troubleshoot problems like this. By running those tests and researching the issue in the Slim Devices forum, I was able to confirm the problem and find some advice to improve my network performance. By changing my wireless channel and turning off the “Turbo G” mode on the router, my streaming tests went from unstable to extremely stable. This was kind of odd because I got great download speeds before, but I suppose the speed was coming at the expense of less reliable packet delivery. After making the changes, I am able to stream 256Kbps MP3s with no buffer problems.One of the nicest surprises of the device is how well it integrates with Internet streaming radio and various services like Pandora. On the Squeezebox website you set up your account and specify login information for those services and in a few minutes the device can access all your Pandora stations, which has full support for giving songs thumbs up/down, etc. Though we bought the device to increase access our own music, my wife probably listens to Pandora 70% of the time.I’ve been so happy with this device, I’m strongly considering purchase of another Boom for the garage or bedroom and their Duet product, so I can hook my main family room in. This would essentially give us full house audio like the Sonos system.One minor issue: The infrared remote for our Boom was dead on arrival. I called Logitech support and without any drama they are shipping out a new remote. Hopefully that’s the problem and I don’t have to switch out the actual Boom.