Topic: Squeezebox3 Released!

[mmedley.]

http://www.slimdevices.com/

Still no 96kHz support though. 

Very cool looking little box!

[nickgregory]

damn, I want one of these, but they need to support 24/96

[MattD]

Ditto. I thought that would be a feature in their next hardware release. Guess not.

[Colin Liston]

I just ordered one.  Have you seen the cool VU meter display?  Hopefully the a firmware in the future will support 24/96.

[nickgregory]

I just ordered one.  Have you seen the cool VU meter display?  Hopefully the a firmware in the future will support 24/96.

I wouldnt count on it, it was on their list of "features under consideration" for over a year on the previous unit

[Nick in Edinboro]

Does anyone know, aside from the different look, what all has changed?

I sorta liked the previous versions look and feel more.

[ethan]

http://www.slimdevices.com/

Still no 96kHz support though. 

Very cool looking little box!

I don't think you could get enough bandwidth from a wireless connection to stream 24/96

-e

[nickgregory]

http://www.slimdevices.com/

Still no 96kHz support though. 

Very cool looking little box!

I don't think you could get enough bandwidth from a wireless connection to stream 24/96

-e

I am ok with downsampling form 24/96...it just cant choke on the files

[ethan]

Well I guess in theory you could get enough bandwidth

24 * 2 * 9600 =~ 4.5 Mbps

I have an Linksys 54g and I can't get that speed from my computer in my basement to my stereo in the living room.

-e

[kindms]

Does anyone know, aside from the different look, what all has changed?

I sorta liked the previous versions look and feel more.

According to the FAQs nothing has changed from v2 to v3. Just the form factor. The FAQs only talk about differences from v1 to v2. So basically this is just a better looking version than v2.

They still ahve the older v2 for less money on the buy it now page if you want to save a few bucks and get the old look

[mmedley.]

I submitted another request to them for 96kHz. I have been following their other bug (#1394) for the past year or so and nothing.

Write them and let them know you want 96kHz!

[nickgregory]

where did you request?

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I don't think you could get enough bandwidth from a wireless connection to stream 24/96

It is about 500KB/sec for raw WAV.  With native flac decode, you're not streaming WAV's.  So the flac stream would end up being closer to 250 KB/sec.

In any case, I stopped using wireless with my slimp3 a couple years ago.  So even if I had to run a cable to do 24/96, I would.  Wireless is not a reason to not support 24/96.

I replied to Sean Adams' email announcing the new box with a repeated request for 24/96.

The other sore point is performance with large collections. Not that there's another alternative to this product...

[Brian Skalinder]

The other sore point is performance with large collections. Not that there's another alternative to this product...

I'm in the process of rebuilding and revising my playback system, and plan on the Squeezebox as a primary component for my playback away from my primary listening space.  What exactly is the issue?  Namely...

What is the threshold of "large collection" at which point performance becomes an issue?
Of what type is the performance hit, i.e. dogs down the host PC, or delays delivery of the stream to the player, or...?
How big a performance hit?
Any workarounds?

[ethan]

I think he's refering to how slow it is to browse the music folder. I have 500 shows loaded into my SB and scrolling through them with the remote is painfull and pulling up the alphabetical list on the web display is WAY slow.

-e

[mmedley.]

where did you request?

support@slimdevices.com

comments@slimdevices.com

[Daryan]

I am playing guinea pig for Wayne at Boldercables as the first owner of a modded sb3.  I will let you guys know what I think.  The deal I got on the mods is well, too good to be true really (parts cost only).

[nickgregory]

care to enlighten us on what the mods are?

[Brian Skalinder]

Perhaps the same as the SB2?

http://www.boldercables.com/servlet/Detail?no=301

[nickgregory]

Perhaps the same as the SB2?

http://www.boldercables.com/servlet/Detail?no=301

thanks Brian

[Daryan]

Mechanically speaking, the answer is yes, about the same.  That said, due to the ergonomics of the unit, it is going to be much more difficult to get everything in there.  Fwiw, I am only having the digital section of it modded, as I am not much of an analog guy and prefer outboard dacs if I have to use them.

[mmedley.]

Cool. I'll check out the mods. It appears from the email I got 96kHz isn't going to happen. 


Martin,

Honestly I'm not sure if 96kHz will be supported in the future or not. If you would like to be automatically notified of progress on that feature, you can add yourself as a CC: to the bug...


Regards,

Kevin P.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I've been on the bug CC for a long time..  It doesn't really help

Fact is, the remote control and graphical interface are great.  The server performance has problems with large collections.  Those problems go deep into the software. I'm not sure they 'get it' yet in terms of what needs to be done to fix those problems. For years they have only treated the symptoms of bad performance, all while adding new feature after feature (stuff I don't use).

I'm thinking that I'd like to use the remote and display as an inteface and send the audio out an M-Audio Transit. It will do 24/96.  Not sure when I'll have time to mess with it.

My complaints aside, it is still a great unit and there really isn't anything that competes with it.

[Brian Skalinder]

I think he's refering to how slow it is to browse the music folder. I have 500 shows loaded into my SB and scrolling through them with the remote is painfull and pulling up the alphabetical list on the web display is WAY slow.

500...big, but not exactly huge, and it's a problem.  Hmmmm.  Painful, and WAY slow is...how slow?  We all have different tolerances for that sorta thing, so just trying to get a feel for your specific experiences in terms to which I can relate.

Freelunch - any specifics on your end about the performance issue you mention?

What is the threshold of "large collection" at which point performance becomes an issue?
Of what type is the performance hit, i.e. dogs down the host PC, or delays delivery of the stream to the player, or...?
How big a performance hit?
Any workarounds?

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Freelunch - any specifics on your end about the performance issue you mention?

What is the threshold of "large collection" at which point performance becomes an issue?
Of what type is the performance hit, i.e. dogs down the host PC, or delays delivery of the stream to the player, or...?
How big a performance hit?
Any workarounds?

Sorry for the slow response.. I have some work deadlines I've been blowing off while trying to compose something that doesn't come off as a flame and which is fair..  As I mentioned, I have the earliest version of the product.  The new units are far more capable in important ways.  A good bit of the performance issues I see are related to my early hardware.  But there are still issues with the server that bug me a Lot and which have not been solved.

My suggestion is that you setup the server Right Now and start using it.  You don't need their hardware to do that.  You can run a client called 'soft squeeze'.  It emulates the actual player hardware and sends the output to your sound card.  It won't behave exactly like the real thing but it will give you a good idea what to expect.  Though nothing can compare to the convenience of grabbing your remote and hitting 'next', building a playlist with the remote, etc.

I'll be happy to answer any questions.. If you like what you see, I'd suggest going for the 30 day eval. I'll probably end up buying a new unit soon and would like to get the '$100 off on two' deal.  Though I'm not sure if I like the new form factor yet..

Back to my tedious project (funny how I hate invoicing so much even though it is how I get paid).

[BobW]

Perhaps the same as the SB2?

http://www.boldercables.com/servlet/Detail?no=301

Does anyone know where to get the cool blue woven sleeve on the bolder cables ?
I know that it's been posted, but my searching skills are failing me...

[Diamond_D]

Well I can't afford the box, but for now, using their software I set up my desktop with my external HD full of MP3's and flac'd shows as a server, and now can connect and play it via my laptop in my bedroom or at work. Saves me a ton of hard drive space, pretty nifty, so I'm glad it got posted here!

On a similar note, anybody know about the Olive Musica? http://www.olive.us/p_bin/ It seems like the Squeezebox, but it's also a router, CD ripper and burner, and iPod controller. Looks pretty interesting.

[Daryan]

Perhaps the same as the SB2?

http://www.boldercables.com/servlet/Detail?no=301

Does anyone know where to get the cool blue woven sleeve on the bolder cables ?
I know that it's been posted, but my searching skills are failing me...

It's just techflex I am pretty sure.

Daryan

[BobW]

It's just techflex I am pretty sure.

Daryan

thanks !
Very embarassing, I used to live about 20 miles away from Techflex and I couldn't remember their name... 

[Colin Liston]

I got my Squeezebox yesterday, had it up and running within 30 minutes.  This thing is fucking way cool!

They have a link to the Live Music Archive, so I can now listen to shows I taped and uploaded to the archive with out having to go find them.  Ridiculous, but extremely cool!

[Daryan]

Mine is is Littleton, Co as we speak

[Tim]

I want to go check out this guys workshop after work one day

[Daryan]

I can make that happen for you Tim...

D~

[fasteddy]

WOW..


this looks like what i have been looking for.

Sumthin to go straight from my PC to my stereo

Thanks!

[macdaddy]

what are the differences on the 2 and 3 models..?

would i notice a performance hit  (slow file browsing with big collections) between the 2 and 3..? or is that stuff really a difference between the first sb and the later models..?

i have been using foobar > dac > tubeamp, with an airboard that i used to train a remote, and that is fine, but it is running a pc with a remote, which is easy, but can be a pain in the ass...

and my setup is kinda big...



so i was thinking of going with a sb2/3 > tamp > norh setup in our living room, which would put a stereo in there (my tube stuff is in another room -  my "office" ), and do it with a tiny footprint that mrs macdaddy would be cool with, and with a few (relatively cheap mods), i could have a pretty tight sounding setup...

looking at this ready to wire box for the tamp, and the bolder mods, which run $250

red wine does some cool sh*t with the sb 2/3, too...

also, bolder is part of the audiocircles, and there are some threads going on over there about the sb3 and mods for the sb2 and 3. i am pretty sure daryan/-2000orioles/cornell alum are the same person, but i didnt know if any of the rest of you had been to that site to check it out - not as active as audio asylum, but there is some good info available there (plus some of these demos they do here in la seem too good to pass up - i think i might have to check one out soon )...

this looks like a great small footprint, secondary listening system. i will never give up my tubes and all my gear for primary listening, but my wife will never again allow that sh*t to be on display in our living room, either.




edit:

added the links to the bolder cables mods, and to the red wine mods

[cheshirecat]

I believe the only realy diffences between the 2 and 3 are the footprint and the 3 has a larger cache.

The software is all run serverside for file browsing and such, so that will be the same no matter which model you use.  Actually the 2 and 3 run the same firmware so there really shouldn't be much difference all around.

[Daryan]

   What he said.


Yeah, we are all the same to answer the questioon about who I am.

[macdaddy]

  What he said.


Yeah, we are all the same to answer the questioon about who I am.

that's what i thought...

did we just have another name change, too..?

i thought that was you, but i wanted to make sure - it is sometimes helpful to know who you are talking to...

i think i will go with the sb2, then...

anyone have one they wanna get rid of..?

+t's all 'round

[macdaddy]

so daryan - is this yours..? 

 you got a report..? i just ante'd up for the full bolder mod for the sb2 i just bought...

it sounds like the bybees have a big effect on the sound, which means i will need to put another two bills together, to have the mod done up right...

i am still sans power supply. i wanted to first talk to leegeddy about possibly powering the mod sb2 and the si t-amp from a 12v bumblebee setup (or something in that vein), but i havent seen him around these parts recently, and i know he is uber-busy w/ work...

anyway, i was just giving this thread a bump, and i was curious if you had given this thing a listen yet...

[Daryan]

Yes, all of the pictures in the Bolder forum of the sb3 are of my unit.  Mine will arrive on Monday morning.  Full report by Tuesday or so, as it is already broken in.  Bybee's are wonderful if used in the right places.  I have five of them in my modded amp


D~

[Daryan]

I have gotten the modded squeezebox back and it is up and running 24/7 to break-in.  Is there anything specific you guys would like to know or just a review?

D~

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Can you measure the jitter and accuracy in the digital stream of a stock sb3 vs. a modded sb3?

I can sorta understand modding the sb3 to improve the subjective analog output quality (which is quite good already). But in the case of improving the digital output, that should be completely measureable, right?.  Maybe the company doing the mods has already done that?

I bought two sb3's on the $100 off two deal recently.  They're working very well.

[cdevs]

Daryan = modslut

[macdaddy]

+t for bumping the thread fellas...

how close is slimserver to beingable to browse an entire network for music files (rather than simply scanning one predesignated directory)..?

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Currently, I think you would have to mount the remote volumes under the music directory or link to the mount points.

You could setup a script up to scan your network for sharable volumes and automatically mount them 'read only' under the music dir.  Would that do it?

[macdaddy]

Currently, I think you would have to mount the remote volumes under the music directory or link to the mount points.

You could setup a script up to scan your network for sharable volumes and automatically mount them 'read only' under the music dir.  Would that do it?

i have no idea...

i have shnf all over twenty or so harddrives, scattered around five or six windows98 computers.... i havent even taken the sb2 out of the box. i have paid for an analog mod to the thing over at bolder, but i know wayne is slammed with work before xmas, so i was going to send it to him after the first of the year...

i have not run the slimserver program yet - i was thinking of doing it on my linux box on the network (which is also the webserver)... i really havent gotten that far, but i uunderstand that you are currently unable to view for files in an explorer-esque fashion, browsing your network...

[it-goes-to-eleven]

i have not run the slimserver program yet - i was thinking of doing it on my linux box on the network (which is also the webserver)... i really havent gotten that far, but i uunderstand that you are currently unable to view for files in an explorer-esque fashion, browsing your network.

You could do that if the drives on those systems were mounted on the music server. It would go over the network for the music and you would could browse your collection with IE.

[macdaddy]

i have not run the slimserver program yet - i was thinking of doing it on my linux box on the network (which is also the webserver)... i really havent gotten that far, but i uunderstand that you are currently unable to view for files in an explorer-esque fashion, browsing your network.

really..?

ok - how do you "mount" a drive to a computer... is that in the slimserver software somewhere..?



You could do that if the drives on those systems were mounted on the music server. It would go over the network for the music and you would could browse your collection with IE.

[cheshirecat]

In windows you can use the 'linkd.exe' command to create a link to another directory so that it behaves as though it is physically there.  I don't think it comes with windows by default, but you can download it, do a quick search on MS.com.  I use it in the office all the time.

You can also tell slimserver to use a UNC name for a path so any shared directory should work: ie \\<ip address>\<sharename>\ though I'm sure having your music repository on a differnt machine from the server will probably give you some performance issues; unless your network is operating fairly efficiently.

[macdaddy]

+t's for tall the info.

[Daryan]

Daryan = modslut

Hey, you got a modsbm-1

[Daryan]

OK, I have FINALLY gotten a chance to get the sb3 up and running.  I had been unable to say much of anything, as I was in the process of completely rebuilding the crossovers in the 626r's, and thus have spent the last month and a half perfecting, modifying etc those, so this got pushed to the back burner. 

My impressions of the modified, digital only SB3 from Bolder are that I have never been this happy with audio in my life.  I say this primarily because it just sounds great.  A little on the dark side of neutral, but it is still breaking in so I imagine the caps will open up some.  The bass is some of the best I have EVER heard, period.  It is extremely authoritative without sounding boomy or bloated, a big pet peeve of my ears.  I am currently listening to RWTC from a 2003 show, and quite honestly it is a new recording.  Big dominant midrange, great extension, and the bass is to die for.  I wil sum this up by saying this is by far the biggest steal in audio today.  It is such a pleasure not having to go to the computer to listen to my files.  5 stars, or whatever you want to call it.  I will probably never listen the same way again. 

D~