Squeezebox Touch

[blessingx]

Thanks much for the answers j4cbo. This is getting more interesting.

It looks like ALAC may have been added to the native list according to the product page specs:

Audio formats

* MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, Apple Lossless

* WMA Lossless, APE, MPC and WavPack supported through transcoding

* Some formats may require additional software installation

[Kabeer]

Thanks much for the answers j4cbo. This is getting more interesting.

It looks like ALAC may have been added to the native list according to the product page specs:

Definately great, looks like it can just take a straight iTunes library now (alac, mp3 and aac)

Thanks for the answer to my hdd question, looks like its time to save up some pennies!

[grawk]

the ability to play an itunes library directly is pretty huge

[Hopstretch]

the ability to play an itunes library directly is pretty huge

Agreed. I'm in for one of these.

[CarlSeibert]

Or, assuming it works out so, to be able to play the contents of a drive on the fly without scanning and subsequently deleting all the files from the DB. I'm thinking about that stack of Christmas CDs. I've never scanned them in since I don't want them popping up on random play in the middle of June, but playing them randomly on December 24th would be way cool.

[Kabeer]

Or, assuming it works out so, to be able to play the contents of a drive on the fly without scanning and subsequently deleting all the files from the DB. I'm thinking about that stack of Christmas CDs. I've never scanned them in since I don't want them popping up on random play in the middle of June, but playing them randomly on December 24th would be way cool.

Do you mean the itunes library?

You can get itunes to arrange the library in artist/album heiarchy so the whole thing is organised.

[jinp6301]

So the touch doesn't need to rebuild its database every time you add new music?

[screaming oranges]

How realistic is the date of release with this company? I've never really followed Logitech until now. Are they known for pushing back release dates or no? I just really want this for Christmas...

[Nebby]

They're generally pretty good at sticking with their release dates.

[luvdunhill]

well, there's a lot to love about the radio. I really was impressed by the SB3 "interface", and the new interface is many times over better. My largest complaint is lack of remote, and more buttons on the front. I liked the minimalist design of the SB3 (and would have prefered a minimalist remote too). Again, if I knew that it didn't come with a remote, I'm not so sure I would have jumped on it as fast. My wife is happy with the iTunes integration, and we're both curious about what apps will be available. The Flickr one interests us the most, but the screen is just a bit too small for it to really be all that practical. Sound is pretty good, I'd like to see a cross-section picture to see how the designed the interior of the thing to get half-decent sound out of it.

[Grahame]

This thread may help you

Radio sound quality as compared to boom - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

The original boom white paper describes it in detail

http://www.logitechsqueezebox.com/attachments/download/26/Logitech_Squeezebox_Boom_Audio_Design.pdf

Which lead to the question (answered by the audio designer)

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdpeck View Post

I'm very curious as to the applicability of this paper to the Radio. Were the same type of design and DSP ideas used in the Radio? I understand that the StereoXL stuff and the subwoofer circuitry won't be there, but does the Radio use the same DAC, crossover, bi-amping, and separate headphone DAC?

Thanks!

George

It uses a single stereo DAC, therefore it does not do the subwoofer mode. It does do the same crossover and bi-amping, which is one of the most critical parts IMO.

-Caleb

__________________

Caleb Crome

Sr. Hardware Engineer

[blessingx]

Now that it's December, wanted to check back in on this for a present and it looks like there could be delays...

Has the Touch release date been delayed? - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

[TC_Shadow]

bummer; I was so counting on getting a touch for Christmas

[Eric5676]

Dumb question: If I'm coming in fresh and new to the whole Squeezebox thing, is the Touch something I can use by itself or do I have to have another Squeezebox to use it off of?

I guess what I'm really asking is: If I want to dive into this, I'd be using the DAC on my Cambridge 840c. What should I buy?

[luvdunhill]

I like the radio. It's pretty cool.

[Grahame]

Dumb question: If I'm coming in fresh and new to the whole Squeezebox thing, is the Touch something I can use by itself or do I have to have another Squeezebox to use it off of?

I guess what I'm really asking is: If I want to dive into this, I'd be using the DAC on my Cambridge 840c. What should I buy?

The Squeezebox approach is a client / server based distributed architecture.

If words like that make no sense to you, start with something like

Beginners Guide - SqueezeboxWiki

Once you understand the concepts, you'll see that the Squeezebox is a "thin client" - you'll need a computer somewhere ( or use one of their servers "in the cloud" at Home - Welcome to mysqueezebox.com! ) running their server software.

Then to confuse things, just when you though you had it all figured out, The Touch actually contains an embedded computer, capable of running a slimmed down server, capable of reading music files from an attached USB drive. The hardware has been ready for some time. It's the development of the associated software that has been holding up the release.

Both the SB3 and the touch have S/PDif Coaxial and Toslink Optical digital outputs suitable for connecting to the DAC in your 840C.

I leave it to you as to where you stand on the audibility of different digital inputs (and their implementation)

Given that the server sofware is free for download, and there are a couple of software client emulators around, you don't need to actually buy anything to play around with the system to see if it fits your needs / uses.

Looking forward, it seems likely that the touch is a more capable platform than the SB3 (and it can output 96/24 unlike the SB3 (which would have it downsampled to 48/24 on a server) )

Ultimately, it depends what your requirements are. Only you can answer that question.

[Eric5676]

The Squeezebox approach is a client / server based distributed architecture.

If words like that make no sense to you, start with something like

Beginners Guide - SqueezeboxWiki

Once you understand the concepts, you'll see that the Squeezebox is a "thin client" - you'll need a computer somewhere ( or use one of their servers "in the cloud" at Home - Welcome to mysqueezebox.com! ) running their server software.

Then to confuse things, just when you though you had it all figured out, The Touch actually contains an embedded computer, capable of running a slimmed down server, capable of reading music files from an attached USB drive. The hardware has been ready for some time. It's the development of the associated software that has been holding up the release.

Both the SB3 and the touch have S/PDif Coaxial and Toslink Optical digital outputs suitable for connecting to the DAC in your 840C.

I leave it to you as to where you stand on the audibility of different digital inputs (and their implementation)

Given that the server sofware is free for download, and there are a couple of software client emulators around, you don't need to actually buy anything to play around with the system to see if it fits your needs / uses.

Looking forward, it seems likely that the touch is a more capable platform than the SB3 (and it can output 96/24 unlike the SB3 (which would have it downsampled to 48/24 on a server) )

Ultimately, it depends what your requirements are. Only you can answer that question.

Well, all of my gear and PC are together in the same room so I suspect that simplifies things considerably. Whatever Squeezebox solution I bought would be connected to the aforementioned Cambridge 840c's DAC, so obviously something like the Transporter would be major overkill. I'd connect it via ethernet cable right to the router.

The Touch seems awfully nifty and compelling on paper.

I'd want to access the music on my PC and off of it. I'd like to be able to enjoy the music without necessarily having to have my PC turned on to do so.

[Grahame]

Well, all of my gear and PC are together in the same room so I suspect that simplifies things considerably. Whatever Squeezebox solution I bought would be connected to the aforementioned Cambridge 840c's DAC, so obviously something like the Transporter would be major overkill. I'd connect it via ethernet cable right to the router.

The Touch seems awfully nifty and compelling on paper.

I'd want to access the music on my PC and off of it. I'd like to be able to enjoy the music without necessarily having to have my PC turned on to do so.

Wired is the way to go. WiFi has issues in the real word (neighbours, microwaves, etc)

Touch would also seem to solve the "No PC on" if its your music rather than internet radio you are interested in.

And for those other folks watching, it looks like the analogue outs on the Touch are an improvement over the SB3

(see the end of this thread for a view of this )

How "good" is your DAC? - Really Interesting test results! - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

And for those who have been following the evolution of the Touch, it may also be able to function as an async source for USB dacs ...

Looks worth waiting for ...

[Hopstretch]

Looks worth waiting for ...

Yay. I am!

[Eric5676]

Looks worth waiting for ...

I think you're right.

[tkam]

delayed till Feb. now

[atothex]

So can a Squeezebox be hacked to function like a soundcard? Like for movies and such.

[Eric5676]

I still am keeping an eye out for this piece. I keep seeing conflicted word about this either shipping in February at some time or the more vague "unavailable" without any firm date at all.

In the event that this gets delayed for a long time, what other similar kinds of pieces in and out of the Squeezebox line handle 24/96 like this will supposedly do and can be integrated into a sound system. All I care about is something that handles just about anything I can throw at it and integrates. Everything after that from touch screens on is bonus.

[Grahame]

The Transporter will handle 24/96 natively, although reports have surfaced that the embedded processor is close to being maxed out, such that there may be issues if you you have CPU intensive flac decompression (- and a CPU expensive screen saver / animation going at the same time. People have reported success with workarounds such as

* don't use expensive screensavers / animations (its the music thats important)

* Use server side decompression ( trade CPU for bandwidth)

* decompress + recompress flacs at a lower compression (e.g. -3)

See example here Very very strange Transporter problem - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

High rez tracks can be downsampled automatically server side using sox , resulting in up to 24/48 or 24/44.1 data that is played at that native resolution on the other existiing SB clients (or the transporter if you are syncing with other clients, as the lowest common denominator is used in this case)

Some people have argued that this is more than adequate in most cases, 24 bits is better than 16 , and Nyquist frequency - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia saying that you'll get 22Khz (48/2) back out - assuming there was any content at or above that frequency in the original source material.

More may not necessarily be better e.g. The hype about 24/192 material 24/192 - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

Myself, I'm happy with what I currently have, await the Touch with interest (My understanding is that the hardware is ready, and the software will be ready "When it's ready")

We live in interesting times, so something better / faster / cheaper may appear, or not. In the meantime what I have works, makes me happy, and the appearance of another product may not necessarily change that. YMMV IMHO

[Grahame]

Double post