Logitech Squeezebox Touch (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Fantastic music streamer, PERIOD.I have a modest hi-fi setup, Arcam a65+ integrated 2 channel amplifier, PSB Imagine T tower speakers, subwoofer, Denon D2000 headphones.I have gradually built up this system, and for the past 4 years I have been using my xbox360 to stream music. I am a lover of digital files, for their convenience and generally good sound quality. So a CD transport, vinyl, blu-ray, etc.. is not something I was interesting in having.The xbox had served me quite well. I was happy with being able to search through audio on my computer, stream music through my speakers, without a wired connection. Well, I thought I was happy... Reality is, many things about the xbox music interface irked me. It did not seem to play all the music files that I had, I realized later that it included inability to play iTunes, flac, alaac. Bummer. But I just ignored that, as I could not find another streamer with the simple, user interface that my xbox had provided. But I was irked, what if I wanted to watch TV? I could not really do both at once and still have complete control of my music. Another BIG issue I've had with the xbox is that I just could not find the music I wanted! I store my music in one large folder, and individual albums are located in their own subfolder. I find this an easy way for me to keep track of my most up to date albums for easy listening on the computer and through ITUNES. XBOX is a jumbled mess of multiple tracks.I listen to a large amount of trance albums, with individual artists compiling the album, well, much of the time the album is broken up into its "pieces" by this xbox interface. Annoying to say the least. In fact, iTunes tends to do that as well (another annoyance). Also in the back of my mind, I always wondered how the processing of audio is handled in the xbox and whether I am truly reaching the potential of my system.So began my search, quite a few years ago for the ideal streamer that would work along side my xbox (I still love it for video streaming...). Nothing seemed to fit the bill. I wanted an easy user interface, ability to control my music with TV and xbox off. I wanted versatility, something that would be able to output both analog and digital so that if I choose down the road, an outboard DAC would be possible. A device was needed that would support wi-fi, as my listening area is on another floor and different area then my PC. I wanted something where I could just ENJOY my music, without sifting through mindless or sluggish menus. The ability to play ALL my music (flac, alaac, mp3, etc...). Internet radio would just be a bonus for me (and what a bonus it turned out to be!). It needs to look sleek, impressive, and should feel at home in a hi-fi audio setup.Let me tell you, the SQUEEZBOX fits the bill!! If you are still reading, I congratulate you on your persistence. But if you were an xbox user, go buy this NOW. If you are someone who wants to just enjoy your digital collection, with ease, and with great (potential) fidelity, buy NOW......................RECOMMENDATION: Install the Squeeze box server software PRIOR to purchasing. I did this as a precaution and to get familiar with the setup. This will help ensure that your squeezebox will work with your PC/MAC. Software was downloaded online to a Windows 7 64 bit, i5-650 cpu, 8 gb ram. This is a dell, a modest system.. After installation software was opened and automatically started searching for "media". For me this worked perfectly, as I store my music in the standard C:/music folder. Now of course, you can manually set it to scan just about any folder you have. Simple choose it in the fairly straightforward settings tab. It will search and add the music to your profile. You should go online, to set up a profile prior to this, using a simple email/password, your profile will be created with ease. In the settings you MUST input your username/pass as you had entered on the website. After about 20 minutes or so, my 80+gb of music was ready.------------------Item received in a nicely packaged box by amazon :), typical cushioning was present. The logitech box looks very nice, and well built. Item comes out in multiple pieces, all surrounded by multiple support structures befitting of a high-end product. Item was flawless.I sat on my couch, on another floor, and happily plugged the squeezebox in. After booting up, select your language. You will then be given option to select your connection, for me it was a simple wi-fi network. I selected the wi-fi network option, it gives you choices of different passwords, I did not need one, and selected the last option, which then opened a sub-menu which allows you to select No-password. Afterwards you will need to input the username/pass you had created before for the squeezebox server software. Walla. If you had followed the prior steps, your sync should already be complete. At this point I unplugged, and moved the unit to the downstairs music area.Connected to the Arcam using analog (L/R) output. Plugged in, booted up fine. My settings from before were saved in the unit, no problem. At this point, I downloaded the free squeezebox server software for my iPhone. Similarly you need to input the SAME username/pass as before. Opened up the app, and magic.I won't go into too much detail regarding the various options at your disposal. But the key for me is that there is a "music folder" option. It worked just as I had hoped. All my albums were clearly listed, in alphabetical order, as I had them on my computer. Now I do have some music through the "iTunes" folder, which requires another submenu to access, but that is not too difficult. The key is that all my folders are easily accessible, and available. Simply touch the folder, touch the song, and it plays. Beautiful. Of course, there are multiple ways of browsing your music, including artist, album, etc..Internet radio, works like a charm. Search, add to favorites, etc... I don't use this too much, but is a nice addition.TIP: Under settings you can set the volume to "FIXED". I did this immediately. I control my volume in a single place, and that is through the volume knob on the Arcam amplifier. This simplifies setup if you have multiple items connected to your unit (such as TV, game system, etc...).The audio quality is phenomenal. Sounds beautiful to my ears. Plugged in my D2000 Denon headphones. It is a noticeable difference in sound quality from the XBOX. Of course, being able to play lossless files is helpful :). Either way, it sounds wonderful, and I'm excited in the future to try an outboard DAC, but for now, I'll use my money elsewhere, as I think this sounds THAT good. The option to upgrade your sound output is such an amazing plus to this unit, and really puts it in the category of audiophile-like products.The router I use is a netgear N3000, dual band, 2.4/5ghz, b/g/n. I have not had a single drop, buffering, stop, etc... in the music I've listened to. Including of course the larger flac flies. Very happy with the connection, and again, this on another floor of my house. It must be said however, that this could be dependent on your router, which I'm sure you already know.In summary, this little unit has plastered a smile from ear to ear on me. I like to think of myself as technophile, audiophile, computer lover, and in general I am VERY picky for these types of items.I am thoroughly impressed and now we can finally get back to just enjoying the music.

One word to describe the sound quality...WOW! I had read about the earlier version called the Duet and reviews were mixed but this new Touch model is great. I primarily wanted something that would allow me to stream internet radio into my audio system and also be able to play mp3's that I had accumulated over the years. This Squeezebox Touch pretty much fills the bill. Logitech who primarily makes nice keyboards, mice and computer speakers went out and acquired one of their Silicon Valley neighbor companies called, Slim Devices. Slim Devices developed the Squeezebox line and with Logitech's financial backing refined it.For my audio system, I plugged the Touch into a Rotel 940BX Pre-amp/Tuner using AudioQuest 1meter interconnects. From there the signal goes to a Rotel 980Power amp through 1meter Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling powered cables. I'm also using the Synergystic Research powered Alpha 3meter speaker cables bi-wired into a pair of Jeff Joseph's RM25si tower speakers with the aluminum drivers and infinite slope cross-over. The components sit in a Salamander Archetype5 audio rack. The Arcam Apha9 CD player sits on the top shelf and now the SB Touch sits on on top of it separated by carbon fiber isolation cones. Kind of like the "cherry on top of the sundae".Installation was very easy, you do need to have either a wi-fi router or a computer with an eithernet port for you net radio connection. Make sure you know your wi-fi's password because you will be asked on one of the setup screens. To play mp3 files of your computer, you must install Logitech's server software on your computer. Version 7.6 is what the Logitech website wants you to install. I did this and had nothing but trouble with the Touch connecting to my computer's music files. I spent two evenings installing, changing settings, uninstalling and generally wasting my time. As I found out from user groups on the net, the trick is to NOT upgrade the Logitech Server Software but keep the earlier version or download a copy of earlier Server Software 7.5 which seems to work fine and does not have the frequent loss-of- connection problems.Well, enough of the problems...How does this thing sound??? I was absolutely amazed at the quality of sound from internet radio stations. I initially tried some jazz stations in France, blues stations from NY, Chicago, Berlin, and South America. I was astonished at the quality of the playback. I compared some of the familiar songs I heard with my own versions on CD. I play CD's through an Arcam Alpha9, the one with the impossible to get DCM Ring DAC(digital to analog converter). The same songs through the SB Touch was just a hair less full in the mid range and bass compared to what my Arcam was putting out. This may have due to my use of the AudioQuest interconnects. I'll A/B it with the Synergistic Research Sterling cables in the future. Logitech does include a set of gold terminal RCA interconnects but they would be lot happier on a garage sale table or in a recycle bin. The unit's screen is not that much different than a smartphone and you can even download an app that will allow you to use your iPod Touch or iPhone to run the Logitech Squeezebox. You do "finger swipes" to move between screens just like any smartphone.The remote you get with the unit looks like a controller you get with a cheap vcr, a rectangular piece of plastic with buttons. I have a hard time making out the text on the Squeezwbox's screen from across the room so I exclusive use the iPod Touch's app for controlling the unit. If you do a little research, you'll find that the Logitech Squeezebox Touch is even gaining acceptance with the audiophile crowd. Many of whom really blew off the notion that a little device in a plastic enclosure could sound so incredibly good. I think the improvement over the earlier Squeezebox Duet has to do with the DAC which I heard was a Burr-Brown chip. I've also read that this unit is actually a small computer that runs on LINIX. Interesting note, the packaging that the Touch came in is not that different from the packaging you typically see when you buy audiophile level equipment and accessories. Logitech's marketing department gets a gold star for making the consumer feel that they bought a first rate piece of equipment starting with the box it came in(I was in advertising and notice these little things). The SB Touch unit itself is robust, is very well made, screen image is sharp, and it even has weights in the base to keep it from tipping.Whoever designed the Touch must have been well versed in upper-end audio. Outputs include the standard RCA's, an optical for a Toslink cable, a digital cable, and even a mini-RCA for headphones or powered speakers. For input, you can also listen to your personal music files by plugging in a portable hard drive or other storage device to the Touch's USB input port. There's even a SD card slot to play photos? Somehow I don't really need to see a slide show of my vacation pics while listening to Joe Bonamassa but it's still a nice feature. I've read where people take the raw digital feed from the Touch and run it into their own outboard DAC unit, then into a preamp. I would have tried this but I unfortunately sold my DAC last year. The Touch is powered by a standard wall-wart power converter which you should not plug into any auxiliary outlets on any of your audio components or you'll be inviting 60cycle AC hum issues. I use a Rotel sequential line conditioner and plug in the Touch to power up after the Arcam CD player.If you have a mid-fi system like mine or something of a more esoteric nature, you won't be disappointed with the sound quality of the Squeezebox Touch. Once you get over the shock that this amazing device came from a maker of keyboards and mice, you'll really get a feel for what the future of audiophile quality radio is. My Arcam Alpha9 CD player cost six times the price of the Squeezebox Touch yet the dynamics, range, warmth and headroom quality are almost the same...that's scary. Get one of these things, you'll thank yourself later.

Nous écoutons de la musique tous les jours mon épouse et moi , cependant il y a des bug dans la programmation . Le produit fonctionne relativement bien mais il faut le connaître et souvent "re-seter!" le produit de temps à autre. Comme le produit n'est plus sur le marché il aurait été intéressant d'avoir des mises à jour informatique du programme.

The hardware looks, feels and sounds very good. The server and user interface are also good, but anyone interested can download the server software as well as a soft player and check it out for themselves. If and when you choose to buy a Touch, the server will be up and running.The features that sold me on this player were FLAC support, built in wireless, and the stand alone user interface. (no TV, smart phone or tablet is required, though the IR remote and remote control app work well.)