Squeezebox Radio Review
Recommendations
So there you have it, with the Squeezebox line you have CHOICES and the
Squeezebox Radio is yet another flavor of these devices. This makes it
very nice if you know where you're going to put the device, but can be
a little overwhelming if you're really not sure where it'll end up in
your house. The Squeezebox BOOM & Radio are great for the kitchen,
bedroom or anywhere that you don't mind walking or reaching over to
operate it.
-Squeezebox Transporter is for high-end audio enthusiasts that want a nice looking component in their entertainment center.
-Squeezebox Classic is great for the living room where you'll want to see artist/song titles or input text from across the room.
-Squeezebox Duet is a somewhat cheap multi-room capable (add additional
receivers) device -- but I don't recommend the remote as users have
reported it is very buggy and battery life on the remote is not very
good. There are iPhone and other Phone/PDA apps available to control
the Duet receivers however.
-Squeezebox BOOM is great for the kitchen or bedroom where you can walk
over to it to operate. It packs greater punch in volume than the
Squeezebox Radio. It uses a VFD (vacuum flourescent display) which
allows you to view from greater distances than the Radio, but it's a
smaller display than what's in the Squeezebox Classic so you probably
won't be able to see song info from across the room. The BOOM does not
have digital audio out, but this should not be a surprise since it has
integrated speakers.
-Squeezebox RADIO, as with the BOOM, is also great for the kitchen or
bedroom. It doesn't get as loud as the Squeezebox BOOM but for its
size, it sounds great and will fill a medium sized room with music just
fine. The LCD is great for people that love the eye candy of album
covers... or graphical weather representations and other nice visual
effects. Just keep in mind that sometimes simpler is better and a VFD
is the better choice than a small 2.4in LCD if you'll be operating from
across the room. A battery pack will also be coming out which will
make this the only truly portable device in the Squeezebox product
line. The RADIO also doesn't have digital audio out.
-Squeezebox Touch (not yet widely available) has a much larger LCD
screen and would probably be suitable for operating from across the
room. I don't own one of these yet but keep your eye out if you want
some nice eye candy but plan to operate the Squeezebox from across the
room. Also I think this will be the only unit with a USB port so you
could plug in an external drive with your music instead of needing to
network it to your computer library.
Conclusion / Overall Thoughts
I'm very pleased with the size & performance of the Squeezebox
Radio. While I wouldn't feel comfortable having the RADIO fill a large
living room with music, you can easily hook its analog audio outputs to your
home stereo receiver and rock the house. The Squeezebox Radio is great
for medium-sized rooms (bedrooms, kitchens) and as accessory units you
can have in another room and compliment your multi-room setup. A
larger LCD display and remote would have been nice, but for the
current price of $150-200 it offers a cheaper alternative to some of
the more expensive models in the Squeezebox line and depending on where
you'll use it, might be the perfect fit for you!
Ease of Use: 4.5/5.0
Build Quality: 4.5/5.0
Usefulness: 5.0/5.0
Sound Quality: 4.0/5.0
Final Rating (rounded to nearest .5): 4.5/5.0
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