Logitech SqueezeBox Classic Review

Today, we are going to take a quick look at the Squeezebox Classic by Logitech. The unit comes packed in a well-designed and packaged box. The Squeezebox unit is about the size of two TV remotes and features a new all-black design, versus the silver of the older Slim Devices version.

I use iTunes on my Macbook to manage my music, so I started by installing the included software to index the music on my library. Unfortunately, the Squeezebox can’t use the built-in iTunes sharing so additional software is necessary. The SqueezeCenter software is very similar on both Windows and Mac because it uses a web interface for control. Overall, I found the software to be surprisingly good. Once your Squeezebox is connected you can even play songs through the web interface, great if you’re sitting in the living room with your laptop and would rather use your laptop instead of the remote.

The sound quality is excellent. The music is sent digitally over your wifi or Ethernet based network, so there is 0-quality loss between the unit and your computer. The back of the unit features a variety of connection options including 1/8”, RCA (composite), and (Toslink and Coaxial) SPDIF. There is also an Ethernet port if you don’t have a wireless network. The assortment of connections ensures you get the best possible sound quality for your setup.

If you’re like most people in the market chances are the Squeezebox is going in your living room or somewhere your computer is not. If you have a bigger room and the unit will be across the room you’re prolly thinking it will be hard to read a screen that small. Fortunately when this product was engineered the designers were thinking from the same perspective. The remote features a button for increasing the font size.

So maybe you don’t have the largest collection of music on your computer but still want to enjoy music. The SqueezeBox can interface with many online music services such as Pandora, Rhapsody, live 365 and even Shoutcast internet radio. Your Squeezebox can connect to the SqueezeNetwork and give you recommendations etc.

The Squeezebox Classic features several other small features such as Favorites--select your favorite songs, internet radio stations etc.; Last.fm Audio integration-send your song play information to last.fm; RSS News Ticker-Display a news ticker from your favorite websites; Games-SlimTris, like tetris is included.

Overall

Overall, The Squeezebox Classic is the best network music player I have ever used in it’s class. The stylish black design combined with an outstanding feature set makes it a very compelling option for anyone in the market for a music player. Highly Recommended.

Overall Rating: 9 out of 10 Loops

Pros

• Lots of feature.


• Well designed.


• Wireless.


• Tetris.

Cons

• no iTunes native sharing.


• Pricey.