Logitech Squeezebox Boom

 

 

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This is my fourth sqeezebox and it is as well designed and as good looking as the previous ones. It's a smart little box, a bit bigger than a loaf of bread, satisfyingly heavy and very stylish.

As the description says, it's a squeezebox with built in amp and speakers, ideal for smaller rooms - prior to this I had an amplifier and speakers for my squeezeboxes, adding to the cost and taking up a significant amount of space; this is much more visually appealing and space efficient.

Having just turned off one of my previous SB+amp+speakers and replaced it with this, I was pleasantly surprised with the sound quality - I'm no audiophile, but I listen to a lot of music and I am very pleased with the quality put out by the Boom; it fills the room well, without any of the usual annoyances you get from small speakers.

I control it from my laptop, so I've not really made use of either the remote control or the front buttons; they look good enough for most uses though.

Plugging in and setting up was easy, as you'd expect; I had to upgrade to the latest version of squeezecenter, but having done that it was just like using any other squeezebox. I'm looking forward to being able to use it as an alarm clock, something that was a pain to do with separate amp+speakers.

If I could change anything, it would be to put in a longer LCD - the display is certainly good enough, but it would be nice to see a bit more of the song title/artist/album etc., without it scrolling.

I would never go back to playing CDs, and for anyone wanting to switch over to streaming their music from a computer I can't think of a better device to try it out with.

Seldom do products live up to their marketing, however in the case of this little beauty it does! Out of the box with the SqueezeCentre server running on my PC I was listening to my music collection within 5 mins. I have yet to look at the manual! It's a dream to use, easy to set-up and I'm simply stunned by the range and quality of the sound (especially given the size of the speakers) and it has never skipped a beat anywhere in the house. Add a track to the iTunes library or create a playlist and it's immediately available on the Squeezebox. It has a good solid feel to it and appears to be well built. For me this was the entry level option and while it is not cheep it represents very good value for money. I will buy other products in this range in the future. Happy listening.

The server is currently an iMac running OS X 10.6.6 and a BT HomeHub 1 but I'm about to go to a QNap NAS....

If you are looking for an Internet radio with the option to stream your own music you are likely to choose between the Logitech Squeezebox Boom and the Pure Avanti Flow.

The first thing to say is that the Avanti flow also includes Dab Radio, FM radio as well as an integrated iPod dock that charges the latest nano version. If these are paramount to you then the Pure becomes the only option really. The iPod playback is very good and the Dab reception is also good. On the other hand if you prefer streaming music as opposed to using a portable player and if you find that wifi radio makes Dab and FM no longer a necessity then the following comparison might be of some assistance.

The software: The Avanti relies on the "lounge website" in conjunction with the "flow server" software. The latter is only required for streaming music from one's PC. The Squeezebox Boom works via the "Squeezebox Network" or the "Squeezebox Center". The latter is the software running on your PC. After using both it didn't take long to realize how primitive the Pure Software is in comparison to the Squeezebox one. This greatly affects the quality and functionality of both Internet Radio and Mp3 streaming that these systems offer.

Internet Radio: The Lounge works by storing your preferences: favorite music stations, etc. You can search for stations via genre but the design is cumbersome and finding what you want is a lot harder than in the Logitech. Furthermore, there are many bugs in the program. For instance adding/deleting a station to your favorites is not always straightforward. It might take a day for the change to appear. The main drawback of the Avanti is that you cannot control it via your PC. You need to do so via the main unit or the remote and its screen is not large enough for that. PC control is one of the main advantages of the Squeezebox family. In addition, Internet radio is very well organized within the logitech system with the advantage of using Music services such as Last.FM, Deezer, Napster, Classical.com ... This is not an option if you choose the Avanti Flow. Even though connectivity issues and errors may occur they are a lot easier and quicker to resolve as opposed those in the Pure. Another issue is the slow buffering times of the Pure that can be an annoyance if you frequently switch stations. Reception is very good in both and is rarely interrupted.

Streaming Mp3 files: Again controlling the device from your own PC is one of the main advantages of the Squeezebox. Furthermore, thsqueezebox allows streaming in lossless formats. Another advantage is that non-Latin characters will always be displayed native or converted to Latin ones on the Squeezebox screen or your PC screen. This is not the case with the Pure where you might end up seeing boxes instead and makes it hard to decipher names of artist, songs form your library.

Sound Quality : Very good for both within their price range. The Avanti is somewhat brighter while the Boom is warmer. Treble/Bass can be adjusted in both. I find the the Pure sounds better with low bitrate Internet Radio than the Logitech. The Avanti has an integrated Subwoofer but this actually may be a disadvantage for some people who would prefer to use their own sub. The squeezebox has a sub out.

Design, Built-in Quality : I like the looks in both. The Avanti has a retro style in a black gloss finish and is a more eye catching item. Yet I prefer the understated looks of the Boom as well as its screen. The both feel sturdy and the Avanti is a lot heavier and quite more sizable. One design problem of the Avanti is that the buttons are misplaced and that they operate in a counterintuitve fushion. The Boom, on the other hand, is very easy to operate from its scroll wheel that is similar to that of the iPod.

Conclusion

The Avanti is a more complete product, does nearly everything a mini hifi would do and is therefore the logical mini hifi replacement. However, if the typical hifi features are not important to you or if you plan to keep your CD player anyway and view streaming music as an addition to your current set-up then the Boom or any other Logitech Product is the one to go for. The Boom can be part of a multi-room set up where the Squeezebox Classic or the Squeezebox Duet receiver can take their place in your living room next to your hifi set up while the Boom can be used in the Bedroom/Office. Everything can be controlled from your PC or from the Duet controller and different players can also be synchronized. If you are ready to make the switch to the Squeezebox family you will enjoy your music in a whole new light.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality product
I have used it for more than 1 month now, everything work as expected. There are a few thing i don't like too much, but minor ones. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Cosmin F.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
I have had this for 2 years now and it is still the best thing I have bought. The deep bass and clarity of sound is fantastic and easily rivals products like Bose if not better... Read more

Published 3 months ago by S. Cumming

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastico
Cuento con toda la familia de Logitech, Duet, Radio Wifi y Boom. La calidad de sonido, el acceso a las aplicaciones para radio, podcast, biblioteca de musica... son de 10. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Jose Luis

5.0 out of 5 stars Very happy with the boom.
My mp3 collection is NAS based (Debian on QNAP TS-209). I used to stream my media to my different computers and media players in the living room and around the house, typically... Read more

Published 4 months ago by nh

5.0 out of 5 stars Big sound, little box!
The reason it sounds so good is due to the bi-amplified speakers, has plenty of volume and is very clear sound. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Gibson Marshall

5.0 out of 5 stars a superior product
Been hankering after one of these for a while, and finally got my wish a few months back.

It has a simple and classic design, with a calm blue vacuum fluorescent... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Petrolhead

5.0 out of 5 stars Try to hear one if you can
I'll keep this short and sweet as there are plenty of informative reviews already.

But the sound: it really is as surprisingly good as most of these reviews say... Read more

Published 6 months ago by M. C. Wheadon

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - although unexpected problems setting up
The Boom would not connect to my (O2) router, although I'd entered the WPA2 key correctly. I kept getting the error 'Wireless encryption failure'. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Richard

1.0 out of 5 stars A swarm of bugs
The idea of the Squeezebox is good but there are just soooooo many bugs in it. It keep forgetting the setting, resetting, loosing all the favorites, not being able to connect to... Read more

Published 7 months ago by The Sinister Cat

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Quality Goods
I purchased this for my husband's birthday and he is delighted with it. He discovers more and more each day and especially loves being able to access all the different radio... Read more

Published 9 months ago by jeanniecc

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