Standalone internet player

heliumflight

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Folks,

I'm looking to purchase a Standalone internet RAdio player. Looking for...


  • Convenience- just type the name of the artist and whoolah' you can listen to your music genre the entire day!
  • User friendliness- No computers, something that has a digital out and I can connect to my external DAC
  • Quality- Nothing replaces Analogue or CD but can live with @192Kbps

Friends is there any such device, please share your experiences of the same. Also do mention its capatibilty to broadband and if so any glitches.


Thanks a ton!

--
helium
Amp: Lyrita SET 2A3
Speakers: Vintage B&W DM4
Source: LG DVD + Beresford DAC
Cables: Lyrita's I.C & cables
 
Folks,
I'm looking to purchase a Standalone internet RAdio player. Looking for...
  • Convenience- just type the name of the artist and whoolah' you can listen to your music genre the entire day!
  • User friendliness- No computers, something that has a digital out and I can connect to my external DAC
  • Quality- Nothing replaces Analogue or CD but can live with @192Kbps
Friends is there any such device, please share your experiences of the same. Also do mention its capatibilty to broadband and if so any glitches.
Thanks a ton!

--
helium
Amp: Lyrita SET 2A3
Speakers: Vintage B&W DM4
Source: LG DVD + Beresford DAC
Cables: Lyrita's I.C & cables

Though I am not an expert but, since I am almost always on the look out for Digital Gizmos and gadgets I am aware of few such products which passes atleast your two conditions.......

Its called Logitech Squeezebox Touch

This played is basically the high end version for Squeeze Box Classic and Squeeze Box radio, with basic difference in the egronomics, Display and the one which you need, able to connect to a high end amp, which the earlier versions do not have, though Squeeze box Radio have other pretty nifty features. Other option is Squeeze Box Duet, its a different gadget but with an internet radio option as well.........anyway your two conditions (specially the digital out) passes with Squeeze Box Touch........

1. It does not need a PC..... :)
2. Has a digital coax audio out and S/PDIF... :).....mind you though this player does not have inbuilt speakers so you always have to pair it with an external amp and spks...

A comprehensive comparision between all logitech Internet Radio procuects can be found out HERE

Searching the station on artist name is something I am not sure if the product has (infact any product has)....apart from this....

Has a 4.3-inch color touch screen
Can play digital audio files from an SD card or USB flash drive.
Support sampling rates up to 24-bit/96kHz (This might interest you)
Infrared proximity sensor to detect presence

Other options you can venture out are...

1. Acoustic Energy - Wifi Radio No Digital out

2. Philips Streamium NP2900 Has Digital out

Regards
Sammy
 
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Sammy do you know if there is a dealer in India for Logitech Squeezebox Touch or should I have to source the same?

Thank you
 
Sammy do you know if there is a dealer in India for Logitech Squeezebox Touch or should I have to source the same?

Thank you

Hi why migrating from 1 low quality source( worldspace) to another (net radio?)
Your equip,ent deserve far better....buy a good transport and CD's man ...or get a pc /laptop with digital out and connect it to your dac!!!!:eek:hyeah:
 
Sammy do you know if there is a dealer in India for Logitech Squeezebox Touch or should I have to source the same?

HeliumFlight, all Logitech products are distributed quite extensively in India. If you go through the Support page of their website, you can get the addresses of their distributors in India. For example, I was able to get the following two names:

(1) Ingram Micro India Limited
Gate No. 2, Near Agarwal Dharamshala, C/o. Punj Lloyd Compound, Opp. Chandiwala Medical Centre, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019
3068 4517/18/19

(2) Neoteric Infomatique Limited
103, Ideal House, 69, Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019.
4160 1381/4652 1432

Cheers
 
Helium:

As of now the Touch is not available in India (but I might be wrong) - if you can source it from the UK/USA, it would workout way cheaper than the Indian prices. Having said that, I don't find the Touch too much of a convenience though. For a lot less money, you can get the Squeezebox Classic here in India, and the SQ is excellent with the stock DAC (Burr-Brown). And, since you have the Beresford, connecting it via the coax-digital from the SB3, would give you top notch SQ comparable to CD.

I have my Classic connected via QED analogue to my integrated amp with the stock SB3 DAC, and the sound from internet radios are good, would be far better with the digital connection and an external DAC.

After connecting your SB3 wireless/wired via router, you need to download their SqueezeServer to your pc (platform for communication between your pc and SB3) and you'll be ready for streaming music stored in your pc.

But, the greates advantage I find in the SB3 are the internet radios, it's a huge ocean out there. And, you have the flexibility now of listening them through your hifi setup via the Squeezebox.

I find SB Classic amazing for these...

For interent radio listening, no need to switch on pc. SB3 streams via router.
Flexibility of searching thousands of net radios from your chair using the remote.
Can be modded for a supeior sound for FLAC, etc.
The pc-remote controlling the SB3 is amazing - need to download the pc-remote though from SB site. This allows you to control your SB3 from your pc.
Very powerful signal, meaning, can connect to your router even if SB3 is placed in the first floor of your house and the router in the ground floor.

SB Classic is available here....

Wi-Fi Music Players

PS - I got my SB3 for around 10k from the UK.


:)
 
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hi heliumflight,

knowing you, i'd suggest getting a pc first with a digital out as has been suggested. a dell one is best ;) seriously. great specs from all the techies i talk to. connect it to your beresford.

here are a few scenarios for you:

1. you spend on the squeezebox. i think you can get internet radio without a laptop, connecting directly to your router. if you want to stream your digitally stored tunes you'll also need to spend on the pc. so that's double expenditure (20k for squeezebox classic and bout 25k for laptop)

2. buy only a laptop
here you can get both - internet radio and stream digital files stored on your laptop. (25 k for laptop)

3. buy only the squeezebox and listen to internet radio with a broadband connection. for your tunes that you've ripped digitally, play these through the dvd player>dac.

am not sure whether you can do away with the pc for listening to internet radio, whether the squeezebox can simply be connected via ethernet or wirelessly to the broadband modem/router. someone using can clarify this please?

of course for all options you need broadband, the unlimited option which ought to be bout 1k a month.

there are other internet radio players like tivoli audio but i think these are quite expensive.

regards
 
whether the squeezebox can simply be connected via ethernet or wirelessly to the broadband modem/router. someone using can clarify this please?


Actually, if you want to use only internet radio using SB (just a waste) through your hifi setup, you don't need a pc at all. It's just SB and your router that communicates with each other.

Yes, SB3 can be either wired or go wireless, and if wireless, dont worry, the SQ never goes down.

:)
 
[*]Quality- Nothing replaces Analogue or CD but can live with @192Kbps
[/LIST]

With the equipment like lyrita ,quiet surprised to see with your satisfaction level on 192 KBPS!!!
Anyway what I heard net radio is not at all 128 KBPS --expert can anyone confirm??
Such equipment deserves SACD or hi end tt!!!:eek:hyeah::eek:hyeah:
 
With the equipment like lyrita ,quiet surprised to see with your satisfaction level on 192 KBPS!!!
Anyway what I heard net radio is not at all 128 KBPS --expert can anyone confirm??
Such equipment deserves SACD or hi end tt!!!:eek:hyeah::eek:hyeah:

good equipment can either expose faults in the chain or take what good is there and burnish it so you dont really focus on the faults ;)

though seriously for quantity (internet radio stations) one does have to sacrifice something! though 've come across stations that ask your preference when playing 128, 192, 256kbps depending on your internet connection bandwith.

regards
 
With the equipment like lyrita ,quiet surprised to see with your satisfaction level on 192 KBPS!!!
Anyway what I heard net radio is not at all 128 KBPS --expert can anyone confirm??
Such equipment deserves SACD or hi end tt!!!:eek:hyeah::eek:hyeah:

In all earnestness, nowadays a lot of snobbish tendencies have vanished. Whether it is an absolutely crappy MP3 file at 64 kbps or a FLAC file, the music contained within is what affects me. I dont know if this is a direct effect of the tube amp or it is just me getting old :).

Helium - as I mentioned in the PM, this is the perfect opportunity to get your source digitized and introduce a PC into your chain. With a decent soundcard in your PC, you will be leaving behind the likes of Squeezebox far behind.
 
good equipment can either expose faults in the chain or take what good is there and burnish it so you dont really focus on the faults ;)

though seriously for quantity (internet radio stations) one does have to sacrifice something! though 've come across stations that ask your preference when playing 128, 192, 256kbps depending on your internet connection bandwith.

regards

Still 256 kbps is far less tha acceptable MP3 @ 320 KBPS!
Also on which connection it is possible
?
Also will you post the links??
 
With a decent soundcard in your PC, you will be leaving behind the likes of Squeezebox far behind.

Do you need a broom for your sweeping generalization?

A Squeezebox connected to an external DAC through digital cable can almost equal to a 25k cdp. IMO. Please dont underestimate the stock DAC of Squeezebox, its pretty decent actually.

:)
 
In all earnestness, nowadays a lot of snobbish tendencies have vanished. Whether it is an absolutely crappy MP3 file at 64 kbps or a FLAC file, the music contained within is what affects me. I dont know if this is a direct effect of the tube amp or it is just me getting old :).

Helium - as I mentioned in the PM, this is the perfect opportunity to get your source digitized and introduce a PC into your chain. With a decent soundcard in your PC, you will be leaving behind the likes of Squeezebox far behind.

Myself have a lot of MP3 ,infact sometimes I feel kishore kumar sound better on ipod headphones than on CD!
But helium is the person who asks for highest quality CD recordings and premium Vinyl sourcing ,but not ready to upgrade his source ( LG OR WORLDSPACE0 or software ,that is surpricing!

My point is when you are spending a good amount ( to be honest I can only dream of!) on equipment,spend a decent amount on software!( again if you can smartly download you get a lot of FLAC free!)
 
hey guys standalone all internet radio players play streams without the pC! be it SB or what ever .. , not all stations give 128k streams...

stand alone internet radios start at 4k,instead of spending 24k for squeezbox investing in other audio upgrades might be preferable.
a buyers guide :http://radio.about.com/od/portableinternetradio/ss/blWiFiNetRadio.htm
 
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hey guys standalone all internet radio players play streams without the pC! be it SB or what ever .. , not all stations give 128k streams...

stand alone internet radios start at 4k,instead of spending 24k for squeezbox investing in other audio upgrades might be preferable.
a buyers guide :A Buyer's Guide to Wi-Fi Internet Radio Receivers - Portable Internet Radio

kaushik!!!

i am deeply indebted to you for pointing out cheaper internet stand alone players. :licklips: thought they were all expensive propositions!

regards
 
For excellent sound that won't break the bank, the 5 Star Award Winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Bookshelf Speakers is the one to consider!
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