Article: Logitech Squeezebox Touch Review

[bikemig]

Here's what happens. All of my music has been ripped into apple lossless format. I play an apple lossless file using the squeezebox web remote and this is what I saw with one file:<br />

<br />

Bitrate: 52kbps VBR <br />

Often I see a higher bitrate but almost never higher than 128kbps. It may be that the reports on bit rates that I get through the squeezebox web remote are inaccurate as there is quite a bit of variation.<br />

<br />

As an experiment I converted some of my lossless files to AIFF. This is what I see, Bitrate: 1411kbps CBR. <br />

<br />

<br />

I'm an almost total noob so I may be hopelessly confused. I've googled this a number of times and have yet to find any useful information. The tech people at Logitech haven't been much help either on this but they did suggest I may want to use a different file format with squeezebox products (I have found them to be otherwise quite helpful). In any case, I'm not certain that squeezebox plays that nicely with apple lossless files (although I hope I'm wrong). I may just end up converting my collection to AIFF. Any enlightenment would be welcomed!<br />

<br />

<br />

[dcolak]

Check the squeezecenter configuration, it should look like this for the Apple Lossless:<br />

<br />

<img src="http://imgur.com/uEkm9.jpg"><br />

<br />

Ignore lines with "alac/InguzDSP", you probably do not have them (and don't need them anyway). <br />

<br />

Apples Lossless should be converted to FLAC using ALAC/FLAC handler.<br />

[bikemig]

Awesome; muchas gracias. Miguel

[docmark]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but here goes. In my main system, I use a Naim HDX. I'd like to be able to listen to the same music being played on my main system in another room, at the same time. Can I do that with the Touch? If not, any ideas how I might accomplish this?<br />

<br />

Thanks.

[reverendo]

Hi there,<br />

I used to have a Duet with a Welborne PSU and I have to tell you that the change in SQ was not subtle comparing it to the stock PSU. It seems that using a linear PSU for the Touch could change the SQ in the same manner. Can someone tell me if they already tried it?<br />

BTW, I use the SBT as a digital transport feeding it via coax/spdif into my Camelot Uther DAC/Pre which is linked directly to my Gryphon amp.<br />

I think that Chris should check the PSU alternative in order to see if it doesn't bridge the gap that was there compared to the computer-based tranport he compared it to. He might just be surprised. <br />

I know that quite a few people changed the coax plug for better ones and said that the differences were definitely worth-while. Can somebody give info on these possible tweaks on the SBT and their efficiency?<br />

best regards<br />

André

[JR_Audio]

I have a Teddy Pardo PSU for the SB Touch and it gave me a huge improvement, even that I use the SB Touch only via its digital out. The noise floor dropped, had greater frequency extensions in the lows and in the highs and a more solid sound stage with better midrange definition.<br />

<br />

http://www.teddypardo.com/products/Powersupplies/TTouch.html<br />

<br />

Juergen

[reverendo]

Hi Juergen,<br />

I already had a look at Teddy's PSU for the Touch and exchanged a few e-mails with him. Unfortunately they are very, very expensive and I really do believe that they shouldn't be superior to the Welborne PSU. Your information on the improvement is very valuable. I had a similar experience using a linear PSU with the Duet. Thanks for the input.<br />

best regards<br />

André

[tennisarm]

Now, as you had good experience using the Welbourne and as it is available also for the Touch - why don't you buy it and share your experience with us? At least it seems indeed to have a more reasonable price than all other PSUs mentioned in the fred here.<br />

<br />

Cheerio, Father12

[reverendo]

I'll probably buy a PSU that is at least on the same level of the Welborne (they been tested with the Duet) here from Brazil. Once I test it I'll give you some feedback.<br />

best regards<br />

André

[joel 6m]

Hi all,<br />

<br />

I had a quick look at Teddy pardo's website and saw a slight difference in term of price between SB3 and Touch devices.<br />

Nevertheless, it seems quite hard to find any technical difference between both. It is also specified for Touch PSU that it can work with SB3...<br />

Any idea ?<br />

<br />

Cheers,<br />

<br />

<br />

Joel

[reverendo]

Joel,<br />

Teddy recomends using the SB3 PSU when you're NOT using an external HDD. If you use one which uses current from the USB he recommends you buy the Touch PSU.<br />

best regards<br />

André

[Audio_ELF]

docmark ...<br />

<br />

Your Naim HDX can provide music to another room, but not via a Squeezebox - you have two options...<br />

<br />

First, you could add a NaimNet NNP01 (or similar) which will utilise the NaimNet system. Using this (and a suitable controller) you can play either the same (synchronised) music as in your main system, or you could listen to different music.<br />

<br />

Alternatively, with the latest firmware, the Naim HDX can act as a UPnP AV server providing a stream to a NaimUniti / UnitiQute (or other compliant systems). Using UPnP AV you can listen to the same music in the second room, but the music would not be synchronised.<br />

<br />

Finally, you could use the HDX but store your music on a external NAS, this NAS could also stream music to a Squeezebox (with suitable software on the NAS).<br />

<br />

If you want to discuss these options further - maybe worth starting a new thread.<br />

<br />

Eloise

[joel 6m]

Thanks very much André.<br />

Have you any feedback about the touch PSU and external HDD ?<br />

I am quite suspicious on the fact a dedicated PSU could solve the USB troubles of the Squeezebox touch... just marketing ?

[reverendo]

Hi Joel,<br />

actually the difference between the PSU for the SB3 and the Touch is the amperage: the first is 1A and the latter 3A. That's why Teddy says that when you don't use an external HDD which draws current through USB his PSU for the SB3 (which is cheaper) should work just fine. In case you use the aforementioned external HDD you should buy his newer PSU he made especially for the Touch.<br />

OTOH, I don't think that this would solve the inherent problems that the Touch has with USB, but I don't use it that way anyway. I've heard, though, that one can output audio through usb on the Touch with a few mods. If there's any truth to that it would open quite a few possibilities.<br />

best regards<br />

André

[joel 6m]

Thanks very much André.<br />

I do not have interest to plug any HDD directly on the SB Touch.<br />

So I shall probably point on the basic one, even if 3 amperes should bring a small overall improvement to the sound...<br />

[joelha]

Does anyone know how to make this happen?<br />

<br />

I've read a number of references to the tweaks which apparently exist to make this happen, but don't know where to find those tweaks.<br />

<br />

Thanks to anyone who can send me or post this information.<br />

<br />

Joel

[Guest norseman]

Try this one? <br />

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=82110<br />

<br />

[firedog]

Chris-<br />

<br />

"the way to do this via the touchscreen is to press and hold a little dot/scroll bar on the right of the screen and drag it downward. "<br />

<br />

But you can just flick your fingers up and down anywhere on the screen and it will rapidly scroll away. No dot or scroll bar needed. <br />

<br />

A very small amount of practice and you get you anywhere you want in your list of artists/albums very rapidly. Faster than the remote, for me.

[flredsox]

Has anyone done any listening comparisons using the Wadia/iPod connection into a DAC versus one of the USB/SPDIF Bridges like the Stello and the Halide and versus this SqueezeBox. The solution for me is sound first, then ease of setup and use; but, sound gets the weighting.<br />

<br />

Thanks

[jay27]

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't using the digital output on any device bypass the DAC of that device?<br />

<br />

In other words, if you use the digital output from the SB Touch, you are no longer hearing the DAC of the SB Touch, but rather, you are hearing the DAC of the unit it is connected to. Is this correct?<br />

<br />

If this is correct, wouldn't the SB Touch sound exactly the same as any other device if using the digital output? What would then distinguish the sound from device to device?

[firedog]

Jay27-<br />

<br />

If I understand your question correctly, basically you're right.<br />

<br />

But there are various elements that can affect the signal that gets to the digital output of the Touch, and in theory this could effect differently the signal to, and sound coming from, DACs. <br />

<br />

Additionally, if you are in the camp that accepts that DACs sound different or that some can "work" better with some aspects of the digital signal they receive than others,then this could also have an impact on the sound you source from the digital out.<br />

<br />

Anyway, that's why there are people who slave the Touch to an external clock and/or buffer; or who mod the digital output section to improve the quality of the output; or who do software mods designed to reduce the number of processes running on the Touch and reduce potential interference with the digital signal.<br />

<br />

Whether or not these improve the sound is open to debate. I think they can, but I'm not trying to debate the issue, just point it out.

[bixby]

<cite>Has anyone done any listening comparisons using the Wadia/iPod connection into a DAC versus one of the USB/SPDIF Bridges like the Stello and the Halide and versus this SqueezeBox. The solution for me is sound first, then ease of setup and use; but, sound gets the weighting.<br />

<br />

Thanks<cite><br />

<br />

Not the Wadia, but I did compare several USB/ Spdif bridges to the SB Touch as a source and all beat the SQ of the Touch going digital out into my dac. This was with a stock dac. I will try again with software tweaks to the Touch and see how that does.

[Enicar]

Ok you guys are are audiophiles but I did a (brief) comparison of analogue out from the Touch (Flac) and a $2500 CD-player playing same music into the same amp and loudspeakers. Can´t say I heaard much of a difference. Maybe, but just maybe, the Cd-player sounded a bit more "open" or clearer.<br />

But that´s me and my ears. Still I think the analogue out from a Touch is more than decent.<br />

This shouldn´t stop anyone from trying different ways to get their best out of the Touch

[bixby]

In my previous post I meant the "stock" Touch not dac.<br />

<br />

Agreed, the analog out is pretty nice. It nudged out two $300 dacs in my office system. For now I feel no reason to add a dac to the mix.<br />

<br />

Have not tried analog out in the main system and probably won't.

[harjac]

can I use the SB touch as a remote wi-fi controller to play music stored on my Pc and connected via the PC to my stereo ? (no wired connection between the SB and stereo or pc)<br />

<br />

Harold