Finally A Cheaper Alternative to Sonos ?!

[monkeydust]

How much

Was looking at a Sonos but this option looks much cheaper (and better?) plus I can buy that PSP I wanted since its cheaper than a SONOS Handset and its also a PSP

So how much would this roughly cost givent that I have all my music stored centrally on my PC in the Study and I want it accesible from 3 seperate points? Also how would I go about getting this to work in the bathroom!? (Has anyone done this?)

Whats the best place to get these from in the UK?

Cheers Guys
MD

[funkstar]

There are loads of resellers in the UK, look here:
http://www.slimdevices.com/au_resellers.html#uk

Multitask Computing do a special Pack of Two wirless SB3s

Basically, assuming you have either the wired or wireless network in place, then the only costs will be the SqueezBoxes themselves. There is no cost for Slimserver or for any updates to that or the players firmware in the future.

I believe there has been a couple of projects to put a SB in bathrooms. Have a look here:
http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.cgi?PluginMods

Bear in mind that there is a lot of work goin on with the players firmware with regard to compatability with wireless access points. It might be worth checking out the compatability chart in the Wiki here:
http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.cgi?RouterStatus

hope all this helps

[rick's cafe]

check out multi-task computing

Uk distributor which I believe is still doing a deal for 2 wireless SB3's for £399 (incl VAT)

for your proposes set up you would need to add one more

as for bathroom set up I think others have posted threads on this .. but I guess it depends on how you really intend to set up the audio part

[Siduhe]

There are a few similar threads which may give you ideas:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showth...light=bathroom for example.

One thing to consider is whether you want to sync your SBs or not - i.e. have the same music playing in different zones.

There are lots of threads on this but maybe search for "Squeezeslave". Syncronisation seems to work ok so long as you are using hardware players (i.e. Squeezeboxes) but not as well if you are using an emulator like SoftSqueeze.

[I'm not speaking from direct experience - others may be able to add to this]

[Mark Lanctot]

Other things to consider:

- if you don't already have one, get a "g" wireless router. An 802.11b router probably won't have sufficient bandwidth to stream to 3 Squeezeboxes simultaneously, particularly lossless files. It also won't have that latest wireless security. Squeezebox compatibility with various routers has improved dramatically lately, but some might work better than others. See here for UK-specific suggestions and here for the "big" list. Note that things are improving rapidly so the list may be out-of-date.

- at some point in the future, consider computer storage needs and backup requirements. You will shortly discover that lossless, high-bitrate files sound better than lossy files. The lossless files take up much more storage space but with hard drives so cheap these days adding a dedicated 250 GB - 300 GB drive for music is a no-brainer. Also keep backup requirements in mind: if your hard drive fails, do you want to rip all that music all over again? A drive identical in size to your music drive in a USB 2.0 enclosure makes a great backup solution.

- you can start playing with SlimServer right now! The download is free and the new, very stable 6.2.2 should be out within the week. It comes with a software Squeezebox emulator, SoftSqueeze, so you can start learning how to control a Squeezebox.

[monkeydust]

fast reponses - a great community certainly helps to sell the product, ill take a look at all the links..

[monkeydust]

Multitask Computing x2 wireless @ £399 (inc VAT) seems to be the cheapest I can find so far..

[funkstar]

I think they are the only ones that do a deal on two units in the UK. They might do you a deal on three,you never know. The guy i spoke to at Multitask was very pleasant and very helpful, and anyway, you don't get if you don't ask