Powered / smart speakers...

[OffBeatMammal]

I looked at both Sonos and Squeezebox before buying two squeezeboxes. One of the things I really wanted was an integrated speaker solution (no seperate amp, only one remote etc) but in the end got Logitech Z4s because of the minimal design / low cost

I lent my other squeezebox to a friend who had a Roku (all sorts of grief) and was trying to decide SB or Sonos...

After a month with the SB he's going to get a Sonos.

Not because there's anything wrong with the Slim solution (apart from the server not picking up all his playlists all the time, and having a very "family un-friendly UI" - but those are topics for other discussions) but because the seperate speaker story is a pain.

I must agree with him, needing two power outlets, two volume controls, blah blah blah is a detractor. I love the fact that if I want to I've got the option to pair it with a thousand dollar amp and $5k speakers (but I can't afford a Transporter anyway!) but at the same time for the kitchen or kids room I want a one plug, minimal cable, easy-enough-for-a-7-yo to use solution...

I'd hoped one of the first things we'd see with the Logitech deal would be a "smart" speaker that plugs into the existing units as a single unit. Even retro-fitting an interface to control the on/off vol/bass on the Z4 would be cool...

[Kyle]

How about this solution? The SB plugs into the auxiliary power plug in the back of the speaker, as does the audio input. You have a single power cable and a speaker cable to the other speaker. You can use the volume knob on the speaker or control volume with the SB remote.

[bklaas]

Super cool, Kyle, but are ya gonna tell us what the heck those are?

#!/ben

[Kyle]

Super cool, Kyle, but are ya gonna tell us what the heck those are?

#!/ben

Oops. Sorry. They're Audioengines. I added handles to the top of each speaker and a little velcro to hold on the SB3.