Newbie Here with question before buying multiple squeezeboxes

[Blue_Joe]

Hi All!!!

Quick question, I've been reading through this section trying to find an answer and only found a partial answer so far so thought I would ask!

I want to set up a multiroom music system that runs off the music on my PC which resides in the office upstairs so I need to give 3 rooms access to it that are all downstairs!


Lounge - I have a full system of seperates and big sound setup which I was going to attach a squeezebox to.

Sitting Room - In here just want to use a squeezebox and use Harman Kardon Soundsticks (smallish room)

Kitchen - Similar type setup to sitting room.


Now heres the questions:

1) I have read that I can syncronize all the squeezeboxes so they all play the same music, however can this be switched on and off from one of the squeezeboxes so I don't have to run upstairs to the PC?

2) Can I select 2 to be sync'd and one playing independantly at the squeezeboxes?

3) Can I select what music is played on all 3 devices simultaniously from one of the squeezeboxes? As well as what is played individually via each box?

Basically I dont want to have to run upstairs everytime I want to change how I listen to the music?

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

[Eric Seaberg]

Yes, you can do all that you want without having to touch your server, or you can access the server with any computer's web browser and set them up, as well.

I've got a Transporter in the living room and an SB3 in the master bedroom, as well as softsqueeze running on the Mac G5 in my office... all being served by a Mac MINI that hides in a closet with a big drive attached. ALL can be synced together or not, or setup in pairs or not.

Are you planning on running them all wireless? You may have bandwidth issues DEPENDING ON the file type you want to play. If you're sticking with MP3s or a lower bandwidth format, syncing will not be an issue. If you're planning on playing FLAC or Apple Lossless with much higher bandwidth requirements, then syncing may get tough to do with 3-playback devices.

In my setup the only wireless device is the SB3 with everything else being wired. No sync issues for me, even running Apple Lossless.

[Mark Lanctot]

Yes, yes, and yes. That's really the whole point of the Squeezebox - that you don't have to go to a computer. It's what differentiates it from the "long audio cable"/soundcard-type products.

[Blue_Joe]

Fantastic News!!!!!!

now just got to fork out for all 3 and get reading up on how to do it all!

[Mark Lanctot]

You can install SlimServer right now. SoftSqueeze will emulate an SB3, but it's a little quirky.

[Blue_Joe]

Fantastic News!!!!!!

re you planning on running them all wireless? You may have bandwidth issues DEPENDING ON the file type you want to play. If you're sticking with MP3s or a lower bandwidth format, syncing will not be an issue. If you're planning on playing FLAC or Apple Lossless with much higher bandwidth requirements, then syncing may get tough to do with 3-playback devices.

I would like to run them all as wireless as I don't want a maze of wiring running round the house. If I had to hard wire them then it would mean channelling all the wire into teh wall to hide it and thats a bit of a ball ache!

Is there major quality issues with playing them as MP3's?


now just got to fork out for all 3 and get reading up on how to do it all!

[Blue_Joe]

I currently have a Philips RC9800i remote that is supposed to stream music and video wirelessly from my PC using their Streamium however I have still not managed to get it to work properly with anywhere near any quality. The music is soooo crackely it is awful and sounds as if it is about to blow my speakers. Was very disappointed, particularly as I bought it to get rid of all my remotes for my TV, DVD, Sky box (satellite) etc. It works really well for that..... except it's frequency range is not capable of matching my Sky remote which is the main remote!

So lost all faith in their Streamium boxes. And they are very limited it seems!

[Mark Lanctot]

I would like to run them all as wireless as I don't want a maze of wiring running round the house. If I had to hard wire them then it would mean channelling all the wire into teh wall to hide it and thats a bit of a ball ache!

Your typical maximum bandwidth with 802.11g is 25 Mbps. You won't ever get 54 Mbps despite what the manufacturer says or the "data rate" the spec or your laptop reports.

To play a FLAC stream on the Squeezebox you need the FLAC bitrate (assume 1 Mbps) + overhead, it's safe to assume 1.5 Mbps total. 1.5 Mbps X 3 = 4.5 Mbps, you might even be able to do this with 802.11b.

Is there major quality issues with playing them as MP3's?

Apparently most people can't tell if you get to high bitrates. The question is more for archiving. If ever your equipment/hearing/preferences get to the point where you can tell, you won't have to re-rip.

[ChrisNY]

One possible thing to look into as a compromise would be the HomePlug powerline type of setup. If you search for Homeplug on the boards you should be able to find lots of info. I personally don't use this as wireless meets my needs, but I've heard good things in general.

http://www.homeplug.org/home

[brucegrr]

As with anything wireless your mileage will vary. Every home is different. Distance, things that cause interference, etc all affect your wireless quality.