Linksys by Cisco launches direct competitors to Squeezebox products

[thing-fish]

Reading the new Sound and Vision I found out that Linksys by Cisco has released several new product that are direct (albeit uniformly more expensive) competitors for the Squeezebox line

DMC 250, the Director (http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/DMC250), equivalent to the Squeezebox Classic, except that it has an integrated amplifier so you can add speakers and make it into a Squeezebox Boom, for 449.99.

DMP 100, The Player (http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/DMP100), equivalent to the Squeezebox Receiver, for 299.99.

DMRW 1000, The Controller (http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/DMRW1000), equivalent to the Squeezebox Controller, for 349.99

DMC 350, The Condctor (http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/DMC350), equivalent to nothing in the Squeezebox line, in that it is like a Touchscreen Boom with a built-in CD player, for 699.99

They also offer packages like The Premier Bundle (http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/KWHA700) where you get a Director, Receiver and Controller for 999.99

While there are certainly differences (Windows only on the backend, higher priced), to a regular consumer I think they would see the new Linksys products and the Squeezebox products as direct competitors...with the added bonus in the Linksys that you can dock your ipod (http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/MCCI40) for 79.99 and then control it like the rest of the system, and (unlike the Boom's line-in), have it available as a source to any of the zones.

I'm firmly entrenched in the Squeezebox family (and happily so, except for the Receiver requiring a Controller), but I thought this was interesting and thought I'd post it here. I'm actually disappointed with Sound and Vision (something that is happening more and more often) because in their review they never mentioned Squeezebox...they only talked about the Linksys products being cheaper alternatives to Sonos.

[DoomWolf]

At those prices it looks like they're more aimed against Sonos (as this review also talks about: http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-audio-receivers-dars/linksys-dmc250-director-wireless/4505-6470_7-33485575.html)

They're also ugly pieces of kit. ;)

[verypsb]

and they can't play .flac files...

[kc5f]

"It accesses your musical libraries on your networked PCs or storage devices, or millions of songs online through Rhapsody." So nothing like Squeezenetwork to access other online services and stations? No thanks.

[funkstar]

Seems the last time this stuff was mensioned, there wasn't much response either :)

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=60625&highlight=cisco

[toby10]

And, as always, there is the BIG question of support with a Linksys branded product.
If support is from the Cisco side it is probably top notch. If Linksys support (somewhere in India) god help you if you need assistance! :)

[pfarrell]

toby10 wrote:
> And, as always, there is the BIG question of support with a Linksys
> branded product.
> If support is from the Cisco side it is probably top notch.

Actually, even on the Cisco side, they expect you to have folks who are
highly trained and credentialed doing the support.

Supporting a big Cisco router is not something to do after reading
"Teach yourself Cisco in 21 days"

--
Pat Farrell
http://www.pfarrell.com/

[snarlydwarf]

They're also ugly pieces of kit. ;)

The sharp corners look very.. plasticy.

I don't have a particular aversion to plastic: it's a fine construction material for many things: cheap, durable, and can be molded into all sorts of nifty shapes and textures can range from very rough to (until scratched anyway) high gloss.

But the sharp edges in those pictures make it look... cheap, not stylish.

[toby10]

.............
But the sharp edges in those pictures make it look... cheap, not stylish.

Completely agree. The Linksys Director looks like a kleenex box with an LCD display! :)

[maggior]

I'm actually disappointed with Sound and Vision (something that is happening more and more often) because in their review they never mentioned Squeezebox...they only talked about the Linksys products being cheaper alternatives to Sonos.

I used to subscribe to Stereo Review, which became Sound and Vision. I gave up on it years ago. As more writers/editors left, it became more and more useless. It go to the point that if there was one article a year that I found interesting and worth reading, it was a lot.

I'm not surprised at all that an article talking about the new Linksys offering fails to mention all relevant competing products.

[damager]

Maximumpc magazine just did a review of these products - it was not positive.

[aubuti]

Don't ask me why, but I thought about the Linksys/Cisco line of NMPs today and did a search, and they seem to have completely disappeared, at least from the US market. Are they available in Europe or elsewhere?

Not that I'm interested in buying. I was just wondering if it really launched and then crashed & burned all within the space of a year. Looks like the new Linksys/Cisco thing (Umi) is more video-oriented.

[pippin]

fits Cisco's track record in the consumer market, doesn't it?

[pski]

It stands to reason that any "competition" in this space will benefit the genre.

For all the bucks Sony spent putting elaborate display's in Best Buys, I haven't seen at lot of activity there.

Of course, when SB puts radios and booms in Best Buy, the only people who are going to buy them already know what they want and are looking for a sale. They cannot be demonstrated unless their network potential is explained and that isn't going to happen unless SB spurs it.

Without a commitment to "Free Your Music" we have a very nice niche product that won't amount to much.

p

[aubuti]

For all the bucks Sony spent putting elaborate display's in Best Buys, I haven't seen at lot of activity there.
I _knew_ there was some other recent competition besides Cisco/Linksys, but I couldn't remember what it was. That may say something about what an underwhelming impact it has had on the market (although I confess I usually avoid Best Buy anyway).

I agree that competition in this field is a good thing, but I think it's telling how many of the big corps (Sony, Cisco, Logitech) don't seem to understand the market the way the specialized companies (Slim, Sonos) do/did.