I first saw the Slim Devices' Squeezebox several months ago when I walked into a niche retail story in Sydney. The device was being used to manage a portfolio of music. At first I could not believe that a device so compact could do such a great job of managing content over a wireless network a lot like the Sonos system.
In Australia the Squeezebox has not had enough exposure nor is it in the right retail outlets. Which is a pity as this device deserves a wider presence. This is more to do with the distributor of the product than the product itself. One of the main competitors for the Squeezebox is the award winning Sonos system which is impressive but not cheap.
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On the other hand the Slim Devices' Squeezebox, comes in at a comparatively bargain price. This unassuming piece of equipment, available at just $499.00 costs in under a third of a basic Sonos system yet it does a very similar job.
If you've struggled to get wireless kit working before, you'll be glad to hear that the Squeezebox is a dream to install. Once the SlimServer software is installed on your main music PC, running through the network setup wizard on the device itself is a doddle – you'll be streaming your digital music files to your existing hi-fi setup in a matter of minutes. The Squeezebox supports WEP and WPA security encryption too, so you'll have no worries about the neighbours crashing in on your wireless music-driven party and putting on music you'd thought you'd long since resigned to the bottom of the CD rack.
Where the Squeezebox differs from the Sonos system (other than the cost) is that it doesn't operate on its own wireless mesh network – it simply integrates with your existing setup – and it also requires you to have your PC running all the time, where the Sonos system can stream music from a NAS (network attached storage) box with your PC turned off. The remote isn't as fancy either – it's a black plastic puck with rubber keys; no iPod-style clickwheel or colour screen here.
