Author Topic: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!  (Read 26141 times)

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #50 on: 30 September, 2009, 09:54:42 am »
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #51 on: 16 October, 2009, 09:17:37 am »
I just got a Squeezebox Radio, which is rather neat.  It's smaller than a Boom, and has a colour display.  The volume control is also a proper rotary knob, which is much easier than a pair of up/down buttons.

On the flip side, the setup was an absolute nightmare!  The device pretty much demands that you set it up to use DHCP, and the DHCP1 server on my router has "issues".  It hasn't worked well with Squeezebox hardware in the past, so I've just configured them with static IPs.  This time I had great difficulty getting it into a mode where I could input the values.  It allowed me to do this once, but wouldn't let my input an IP address for the DNS where the first digit was 2 (I needed 212.x.x.x) which was very odd.  End the end it took some of the values, but forgot others.  This ended up with a configuration which wouldn't work, but which it wouldn't prompt me to input details (ie it assumed they were valid).

In the end I managed to connect to it with an Ethernet cable (for some odd reason the DHCP works better over Ethernet than WiFi), and SSH'ed into the box, so that I could edit the networking details by hand.  I still can't get it to work with DHCP, but the static IP works fine.

Of course, then it turns out that the version of the server I'm running isn't compatible with the Squeezebox Radio either (predictable on reflection), so I need to update it, and after spending several hours struggling with the Radio, the NAS, and the router, I've had it for a while.  I'm just listening to the Radio on the Squeezebox Network at the moment.

I like the Squeezeboxen, but occasionally they can make things "interesting". :-\

Footnote 1:  As an experiment, I turned off DHCP on the router, and enabled it on the NAS.  This almost worked, although the Squeezebox Radio still wouldn't pick up the DNS over WiFi, but it worked more reliably with my laptops, so foolishly I left it like that.  Sometime later I lost Internet connectivity.  It looks like stopping the DHCP server also may have killed the DHCP client or some other oddity, since the router seemed to loose it's IP address (although that's an internal value, and shouldn't be effected...).  Either way, it took me well over an hour to reconnect to the router, reload an earlier known working configuration, and then stop fiddling for a while!
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #52 on: 16 October, 2009, 10:19:18 am »
The ReadyNAS issue seems to be a bug in the ReadyDNLA server application - if you unselect "autoscan" in the setup, the problem goes away.  It's all working famously now.

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #53 on: 16 October, 2009, 11:51:43 am »
I really want the battery for the Radio, a reasonably portable Squeezebox will be great, but it's £45 for the accessory pack, which is basically the battery and a remote control, and I don't really want the remote. :o

It's interesting to see that there are various parameters in the information screens on the Radio which detail the battery status, ie presence, voltage etc
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #54 on: 16 October, 2009, 10:24:09 pm »
Bugger it looks like the newest version of Squeezecentre (Squeezeboxserver now) 7.4, which I need to work with the Squeezebox Radio, won't work with the current 3.18 version of SSOTS (SlimServer On Turbo Station) for ARM, which I need on my TS-209 Pro.

Bugger. :(

The x86 version is already available.  It looks like the ARM version is imminent, but not out quite yet.

<fx: twiddles thumbs>
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Seineseeker

  • Biting the cherry of existential delight
    • The Art of Pleisure
Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #55 on: 17 October, 2009, 03:37:39 pm »
Bugger it looks like the newest version of Squeezecentre (Squeezeboxserver now) 7.4, which I need to work with the Squeezebox Radio, won't work with the current 3.18 version of SSOTS (SlimServer On Turbo Station) for ARM, which I need on my TS-209 Pro.

Bugger. :(

The x86 version is already available.  It looks like the ARM version is imminent, but not out quite yet.

<fx: twiddles thumbs>

Youll get used to all this, it's one of the endearing features of squeezebox that it has that techyness and much it doesn't quite work out the box.

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #56 on: 17 October, 2009, 03:47:12 pm »
Well, it was working with my other Squeezeboxen, but not the Radio.  Apparently if you connect to the Squeezenetwork, and then your (older) Squeeze Server, it will oscillate between upgrading and downgrading the software. :-\

It's a pain to the extent that I'm avidly rechecking the QNAP forum in the hope that a new version of SSOTS will appear shortly.  I've given up trying to get things working on the TS209 myself, it's too difficult solving to get things working, one issue relates to another one, and to another one and so forth...
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #57 on: 19 October, 2009, 06:05:59 am »
I have a Squeezebox Duet on order at the moment, waiting for stock to arrive.

I want to buy a new amp and speakers to go with, and would like to demo some combinations in local hi fi shops.

If I wait until my SB Duet arrives, do you think it's practical to take it with me to local shops to use as a source? I've not seen them in the flesh, but the box of gubbins looks the size of a modest book, then there's just the handset... so, I'm wondering if I can take squeezebox, remote and my laptop into the store and set it up quickly?

I've read the various reports of people having "issues" with SB set up, and so they can clearly be temperamental. Will one even work plugged straight into a laptop via ethernet cable, or do I need a router to sit between them?

If it's likely to be fuss free to set up with lappy in store, then I may wait until SB arrives before arranging my demo's, but if that's not a practical idea I can just get on with it and go buy amp and speakers now and get set up ready for when SB arrives.

Thoughts appreciated.

Incidently, am being guided by hi fi press and online reviews as starting point... so thinking NAD C326 / Marantz PM6003 amp, Wharfedale Diamond 10.1, Dali Lektor 2, B&W 685 speakers, plus whatever other suggestion Mr Hi Fi man might have.

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #58 on: 19 October, 2009, 09:01:15 am »
According to the web, the Duet has Auto MDIX, which would allow it to work with a simple (non-crossover) cable, but that's a small point.  If you configure both devices with fixed IPs beforehand, it will probably work.

It looks like the configuration could be "interesting".  The Duet and Controller can communicate via an Ad-hoc network rather than requiring a working local WiFi network, but I think you would need to test all this out whilst at home.  You don't actually need this, you could just control the Duet from a localhost connection to Squeezeboxserver on the laptop.

What I'm saying is that it is possible, but you would want to test things out thoroughly at home.  Set things up, make sure that your local WiFi is disabled, and then prove that it all functions.  Sods law still dictates that things could still go wrong when you try and set it up somewhere else, but it is certainly possible if your local shop doesn't mind.

The Duet box itself is tiny, smaller than most laptops, although you'll also need it's external power supply, but it's all relatively compact.  If you did try and use the Controller, it's obviously rechargeable, so would operate for a while with no external power.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #59 on: 19 October, 2009, 07:04:11 pm »
Great, there's now a version 4.0 of SSOTS, so I've managed to install Squeezeboxserver 7.4 on my QNAP.  Now I just need to go home and see if the Squeezebox Radio will actually connect to the new server!

I've also got to get Zen to increase the number of IPs I've got.  I only have five available, and I need eight (so far!), it's a pain swapping machines and IPs around depending on what I'm using. :-\
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #60 on: 22 October, 2009, 02:54:05 pm »
If anyone is thinking of ordering any Squeezebox hardware, if you buy it through the Logitech store, you can get a discount of 20% on all of the players (as far as I can see) if you enter the code "RELAUNCH2009".

This takes the price of a Radio down to £127-20 (normal delivery included) which is pretty competitive compared to most other places.

I think this code is good until the end of October.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #61 on: 22 October, 2009, 05:53:54 pm »
If anyone is thinking of ordering any Squeezebox hardware, if you buy it through the Logitech store, you can get a discount of 20% on all of the players (as far as I can see) if you enter the code "RELAUNCH2009".

Well done that man!

Just ordered an SB Duet using the code and the price dropped from ££289 down to £215, including shipping. That's £15 cheaper than I can find it anywhere else, thanks very much.   :thumbsup:

I've not been able to find anyone (selling at a reasonable price) who has any stock of the Duet either, so, hopefully, Logitech may have saved a few for themselves and I might get it quicker as well as cheaper. Fingers crossed.

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #62 on: 12 November, 2009, 07:00:08 pm »
I've now got a Cambridge Audio Dac Magic connected to the SB by optical and then to the  amp.  The sound is even more to my liking  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Extra bonus of another small box with cool blue leds too!

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #63 on: 12 November, 2009, 08:44:30 pm »
i've got a small confession to make.  I really wanted to go for a squeezebox but was a bit daunted by the setting up & configuring, so thanks to a nicer than expected bonus cheque the day before my birthday I went and bought a Sonos system. 

So there's a little white box plugged into the router in the office, one plugged into the stereo in the sitting room and one into the speakers in the kitchen and an ipod-like controller in the kitchen.  Setup took about 10 minutes, pressing 2 buttons on each and installing the software on the laptop.  It magically found the music on my wireless hard disk and internet radio and napster seem to flow through it too.

it's awesome.  Yes, more expensive than squeezebox but so beautifully easy....

Seineseeker

  • Biting the cherry of existential delight
    • The Art of Pleisure
Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #64 on: 13 November, 2009, 01:37:32 pm »
I've now got a Cambridge Audio Dac Magic connected to the SB by optical and then to the  amp.  The sound is even more to my liking  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Extra bonus of another small box with cool blue leds too!

photo please!

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #65 on: 13 November, 2009, 01:46:05 pm »

Seineseeker

  • Biting the cherry of existential delight
    • The Art of Pleisure
Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #66 on: 13 November, 2009, 04:31:27 pm »
I meant a cool photo of your system!!! I can get a photo of that thing myself!!!

Biggsy

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Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #67 on: 13 November, 2009, 04:53:12 pm »
What does that thing do?

(Aplogies for being lazy and not Googling.  But what else is this forum for? ;)).
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Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #68 on: 13 November, 2009, 04:59:57 pm »
A DAC is a digital to analogue converter. its what turns your digital music into something an amplifier can then amplify and send to your speakers. All digital music devices have one built in but often they are quite cheap things. A lot of digital music devices such as CD players or in this case a Squeezebox player have digital as well as analogue outs. If you have an digital out you can feed the digital signal into a specialist DAC like this which has better digital to analogue converts and may even up sample the signal. They usually have better buffering and timing circuits too so you get less jitter. Some high end CD players even come as two boxes one with the transport and one with the DAC.
Cambridge Audio have been making a version of the DAC Magic for years and it has a bit of a reputation as a giant killer.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Biggsy

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Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #69 on: 13 November, 2009, 05:08:06 pm »
Oh right, thanks.

I was wondering about getting something like that as I'm not altogether happy with the sound of my Squeezebox via the phono sockets.  I've been told the Squeezebox's DAC is pretty good, though.
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Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #70 on: 13 November, 2009, 05:11:45 pm »
If you can get the server running on a laptop you could take it down to Richer Sounds and get them to let you try it through a DacMagic.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

chris

  • (aka chris)
Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #71 on: 13 November, 2009, 05:12:26 pm »
I've been looking at the Squeezebox wth interest for some time. One of the things that I'm not so keen on is the fact that it relies on some software running on a PC (or someting else). Is there a comparable product that can stream the music directly from my NAS and from an internet radio station?

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #72 on: 13 November, 2009, 05:15:40 pm »
It can stream it directly from your NAS, as long as you can install Squeezecentre (or whatever the heck they call it now) on your NAS.  Mine does.

Thor

  • Super-sonnicus idioticus
Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #73 on: 13 November, 2009, 05:16:47 pm »
You may be able to run the Squeezebox Server software on your NAS.   And Squeezebox can connect directly to the internet for Internet Radio.
It was a day like any other in Ireland, only it wasn't raining

Re: Squeezebox! Dunnit.. F**K YEAH!
« Reply #74 on: 13 November, 2009, 05:17:35 pm »
I've been looking at the Squeezebox wth interest for some time. One of the things that I'm not so keen on is the fact that it relies on some software running on a PC (or someting else). Is there a comparable product that can stream the music directly from my NAS and from an internet radio station?

Erm, yes, Squeezebox...

The Squeezebox Server is quite capable of running on most NAS boxes, that's how a lot of people run it.  I run it on my QNAP TS209 Pro II NAS box, and that's certainly not the least powerful machine that's used (It's considered a little bit underpowered these days).

You don't have to use a local Squeezebox server, you can connect directly to a Logitech server (MySqueezebox.com iirc), and use that to get the URLs to the various radio stations.
Actually, it is rocket science.