Logitech has been aggressive with their line of audio products making noticable improvements over the years. The recent acquisition of Slim Devices (makers of the Squeezebox) shows their commitment in this market segment. Slim Devices has been known for their superior audio quality with products geared for audiophiles and others critical of sound quality. The Squeezebox™ Boom continues this legacy, yet looks more like a fancy clock radio than something that actually sounds good. However, looks can be deceiving. This audio media player is designed to impress with the ability to stream audio from thousands of Internet radio stations, your personal music collection, or online services such as Pandora®, Rhapsody™, Sirius®, Last.fm™, Slacker™, MP3tunes, RadioTime, Radio IO and Live365. The platform supports a wide variety of non-DRM content including compressed formats (MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, MP2, MusePack, WMA) and uncompressed formats (AIFF, WAV, PCM). Unfortunately, the Squeezebox™ Boom cannot play music directly from an NAS (Networked Access Server), but instead requires a PC loaded with the SqueezeCenter software.

Front Panel
The SqueezBox Boom has a bright, high-contrast VFD display with an ambient light sensor for automatic dimming which makes it less harsh to see in the dark. Several easy to use buttons occupy the front panel. The large knob is used to select an option and pressing it confirms the selection. The Boom has an intuitive user interface and relies largely on the SqueezeNetwork software running on a PC to configure and control content. Six preset buttons can be programmed to select your favorite content. The display brightness automatically adjusts to the ambient room lighting.

Features
The Squeezebox™ Boom includes a 30-watt digital amplifier with a set of ¾-inch soft-dome tweeters and 3-inch long-throw woofers that sound fantastic. The back of the Squeezebox™ Boom has an ethernet port along with a built-in 802.11g wireless interface. We prefer the convenience of the wireless connection, which allows us to place the music player virtually anywhere power is available. In addition, the connection is fast enough for uninterrupted music streaming. The Line In jack accepts audio from other sources and the headphone jack can also be used to drive a powered subwoofer. The universal power adapter can run from 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz making it compatible around the world.

Remote
The IR remote included with the Boom has many of the same basic controls found on the front panel of the unit. The top of the Boom has a special location for the remote that magnetically holds it in place, making it less likely to get lost. There are buttons for Home, Sleep Timer, Power, Add, Play, Navigation, Volume Up/Down, Rewind, Pause, and Forward. The Home button takes the user to the home display. The Sleep button selects a time period between 15 and 90 minutes.

Performance
The Squeezebox™ Boom is a solid product with a compact design and rich set of features. The convenient Wi-Fi connection makes it easy to stream program material from a variety of sources using the SqueezeNetwork software running on our networked PC. The Squeezebox™ Boom is also an alarm clock that can be configured to play many different sounds in addition to music. We configured our unit to play a natural ocean surf sound that was very soothing in the morning.

Conclusion
The Logitech® Squeezebox™ Boom ($299.99) is by far the best music player to have graced my night stand. The bright, high-contrast VFD display with ambient light sensor for automatic dimming works great. The unit can stream internet radio stations, subscription based content as well as music from personal MP3 collections thanks to the built-in 802.11g wireless with dual internal antennas and 10/100Base-T Ethernet ports. The Squeezebox™ Boom is not only easy to use, but also sounds great.

- Kevin Nakano

Update: It has been almost a year since I have been using the Squeezebox Boom and it is still my favorite music player to wake up to with excellent alarm features.

Computer: HP Pavillion a6500z (AMD Dual Core 4050e, 2.1 GHz, 2GB, Vista 32-bit)

Logitech® Squeezebox™ Boom

Technical Specifications

• ¾-inch (1.9 cm) high-definition, soft-dome tweeters and 3-inch (7.6 cm) high-power, long-throw woofers
• Bi-amplified design with high performance signal processor, class D amplifiers and digital crossovers
• Stereo XL™ technology widens the sound stage beyond the physical boundaries of the speaker
  
• 6-button presets allow one touch access to favorite radio stations and playlists
• 7-day alarm clock
• Infrared remote control
• Bright, high-contrast VFD display with ambient light sensor and automatic dimming
• Built-in 802.11g wireless with dual internal antennas
  
• 10/100Base-T Ethernet port
• Line-in via 3.5 mm stereo jack
• Headphone/Subwoofer out via 3.5 mm connector
  
• Plays MP3, AAC, WMA, Ogg, FLAC, Apple lossless, WMA lossless, WAV, and AIFF music files
• Connects to your home network to access music stored on your computer via SqueezeCenter, and Internet radio and music services via SqueezeNetwork™

System Requirements

For access to music on your computer use SqueezeCenter with the minimum system requirements:

• 256 MB RAM and 80 MB available hard disk space
• Ethernet or 802.11b/g wireless home network
• Broadband Internet connection required for Internet radio and music services
  

With any of the following operating systems:

• Windows® XP/2000/NT, Windows Vista®, 733MHz Pentium
• Macintosh OSX 10.3.5 or later
• Linux/BSD/Solaris (Perl 5.8.3 or later)

Package Contents

• Squeezebox™ Boom network music player
  
• AC adapter
  
• Wireless infrared remote with battery
• 3.5mm (2-foot) audio cable
  
• Quick-start guide
  
• 2-year limited hardware warranty

Company Information
Logitech Inc.
Corporate Headquarters
6505 Kaiser Drive
Fremont, CA 94555 USA
Phone: 510-795-8500
Sales: 800-231-7717
Support: 866-826-5722

Part Number: P/N 930-000054
Source: Manufacture Supplied
Warranty: 2-year limited hardware warranty
MSRP: $299.99

URL: www.logitech.com

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