IP Based Audio Systems?

pbrinich asks: "I am in the process of designing a new audio system for a house under construction. I have been looking for a purely IP-based audio system. Has anyone heard of a good, open, IP-based, multi-zone audio system that is ready for consumer use? I have read a bit on a company called netstreams and their DigiLinx line. Any thoughts?"

Re:Squeezebox2

[Malor]

Not for comparable features/quality, you don't. The M2000 has a better display than the SB2's, (512x32 versus 320x32), but is a great deal more expensive, at $400. The wireless SB2 is $250 right now. There are codes floating around at times that will give you another $20 off that. Roku's M1000 is about $200, but its display is inferior(280x16). And note that BOTH the 'high-end' Roku models only support wireless-B mode. If you have a G network, setting it to mixed mode will give you a speed hit right up front. And you're not going to be able to run more than a couple of boxes if you're using lossless audio. (unless, of course, you want to spend a whole lot of money buying more APs.) The SB2, with native G support, would drive roughly five times as many players, which certainly improves your chances of having useful bandwidth left over once your installation is done.

Slimdevices also offers a wired-only version of their player at $179, which is exactly the same as the higher-end model in all respects, less the antenna and wireless circuitry. Roku's cheapest model is $149, but its display is 2 lines of 40-character monochrome. Yuck.

I also note that Roku doesn't mention what DACs they're using. The SB2 uses Burr-Browns, which have a sterling reputation. You may not need them if you're outputting digital to a (good) receiver or prepro, but if you have cheaper gear or want to use headphones, the SB2 is probably better. And keeping your options open never hurts.

I'll give the Soundbridge an edge on appearance, but the hardware appears to be both overpriced and under-specced. The SqueezeBox2 blends very nicely, has a very attractive display(quite a bit better than the M1000's, not as nice as the M2000's), and does native G and painless network bridging. And it has really good DACs. It's a no-compromises product.

I don't, after all, buy audio gear to look cute. The SB2 looks like a quality piece of hardware (which it is), and that's all I need. I'll leave the chrome edging to the Bose crowd.

It's also nice to support the people sponsoring the SlimServer software, which can (as you point out) be used with other hardware than their own. Money invested there benefits everyone.