[mgalusha]

The thing they don't seem to make entirely clear is how exactly the Slim Server knows where your MP3 files are. It just "knows"? Because I don't use iTunes on my Mac. (iTunes reminds me of Microsoft Bob.) I've read the manual and I'm still a little fuzzy how that works. I suppose I will find out soon enough.

Nathan,

When you install Slim Server software is asks for the name of the directory where the files live. One of the limitations of the software is that all of the files (mp3,flac, whatever) have to live under a common parent. I've read that this will be addressed in a future release but who know's when that will happen.

[ctviggen]

Wayne, I'm more than happy to use the modded SB2 in my main system, where it needs no internet radio.  So, there's no problem there -- I was just unaware of this.

As for wireless being the main problem with SB2s, I disagree.  I have a fully wired system using cat 5e cable tested to 350Mhz that I set up myself.  See:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=645


I've had many problems with SB2, which I've outlined in another thread.  Why will the SB2 quit playing for absolutely no reason and just have "stopped" on the front panel?  Why does it slow down interminably slow and become unresponsive to commands?  Why when I selected "fade in fade out" did I have to not only reset the system but remove this feature?  Why does it break up sometimes and then run seemlessly for hours at other times?  I could go on.   To me, a former engineer who did testing for a living at one time, the SB2 is one of the buggiest things I've ever seen.  It's particularly egregious because of the lack of error messages.  Hell, even Microcrap can give you a "404 network not found" incomprehensible message; why can't the SB2?    

Now, maybe my network and/or computer is at fault.  Unfortunately, I have no way of testing that.  I do know that during periods when the SB2 was flaking out, I could access the internet fine, meaning that I could get at least to the "home run" shown in the figures above.

[nathanm]

When you install Slim Server software is asks for the name of the directory where the files live. One of the limitations of the software is that all of the files (mp3,flac, whatever) have to live under a common parent. I've read that this will be addressed in a future release but who know's when that will happen.

Hmmm...I would hope that they don't have to be a flat list within one folder, right?  Does it find song files within existing subfolders?  What if you just pointed it to the root directory of the whole drive, does that work?

I also wonder how it deals with files with no ID3 metadata.  I seem to recall my friend telling me the iPod won't recognize MP3 files without that stuff. Either that or it makes up some weird filing scheme for them.

[ctviggen]

Here's something similar that's happened to me:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=19309

One thread about crossfade:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=18522&highlight=fade

Yet another about crossfade:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=14480&highlight=fade

I can't find the one I posted about crossfade/fade in and out.

Here's a person who quit using the SB because of the problems:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=17584

Now, I'm not saying that I don't enjoy the SB2, as I do.  What I'm saying is that the thing has bugs.  If you do nothing but turn it on and listen to music, you might not ever have a bug.  If you're like me, though, and you use obscure options, you're going to have problems.  I particularly don't like people telling me I'm wrong when I've spent at least an hour this WEEK (by that, I mean yesterday and today) alone trying to fix the SB2 and time over the weekend doing the same.   I've spent more time trying to fix/debug the SB2 than I've spent with any piece of electronics (except the ones I got paid to debug).

[bpape]

Don't know about the bugs you've been getting.  Mine has performed flawlessly 100% of the time since installation - and I'm running wireless.  Now, I haven't tried the crossfade so I can't comment on that.  

As for ease of use, let's put it this way...

I showed my wife ONCE how to use it.  She uses it all the time now.  It's that easy.  It's an easy heirarchical menu that you enter and back out of.  Scroll up/down for options, right to enter next level, left to back out a level.  Doesn't get much easier.

As for the single folder limitation, yeah, it's kind of a pain.  But you definitely don't have just a flat listing.  If you use EAC/FLAC combination to rip lossless, there are parameters you set in the setup that will create the subdirectory structures underneath it any way you want and it dows it for you.  Some have also said that you can create links to other folders to get around the single folder thing - haven't tried it so I can't say.  If it parses correctly, I suppose you could set it up to add another directory level in the EAC/FLAC stage to account for this.  Even if not, with RAID 0, the limitation is pretty meaningless.

[ricmon]

hen this morning, it responds extremely slowly to my remote button presses. Why? Because the backup of the hard drive, which I started last night, was still running for some reason. The backup must have taken all the processing power of the computer. Why this would happen, I don't know. ...

Try one of the  new dual core chips.  A pentium-D cost around $250.00 and an LGA motgher board start at around $50.00 bucks and  the same for AMD.  You can then set the backups to run on one core and your music software to use the other.  No more performance degradation.

[mgalusha]

Hmmm...I would hope that they don't have to be a flat list within one folder, right?  Does it find song files within existing subfolders?  What if you just pointed it to the root directory of the whole drive, does that work?

I also wonder how it deals with files with no ID3 metadata.  I seem to recall my friend telling me the iPod won't recognize MP3 files without that stuff. Either that or it makes up some weird filing scheme for them.

It doesn't have any problem with subfolders. Mine are by genre/artisit/album. It's the the limit of a single parent that can be a pain.

If it finds a file without any metadata, it will try and take a guess based on the filename, so something like "Megadeth - 99 Ways To Die.mp3" should show up under Megadeth and it might get the title correct.

You can point it at the root of the drive but then it will spend a lot of cycles looking at files that do not need indexing. I just have a folder called tunes and all of the others are under that.

I tend to use the Browse Music Folder option on the SB as I have a lot of MP3's I've collected over the years and the tags in them are pretty bad. Anything I've ripped is fine but some of the stuff that I've accumulated I haven't gotten around to re-ripping yet. Fortunately it's pretty easy to rip a bunch of disks while catching up on AC.

[nathanm]

Sounds like it shouldn't be a problem then.  I do have everything under one AUDIO folder.  I thought I read something on their site about making a Symbolic Link via the terminal but it sounds like that may be only necessary if you want to access files on separate volumes.

Maybe ripping CDs isn't all THAT crazy, after all I did blow a bunch of dough on cabinets to store all those dang CDs.  Still, I'd never be satisfied not having the media on hand.  Takes all the fun out of collecting.  You've got nothing to show for it.  The only discs I've converted to MP3 are rare discs which I'll never be able to find again most likely.

Speaking of interface the one big issue I have with ripping is that so often CDs are mastered with no gap between tracks.  However they get RIP'ed as separate files and then it's up to the software player to allegedly play back with no gap.  I can't remember if Winamp did that correctly but I know that Audion on the Mac does not even if you set the transition to "none" or "seamless". This is especially annoying with one of my opera albums.  It will be interesting to see if the Squeezebox can play back without a glitch between songs.  On the same album that is, as I believe the crossfade feature only works in Shuffle mode.  Makes sense...

[ctviggen]

Well, I was wrong about the screen saver -- it really is selected as a "large spectrum".  However, I've now set both of the SB2s to the exact same screensavers, yet one of them is still different!  Why?  I have no idea.  It's this kind of stuff that drives me crazy and takes too long to debug.

[samplesj]

Well, I was wrong about the screen saver -- it really is selected as a "large spectrum".  However, I've now set both of the SB2s to the exact same screensavers, yet one of them is still different!  Why?  I have no idea.  It's this kind of stuff that drives me crazy and takes too long to debug.

There are two different settings that control what shows on the screen.  In the other thread someone explained a remote button press to fix your issue and in this one I gave the exact path.  If you want the "active" screen (not one of the screen savers) to not show the full spectrum analyzer then you need to do this

The setting you want to change is "Player Settings" and the "Now Playing Setttings".

or alternative from the other thread you can

1. Keep pressing the Now Playing button on the remote control to get rid of the spectrum analyzer. It cycles between the states of {right side, overlay, invisible} as you press Now Playing.

This is NOT a bug.  I'm actually glad I can configure what the screen shows because I find the full analyzer much more valuable.

EDIT:  btw sorry but I can't help with the crossfade settings.  I don't want my squeezebox to monkey with the signal at all so I'll never use those

[eric the red]

Gentlemen, I believe you have answered the question. Thanks!!      

[mgalusha]

Speaking of interface the one big issue I have with ripping is that so often CDs are mastered with no gap between tracks. However they get RIP'ed as separate files and then it's up to the software player to allegedly play back with no gap. I can't remember if Winamp did that correctly but I know that Audion on the Mac does not even if you set the transition to "none" or "seamless". This is especially annoying with one of my opera albums. It will be interesting to see if the Squeezebox can play back without a glitch between songs. On the same album that is, as I believe the crossfade feature only works in Shuffle mode. Makes sense...

It does a pretty good job with that but if you want them to be truly seamless you can use EAC (don't know if there is a Mac equivalent) to extract the tracks as one large file with an associated CUE sheet that will tell the SB where the track breaks occur. Note I haven't tried this but it should work as advertised.

BTW, I agree on not having all the media on hand. I have no plans on getting rid of mine, my conscience tells me I must keep it all.

[jakepunk]

Here's a person who quit using the SB because of the problems:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=17584

The very last post of the thread says that things started working when he replaced his router.

I'm not trying to be a shill.  Just spreading some holiday cheer!  

[Rob Babcock]

Wow!  That really helps a lot.  My main concern was that it'd be hard to find a specific song or create a playlist but it sounds like that's not an issue.

I think I'll be buying one soon, and probably getting it modded shortly thereafter.  Or does Vinnie or Wayne sell units already modded?

[Music Machine]

Running Squeezebox2 for more than 4 months with ZERO problems.  So easy to use.  Whole family loves it.  I think the thing is it has so many configurable options there has got to be tens of thousands of combinations.  If I went looking for problems I suppose I would run into some.  I just play music the way I did when I used cds, and sometimes we just pick a bunch of songs from different albums.  It just works for us.  Just bought another.  Red Wine analog tweaked.  Cymbals, snares, percussion, voices, were getting close to analog sound here.

If you don't like it you have 30 days to retuen it.  Unless you mod it of course.

Anyway to answer the original question, I think it's more user friendly than those !@#$% jewel cases.  I could start a rant on those.

[nathanm]

I got the thing set up last night.  Overall yes, the interface menu system is pretty straightforward.  However, the very first thing you encounter is a bad design choice.  Let us assume that this is if you take the usual guy approach of not reading the manual.  After you install the server software and run it on your PC you power up the Squeezebox and it tells you to hit the right arrow to connect to the server.  Well, it doesn't work.  I spent 20 minutes doing network and router settings before I realized that you actually need to hit the DOWN arrow instead and go to the 1st of 4 screens required to enter the settings.  If you just follow what the display tells you to do it will not work.  Yes, a dumb mistake but why does it start on the 4th screen, the screen where it tries to connect, instead of the 1st screen where you have to tell it to get an IP address?

It's a cool gadget, but I would describe it as a radio for IT geeks.  The litmus test I always use is, could my mom use this device?  The answer here is a definite NO.  After the nerd gets it working and nothing ever goes wrong it should be fine for the everyman user, but out of the box there's some hairy TCP\IP shit to sort out.  Ugh.

It's probably easier to configure the settings via web browser, though.  I am not sure why they put a CHANGE button after EACH field.  It leads you to believe you must hit a specific CHANGE button to apply that particular setting, but it appears to globally apply all the fields you've changed.  Hmmm.  Also, there's no progress bar indicating how far along the scanning of your "music library" is.

Not much gain on this sucker is there?  Anyone else notice the output is a bit cool?

[Wayne1]

Nathan,

Did you chaeck the volume level with the remote control? I have found that the levels on both digital out and analog outs are turned down about half way from Slim Devices.

Bob,

As for you screensaver troubles, did you notice that there are THREE sceensavers for different moded? The is one now playing, one for not playing and one for turned off. You can also choose the delay between the "actual" screen and the screensaver. The easiest way to adjust them is to use the web interface in Slimserver rather than use the remote.

The crossfade is also easier to set up through the web interface. You have to be playing in shuffle mode and set up how long you want the crossfade to be. The default is 0 which means if you just turn on crossfade, you will not hear any difference.

[nathanm]

Yep, the volume is at 40 (weird number choice) and the web interface goes to 11 (I went for a bite and came back, it was still sustaining) but it is relatively much quieter than my other sources.  If I switched in the DVD player at the knob position where the SB3 is I'd probably blow out the walls.  I did uncover that enabled-by-default Smart Gain thing and turned that off too, but it wasn't a big difference.  (actually that feature was kinda nice)  Hmmm.  It seems odd that they would offer 63db of cut which makes me think it should be more gainy than the average line level device.

Smart Gain - that reminds me...what does this say about the record industry and their hyper compression bullshit?  It is very telling that such controls exist in MP3 players and the like.  PEOPLE DON'T LIKE ONE ALBUM TO PLAY TEN TIMES LOUDER THAN THE ONE BEFORE IT.  Get it?  They've resorted to software tweaks to unfuck your heavy handed, bend the needles, pissing contest for loudness you dumbasses!  It's not working; we have brains, we want the same relative volume, get it?  Nobody on earth buys music based upon relative loudness I don't care how askew your personal musical taste might be, it's complete nonsense!  If that were true maybe the Squeezebox would have a preference for only finding internet radio streams WHICH ARE REALLY FUCKING LOUD DUDE!!!  Woo!  "Why are you listening to Korean Polka, Jim?"  "Because it's so loud man!  Loud!  Yeah!!!"  Dynamic range?  Who needs it?

[nathanm]

Actually the web interface volume control and the remote volume control are the same thing.  The web goes from 0 to 11 but the unit itself goes from 0 to 40.  So 11=40.  WTF, people?

I tried a 1 second crossfade as a stopgap measure (pun intended!) and it was less glitchy on the opera, better than nothing, but I didn't try 0 yet.  Here's another bad interface example.  There can be no such thing as a zero-second crossfade between two songs!  If setting the software to such an imaginary setting does indeed produce the desired result of NO gap between tracks then what's the purpose of turning crossfade off entirely and chosing the "none" option?

[Scott F.]

Actually the web interface volume control and the remote volume control are the same thing.  The web goes from 0 to 11 but the unit itself goes from 0 to 40.  So 11=40.  WTF, people? rant...rant some more....

I see your having fun  

Don't quote me on this because its a pure guess but I think the whole 11 thing might go back to Marshall amps and Spinal Tap. You know how geeky computer programmers can get. They probably thought it was funny to make their Squeezebox play at 11.



If you want to really get frustrated, try fast forward or reverse