[Sonny]

Apparently, there are lots of great reasons to use a SB and listen via wi-fi...
However, I still love to play LPs and CDs, I think the main reason is because it sounds "that" much better!
I have an ipod and use it in the bedroom for convenience, but it's hooked up to my Consonance A100 integrated, and well, it's nice to listen and say, "wow, this is good, who is this?"  Seems like we all have our reasons, mine is purely for sound quality, though the sb and dacs do make the sound gap smaller each day!

[Marbles]

I don't understand the whys of downloading all of my music onto a server.  And I really don't understand why I'd then want to transmit the datastream via Wi-Fi.  I spent years getting RF out of my system, why do I want to inject it back in?  Please don't tell me it's ease-of-use, I don't see anything difficult in loading a cd, or more liklely placing an lp onto my turntable.  There isn't any sonic benefit that I can see, esp. since I'd have to buy a server and probably a PC.

Maybe I don't see it because I spend all day on a computer and don't want to do the same when I get home...but I'm serious here, why???

I can't answer your questions because you've already told us not to....

First, my CD's sound more like LP's without the high(ish) noise floor....with the computer as a transport it has a very analog sound, without any of the downsides.

Ease of use...not having to get out, or put away..looking through my collection and when I see one I want to play, I just push a button and it's playing.

Yup, I had to buy a new PC especially designed for quiet operation and to have lots of hard drive space.  This has a remote control so I can pause, stop, skip forward/backward etc..like a CDP.

If you don't want to go to a PC as a transport, I understand, there is some work involved.  As a transport, most PC's just smoke some of the best cost no object transports...like TomS's fully up to date Wadia that he sold after going the SB route.

I have more than $10K in my turntable setup, I almost never listen to it anymore because I am so happy with the PC based playback system I have.

Enjoy your music any way that makes you happy.  PC based systems aren't for everyone, but I couldn't go back to a CDP.

[miklorsmith]

On sound quality, it might be debatable that cost-no-object CDPs are even or a little ahead of comparatively modest streaming players.  But, CDPs have, what, a 20-year head start?  Hard drive (or even flash drive) based players are the future and have MUCH fewer difficult operations to coordinate on-the-fly.  Translation - better sound for fewer dollars.

[Marbles]

On sound quality, it might be debatable that cost-no-object CDPs are even or a little ahead of comparatively modest streaming players. 

Maybe, but I don't know of ANY CDP that I would trade for my far from modestly priced PC/EA I2s Off Ramp/EA DAC-1.

[bprice2]

To my knowledge there has yet to be a professional review of the "best of the best" in regards to the Squeezebox music server.  I've seen various reviews of the SB, but not one has been of a unit that is on the level of the one I possess.  And I don't own the "best of the best."  I am very curious why there has not been one respected professional reviewer who has written about the fully tweaked-out Bolder modified SB2 with the Ultimate PS.  I'm merely speculating, but it is my belief that reviewers are afraid to write about it because they would then have no other front end equipment to review.  

My point here is, I don't think there would be any more questions about the sonic quality a music server can bring to the table if more trusted reviewers would take a look at the best of what Bolder has to offer.  Just my opinion.

[miklorsmith]

I'm working on a skunkworks SB3 project that will assuredly be written about in the future.  This stuff is all very young, they'll come around.

[bprice2]

I'm working on a skunkworks SB3 project that will assuredly be written about in the future.  This stuff is all very young, they'll come around.

I actually thought of you as I pushed the "post" button.  Not as being chicken to write, but maybe being one who would write such a review.

[JEaton]

I am very curious why there has not been one respected professional reviewer who has written about the fully tweaked-out Bolder modified SB2 with the Ultimate PS.

You don't see a lot of professional reviews of modded gear. With good reason. For about six months Boulder was coming out with a different flavor of the mods and power supply designs about once a week, with about a half-dozen variations on each. Who the hell wants to deal with that?  It's bad enough dealing with the mkII's and mkIII's and mkIV's and 'special editions' and other crap that major manufacturers come up with only to sell new products.  And _those_ generally only come out every few years.

[miklorsmith]

Yes, there will be many comparisons to be had.  Many.  Maybe too many.

[ZooDog]

I guess it's a generational thing.  For me, being able to sit on the couch with my laptop and play any song from my collection without having to go through the hassle of looking through my CDs to find a disc is huge.  You could give me the latest, greatest mega-buck transport/DAC combo and I swear I wouldn't use it.  I find myself listening to far more music now than when I had to deal with CDs.

[zybar]

You don't see a lot of professional reviews of modded gear. With good reason. For about six months Boulder was coming out with a different flavor of the mods and power supply designs about once a week, with about a half-dozen variations on each. Who the hell wants to deal with that?  It's bad enough dealing with the mkII's and mkIII's and mkIV's and 'special editions' and other crap that major manufacturers come up with only to sell new products.  And _those_ generally only come out every few years.

Well I for one am very glad Wayne keeps trying to improve things.   

Nobody is forcing me to keep upgrading or going for the latest improvement - that is totally my choice.

Also, Wayne treated his customers very well and made the upgrade process painless.  His frequent and detailed communication made it very easy to decide what I wanted to do and when.

I can only hope that other vendors do as good a job as Wayne.

George 

[konut]

Music Servers - Why?????  

Because we can. Some of us like solid state gear, not tubes. I said good riddence to vinyl as soon as CDs came out. Why? I hated the ritual.......... and the constant surface noise. By all means enjoy your tubes and vinyl, just as, I'm sure, the are still some guys that like to manually read an electric service meter.Theres enough room in this hobby for every taste and preference. BTW, I'm 54. I bought a SB3 because I thought I'd get an improvement is qualty. I did, at a relatively modest cost. I had no idea how much I'd enjoy the convenience.

[Doublej]

Soundbitten,

Internet audio streams are radio stations from throughout the world that use the internet as the transport mechanism as opposed to AM/FM. Quality varies depending upon the stream rate of the station.

Pandora has an algorithm that uses the seed artist/song you give it to select other music you might like based on genre and characteristics about the music.

Rhapsody is a giant online catalog. You pick the songs you want to listen to put them in list and hit play. I believe Rhapsody now has channels as well. These are like radio stations.

Pandora and Rhapsody both have free account versions.

[Daygloworange]

Why???? 

Because it's that good.

I have owned a Bolder modified SB 3 for a couple of months now. I'll never, ever go back to CDP. It's the cat's meow. Sounds better than my previous 2 CDP's. And with all the other conveniences and features that have already been mentioned. It's a no brainer.

UHF did a review of the stock SB 3 last year. They ran it digital out to DAC, and analog out. It compared very favorably with their reference CDP/DAC set up in both configurations. They also ran measurements, and again it did well. They were very impressed.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it...

Cheers

[hmen]

I'm going to be 49 in April and after reading this thread I'm taking the plunge. I'm ordering an SB3. I would have done it a long time ago but as someone who's never downloaded a song, the whole process seems pretty daunting.  You guys can expect a lot of questions in the next couple of months.

[Daygloworange]

I was lucky, my computer guru helped me with it all. Just for the record, he's got one now, for himself, and his father. If you can find someone to help you, do it. It's the way to go.

There's a guy here on AC named Tirade. He'll rip your entire CD collection to a HD for you. It'll save you a bunch of time and frustration.

Trust me, once you get it all working, you'll never look back.

Cheers

[Double Ugly]

Trust me, once you get it all working, you'll never look back.

What he said. 

[miklorsmith]

How ironic - a curmudgeon thread turned inspiration.  I love it!

[jrebman]

To add to what's been said, I'm 48 and now smack in the middle of this conversion process.  I'm going from a very highly regarded, top-flight CDP to a Squeezebox setup.  I have to SB2s -- one from Boulder, and another on the way from RWA and one will go in my main system and one in my office system.

I honestly can't wait to get all this going -- not only for the great sonics that so many folks here have raved about, but also for me in my situation the convenience and accessibility features are almost equally intriguing.

I'm keeping a CDP for quick auditions, and I do have a decent vinyl rig in progress, but I highly suspect most of the time it will be the SBs playing either random or playlists, or streaming internet radio once it is all done and working.

Yes, it is somewhat of a PITA to setup everything, and I'm an EE/CS person, but again, while I'm certain I won't convince you (because it isn't my place to do that), I do believe that this is a great and convenient way to go and I'm quite certain that it will bring me to listen to more and varied music, and that's what I'm in this for after all.

Chacun a son gout.

-- Jim

[Daygloworange]

The added treat of having access to a plethora of internet radio stations from around the world, is another amazing feature of the SB setup. Non stop music, no commercials, and SlimServer tells you what the song is, and who the artist is. Incredible.

Cheers