"SB4" is here - the Duet

tonyptony · « **on:** 5 Jan 2008, 09:53 pm »

http://gizmodo.com/341045/logitech-m...queezebox-duet

Don't know what to think. I guess it makes sense that Logitech is trying for their share of the Sonos style whole-house market.

BradJudy · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 10:30 pm »

I wonder when it will ship. I still haven't jumped into this market yet and have been leaning towards Sonos for the easy to use interface for friends and family. I hope they do an online demo of the interface like Sonos does, or expand SoftSqueeze to emulate this new remote.

JoshK · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 10:38 pm »

I just want to know whether the remote will be available alone and will work with SB2/3

John151 · « **Reply #3 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 10:40 pm »

Quote from: JoshK on 5 Jan 2008, 10:38 pm

I just want to know whether the remote will be available alone and will work with SB2/3

+1

yooper · « **Reply #4 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 10:40 pm »

The link says it will ship this month. Very cool.

I really, really, want that remote! I do hope the volume control has the ability to learn from another remote as many of us keep the volume at 100% and use another source for volume control. Fingers crossed....

Mark

brj · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 10:41 pm »

Is there any real functional difference between the Duet and the SB3?

It looks like the biggest difference is the removal of the VFD from the unit itself and putting a small LCD on the remote. I'd love to see the JIVE remote released for the SB3, but if it is, I'd guess the differences will come down to the quality of parts in each.

tonyptony · « **Reply #6 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 11:01 pm »

Word on the Slimdevices forum from a beta tester is that the remote will work with previous Slim devices (no pun intended!), but no word yet on whether it will be available as standalone. Would seem to me that if they went through the trouble of making it backwards compatible they should be willing to sell it separately. We'll soon find out, I guess.

Crimson · « **Reply #7 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 01:25 pm »

I just hope the refresh rate when handling large libraries is acceptable. Not that it offers the same functionality, but I tried the Keyspan Tuneview and was disappointed. The small screen was also an issue when scrolling through large libraries.

Carlman · « **Reply #8 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 02:37 pm »

I signed up as a beta tester for the 'Jive' remote a few months ago and got it yesterday morning... It's the remote in the Duet link. I was a little late to the game so quantities were limited. I'm working on a list of minor issues I see with it but overall it's a must-have device. I have 3 SB3's and the remote controls each of them separately or let's me sync them. It's very similar to the way the Nokia 7700 or PDA works on wifi and then controls the SB's through the network. However, the menu's and album art are much better and so is the interface and controls.

I had a party last night and put it in a few people's hands that had no idea what it was... and it took them very little time to start listening to music.

The circular dial is what navigates up/down menus or albums and the middle button selects what you've navigated to. The screen is nice, the remote has backlit buttons similar to the Transporter's remote. The remote goes off after a while, has various screens savers you can choose, and comes back to life if you touch it. Very slick.

So far the only downsides are that the battery life is a little 'slim' on the remote... you'll want to keep it in its charger most of the time. It seems to last about 2 hours for me before needing a charge. But more importantly, I have 2,000+ albums, many of which with multiple artists. There's not letters on the remote so I can't skip to 'P' for instance like I can with the regular remote. I have to turn the wheel for a long time to get there. I don't know if that's getting addressed or not... but if there was a 'high speed' navigation or something, that'd work for me. If that doesn't happen, I'll just make playlists.. because I like it too much to not have it.

-C

mgalusha · « **Reply #9 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 02:51 pm »

Looks like the remote will be available separately for $299. Logitech press release: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/172/4180

yooper · « **Reply #10 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 02:52 pm »

Thanks for the report.

You brought up two issues I have not considered, battery life and finding music, which to me, are pretty important factors.

A battery lasting around two hours kinda stinks as I sometimes have critical listening sessions lasting well over two hours, and I know I would spend a lot of time looking at the screen while browsing/looking for what I may want to play next.

With that said, I'll order one (remote) the day it becomes available.

Mark

mgalusha · « **Reply #11 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 02:54 pm »

Specs: http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_duet.html

Appears it still doesn't support 96KHz output.

richidoo · « **Reply #12 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 03:21 pm »

Quote from: mgalusha on 6 Jan 2008, 02:54 pm

Appears it still doesn't support 96KHz output.

Yeah, that is a bummer. It has a new DAC, from Wolfson. I don't know which chip, but Wolfson has some beauties, being selected by a lot of top European designs, Arcam, etc. Likely it can output 96kHz as most 24 bit DACs these days can. I wonder why no 96k conversion? Slimserver is capable with Transporter. MusicGiants and other services finally coming online with hi-res content, this is the time to be a leader and open up the 96k spigot to those of us prowling the $400 segment.

And best of all, NO flourescent screen to stink up the analog section with buzzy grit.

I also see 6Vpp output, much better than the SB3's 2Vpp, which means significantly improved power supply. Indeed, the supply is upped from 5V to 9VDC, power is the same at only 550ma instead of SB3's 1A at 5V. Switcher wart is still on the menu. So I think this new model may be even more susceptible to power supply upgrades. It will demand more current, but still has 5W limited standard supply.

The jacks seem to be arranged in the same order and distance as SB3, so it is an evolutionary design. Can't be long now if it appears on the website.

I tried the remote at Carl's last night, it is very cool, like using an iPod interface. No pointing. I like that it can control several zones separately. The non-audiophiles at the party especially liked it, it was the activity of choice for the last hour, "picking music on the stereo." An iPod with 400W amp... Lots of fun! I think the price is great. Next Christmas could be a doozy for them.
Rich

PeteG · « **Reply #13 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 04:10 pm »

I see the Duet takes a 9v DC power supplies, too bad we can’t use our existing ones.

mgalusha · « **Reply #14 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 04:16 pm »

I suspect the reason the Duet doesn't support 96KHz output is that is still doesn't have enough CPU power. The SB2/3 both have a 250MHz CPU and so does the Duet. The Transporter has a 325MHz CPU. Faster CPU would mean more cost in terms of CPU, heat and power supply.

9V/550mA is nearly the same as 5V/1A in terms of wattage but without the VFD that should be plenty. A SB2/3 with the display off and in wired mode pulls about 500mA. Still a good 9V/1A linear supply would likely be an improvement just because it's quieter.

Mike

BradJudy · « **Reply #15 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 04:24 pm »

Quote from: mgalusha on 6 Jan 2008, 02:51 pm

Looks like the remote will be available separately for $299. Logitech press release: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/172/4180

And $149 for extra receivers. That makes for a well priced multi-room solution.

Wayne1 · « **Reply #16 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 04:45 pm »

Quote from: PeteG on 6 Jan 2008, 04:10 pm

I see the Duet takes a 9v DC power supplies, too bad we can’t use our existing ones.

Pete,

The Ultimate PS MK II and MK IV can be changed to output 9 volts.

jhm731 · « **Reply #17 on:** 6 Jan 2008, 09:12 pm »

Quote from: mgalusha on 6 Jan 2008, 04:16 pm

I suspect the reason the Duet doesn't support 96KHz output is that is still doesn't have enough CPU power. The SB2/3 both have a 250MHz CPU and so does the Duet. The Transporter has a 325MHz CPU. Faster CPU would mean more cost in terms of CPU, heat and power supply.

9V/550mA is nearly the same as 5V/1A in terms of wattage but without the VFD that should be plenty. A SB2/3 with the display off and in wired mode pulls about 500mA. Still a good 9V/1A linear supply would likely be an improvement just because it's quieter.

Mike

"Power supplies in the receiver are simpler because it does not have a display. The DAC is just powered by a linear reg from the input. Also the total power draw is down by a half of so." - S.Adams

Brad · « **Reply #18 on:** 8 Jan 2008, 07:27 pm »

I really like the new display.

Should be a great platform for Wayne to improve (internally and power supply)

JoshK · « **Reply #19 on:** 8 Jan 2008, 10:34 pm »

So I am presuming this has no internal switcher that reconverts the DC into other supply voltages? That is great if that is the case and building one good 9V supply is easier and likely to bring riches. Those who bought the Bolder PSU are likely to yield even better results with the duet.

For those of us DIY'ers, this makes it really easy to play with as there are less "sophisticated" pieces to deal with.