Sadly, with Logitech shutting down their server, they long ago decided to abandon the SBT as a streamer. However, as a standalone digital music player it is virtually impossible to beat. It is truly a self-sufficient device, as I will never need wi-fi, a cell-phone / tablet, or anything outside of the unit to choose my music. I can also play up to 24/192 digital files via EDO, and better yet, I don't need a network, ethernet, external RAID data storage, or run the latest version of unsupported LMS to handle that. I simply use a 1TB USB stick plugged into the back of the SBT that contains all my FLACs. As far as digital sound quality, I have had the Bolder digital mods done along with an upgraded linear power supply. I don't think there is anything out there that has such a beautiful touchscreen and GUI with amazing music search capabilities.
After 15 years, the Squeezebox Touch Remains Undefeated!
As I reorganize my listening/movie electronics I'm rethinking my streaming solutions. My HT receiver (Anthem MX 540) doesn't take USB audio, and HDMI audio is limited to 16 bits, so I was thinking of moving my Logitech Squeezebox Touch to the living room, among other options. Honestly I have too many options to count here, and don't want to get into them in this thread, but as I was thinking about the SBT I thought to myself: "You know, since the beginning of music streaming, this really is the best streamer ever."
Now I know a lot of you will take issue with that statement, but I don't really mean that literally and in all senses. Since 2010, when I think it was released, streamers with better DAC's and lower jitter have certainly arrived. I don't think Tidal or Qobuz or Roon even existed back then. The Squeezebox Server software was pretty amazing and last I knew was being maintained as open source.
What I mean by "best" here is that in addition to really class leading technical performance for 2010 the SBT also had the perfect form factor. About 5 1/2" wide and 4" tall with a big bright touch screen, and maybe 3" deep. Small and perfectly functional, with analog, and S/PDIF outputs, as well as Wifi and Ethernet jacks available.
This unit was an absolute powerhouse of features, usability and aesthetics, For under $300. While streamers today have even better measured performance, the aesthetics and usability IMHO fail. I love the screen, and the ability to walk to it and pause or skip without wondering where my phone/tablet are.
Some of this can be recreated by using a Raspberry PI with touch screen kit, but sadly it lacks very good Roon integration, so I'm not ready to go that way yet.
What do you think? Are there other streamers that have filled this gap as well or better?
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So my experiment with a cheap touch screen was a total failure, it ended up shorting out my Pi 5 as well. Fortunately the old SD card was salvageable and it "only" cost me another Pi 5. Installation of the Ubuntu OS, and Roonbridge was pretty straightforward, again. I'm still going to try this, but next time I'll use an HDMI touch screen and stick to Ubuntu instead of trying to use Ropieee, mainly because it's a lot easier to install custom drivers on Ubuntu. |
It certainly was a pioneering product. I owned one for a few months but grew dissatisfied with streaming at that time and sold it off. I would much rather use a portable tablet to control things. The Wiim streamers are Roon ready and inexpensive. They have decent DACs for the money but most people will use a separate DAC. Streamers are just networking computers optimized to play audio. There is one for every budget and taste |
@mahler123 - I use Roon via a Pi player, and I have that convenience. I still miss the touch screen and 5" display always being there. |
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