Stereophile Rated the Sqeezebox Touch Class D

I suspect the Squeezebox Touch is simply too inexpensive to rate much higher regardless of performance.

A couple of years back the Transporter was rated Class A. I've been a Squeezebox user for about 9 years now and have used everything from the SliMP3 to the Transporter in my home system. I couldn't justify the cost of the Transporter in my system compared to a SB3 with an external DAC (Lavry) so used the latter combo for several years.

When the Touch came out I compared the Touch (with analog outs) back-to-back with my SB3/Lavry combo. The two options were synced and level matched and I more often than not couldn't tell which was playing unless I looked at the input selector switch on the amp. I ended up moving the Touch by itself in my main system, sold the Lavry and moved the SB3 to my second system. I haven't looked back since.

Of course, some audiophiles chase shadows in an ethereal zone that doesn't interest me much. I enjoy a wide variety of music on my system and I've never found myself wishing for a different source. I agree with Tvad - if you enjoy your system, don't waste your time worrying what the elites are thinking.

Here we go again with a bad case of audiophile anxiety.

Stereophile releases their ratings and some poor audiophool gets all wound up because they didn't bless what he bought and likes. I too used to be that way. My component dropped into class B or off the list and I would stew about it until I had to upgrade. That was until I figured out if sounded good to me I couldn't care less what Stereophile thinks. There's nothing in my system that I know of on any of their lists and I couldn't be happier.

If it upsets you when your stuff isn't highly ranked then quit reading the lists.

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Their rankings aren't A-F like a report card. D doesn't mean it's a "bad" rating. ANYTHING on their recommended list is going to be a good piece of equipment.

Nobody is going to pay any attention to that rating, because they'll be too distracted by the Vincent ad on the adjacent page :-)

Best regards,
-- Al

The rating does seems inconsistent with the review in the same issue. There's much praise for the sound when connected via the digital out. The sound from the analog outs is criticized as a step or two down by comparison, but comparable to the analog out sound of the Oppo 83. But the Oppo is graded a class B product. It doesn't make sense.