I have been working with Squeezebox as a device to play my digital music, and I have always been very happy with it. How does it work?
Buy a Squeezebox
While I am still using my good old Squeezebox Classic, there are much fancier alternatives out there at this moment:
- Squeezebox Touch offers a touch screen through which you can search and select your music; you will need an amplifier and speakers to hear the music, though
- Squeezebox Boom has two speakers, looks like a good old boombox
- Squeezebox Radio has only one speaker, and it is mainly geared towards internet radio. It is the least expensive of the three
Install the server software
The server software for Squeezebox is called Squeezebox Server. This server, among other things, makes sure your Squeezebox device can pull music from your digital music source. This means that the hardware the Squeezebox Server is running on, has to be turned on if you want to listen to music. Squeezebox Server is available for PC, Mac, Linux and Netgear ReadyNAS. Since I want to be able to listen to my music whenever I want, and I do not want to leave my PC on all the time, I bought a Netgear ReadyNAS Pro, and installed Squeezebox Server on this machine.
Put your CD collection on digital storage
Read this post to learn more about storing music digitally. Obviously I store my music on the Netgear ReadyNAS Pro.
Configure Squeezebox Server
Basic configuration of Squeezebox Server is fairly easy. It is accessible through a web browser, and in its most basic configuration you only have to set a few parameters. One of them is obviously the location of the music source (in my case the NAS itself, in the /Music directory). You can have Squeezebox Server scan your music source, and it will create views by album and by artist.
Connect Squeezebox to an amplifier
Squeezebox Radio and Boom come with a speaker. Squeezebox Touch (and older models) need to be connected to an amplifier. This is straightforward, since the Squeezebox has all required output (analog and digital) at the back.
Configure Squeezebox
The Squeezebox has to be connected to the Squeezebox Server. This can be done using an internet cable, or wirelessly. As soon as you start up your Squeezebox, it will start looking for a Squeezebox Server. If it cannot find the Squeezebox Server, you will have to locate it manually by entering the IP address of the server the Squeezebox Server is running on.
Play music!
After the set up steps above have been completed, you are ready to play music. This can be done:
- Via the touch screen or the knobs and buttons on the Squeezebox.
- Through a remote control (which can be bought separately or together with the Squeezebox Duet)
- Through a web browser using Squeezebox Server
- Through an iPhone/iPad application, for instance the excellent iPeng
Useful links:
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