Value
This may well the defining factor for many purchasers. The Sonos, in the form the new “cheaper” starter pack, still costs a pretty eye-watering £699. The Logitech is a more real-world £279. The Roku device can be picked up for around the £125 mark, and we expect the Philips player to be about the same or maybe a little less when it becomes generally available. Of course, the Roku and Philips devices lack the multi-room add-on functionality of the two more expensive devices or the remote controllers that allow you to navigate through your media from any place in the house.
Verdict
If it was our money we'd go for the Logitech. It does all we want and does it well, all for a reasonable price and with a remote that's a joy to use - even more so when compared to the rather large and cumbersome Sonos remote. If cash is tight, and you only plan on using the device in one room, the Roku has a lot going for it especially in the looks department and the ability to get chummy with your iTunes server.
The Philips Streamium doesn't really do anything that the Roku doesn't, and of the two the Roku is the nicer looking and easier to use. The Sonos rig is fantastic, but it's expensive and we have serious doubts as to how many people want to actually going to fork out £700 for a music streamer albeit such capable one. We also can't help feeling that charging £30 for a charging cradle for the remote is taking the pee.
Group Test: Wireless music streamers
COMMENTS
I am happy with my NP1100
As indicated in your review, set-up is simple for Roku and Philips. I have choosen the Philips because it was cheapest and didn't want to spend too much to test a new technology.
Result is I am very happy with my NP1100 which is quite nice and so easy to use. I am also amazed by the number of station available.
When I have plug-it in the first time, SW has been automatically updated and now BBC is working very well.
I really love this device which allow me to listen internet radio without PC and also all my MP3 on my Hi-Fi system.
Tks for your usefull comparizon.
Problems with Squeezecenter & Ubuntu
If your music sits on a Linux server, check that the Squeezecenter server software works on your machine before parting with your hard-earned cash on the Logitech offering.
There are known problems trying to get Squeezecenter 7.2 running on Ubuntu 8.04 and derivatives. The advice from Slimdevice's support team is limited to telling you to go and read the forums - thanks guys.
I for one have given up with this and am going to investigate the Sonos product.
Aren't these technically a violation of copyright?
After all it is making available to others. If they have a receiver and live close enough they could pick up your transmissions and GOD FORBID copy it onto a cassette tape, then encode it to FLAC (sarcasm).
Honestly though, surely there is a legal question about these devices. They duplicate the copyrighted works don't they. And transmit them to all and sundry.
Bloody Freetards, paying lots of money to make available copyrighted works. I think that you all should pay the artists, no the music labels on a per listen basis.
(....paytard)
Roku in Pinnacle disguise too
You can get a down market version of the Roku SoundBridge in Pinnacle clothing. DLNA compliant, I use a Buffalo NAS with a UPnP server built in. I generally use the web interface for all set-up as it's much easier than the remote, much better way to set up the radio streams. The Pinnacle version has an SD card slot for a local music library too.
I would avoid the Logitech
It's not DLNA compliant, and uses it's own propitery streaming system (something which if it were Sony doing this, would be dragged over coals for).
I like the idea of having the media info on the remote, but for the moment, my trusty Noxon2's work just fine.
