Roku SoundBridge M1000/M1001 Network Music System
by Roku
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List Price: Category: Receiver or Amplifier See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Roku SoundBridge M1000/M1001 Network Music System
Customer Review: Fantastic device - completely blows away my expectations
Summary: 5 Stars
I've wanted a solution for a wireless network music system for a while. I've found the the Soundbridge to be so great that I am kicking myself for going for so long without it.
Here's my setup:
Server-side: I'm using the built-in Firefly media server (apparently developed by Roku) set up on a Netgear (formerly Infrant) ReadyNAS NV+ It comes on many other NAS devices as well - Linksys NSLU2, the Maxtor MSS, and the Buffalo Linkstation. The ReadyNAS automatically backs up my iTunes library, and several other folders of digitized tunes, including Windows Media from various PCs and Macs around the house. When backup is complete, the Firefly media server re-scans the library, so any newly-digitized CD is automatically added. That whole thing took a few minutes to set up via browser on the ReadyNAS.
Client-side: Soundbridges plugged into powered speakers, stereos or boom boxes around the house. Set up was simple - there is no CD involved. I have an el-cheapo Belkin b/g wireless router ($30) with WPA, and the Soundbridge streams audio without no problem from anywhere in the hosue. Wireless G would be great, but I haven't seen any issue, and I have a pretty big home. I haven't tried the optical or coax output yet, but the miniplug output sounds great.
Here's what totally exceeded my expectations:
1) Ease of use. The two-line display is very easy to navigate, and in most cases, makes sense. I have a couple of small gripes, such as Play and Pause being separate buttons on the remote. Searching is very clunky, but my expectations for an arrows-only simple remote-control with a 2-line display were very low, and the Soundbridge even exceeded them on Search. A bit of suggested word completion (like the Google toolbar does) could be great.
2) Simple set-up, even with WPA-encrytped wireless. Had it up and running within a minute. I did take a few moments to read through the manual - simple, well written, and well worth your time.
3) Speed. With 6000 digitized songs and Wireless B, I expected a crawl through song lists, or loading individual files etc. Wrong. I haven't taken a stopwatch to it, but the Firefly/Soundbridge set up is much, much faster than a Mac or PC iTunes streaming from another iTunes (or Firefly).
4) The best feature of all: Internet radio. It is extremely easy to browse languages, genres, countries, etc. The number of streaming stations worldwide is extensive. I encountered no performance problems - wireless B does not seem to be an issue, at least in my home. While not required to get started, you can customize your favorites and presets at [...]. A browser on any device works - the Soundbridge *never* makes any assumption about your OS - no proprietary software, PC, downloads, etc. If you wish, the RadioRoku.com site can find Soundbridge devices on your network (via a little Java applet - PC, MAC, Linux). You also can add-to, edit and rate stations at RadioRoku.com.
Overall, the quality of engineering that went into this device is evident at all levels of the experience. I see others have complained about wireless B and a weak wireless network, but I haven't seen any issues - on the contrary, speed and reliability have been truly excellent. Unlike many gadgets I encounter, this one *easily* deserves a 5-star rating.
Customer Review: Play Pandora on your stereo with Roku's SoundBridge!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got Roku's SoundBridge after my first attempt at streaming hi-fi music to my stereo failed miserably. I had gotten Airlink's Music Bridge, and had results similar to those reported by the frustrated purchasers of other similar devices (Linksys, Sony, Logitech). While searching the web for hints on how to get my Airlink device to work (it never did), a comment by one user caught my attention: "I should've just paid the extra money and gotten the Roku SoundBridge to begin with."
Yes, the SoundBridge is more expensive than most other similar products (the SoundBridge costs 4× more than Airlink's Music Bridge), but this is one of those cases where one gets what one pays for. The SoundBridge essentially sets itself up - it's easier to connect to a wi-fi router than are many wireless computers - and it has a great range. I have my SoundBridge set up in our living room which is two rooms removed from my router (about 50 ft. away through two walls), and the reception is great. There -are- the rare dropouts (< once per hour), but such dropouts only last a few seconds, and the SoundBridge figures out how to get restarted on its own.
The SoundBridge can work as an internet radio, meaning that it can play audio from radio stations streaming on the internet. To do this, it merely needs to connect through a router (wired or wi-fi) - no computer connection is needed. It can also play music from your own computer via a "music server."
The SoundBridge's manual is a REAL manual (the Airlink "manual" was a five-page comic book), with lots of descriptive language and examples. What's even better is that there's a huge international SoundBridge user's group that provides all kinds of support, tips, and suggestions for improving your enjoyment of the device. Roku hosts this user's group's forum on its website.
It was through the SoundBridge Forum that I learned about a new music server that works with just about any sound bridge, and allows the user to stream directly from his/her computer's sound card to the Roku SoundBridge. The name of the (free) software is Jamcast, and it's available from Software Development Solutions (just google it - Amazon won't let me link from this review). With Jamcast (which is very easy to install and use), one can stream Pandora to Roku's SoundBridge - something no other music server can do. Like other music servers, Jamcast also allows playing music stored on your computer. However, unlike other servers, file formats of virtually any type can be played using Jamcast (including DRM), because Jamcast transcodes in real time!
Bottom line: if you're wanting to stream music to your home stereo, don't waste your time with any of the other devices and just get the Roku SoundBridge. Then, install Jamcast on your computer. You'll be able to stream internet radio, Pandora, and your own music files, and you'll be up and running within fifteen minutes after taking the SoundBridge out of the shipping box!
Customer Review: Disappointing
Summary: 1 Stars
I was previously streaming my Music Library from a Logitech Music System. I had some issues with interference from other 2.4 GHz appliances and wanted to upgrade. After going back and forth between the Squeezebox, Sonos, and Soundbridge I decided on the soundbridge mostly due to the "claimed" greater audio format compatibility.
Set-up was a challenge right from the start. Some of the nagging problems I experienced were Security Key issues and file sharing initiation. The later I never could figure out but found a "work-around" by stopping and then restarting WMP file sharing in Control Panel <services>. Roku Support was absolutely no help to me. However, I will say that the folks on the Roku Forums are extremely helpful. Without their assistance my unit would never have found my music library. After MANY hours of fiddling with setup. I finally got the soundbridge to recognize my Music Library.
Secondly, I must say I'm by no means an audiophile, but I am very dissatisfied with my sound quality coming out of my stereo. I find it very curious that there are not more complaints of poor sound quality in these reviews. I am streaming MP3's with a bit rate of 256 - 320kbps. My soundbridge is connected to my library wirelessly via my linksys router, and to my stereo by optical connection. Maybe a Cat 5 connection would improve the quality? I don't know, as that is not an option for me at this time. So as of right now I am stuck with a sound quality that is totally unacceptable to me.
The internet radio has a wealth of choices as far a genre goes, but there again the sound quality (even at the highest bit rate) is totally unacceptable to me.
Another issue I've encountered is playing my WMA Lossless files. When I play those files the audio will frequently pause mid-song while the unit "rebuffers". Additionally, I cannot play my purchased wma lossless files that have DRM. This is irritating because I was under the impression that the soundbridge was the only player that could handle these files.
After three weeks of tweaking and troubleshooting and hours and hours on the Roku forum I have thrown up my hands and given up on the Soundbridge. My wife says we now have a very attractive $150.00 Digital Clock.
Since giving up on Roku, I've been playing my digital library through a USB connection on my OPPO which is connected to my receiver. Those same MP3's sound so much better. I guess I will just have to live without Internet Radio until something better comes along.
Customer Review: Potential for greatness - too bad it will never be updated
Summary: 3 Stars
I waited a couple weeks to write this review because I was at the same time working out issues with my music server (see my review of the DNS-321). I also tried playback from my computer via an Airport Express. Finally, as one other reviewer mentioned, found that 128-bit AAC encoding did not cut it when played back via a high-res setup.
Pros:
1. Very easy to set up and use
2. Great sound when played via coax output to a good DAC
3. Good integration with Firefly (Roku collaborated on firefly and says it is the preferred music server for the Soundbridge)
4. Nice small footprint, pretty inconspicuous on the shelf
5. Was very easy to program my Harmony 880 to control
6. Open control protocol - they publish a protocol manual, and if you want can control it at a very low level via telnet, but what this does is make it possible for 3rd parties to write controller software. The best I have found so far is freeware VirtualRM.
Cons:
1. User interface is pretty clunky, and while there are some freeware alternatives to control it via my computer, even those are pretty limited and *pale* in comparison with iTunes (not being critical of the freeware authors - they aren't spending millions in R&D!!!).
2. No cover art (although at this price point that would be a lot to expect).
3. Wireless is useless for high resolution formats like Apple Lossless or FLAC (although I may try again now that I have firefly running native on my DNS-321, as their iTunes server turned out to be quite slow).
4. Will not play formats with resolution greater than 16/44.1 - even via digital out, Roku confirmed that it will not play 24/96kHz even though my DAC will accept it. Too bad - there are some great downloads out there in the higher res format. Firefly will transcode a FLAC file to .wav and if it is higher res will dither it down to 16 bits, so it is possible but not via the Roku out of the box.
Comparing playback from iTunes via Airport Express connected to my DAC via Toslink to playback off my NAS via the Roku into the same DAC via true 75 ohm coax is night and day. I actually could not listen to the music via Airport Express anymore, it was comparatively like fingernails on a blackboard.
I am also bummed to learn that this is the end of the line for this device and that I bought something the manufacturer is not investing in anymore. n Oh well, at the price its still the best networked playback head I can find.
Customer Review: Awesome bang for the buck
Summary: 4 Stars
I was waffling between this and a Logitech Slim device. The price point won me over, and it's been a good addition to my home theater. I tried using both the Slim Server compatibility mode, and the native Firefly Server. The Slim Server compatibility mode is quite lacking in both usability and user interface (the fonts are very small in that mode). The Firefly server works like a charm and is very easy to use. It also connects to my Mac's music shares as well. Browsing is intuitive, quick, and playback audio decode quality is excellent. In my rather WiFi saturated apartment complex, I did find that it works better with a wired connection rather than the wireless one but I don't blame the device for that. Having over 20 wireless networks available makes using WiFi tricky for even the best devices.
The only cons I can report come from the Internet Radio mode. The first is configuring stations, which was non-trivial to figure out. It's possible that using the bundled radio discovery software on Windows makes this much simpler, but I don't listen to Internet radio on my Windows systems and didn't have any of the supported players installed. Some digging showed that there is a web server on the device for configuration, and from that interface you can add names and URLs of preset stations. That solved most of my problems, since I have a subscription to di.fm and that requires the use of custom URLs to get the better quality feeds. The only issue is somewhat frequently the playback from internet stations (especially higher bitrate ones, like the di.fm subscription channels) will pause and re-buffer. I don't believe this is a network issue, as none of the computers I use for playback (like my Mac with iTunes) exhibit this problem. I had hoped that the M1001 would have a configuration option to increase the Internet Radio buffer size, but it does not.
Overall, the device fills 95% of the audio playback needs I had for my home theater: the device is pleasing to look at, the Internet syncronized clock in stand-by mode is very useful, playing audio files and streams from my network without requiring the use of the TV (unlike my SageTV HTPC), and being significantly cheaper than the Slim Devices alternatives. The somewhat regular pauses for a few seconds while in Internet Radio mode for re-buffering are not overly annoying (and a software update fro Roku could easily fix that). I'd recommend the M1001 as an excellent alternative to the Slim Devices players for the price.