Squeezer 1.5.1 App on Android 8

[bikerhifinut]

Well the lad had a play on the old desktop PC and got the SB connected through the network so its functioning as a streamer into the DAC. We had a bit of bother getting the android controller going but its working.Its very clunky though, but I find all these modern file type media devices are very strange. why they cant just index the albums as if they were physically on the shelves so to speak beats me. I really do not like having to pick my way through thousands of "Songs" just to get a music programme going. Things like classical pieces that really only make sense by playing them in order rather than having to jump about and trying to force the order.
Yeah I know I'm a dinosaur...………………… I think theres probably refinements I can get on the system, somebody out there has done it.
I still think the concept of the Squeezebox is very good, and the actual build quality of a SB touch feels of a high standard. Even its own Built in DAC is perfectly adequate for most non critical listening such as the BBC MP3 internet feeds and if I am accessing a compressed music library for background listening.
I confess my preferred media are still Lps! Followed by Good old CD, which for all its vaunted limitations of quality, I feel is maligned as much like LP, its only as the medium is being forced in a way to be obsolete that the hardware designers and serious manufacturers find ways to extract a really pleasurable musical experience from what is at least a relatively uncompressed medium.
I am sure others will disagree, but so far my experience with hi res audio hasn't been all that revelatory and I find the relative convenience! of just dropping a CD into the player and pressing start to be so much easier, and fortunately I have space for a physical music library.

A.

[Richard]

Good to hear that Andy.

You definitely should have no problem selecting and playing an album or track almost the same as you'd choose the music from a CD on the shelf,

As you suspect there are a couple of settings that help it work like a CD player and a couple of nuances of control too which aren't immediately obvious.

There are different ways to get to a track but I too am used to choosing as if I was using a CD player or LP player. After using the app for a few years this is how I do it. It looks a lot of tapping to remember but it's actually quite logical like going to the shelf and choosing the song from a CD.


Firstly, the 2 settings are set by tapping the 3 dots top right of the screen to open the menu;

then tap "Settings",

scroll down to "Squeezer interface",

tap "Album select action" and choose "Play"

tap "Song select action" and choose "Play"



Now use Squeezer from the home screen which is as far back as the bottom left arrow will let you take the menus before it closes the app. You can always get back to that home screen by repeatedly tapping the back arrow. If it closes the app you've gone too far so just open it again...

that menu shows Artists, Albums, Songs etc in descending order,

tap "Artists",

scroll down to find the one you want,

tap the artist's name which will show all their albums,


(now a nuance!);

tap the album name and it will play the album straight off like a cd player,

or,

tap the small arrow to the right and it will open a menu for the album,

tap "Browse songs",

(then, another nuance);

tap the song name and it will play that song,

or,

tap the small arrow to the right and it will open another menu for the song,

tap "Play from here" and it will play the album from that point onwards just like a cd player.

From using it that way you can see the basics of the logic and wade in from Albums or Songs etc as suits you instead

[bikerhifinut]

I confess that I have given up on the squeezebox as a dead loss.
Its ok as an interim source of internet radio but as the BBC have done the dirty and made their Hi res R3 feed inaccessible to the device and I am not sure what devices can receive their output, short of having a computer in the way, which I personally don't want, then its only possible now to get R3 on 128k MP3 online.
The android phone app is a complete waste of time on my relatively inexpensive Motorola smartphone, its clunky and clumsy...………. yuck.
I figure if I ever do go on to some sort of server based Audio I will probably look at some sort of dedicated audio source to feed a digital signal into the DAC.
I can't receive FM stereo at any sort of decent strength here despite being only 10 miles as the crow flies from the transmitter, the valley sides effectively block Radio, its the same reason we have a limited Freeview reception as the local repeater carries a very limited selection of programming and again the signal strength is feeble.
So these days radio is supplied via Freesat and fed to the DAC, I think its 320kbs MP3 but I haven't found a definitive confirmation on that.
So its back to CD and LP and the TV for radio reception.
A pity but there it is.
A.

[Richard]

Hi Andy,

You’ve probably noticed this app is now V2.0.0 as of a couple of weeks ago and many of my earlier comments in this thread will not apply. I too find the new version clunky with tiles instead of lists when an artist is selected. “Play from here” also seems to be missing.

That said, after an evening I got used to it and it seems stable and perhaps easier for some to negotiate.

My set up is also a mid-price Motorola phone on the same wifi network with a PC running Logitech Media Server software, 2 SBT into DACS, and a SB Boom in the kitchen. All works well for internet radio and FLAC CD rips from the server PC.

I find and connect radio stations using search, which gives an http connection, rather than going via my squeezebox.com.

Sorry to hear about your location problem. Yes FM is noticeably better than the internet stations imho. Last night I compared Classic FM on Squeezebox with Arcam IRDAC against the Quad FM4 with a decent aerial and the latter is noticeably more open and realistic sounding.

Checking internet radio stations, 4, 6, and Classic were all showing 128 MP3 which seems a waste of technology and a disaster for progress if FM is ever switched off.

[Richard]

Well it's now version 2.0.1 already so I had another look around and like it very much.

The data stream can be checked in "More info" so checked a few radio stations and got a few surprises,

BBC Radio 2 … MP3 128kbps CBR

BBC Radio 3 … AAC 320kbps CBR 48.0kHz

BBC Radio 4 … MP3 128kbps CBR

BBC Radio 6 … MP3 128kbps CBR

BBC Radio Nottingham … MP3 128kbps CBR

Classic FM … MP3 128kbps CBR

Radio Paradise … AAC 320kbps CBR 44.1kHz

Smooth Radio … AAC 48kbps CBR 44.1kHz

CD rip … FLAC 993kbps VBR 44.1 kHz


Noticeably good was Radio 3, on studio discussion and music later on, music and voice very clear laid upon a black background. Surprisingly good was Smooth and I listened to half a dozen or more old favourites without feeling I was missing out on the many bits that must have been discarded.


Overall very positive

[Greg.]

Yes, Richard, it would be good for the BBC to upgrade their output to flac standard. Shouldn’t be that difficult when so many others manage to do it without the benefit of the funding they have at their disposal. Which leads me on to say that although I don’t know the capability of squeezebox, Radio Paradise is now available in flac (lossless) for all their four streams of Main mix, Eclectic mix, Mellow mix and Rock mix. It really is a fantastic mainly interference (no advertising) free service with all streams playing music I like to listen to. I like it so much, I give a voluntary monthly subscription to help them keep going. Possibly the best online music radio service out there at the moment, obviously IMHO.

https://radioparadise.com/home

[Richard]

Many thanks for the link Greg. I didn't even realise there was more than one feed from Paradise and will see if I can get any of them on SBT and report back

One problem with hi res for broadcasters I suppose will be drop-out given that many of their listeners are on kitchen radios or in the car. I was amazed how good Smooth was on 48kbps AAC. Yes lacking on a full hi-fi but probably not noticable on a portable or in the car. Radio 3 was stunning and would be a good standard to hope for as equipment and storage improves.

[Richard]

Well, I found the other Paradise stations on AAC and very good they are too! I had a listen to the Flac streams on the computer but found the lack of meta tags (artist, album, track) and cover art a bigger loss than I imagined as there is no presenter introducing the tracks so it's an anonomous stream. As much of the attraction of radio is finding new music I haven't tried further to get Flac going on the SBT and will enjoy the AAC feeds until things change

[Greg.]

Yes, the lack of metadata on the flac streams is a bit of a PITA. However, if you go to the RP home page at the same time you are streaming their music, it correspondingly provides ‘playing now’ metadata which is helpful. I’m sure they will fix this at some point.

[Richard]

Yes, found it here, https://radioparadise.com/music/now-.../rp-mellow-mix thanks Greg