Logitech what have you done?

I have commented before that my all time favourite gadget is the Logitech Squeezebox 3 or Classic as it is also known.

Basically it’s a networked media player that connects to your hi fi and allows you to stream music from a server or from Logitech’s cloud based radio service.

The software on the server used to be called Squeezecenter then Squeezebox Server but has only relatively recently become Logitech Media Server and in my case it resides on a 4 disk raid 5 QNAP TS-419P.

The Squeezebox range of players really has only one serious competitor – Sonos – which is quite a bit more expensive and quirky in some ways.

The Squeezebox has been around for 10 years or so and is a big favourite with audiophiles due to its high res reproduction and the range of file formats it supports. It is also tremendously user friendly with really quick scrolling through menus to make it really easy to find music you want to play and construct playlists.

Control of the Squeezebox can be achieved via its infrared remote control, a Squeezebox controller, a web interface to the server or via an iPhone/iPad app.

It is far superior to any DLNA/uPnP device in this respect. In short although not cheap it is a market leader. So why have Logitech in their infinite wisdom discontinued the range? I can’t come up with a good reason.

Instead of dropping the range they should be continuing it but adding support for the many new cloud based music services springing up e.g. Amazon Cloud Player and giving it a much needed marketing push. If anything the Squeezebox’s unique features have been hidden to all but those already in the know.

Logitech have a winner on their hands but quite simply haven’t pushed it hard enough. The hardware styling is timeless and the usability is far superior to all its rivals.

I shall have to buy another before they disappear off the shelves in case any of mine give up the ghost. I have too much time invested in the system to replace it and even if I wanted to what would I replace it with? Answers on a postcard please.