Update: After two years, my SoundBridge radio began to die with a constant crackling of static, regardless of volume setting.Apparently, I am not the only customer to experience this problem, but the warranty coverage is one year, regardless.That is a disappointment, because this product is not cheap.I know that things break, but when a problem is common, it is a design flaw and I hope for manufacturers to take better care of their customers.So, I am not changing my rating - it was a great product while it lasted - but two years of life from a $300 product is not good enough for me to buy another, even at the low, low RMA price of $200.Original review:
I have wished for a radio that could play Internet radio stations ever since stations began to stream on-line.Sure, I can use my computer, but I hate to leave the noisy, power-sucking thing on 24 hours a day.Over the last couple years, a few devices have popped up that could play Internet radio, but that lacked the ability to tune in regular AM and FM radio.At long last, the SoundBridge Radio has arrived with the ability to play both Internet and regular radio.
The SoundBridge is great.It is the best thing of any kind that I have purchased in several years.That said, it is not perfect.
Internet Radio
The SoundBridge delivers Internet radio every bit as well as a computer.Once you have your favorite stations programmed in, it is easy to switch between them - just press the preset button and you're streaming.
The downside is that it is a bit laborious to enter those stations.To add new stations to the presets, you need to log in to the web interface of the radio, using your web browser.No big deal if you are computer savvy, but it would be nice if there were a way to program the presets from the radio itself.
AM/FM Radio
The SoundBridge closed the deal with me just by offering regular AM and FM radio in addition to Internet radio.This was a feature I required and SoundBridge Radio delivers.
However, that is as much praise as I will give it for the standard radio features.There are several annoyances.You cannot scan stations manually.To select a station, you must select it from a list.A tuning dial would be much, much more useful.The reception is poor.This is probably due to the internal AC power supply.Don't expect to pick up weak, remote stations with the SoundBridge.
The radio does provide AM and FM antenna ports, so you can improve on the poor reception by adding a quality antenna.
Radio Controls
There are four ways to control the radio - the physical controls, the remote control, the web interface, and the command line interface.This provides a great degree of flexibility if you are willing to learn them all.It could also be confusing.
The biggest problem with the SoundBridge Radio is that each of these four control sets works differently and does not allow you to control the full set of features.If I had designed the SoundBridge Radio, I would have made sure you could manipulate every feature from every interface.Sadly, this is not the case.
The physical radio controls allow you to do almost everything you will need to do once the wireless network is set up and your presets are programmed.However, you need to use the remote control for setup.
The web interface allows only very basic control of the radio, but is necessary for manipulating presets.You can program the presets for Internet radio stations simply by pasting in the URL.
The command line interface can be accessed by Telnet.I have only done basic tinkering, but it appears you can control most of the radio functions from the command line.You can also do interesting things, such as rewriting the radio display.
Sound
The sound is fine.You're listening to the radio - how good do you expect it to be?Voices are clear and well balanced.Music sounds fine, though a bit heavy on the bass for my tastes.If you crank the volume while playing music, you will overload the speakers - they aren't very big.This is a table-top radio.You probably won't be blowing the windows out with your clock radio and you won't be with the SoundBridge either.I have no complaints.If you want better sound, there is a port for headphones.
Security?
The SoundBridge Radio is a computer, running Linux - it just looks like a Radio.It checks in regularly with Roku for software updates, but you should think of this little box as a computer before you plug it in to your network.I haven't tried to hack it, but just about any computer can be hacked if you try hard enough.You wouldn't connect your PC to the Internet without some kind of firewall and I wouldn't recommend that you connect the SoundBridge Radio to the Internet without some protection of its own.
Overall
I have been using the SoundBridge Radio for a week.I love it.Sure, there are a number of annoyances in the design, but they are far outweighed by the positives.
Most of the irritations come during setup.Once you have the radio set up, you just punch your presets and listen to the radio.
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Product Description:
SoundBridge Radio is a complete Wi-Fi Music System that brings the world of Internet radio to every room of the house in rich, clear, stereo sound. Combining all of SoundBridge's advanced digital music streaming functionality with incredible-sounding stereo speakers, subwoofer, AM/FM radio and alarm clock, SoundBridge Radio takes today's tabletop radio to the next level in audio power and ease of use. Access all your music using simple and familiar radio controls. A few buttons for presets, scan, and source select make digital music easily accessible.
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