Not too long ago, you could measure a person's love for music by the square footage of their CD shelf space. Today, however, an audiophile's passion may be hidden away on a hard drive. And though that drive may be physically less accessible than a shelf in your favorite listening room, its contents are actually more accessible for distribution.
Taking advantage of this new reality, Logitech has devised the Logitech Wireless DJ Music System. In contrast to fancier music streaming systems (three of which we tested in July; see “Shootout: Three Wireless Multiroom Music Systems” at soundandvisionmag.com), Logitech engineers went with a far simpler approach to hold the price down to an affordable $250. The question is: At a fraction of the cost of other systems, does the DJ get the job done?
SETUP It's easy to run a wire from your PC to your stereo and set up a playlist on the PC. For the DJ to make sense as a product, its setup and operation have to be almost as straightforward. Fortunately, they are.
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The Short Form
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| Price $250 / logitech.com / 702-269-3457 |
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Snapshot
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| An affordable and easy-to-use — if somewhat limited — system to stream music wirelessly from your PC to your entertainment system, controlled from the palm of your hand. |
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Plus
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•Easy to set up and operate •Interference-free transmission •Good transmission range •Excellent user interface from wireless remote •No existing wireless network required •Streams iTunes and MS Playsforsure downloads |
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Minus
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•Limited to four receivers and one stream •Not compatible with Mac OS |
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Key Features
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•2.4-GHz Bluetooth transmitter with 150-foot range •Bluetooth receiver/docking station •Handheld rechargeable remote with LCD •StreamPoint software for Windows XP •Plays MP3, AAC, WMA, Internet radio, podcasts •Compatible with iTunes, Windows Media Player, MusicMatch, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Music Unlimited, and other players •Aggregates playlists from ITunes, Windows Media Player, and MusicMatch •Transmitter input: USB •Receiver outputs: Analog stereo RCA; 3.5 mm minijack |
The system has three pieces. First I plugged the Bluetooth transmitter, which wirelessly conveys audio data, into a USB port on my PC. The transmitter is powered via its supplied 5-foot USB cable, and it's advisable to use that full length to position it away from the PC. (Computers are cesspools of RF junk, so this helps prevent interference spewed by the PC from disrupting the transmitter's signal.) Very conveniently, the installation software detected the transmitter's presence as soon as I plugged it in.
Next, I connected the receiver/docking station, which doubles as a stand and charger for the remote, to my playback system via an RCA cable. Powered from a supplied AC adapter, the docking station receives the streaming music data from the transmitter and outputs an analog stereo audio signal. The supplied RCA cable is 5 feet, though you could use a longer one; in any case, the docking station should be placed near the playback system. Alternatively, there's a minijack for plugging in powered multimedia speakers.
Finally, I turned on the wireless remote control. The installation software noted its presence, and I was done. No other home networking is needed. Total installation time was less than 10 minutes.
Incidentally, the DJ system can support as many as four wireless receivers in different rooms — probably enough for most homes, but a limitation for some (additional receivers are available for $80 at logitech.com). Another limitation: Although you can use the remote to select which room music will play in, you can stream to only one room at a time. And of course, you'll need to have your PC booted-up whenever you're using the system.
PERFORMANCE Now ready to start streaming, I focused my attention on the rechargeable wireless remote. This wand has a truly sleek design that feels comfortable in the hand, with an attractive blue backlit LCD, scroll wheel, and a minimal number of buttons that keep things simple, including some large, readily accessible transport keys right in the middle. The remote really makes it easy to navigate your PC's music collection. The main menu shows My Music, Internet Radio, and other PC sources such as Podcasts. From the My Music menu, for example, I could select by artist, playlist, genres, albums, or songs. I particularly liked the DJ List of songs currently selected for playback; using the DJ List Add button to the lower left of the scroll wheel, I could put more songs or albums into the queue without interrupting the music — a great feature for parties. Of course, I could also control volume and mute from the remote.
The range for the Bluetooth transmitter, operating at 2.4 GHz, is advertised as about 150 feet, though in my house I got about 100 feet of reliable reception. Sound quality of the music signal was largely determined by the quality of the original file itself rather than the transmission path, which was stable and quiet. Listening tests with my extensive Pink Floyd PC music library completely confirmed that.
In short, if someone simply handed you the DJ Music remote, you might think it was a portable music player, because it operates exactly like one. But the DJ is more versatile: The system can stream MP3, iTunes (AAC), WMA, Internet radio, podcasts, and other types of audio. Moreover, it works with all kinds of popular media software, including iTunes, Windows Media Player, MusicMatch, and others, as well as with subscription services such as Rhapsody and Yahoo! Music Unlimited.
A decent number of StreamPoint screens are provided to let you access your music libraries, adjust remote parameters such as sleep-mode times, and more. For daily operation, though, you don't need to mess with these; StreamPoint mainly works in the background.
StreamPoint can automatically and continuously synchronize with music tracks and media applications. The remote will automatically see any newly created or downloaded music files and access them. Alternatively, you can perform updates manually. One caveat: Unlimited subscription services typically let you either stream music or download it. To synchronize the remote to these services, such as Rhapsody, you must first download the tracks to your Rhapsody library (as opposed to streaming them) so that StreamPoint can include them in its library. On the other hand, the remote can directly access purely streaming sources such as Internet radio stations and podcasts, browsed via applications such as iTunes or Windows Media Player; the station or podcast will appear on the display like any other audio source. If you use other software, such as Juice, to download podcasts, that works just fine with the remote too.
The best part about StreamPoint, and the DJ system in general, is that it simply leveraged all the infrastructure, files, and settings already on my PC; I didn't have to reinvent it all to run separately on the DJ. As I said at the onset, it's almost as easy as just plugging in a wire.
BOTTOM LINE According to research from Parks Associates, 40% of homes with Internet connections play music on their PCs, and 33% play Internet streams. Only 10% play music from their PCs through their primary audio entertainment system, however. My question is, with spiffy technology like the Logitech Wireless DJ Music System, what are 90% of you waiting for?
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