After accumulating (way too many) CDs since 1987, I’m making the move to converting my collection to digital. The prices of external hard drives have decreased to the point that it makes sense to rip my CDs to a lossless format, and the truth is, while I’m a big fan of liner notes and artwork, I’ve had it with CD storage. And moving the collection is nothing short of a horror show nightmare.
The major problem with digital music for me has been playing my music at home. I’ve been using the Airport Express to wirelessly stream my digital collection to my receiver, which is a huge step up from listening to digital music on tinny computer speakers, but even then it’s still inconvenient to have to control my music selection from my computer using iTunes.
The Slimbox Duet solves this problem for me. The Duet is a two-part (hence the name) digital music solution consisting of a receiver, and the thing that really makes this product special, the remote control device. Modeled after the iPod interface (but with a slightly less responsive scroll wheel), the remote control component hooks up to the digital music library on my external hard drive, allowing me to stream anything from my collection to my home stereo – without getting up from the couch. Also, the system is compatible with streaming radio services like Pandora, Rhapsody, podcasts, and other online resources like the incredible live music archive found at www.archive.org. I’ve had the duet set up for a week, and it’s like a whole new world to me.
While the Slimbox can play virtually all audio formats, it cannot play DRM files – including almost anything purchased on iTunes (which uses Fair Play DRM). All the more reason to purchase from DRM-free online retailers like Amazon, eMusic, or the new Napster mp3 store!
