Logitech Touch vs Duet

A couple more things about the Touch. (and why I'm getting one).

1) It can be used as a stand-alone music server. It has an onboard crippled version of the Squeeze software, and with the use of some USB external hard drives, can play music and display artwork without having to have a computer turned on in the house.

2) The USB connection also lets you play MP3's or other music off a USB memory stick, if that's your thing.

3) The internal DAC is purported to be quite good. Good enough for most people (non-audiophiles) to use without an external DAC. I plan to use mine in a vacation home system, so these are all big advantages for me.

YMMV

The Duet is not any better then when it was introduced. You have to be in close proximity of the receiver to get a steady stream of audio. "Buffering" issues are common i.e. songs pause while the stream catches up. If a microwave is 30 ft within the receiver the signal is interrupted when the microwave is on. Not necessarily a Logitech issue but an issue nevertheless. Battery life on the Duet controller is poor. Charges dont last more than 24 hours and get worse the life of the product. Replacement batteries cost $30 dollars! The controller has a short life expectancy (mine died within 2 years of light use.) Creating playlists with the duet on the controller is impossible. Users should be somewhat tech savvy to use with any success. The plugin's dont really work well and I recommend you not install any to increase the chances of success/enjoyment. Setup is not plug and play. Not all routers work well with the system. Navigation i.e. the iPod like "wheel" is horrible especially if you have 1000's of records to wade thru. Fonts are small and hard to read if you are older. The list goes on....

In short the Squeezebox Duet was/is a disaster BUT I muddle with it mainly because I listen to vinyl 95% of the time.

The Touch, with my Duet experiences - I would never buy - and have to agree with the previous poster that Logitech drove Slim Devices into the ground.

Due to the distance between my MW Transporter and listening chair, I bought a Duet only to use as a remote. I like having my music collection at my finger tips. For me it was just plug and play without any issues. Got a great deal from Crutchfield and have been very please with the purchase.

For a slightly different take, I have several Slimdevices. I currently have a Touch, a SB3 and a Radio. I owned a Duet (and still have the Controller and use it with the other players). I also auditioned a Transporter some years back. (The reason the Transporter is going out of production is the display modules used are no longer made.)

I've not had any particular connectivity issues with any of the devices. Early on the Duet firmware was a bit flakey but subsequent versions solved those issues for me.

The Touch has had some growing pains as they've fine tuned the firmware but the Touch is a more complex device with its internal server than their earlier models.

I did not buy the Touch for either the display or the touch screen capability. I bought it because the sound quality is so good that I was able to sell my external DAC (a Lavry DA-10). I moved my SB3 to my second system, sold the Duet Receiver, and use the Touch in my main system. I've been very pleased the the results.

The one item I can't comment on is the use of the Touch as a stand-alone server. Out of curiosity I experimented with that right after I received the Touch and had problems scanning the drive. However, my original intention was to continue using my external Linux server so haven't since bothered to try the USB drive directly to the Touch even though we're a couple of firmware updates down the road.

I'd recommend the Touch. There are some apps for wireless handhelds that make for a sophisticated remote if you want something fancier than the included Touch remote and don't want to buy a Duet Controller by itself.

Another advantage not yet mentioned is that the Touch will decode 24/96 files. This is the reason I waited for the Touch to be released. I've only had it for a week but playing music from a USB thumb drive works fine. I don't have a USB hard drive so I can't try that. Sound quality is pretty darn good - even Pandora and Slacker at 128k!

Dick