An Open Letter to Squeezebox Fans

Hello Squeezebox Fans,

I’m Ariel, director of products for Logitech UE, and I’d like to take a moment to provide some additional explanation about our transition from Logitech Squeezebox to Logitech UE Smart Radio.

First, we want you to know that Logitech values you, and we will actively support the service in its current form, so you can continue to enjoy the Squeezebox experience you love.

All of you who own a Logitech Squeezebox Radio will have the option to upgrade to the Logitech UE Smart Radio platform, and take advantage of the new and improved software and mobile apps. This upgrade is completely optional, and those that don’t want to alter their Logitech Squeezebox experience will not be required to. If you are a mixed Squeezebox household, I wanted to make sure you knew that while the Logitech UE Smart Radio can play alongside existing Logitech Squeezebox products, it will operate and be controlled separately.

Also, we will continue to provide troubleshooting and support for Logitech Squeezebox users at http://www.logitech.com/support/speakers-audio. The current mysqueezebox.com website and Squeezebox Controller Mobile App will continue to work with existing Logitech Squeezebox devices.  The new uesmartradio.com website and Logitech UE Smart Radio Controller App is designed for Logitech UE Smart Radios, as well as those who upgrade from a Logitech Squeezebox Radio.

If you have additional questions we encourage you to visit the Logitech forums and pose the question there.  We actively monitor this site and respond to questions as they arise there.

We appreciate your passion for this platform, and hope you continue to love Squeezebox.   We are hopeful that once people experience the Logitech UE Smart Radio for themselves, they will love it as much as you love your Squeezebox.

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131 comments

  • Thank you so much for that clarification. It does relieve the concerns that I had about our music investment and the prospects of possibly losing the Squeezebox ecosystem in the future.i had faith that LOGITECH would indeed do the right thing and they would act in a professional, ethical, respectful and fair manner toward their loyal customers. Yes, I value my Squeezebox ecosystem VERY much and now that you confirm that it will be here for good is very reassuring! Thank you.

  • I just hope Logitech demonstrates its appreciation for Squeezebox fans’ passion by releasing some products that interest those of us who bought the Touch, Duet and Classic. A rebranded Radio by itself won’t cut it.

    • I cannot comment on our future product roadmap, but we do have some new products coming up that we think are compelling.

      I did want to clairfy that the Logitech UE Smart Radio is more than “…a rebranded Radio.” We have redesigned the software to deliver a new experience that is easier to set up and navigate thanks to companion mobile apps.

  • Ok ,but this was not that much actual,information ?

    The future of mysqueezebox.com will it be running a limited time ? In that case when does it shut down ? Or will you run the service as long as there are active squeezeboxes ?

    And there are evidence that the actual maintanance is failing contrary to what you say ?

    And I think you have made a big mistake by dumbing down the product, you had an unique niche where there was noting like the squeezeboxes all competition had fatal disadvantages so now the “music enthusiast ” customer with a large personal file collection have nowhere to go ? Sonos is not an option UE-Radio is not an option even a future UE-Touch would not be an option due the fatal flaws in UE platform like that Internet conection is needed to play local files .

    The failure of,the squeezebox IMHO was due to no proper marketing and lack of development resources for proper bugfixng development and maintance. you could easilly sold 10 times more of them even if the product was a “niche product” and did not appeal to everyone .

    So now you abandon a niche where you practically had monopoly and hope to gain more mass market traction ?

    That is not going to happen the UE-Radio is to expensive and competes with all those generic Internet radios and iPod dock and andriod systems etc , you made an ” me too ” product.

    The unique way of handling your own music at home was what made me buy squeezeboxes in the first place .

    And for the streaming service wether it is mysqueezebox.com or uesmartradio you got to get the fact there happening things all the time in that market .
    The experience from mysqueezebox.com service was that it took a very very long time for new services to emerge or that services are broken for months and that it actually takes months or years of user complaints before any resources diverted to fix an issue ? And the implementing of service was done in a hurry and could be better ( like your spotify solution )
    There is no continius testing that every advertised functionality is up and running ?

    • To answer your first question, we actively plan to support mysqueezebox.com for the foreseeable future – we currently have no plans to stop supporting it.

      As to bug fixes, I want to reiterate that we plan to maintain the service in its current form. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that we’ll fix every bug that is reported, but we will continue to monitor bug reports and will assess them on a case by case basis. As one example of the type of fixes you can expect from us moving forward, we very recently fixed a bug on the Squeezebox platform that was stopping Pandora playback for some users.

      As to the rest of your comment, we appreciate you sharing your opinion with us. We understand that the Logitech UE Smart Radio focuses on a different music listening behavior than what advanced Squeezebox users would do.

  • Thank you, Ariel, for the note and the time taken to produce same.
    As I got into Squeezebox in it’s twilight, and added a radio, a touch and a boom in quick succession, I am possibly irreconcilably disposed against purchasing another Logitech product (of any variety) again due to the way in which squeezebox has been handled.
    I have learned so much about this wonderful product and its ‘subparticles’ from the ‘unofficial’ forum, so I will demur the suggestion re the logi forum and remain there.
    May I also add that the migration to UE, does not feel like an ‘upgrade’ as you refer to it. It seems like a retrograde step with the removal of so many features. The fact that an internet connection is required to play local music is both bizarre and plan stupid. The identification of the mobile, smartphone user is percipient, but most users are both mobile and homebound and are savvy enough to accept that without a good audio setup, such as that availabe from the touch’s digi and analogue outs, music on the go is always going to be a poor second place.

    I wish you and Logitech well with this current venture. I believe, personally, that it’s a poor move, but as I now press play on my wonderful Squeezebox touch and hear the family of products come to life with the wonderful opening bars of ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, I’m glad our paths crossed, even if it was brief.

    Jools

  • It would also be very valuable to get a smooth migration path from other legacy products like the Touch or the Receiver, at best by providing firmware upgrades for these products as well or at least by providing multi-room interoperability.

    Thanks for listening to the Squeezebox community.

  • I have 3 Squeezebox Booms. If I want to upgrade to the new UE Smart Radio platform, how do I proceed?

    • We will only be offering an upgrade path for the Squeezebox Radio. We will not be offering updates to the Logitech UE Smart Radio software for any other Squeezebox hardware.

  • Ok so my more lengthy comment dissipated in to thin air ,lets try again .

    “actively support the service in its current form,”

    We have in reality have some streaming services broken for >6 months and some more anomalies are creeping in , that would be an improvement if it were to be “actively suported” again, start to implement fixes to mysqueezebox.com and we believe you .
    Only real action can yet again install confidence in your users .

    A timeframe for mysqueezebox.com please :
    1 . X years ?
    2. Indefinetely ?
    3. Untill there is only a few alive squeezeboxes left ?

    Then we have the LMS software, what is the nature and longivety of bugfixes to be expected ?
    Will you adapt to OS changes over time ( and again a timeframe ) .

    It is understood that new feaures are not to be expected ,but what about longstanding bugs in the advertised functionality of BS/LMS ?

    Re the new UE offering it does not compare at all with squeezeboxes .

    The most fatal flaw is that it needs internet even to play your own files ? no product can have such flaw if it gets widely known you sell about 3 of them in total 🙂
    (there are more but letts keep it short )

    Thanks for taking the time to communicate something even if it did not contain much real information at all

  • Thanks for the update, we’ve all been wondering! I own 4 and planned to test the upgrade on 1 before doing anything different. When will that be coming?

    Thanks again!

    • We will be offering the upgrade this fall. It will come along with an explanation for current Squeezebox Radio users to help understand the change in experience. As you own 4 Radios I can understand that you want to try it first on one. Keep watching the forum and our blog for additional information. As said in my letter, it will be an optional upgrade.

    • The upgrade itself is completely optional. When we make the software available we will post it along with detailed instructions on the process to our forum. After reviewing the information, you can decide if the upgrade is what you want.

  • Thanks for the update. I do enjoy my Squeezebox Boom, but would be interested in what the upgrade process to UE radio involves for current owners. Thanks…

    • Hi David, sorry for the delay. You can upgrade to the Logitech UE Smart Radio experience through a software upgrade that will be available in the coming months.

  • I do not care Squeezebox Radio, touch is still number 1 and must never, never removed from production.

    If Squeezebox Touch die, so has lost me as a customer, and I never buy Logitech more …

  • I echo Rene’s comment. I have got a Touch, 2 Booms, a Squeezebox 3 and 2 Controllers and I was looking into expanding this. At the same time I recommended the Squeezebox system to many friends who were likewise convinced of it’s ease of use, functionality and obviously the great sound. I feel very disappointed that Logitech has come to the decission to support mobile devices more than an audiophile group of customers. I also do not see the new Radio as an improvement but rather as an old device with a new name and limited capability and it really makes me wonder what has actually brought you to the decission to stop the Squeezebox group of products. As it was said before – if Logitech is deciding to let the line die instead of taking it forward I will never buy any of your products again and my positive feedback to friends will die with it…Good luck on your mobile journey. A very disappointed friend of the Squeezebox.

  • I also agree with Rene on that without a Touch(SB3)-like-stereo device , LOGITECH would not have a complete system product. Also, a Boom that could be synced would complete the package. Any chance for an SB3-like device? Or a Boom?

    • Unfortunately, I cannot comment on our planned future roadmap, so I won’t be able to answer your questions directly.

  • I am a very long time squeezebox customer as I have a Transporter, 3 touches and a radio. Am I to understand that you are never going to shut down mysqueezebox.com? As I have a significant investment that would be much appreciated .

    • I cannot make promises of forever — it would be disingenuous of me. I can say that we have no plans to stop supporting mysqueezebox.com.

  • Many thanks Ariel.

    I have been a users of the system before Logitech even owned the company when it was a small US outfit tying to bring wireless decent quality streaming to the home.

    Over the years since Logitech bought the company I have seen the audible quality of the products fall as lesser products were brought out and the removal of the audiophile Transporter which I also own has also been a shame.

    The result is now progress is being stopped, with the removal of this from open some forums it’s has stunted the product and killing it.

    I will continue to use the product buts fear as by Sling Boxes die due to age, I will no longer be able to purchase replacements.

    With that said, perhaps you can clarify if parts are available for items outside of warranty ?

    Please be warned Logitech’s refusal to progress development means that users are now stuck with the Apple ITunes offering and this is a real shame give us no better alternative which Logitech once was.

    Please reconsider the direction of this great product as not all of us want to listen to poor quality highly compressed radio !!!

  • All I can conclude looking at the new UE Radio is that I should have bought more Squeezeboxes so that Logitech would keep making them.

    Off to ebay for me.

  • Dear Ariel,

    I bought some squeezebox products during the last two years (2 radio, 1 touch and a duet). I thought that I can rely on logitech that it will develop new squeeze products, since the propritary protocol was a risk: no upnp support. And with the media server, I thought they will be a second generation of squeezebox devices. Now I realized that I have been screwed.
    Now that I know, that squeezebox is out of life, I wont buy logitech products anymore.

    Regards,

    Joschka

    • Hi Joschka –
      I am sorry you feel that way. As noted earlier, we will continue to support the Squeezebox experience you have come to enjoy so much. There is no requirement that you upgrade your Squeezebox Radios to the Logitech UE Smart Radio experience, and you can keep enjoying them as you always have.

  • As a custom integrator with many Squeezebox products in the field that we control via Crestron, I worry how this will affect both me and my clients. We have spend quitre a bit of money with purchasing modules that give us full control, as well as developing our own GUI to use with our Crestron touchpanels. Please do not tell us to just use apps that are native to Apple and Android. That is not an acceptable solution to both us and our clients.

  • I can only echo Rene’s comment. It’s a pity that Logitech has withdrawn its best product in terms of musical reproduction, and has failed to replace it with anything that comes close. Perhaps they were unaware of its capability or reputation. I certainly wouldn’t consider any of the new products as they simply aren’t capable of doing what I require. Guess I’ll have to go elsewhere in future.

  • The radio, both previously and as the UE product is of ZERO value to my music listening experience. While I have a variety of ways to play music “on the go,” none of them come even remotely close to the experience of sitting in my recliner in the sweet spot of my classic two channel stereo system (SB3 -> CA DACmagic -> NAD C160 pre -> 2 NAD C272 amps -> bi-amped Quad 22L2s). You no longer make a product that can provide the transport between my digital audio files and my stereo.

    All of my listening is to my own local collection since the bitrate limitations on most Internet sources degrades the sound quality beyond what I consider acceptable. I really don’t use mysqueezebox.com for anything as a result. If in the future you should actually create another product that might be of value to me, requiring an Internet connection to access my local media is going to be a dealbreaker. You really should listen to your customer base, particularly in the old slim devices forums where most of the meaningful discussion takes place. NO ONE thinks this is a good idea, much less a “feature.” I have installed SB3s for friends in rural areas with no access to reliable broadband service, expanding the customer base that you seem so intent on driving away.

  • It is so sad that Logitech has chosen to abandon one of the most innovative and technically successful product lines in the consumer audio realm. There has been a fundamental failure to position the Squeezebox products appropriately – the fact that sales of the Radio and Touch much exceeded expectations, but were then abandoned, speaks volumes to the fact of a fundamental lack of strategic marketing capability.

    That said, I will continue to value and use my SB devices. I have acquire spare Touches, Booms and a Controller. I can only hope that Logitech will not abandon its commitment to support these legacy devices and their online components.

    Thanks for your supportive words, but be aware that many many of us have been forced to take a position of skeptical cynicism. I hope that is not warranted.

    Ron

  • Just wanted to let you know that i bought my Squeeze box radio about one year ago, and I have been in love with it since. I have never had a product which just have all the functions I need, and when I think to myself “I wonder if it can do this thi…” yes it does 🙂 Hope you will continue to push out updates and maintain the already fantastic internet radio; the Squeezebox Radio.

  • I don’t think you realise what you’ve done… The SBT potencial for e-users, hi-fi lovers or hi-end spenders, is unlimited. You don’t have another product in the market like the SBT,
    Hi-Fi Choice magazine gave it the best in group award, with streamers 5x and 10x more expensive than the SBT.
    Probably the SBT this year will win the “Readers award” in What Hi-Fi magazine.
    Please explane to the costumers why you KILL a product that is doing so fine like the SBT. Other brands would kill to have such an award winning product like the SBT.

  • Hi,
    I understand that we can update a Squeezebox Radio to a UE_Smart Radio

    but if we don’t like the new system can we downgrade back to IInitial Squeezebox Radiio system ?

    • Yes. When we make the upgrade software available, we will also make available instructions to revert back to the previous software should you change your mind.

  • Was it something wrong with my previus two attempts to comunicate my opinoin ? other post are stacking up ,but mine are missing (awaiting moderation), contact me if some detail is considered problematic ?

  • The Touch has opened up the world of internet radio to me, and thousands of others in a away that no other device could hope to do. Hooked up to a decent amp and speakers the SBT was everything I wanted, Great interface, fast, ease of use, looks everything was perfect for me. Reading the hi-fi forums many other people would agree too. Do you realise what a GREAT GREAT product you are consigning to the history books? Astonishing decision.

    I will continue using mine until it dies.

    • We’re glad to hear how much you enjoy your Squeezebox Touch. As I’m sure you read, we will continue to support the Squeezebox experience as it exists today, so you can continue to use your Touch as you always have.

  • With the upgrade to UE are you still going to be working with vendors such as ReadyNAS to incorporate software into their products? I would be interested in upgrading to UE but I want to ensure that I can run it off of my ReadyNAS Ultra II that I bought for specifically using Squeezebox.

  • Ariel, thanks for the official information, I appreciate that Logitech takes the time to more officially inform their existing customers about the plans for Squeezebox.

    It’s great that you offer an upgrade path for the Squeezebox Radio users but I think what Squeezebox users are mostly worried about that makes them skeptical to upgrade to the new UE experience are:

    1. Inability to easily install third party plugins/applets on the UE Smart Radio system in similar way as they can do on the Squeezebox system. Opening up the UE system to third party developers in similar fashion as with Squeezebox would make a lot of existing Squeezebox users to dare upgrading, because then they would know that third party developers could add new features they need in case Logitech doesn’t feel such features are important to the general public. Currently the UE system feels as closed as other competing devices, even more closed actually, and this worries people a lot as they know Logitech have spent very few resources during last 2 years to add new features and with a closed system such scenario would be a catastrophe. Supporting third party add-ons is very popular today, it’s the main thing that makes the Apple and Android system as popular as they are.

    2. Inability to control their living room/listening room player with the same remote control as the other UE Smart Radio devices. An indication that an upgrade path is planned for the Squeezebox Touch or that Logitech is planing to release a similar product to the Squeezebox Touch under the UE brand is needed to make people believe that Logitech is really committed to make the UE system a audio system for the whole house and not just an internet radio for a single room. I realize you probably can’t expose any information about your future plans, but I still want to express this point because I think supporting whole house audio is the thing that is going to make people willing to start filling their houses with UE products. Without a player without build-in speakers in the UE system, the UE system is not much different than competing cheaper internet radios.

    3. The UE system dependency on a central cloud server worries a lot of Squeezebox users because they know how bad the central mysqueezebox.com server has worked from time to time in the Squeezebox system. I think it’s really important that you find some way to ensure people that the availability on the central cloud server in the UE system is going to be a lot better than mysqueezebox.com has been. The alternative would be to make the UE system work for local system without the cloud server.

    That being said, I really love the way the UE Smart Radio has removed the need to switch between different servers, being able to browse both my local music and online streaming services without switching back and forth between servers is an excellent improvement.

    My suggestion for the future, would be to try to find a way to make UE Smart Radio system attractive for Squeezebox users, so they want to upgrade, instead of trying to convince them that they can stay on the old Squeezebox system forever.

    I don’t want to stay in the past, I want to move on the future, but unfortunately the above three limitations make me a bit worried that Logitech might not be committed to make the new UE Smart Radio system fit my future needs.

    • Thanks Erland –
      We really appreciate the thoughtful feedback you’ve given. You’re right, I can’t comment on our future product roadmap, but I do appreciate the suggestions.

  • I have at one point had 6 squeezebox players, I use 2 now and gave 4 to my brother when we bought his first house, we designed the house entertainment system around the squeezeboxes. Powering the garage, the backyard, the living room as well as the home theater room.

    I do hope you make something like the Squeezebox Touch again, even it it’s going to be the new UE product. I would like to use the UE system, but I have my own stereo with no need for just a small radio. I would like to see something like the Squeezebox Touch in UE form/redesign. I currently subscribe to Mog and I love that experience in my home stereo. I hope the UE product line evolves to produce something as magnificent as the Squeezebox touch with an option to control everything with my android tablet like I do now.

    Thanks for the update, I appreciate the open communication regarding my concerns about mysqueezebox.com site.

    Also, great to see some innovation in the music players with this UE brand, I hope as I said more products come out of the UE line for people who just need to hook up to their existing stereos.

    Thanks so much.

  • I have been a Squeezebox user for a number of years and own 11 different Squeezebox players (SB3, Booms, Touch(s), Radios, Transporter). These are critical components of my whole house audio setup at two different homes. I chose SB for quality and flexibility (e.g., 3rd party plugins/apps) rather than price. I’ve considered network music players that are over 10 times the price and rejected them in favor of the SB ecosystem. And I’ve been a strong supporter (answering forum questions, etc.)

    Going forward, the key issues for me (ranked from most important as #1):

    1. A high quality player that has Analog & Digital out to feed a stereo system (UE TOUCH?)
    2. Ability to play LOCAL music files without any connection to the internet
    3. Ability to use 3rd party plugins/apps
    4. Ability to use UE to access my older players (SB3, Transporter, Booms, CONTROLLER) as well as newer players (Touch & Radio)
    5. Maintenance of mysqueezebox.com should #4 not be possible.

  • This is devastating news. I don’t understand why they would stop such an amazing product. I literally listen to 98% of all my music through my Touch. I can control it with my phone and tablet. The Android app Squeeze Commander is just amazing. It has been a Godsend and dream come true. I spent almost a year ripping my collection to FLAC and purchasing a NAS just b/c of the Touch product. All my friends have followed suit and also bought a Squeezebox Touch and begun streaming their collections. Why?! I don’t get it. I was always wondering what the followup to the Touch would be. I was going to be first in line to buy it. Now we find out nothing?! I pray my Touch never breaks. I don’t think there is any other product that is so EZ and produces audiophile results for such a small price. I’m truly upset and angry at this decision. Please reconsider. This device is too amazing to kill. At least consider a replacement device. Please.

  • We just want a new UE branded product that attaches to our home hifi systems like the Squeezebox Touch does.

    Why is that hard?

    If you deliver it, and it still works with popular music streaming services (e.g. MOG, Spotify, Pandora), then you retain all your loyal customers.

    If you don’t deliver it (soon) and the legacy products stop working, you will have alienated a slew of loyal customers who will never buy ANYTHING from Logitech again. And this is a promise. They will boycott Logitech. They will tell everyone they know about their bad experience.

  • For how long will there be support for the high resolution 24/96 Touch? Which services will continue?For how long will there be support? Which one’s won’t? One of the best pieces of Squeezebox services are the live conserts where I’ve found fantastic artists such as Arthur Lee Land.

  • ” . . . we will actively support the [Squeezebox] service in its current form, so you can continue to enjoy the Squeezebox experience you love.”

    Thank you for this assurance, Ariel.

    Can you please tell us more?

    What level of support will you offer and for how long?

    Will you ensure the software infrastructure for which you are responsible continues to function in Windows 8 and against other OS developments?

    Will you cooperate with the open source community to protect the Slim Devices Tradition and in due course deliver all code that you can into the public domain?

    Will there be any new hardware devices with the ability to exploit all the flexibilities of the Logitech Media Server, or will future UE devices be made backwardly compatible, maybe with an advanced switch in the menu system?

    Please understand how many music lovers with moderate or advanced computer skills have invested much cash and effort into using the Slim/Logitech devices; and how let down we feel by Logitech’s inability promote Squeezeboxes effectively against the likes of Apple’s streaming options, Sonus, or the even more expensive streamers from “Brand Name” HiFi manufacturers. The still-born Nexus streaming sphere illustrates how Logitech has failed to appreciate what a significant number of customers want. I am guessing Logitech does have members of staff that understand well what I am saying. Please listen to them.

  • How can a downgrade be seen as new and improved? You have removed important features that made Squeezebox so interesting.

    With UE approach:

    – We need a internet connection to play local files
    – You don’t sell a player dedicated to a stereo system anymore (analog & digital out)
    – No possibility to enhance the experience with 3rd party plugins/apps
    – No compatibility with older devices

    • As I’ve said, there is no requirement that any Squeezebox Radio user upgrades to the new Logitech UE Smart Radio software. Everyone who wants to can continue to enjoy the same Squeezebox experience they currently do. We’ve made a decision with the Logitech UE Smart Radio to simplify the overall experience. We understand that by doing so, the product now focuses on a different music listening behavior than what advanced Squeezebox users would do.

  • I aggree with René. I’m a massive user of Touch and it feet completly into my hifi system. As well that my 5 years old daughter can use it with any problem.

    It’s really sad that you shutdown these tpye of device. I use the Radio too. But the Touch is why I bough my Synology NAS. I will continue to use it till it will be broken or fit my usage. Then I will switch to another concurrent on their niche solution (Sonos or something else).

    Why not think to the usage of users? the Touch had a reason why it was on the market…

    Dom

    • Hi Dom,

      To be clear we have not shut down these devices. People can continue to use them as they have, and we will continue to support the software.

  • How could we know precisely what will the new UE smartradio SW offer , what features, what UI, what controls? a comparison table would really help….. and that would help us decide if/when doing the switch… isn’t it ?

    • When we make the upgrade software available this fall, it will come along with an explanation for current Squeezebox Radio users to help them understand the change in experience. After reviewing the information, you can decide if the upgrade is what you want.

  • Hi,

    unfortunately you didn´t understand what SB is standing for and why most of SB user choose this product, I really don´t belive that a SB User will switch to UE.

    As a lot of AUDIO Test Magazines uses SBR or SBT to test DAC´s and you really need a much more expensive DAC to beat the SBT all real Audio or Music Lovers now have no Product from Logitech to expand their System. Instead listen to your customers (waiting for a Boom2 or SBT2) you killed the lineup. Why didn´t you integrate the new Logitech UE Air Speaker into SB? This could be a really good way to keep your Customers, The UE AIR as a part of SB at home (for the Kitchen, Bathroom….) and on the go with a wireless audio transmission via Bluetooth (you have to ad a battery for this)!

    By now all information “the SB will be kept online” is just senseless as we SB-Users will not have any new Products for our beloved System and the new concept will not fit in a real Audio enviroment.

    Just look at the market, there are a lot of competitors of SB (Teufel, Sonos) copying the SB Concept, and a lot of more or less High End Streamers like the Transporter, but without the most important feature :MULTIROOM

    And I´m not willing to have a Internet connection to control my local player to play my local Music from the NAS, this is completely ridiculous, and I think most of the SB User agree.

    By now I buyed some SB Units from the Stocks to keep my System alive, maybe in the future, when all my SB Units are gone, I will have to look what System can offer the same functionality, from my point today I will have to look for products of a REAL Music loving company.

    KR

    Harry

  • If Logitech won’t maintain AND develop the Squeezebox line please sell or give it to someone who will.

    For the moment where is no replacement for the Squeezebox on the market, so if my Squeezebox die or I if I want to expand my system there is no future proff way to do it.

    For me local playback is the most important part.

    And
    a display that you can read across the room,
    gapless playback,
    replaygain,
    ir remote (so I can use my Harmony)
    random song mix with the possibility to exclude genre,
    digital out,
    sync players and so on.

  • Hello Logitech …
    Yes, I feel really, I just do not understand why you have made such a poor actions with UE
    Without that you have been informed in any way.

    Furthermore, I understand not at all why you have chosen to take in my opinion one of your best product out of the market, and do not intend it to be reintroduced under your new brand UE.
    It is your Squeezebox Touch I think, It’s definitely something that can make every man / woman happy …

    What makes Squuezebox Touch Special is simply all the options for connecting to a stereo system, so you can really get it to play great music out into the living room and other rooms.

    You can not with eg Squeezebox Radio and other squeezebox because they do not have the connectors that touch is having.

    Therefore, it never ever go out of production, the unlikely end up doing so, yes I am quite sure that I do not buy Logitech more …

    I had actually hoped that Logitech may one day made ​​a kind of stereo player which looks like a real one as you have in the living room, just with built-in Squeezebox Touch.

    I had actually thought that it would be cool if Logitech might make car radio with built-in touch and where you could insert a USB connector for network connection …

  • This is not very good news for those of us that have been faithful to your brand.
    My SB Duet has been a work horse for me.Due to the need to expand into other rooms, I am looking to upgrade this coming year and would like to know if you will be releasing a similar solution that would compete with the likes of Sonos etc.
    The current UE boombox and standalone radio is not an option.
    Please advise.

    • Hi Steve,
      I cannot comment on our planned future roadmap, so I can’t answer your question directly, but I do thank you for the feedback.

  • You are probably aware that most of the concern relates to the futures of Touch and LMS, not radio. I had not been concerned with the future of those until I read this letter. It’s reasonable to conclude the lack of mention except by ambiguous inference in the letter to these offerings means these are in end-of-life support for what will likely be a very short period of time. But to have to infer that is rather disrespectful to customers using those offerings today – please show more respect and speak very directly and plainly what the future holds for LMS and Touch users. Thanks!

  • How stupid are Logitech managers, that after several years of ignoring the thousands of squeezebox users, that ANYONE ever again would buy a streaming device from Logitech.

    They completly ignore, that most of Squeezebox users would have upgraded to a new Boom2 or new Transporter2.

    But no, they are ignored. I really can’t belive this…

  • When will a LMS software upgrade for Mac OS 10.8 be released? I am having issues with constant rescanning of my music files since I upgraded my computer. Thank you for your ongoing support.

  • Considering the community and amount of people who specifically have a Squeezebox due to the better DAC than the Sonos Music System, It’s pretty disgusting that Logitech took such a huge step to COMPLETELY REMOVE an entire line of products just so you don’t have to support it and maintain the “server”. I knew something was going wrong when the name of the server changed so many times. Logitech never seemed to truly care about this system and the way they maintained it. The lack of support, truly showed it. If you wanted support, you HAD to go to the forums. You could never get anywhere with Logitech support from calling or e-mailing them. Now, that we have a “directors” attention, all you give us is the same knowledge we already know from browsing the forums. Leaving us no good outlook of this music system that so many people have and love.

    The bottom line is, Logitech just lost an entire FAMILY of customers from this incredibly stupid move. Unless you plan on keeping Squeezebox alive by somehow incorporating it into the new line, I can certainly say, by reading the forums and Facebook’s Squeezebox group, that you DID lose a lot of customers. We are not cool with this change at all. You just killed the only true high definition multi-room, household music streamer in the world. The Sonos music system does not compare to the audio quality of the Squeezebox system(Touch, or Transporter) and now, we almost have no choice but in the long run, to completely migrate to a different system of lower quality standards. And, even if we did switch to the Sonos system, we now have to spend a hell of a lot more money to modify the Sonos system to get even close to the audio quality of the Squeezebox.

    The only fix, if anything would be to just KEEP the squeezebox server/system alive by migrating it into the new UE system. Sure, you want to appeal to make it easier for people to get started, but what about the people who have all the community addons to the server, like the weather system that I use and look at everyday of my life. The people who have already used this system for years and have it tweaked and consider themselves “power users” are now left in the dark, left in the dust, with what I can assume to be hundreds of dollars worth of paperweights down the road if this doesn’t stay alive.

    Logitech should’ve never purchased Slimdevices if their plan was to kill the entire product line down the road. Slim Devices may have been slow with their releases and such but atleast they didn’t give up on it, they knew what it was worth and to be honest, seemed to be more music lovers than the whole pitch of the UE system. If UE “lives for music”, as you are pitching on the website(http://ue.logitech.com/en-us/home), than you should’ve realized before even posting that PR garbage of a pitchline, that you are killing the best line of music streamers/players on the market at this time.

    Again, if you live for music, like the squeezebox community does, than you certainly would’ve realized killing the squeezebox line is the stupidest thing you could have ever done. For audiophiles who wanted to listen to high quality 24bit/96khz files, squeezebox was the best route and at one time, the only option to play 24bit/192khz files. You certainly don’t live for music like we do I guess…

  • Thank you Ariel. I currently own 2 Squeezebox 3s,1 Touch and 1 Duet and really appreciate the decision to maintain the ecosystem. I can appreciate the direction Logitech is going however I would ask that you consider some higher form of Squeezebox Radio. With the saturation of phones screens, it’s not really as necessary to have something like the Touch however the higher quality audio output of the Touch is crucial. Perhaps a Squeezebox Radio with an optical/coax audio out and higher end DACs would suffice for future Squeezebox fans.

    There are many issues with streaming from cellphones that standalone devices like the Radio significantly improve. While features such as Airplay baked into receivers satisfy many casual listeners, the more serious folks are looking for hard connections and reliability (always on). Ethernet, wireless, coax/optical out satisfy those needs.

    I have had a number of friends interested in my Squeezebox installation and being able to point them to a lower cost Radio with good level of high end features such as optical out would be great. Sort of a Radio Pro.

    thanks,

    Jotham
    P.S. The optional stereo output of two Radios is very slick!!

  • If it is true that I need to have an active Internet connection to listen in my living room to my music stored on my NAS in my basement, then it is a dealbreaker and the end of my audio equipment purchases from Logitech.

    I’m very happy with my Boom and Touch, and when they need to be replaced, I supppose I will have to look elsewhere for a new system.

  • The Logitech UE Smart Radio is not an option for me. I need the UE Touch (making up a new product name for you). I and my group of friends have very large music collections which we serve off of remote servers. We have Squeezebox Touches connected to our stereos to serve as displays, control point, Ethernet in, S/PDIF out[1]. The UE Smart Radio is entirely the wrong form factor for this application.

    [1] Note that we don’t actually use the touch capability of the Touches since
    we either use the remote, the Squeezebox server web page, or more often,
    tools like iPeng running on iPhones and iPads. But the rectangular
    display format of the Touch is very nice.

  • Replacing SBRadio with UERadio (don’t want to use smart Radio) is not “upgrade”.

    Here’s waht upgrade means:

    v. up·grad·ed, up·grad·ing, up·grades
    v.tr.
    1. To raise to a higher grade or standard: upgrading their military defenses.
    2. To improve the quality of (livestock) by selective breeding for desired characteristics.
    3. Computer Science
    a. To replace (a software program) with a more recently released, enhanced version.
    b. To replace (a hardware device) with one that provides better performance.
    v.intr.
    1. To exchange a possession for one of greater value or quality; trade up.
    2. Computer Science To replace software or hardware with an upgrade.
    n.
    1. The act or an instance of upgrading.
    2. Computer Science
    a. A software program that provides added enhancements over an earlier version.
    b. A hardware device that provides greater performance than an earlier model.

  • So sad Logitech. All you needed was a good marketing strategy and campaign, because you have (now had) such a brilliant product in the Squeezebox line.

  • I used to use AirTunes (now Airplay) to distribute music and radio thru-ought my house. Then I discovered Squeezebox and over the years I bought a Duet, a Touch, an SB Radio and I was just about to put in an order for the Boom when it got pulled. I had been waiting for an adequate replacement since. I would never have considered a different device because I wanted it to be part of the same ecosystem – mainly because of the multi-room functionality.

    Now it seems that with the cancellation I am driven back into the arms of Apple’s Airplay. The replacement for what would have been the Boom could now be the UE Air Speaker. But ironically, if I am being forced to move from Squeezebox back to Airplay, then suddenly I am no longer limited to Logitech when it comes to additional clients. The UE Air Speaker seems like a good device, but there are more and more alternatives…

    As a consumer that gives me more choice. As a Logitech shareholder that leaves me puzzled. The Squeezebox Radio (now UE Smart Radio) on its own is no longer unique. It is just a device that plays Internet radio. Many radios do that these days.

  • I’m with many others, I own a Touch, a Radio, and a boom. I recently had my cable service disconnected due to they claim a faulty cable modem while I wasn’t home. Turns out the only piece of music/tv equipment I owned that would still work was my Logitech Squeezebox setup. They all streamed music from my NAS over the wireless network I have setup especially for them.

    If the new system REQUIRES an Internet system, I too am lost as a customer. Mostly because this infers that Logitech will now KNOW what music I own and store privately, irrespective of if I want to share it. As far as I’m concerned having to have your permission, knowledge to play my own music is a non-starter.

    In 35-years of software design, I’ve never seen a UI/UX experience used as a reason to kill a product. Especially since we all know that you could have update the software in the factory to have included a new, simply UI and left the old one, hidden or requiring a special set of button pushes or similar.

  • Areil,

    What should I do now? Logitech no longer makes the Squeezebox line of products? I own 3 Radios, 1 Touch, 1 Duet with a second receiver, and a Transporter.

    Needless to say, I’m a bit of an Audiophile… Sadly, one of Logitech’s best products is now a discontinued line.

    Not only did they move their tech support for this product to Mexico, now they have discontinued it all together.

    How are loyal Logitech customers and promoters supposed to feel after this move?

    I don’t think I will recover from this, and will have to look elsewhere. I love having all my music accessable from every room in my house, from my office using remote library function on a SB Radio, and when I travel, I take a radio with me. I always have my music everywhere I go. I even make use of Squeezeplay on my Laptop for those times when my radio, duet, touch, or transporter are not handy.

    This SUCKS!

  • Yes, I love my LOGITECH “SYSTEM” the way it is. I enjoy the complex functionality and I have gone through the learning curve and have found that it has been well worth the time and effort. This “SYSTEM” could not be reproduced at this time with just a UE Radio. I do understand the need to simplify to appeal to more customers. At this time I have the SBTouch connected to my stereo ( which has multiple speakers in various rooms in the house). I also have a SBBOOM that I use solely for a subwoofer connection to complement the speakers from the stereo. I have Booms in the dining room and next to my bed for evening listening. I have a SBRadio in the bathroom, kitchen, basement, and hidden in living room. This entire system can be synced if desired to provide complete audio everywhere. This audio SYSTEM” in conjunction with a couple music services gives our household lifelike music everywhere. I have enjoyed that for many many years but ,as it stands, it would be lost with UE.

    So, please , to enjoy a UE complete audio experience LOGITECH really needs a TOUCH-like stereo device and a BOOM multispeaker self contained device. Without that “SYSTEM” capability the UE Radio is just that …a radio. Respectfuly and Thank you.

  • This was a good product when it still were Slimdevices and it started going downhill when Logitech bought it so I’m not suppriced they’re pulling the plug

  • This is sad. I’ve been looking all over the net for more Squeezebox booms to add to my house, but at no luck. And now Logitech is giving up Squeezebox completely. This is so sad. I’ve always bought Logitech equipment, but after this I’m leaving you. Good bye, good luck and thanks for all the fish.

  • This is a sad sad day. An open system is closed. Audiophile quality is sacrificed. It’s bad enough that most MP3/AAC files sold typically compress and degrade files to 256 kbps, but now the industry appears to be forcing steaming music over the web; degrading and compressing quality even further. I suspect my substancial investment in Squeezeboxes (Three Touches, two Squeezebox 2s, one Boombox, and one Radio, not to mention supporting my family with one Duet, one Squeezebox 2 and one Radio) will in the not too distant future, sound as good as a brick. My current Squeezebox setup which enables audiophile quality throughout my house, on my local network, of my lossless audio files, will slowly degrade to non-operability in a couple of years, as computer OSs upgrade and Squeezebox support diminishes for devices (as well as software for smart phones and tablets); leading to incompatibility.

    So how many years (or months) is EU/Logitech committed to supporting now legacy Squeezebox devices with the Logitech Media Server (formerly Squeezebox Server) anyway?

    For a company (Ultimate Ears – UE) that claims to be a champion for the Audiophile, you’ve definitely misjudged your customer base, and destroyed an awesome end to end product. If only you got your marketing ducks in a row, and marketed Squeezebox with any degree of commitment, you could have made a nice chunk of change and taken a substancial portion of the market. You had a product that was as good, more approachable and more affordable than the likes of overpriced products like Sonos, Olive Media, Meridian’s Sooloos, Kaleidescape, and Lynn’s Songcast systems. Like I said it’s a sad sad day.

  • A “radio” is hardly a replacement for the SB devices. SB is/was one of, if not THE best option for streaming high quality audio to a hi-fi stereo setup. With the ability to stream the files and optionally use the DAC or bypass to your own DAC, there are just not a lot of competitors out there if any.

    Particularly the possibility of third party remote apps for mobile devices gives one of the best user experiences in controlling your SB devices and server. There’s room for improvement, but I haven’t seen any better combination from the competitors.

    With the Touch it was a mistake to have the screen on the device and not on a remote. It’s also a mistake that the server will only stream audio to a device that supports the bitrate in case I want to bypass the DAC anyways.

    But it’s still one of the very best options out there, so I’m really surprised you’re discontinuing SB. Sell it to somebody who sees the value. Open source the server software so we can keep getting upgrades and support for new servers.

    Please, don’t let it die.

  • As many others that have posted it is disappointing to see what is happening. I truly believe that this market has incredible potential and it was simply not marketed correctly. Having kept a simplified platform for the non techi and the current one for the feature rich IMHO could have done it, but that is only my opinion.

    For the valued customer and ongoing support I have doubts. An these doubts are already materializing. As I plan to keep my Booms and duets up and working Logitech needs to do their part. It has been said for a long time the iphone application always needs to have the user enter mysqueexbox and PW when the application is opened. This is a major pain and it is not necessary. I as others have mentioned it and nothing happened. I truly wish this gets fixed as the day the server goes online the app will probably no longer work. And now on top of all the iphone app is not working correctly with IOS 6 and there seems to be no rush to fix it. These are all symptoms of a company abandoning a product. I sure hope it is only an impression.

    Regards

  • Thanks for the clarification. I own 4 duets, 2 booms, and 2 radios. I have often thought that the Squeezebox ecosystem is one of its greatest strengths. Its other strength has been its unique architecture where one central server in the house can sync all players selectively while also integrating other music services – I love it! I have also thought that sales must have been hurt by the complexity imposed by that architecture (I love it – but many may have found setup to be difficult) – I assume that was the need to come out with something that was simpler.

    All that being said, I think it is unfortunate that rather than make the existing architecture simpler to new users (I know you tried already) and throw in a decent mobile app (I had to buy a 3rd party app to get a decent SB controller on my phone), a whole new system had to be created.

    Since the new architecture path has clearly been committed to at this point, may I suggest this as an option for you to look into: instead of make the UE line completely separate from SB, why not leave it as is but add one extra feature to it – allow the devices to be a SB end point. In other words, once it is setup on the home network (using whatever existing UE specific interface you have to set up the network), it does a network scan for a SB server and registers itself with that server… if a SB server exists. That way you could sell the gear to SB users like me who are way to invested in SB to ever move over to UE – plus I like the SB architecture better – it works better for people with large music selections.

    This way you can make more money (I would seriously consider buying the gear), and make SB users feel better that we still matter.

    I think short of a move like this on Logitech’s part, some enterprising SB hackers are going to come up with some sort of Raspberry PI based Duetish SB end point whereby we can instead get a low cost Duet and hook the audio up to an amp. In this scenario, the best Logitech can do is sell these user computer speakers which I assume is a lower margin deal for Logitech.

    I am not sure if the UE hardware precludes this option, but it seems to me, assuming its doable on the hardware, that there is a money making opportunity here for Logitech where they also keep the SB community pro Logitech.

  • Well Ariel, I find it very positive that we Squeezbox owners finaly found a voice within Logitech. During the coarse of the years it has always felt as we were talking aginst the walls. No one at Logitech seemed to be listening to us, your customers. The only source where we got some answers was the at the unofficial Slimdevices forum.

    I’m a Squeezebox user since 2005 and started off with an SB3. Today I have 4 Squeezeboxes in use around the house: an SB Boom, an SB Radio, an SB3 and a SB Touch (I sold one of the two SB3’s a couple of years ago). As a long time user I can only echo what many people have said here. Logitech made a huge mistake by dumping Squeezebox. In my homble optionion, there were other ways to turn around the Squeezebox product to make it appealing to the larger masses. It basicaly all comes down to the lack of respect Logitech has shown to the Squeezebox products. In all honesty, I have asked myself many times why did Logitech bought Slimdevices in the first place. Ever since Logitech took over the product it went downhill with Squeezebox. This is very said at least. Squeezebox had the oportunity to be a market leading product if only Logitech had put in the effort. I hope you can shed some light on the above.
    At the same time, I’m afraid that the UE product line will have the same faith as the Squeezebox product line. I’m not into the UE product line and I won’t invest in that product line even if my dear Squeezeboxes die. I hope that day never comes but if it does I sure hope there is an alternative on the market. At present, there is no decent alternative to Squeezebox. Shame on you Logitech!

  • One can understand why Logitech are pursuing a mass market solution with the UE radio path. Sadly it makes little sense to me as playback of local music is my primary source, with internet-based radio very much a secondary (albeit useful) add-on. Having a reliance on remote server is a bad idea in my view for that purpose, and removes a lot of functionality in the name of simplicity.

    This product is not targeted at the same users as the Squeezebox family, and much as we love it Audiophiles like me are not a significant customer group to Logitech.

    What a shame – I have bought four Squeezeboxes and two Squeezebox Booms, which is quite a spend. I can’t see me investing in the new line

    FWIW, why can’t future UE products run a local server? or function as a DNLA playback device?. If it doesn’t have a digital output or USB out then Logitech have lost most of their existing customers – haven’t you guys heard of customer clinics?.

    In any case, I would most humbly request that Logitech open sources their proprietary components so that others can development going.

  • The Touch has opened up the world of internet radio to me, and thousands of others in a away that no other device could hope to do. Hooked up to a decent amp and speakers the SBT was everything I wanted, Great interface, fast, ease of use, looks – everything was perfect for me.

    Reading the hi-fi forums many other industry experts would agree too. Do you realize what a GREAT GREAT product you are consigning to the history books?

    Astonishing decision.

    Without a product that connects to my high-end stereo, I will have to look elsewhere to continue my musical pleasure. Especially if my favorite streaming services fail to continue to perform (e.g. MOG) on the unsupported SB Touch.

    Sadly, hi-fi fans would love an even better SBTouch like product…and would spend more…if only it were offered.

  • Thanks for clarifications .

    Can the rationale for ending the squeezebox system as we know it be explained ?

    I can understand why you try this new UE system it has it’s applications ( even if I don’t believe it’s the rigth thing for this market ).

    But why does this exclude further development of the squeezebox line up ?
    They are not mutually exclusive and are not attractive to the same customers ,but they share a common hardware and software platform ?
    As I see it you could get 2 for 1 one here .

    There is really no other options ( yet ) for a typical squeezebox power user ,you had this niche for yourself ,no competition at all and I still thinks you missed the majority of possible customers due to mismanagement of the product historically .but the potential is still there.

  • I’m in line with most of the other responses to this blog entry. I’m a long-time Squeezebox user (going back almost 10 years to the SliMP3) and currently have two Touches, a SB3 and a Radio. My main use of the players has always been for playing my own music collection with internet radio secondary.

    I’m sad the Touch has met it’s demise. It was a brilliant and unique product that literally had no direct competitors. It was also one of the most under-marketed products I’ve ever encountered. I find it hard to understand how Logitech expected a marketing success when they put so little effort into advertising. It remains a mystery to those of us looking in from the outside.

    I wish Logitech well with their new UE Radio. Maybe the simplification will help sales, but you’re still need to tell the public about it. In the meantime, I’ll just sit on my hands and hope my existing gear keeps running. It’ll be interesting to see if a new Touch or an equivalent ever emerges.

  • The decision to bring out a “new” system that looks identical to Squeezebox but that is not compatible to existing Squeezeboxes is astonishing – surely you want to take existing customers with you not alienate them? Why should I upgrade my SB Radios to the new UE platform when this makes them incompatible with my wonderful SB Touch? Please think again and work out a way that means we do not loose any functionality but still move forward – why loose such a hardcore base? Seriously flawed decision!!

  • Thanks for the update Ariel.

    Please count me as another Squeezebox fan that would implore Logitech to continue to maintain mysqueezebox.com for existing users.

    In my studio apartment, I have 1 x Touch running off a Vortexbox which hosts my FLAC CD collection (which continues to grow – there are some of us that actually still buy CDs!).

    At work. I have 1 x Radio running off my work PC which hosts my CD collection in OGG format.

    In addition, I also stream LastFM, Spotify and TuneIn Radio, to name a few. I will purchase more Squeezeboxes when I move into a larger apartment/house, in the next year or so.

    I’d love to use the SB Radio as an alarm clock, but would prefer some top-mounted sleep/snooze buttons to make interacting with it in the dark a little easier.

    Thanks!

  • Logitech really should put LMS into the community as open source like HP did when they shuttered WebOS.

    I expect the Slimdevices buyout and then epic fail by Logitech will make a good case study at business school of corporate bungling.

  • One simple comment: it is important, when developing your product line, to recognize the hifi cllients who have Duets and Touchs (I have both) as well as the more casual listeners who have Booms or Radios (have them too). We tend to infuence many buyers and often guide folks to products that we find outstanding. Squeezebox was that. Don’t forget to deliver us something that we can use with our stereos. Otherwise, I will have to recommend Apple products as they are both easy to use and are able to do hifi.

    Good luck.

  • As an e-user, I am very disappoint with the decision your company have made.
    I do not think Logitech is really care about Music fans’ demand but maybe yes maybe please give SB to another who cares.

    On the another hand, It is really hard to find any else productions made by Logitech can not be replaced with other brand.

    Please rethink it cautious.

    Good luck!

  • I appreciate you are finally addressing the Squeezebox customers. What I do not appreciate is that the responses to the open letter are getting censured. I really would like your response to an earlier post I made that did not make it through the website. I believe that as customers who have been faithful to Logitech you owe us at least that.

  • I agree with Jazzbert on the HiFi issue. Even though my home setup is not the epitome of HiFi, it does pretty well. I simply use the analogue line out to an old NAD receiver and it sounds fabulous, but knowing I could get crazy with external DACs etc makes it a pretty sweet unit.

    The headphone jack on the Touch is also fairly impressive, and considerably better than the SB Radio. The Radio desperately needs a dedicated line out of some description. That is the one major beef I have – even the headphone jack on my cell phone sounds better.

  • I sincerely hope this will not be the end of Squeezebox. I must have talked at least 10 friends into buying into squeezebox and using also it with squeezebox server (running on a nas). I do not do music streaming fomr the internet, only high quality FLAC from my server as do my friends. I still have the SlimP3 (it is now the heart of my music system in my mobile home) , a classic, a radio and 2 touches. So from me an my friends too, please keep it up and running. At least keep the Touch, it is brilliant for us music lovers. I want to keep Apple out of the door in this respect.

  • I like many others here feel that Logitech has completely lost the plot dropping the Squeezebox range. Do you really not realise what a class leading product it is/was?

    The heads at Logitech need to wake up and rethink this.

  • I’m saddened by this announcement of the discontinuation of the Logitech Squeezebox platform. While there’s still support for the software, the hardware is now a second-hand item. I recently wrote an article in the September Linux Journal praising how forward thinking Logitech was with the Squeezebox acquisition, and encouraged folks to try it out and get to know the platform better. Unfortunately, this decision to cancel the Squeezebox platform in favor of the UE platform calls a lot of the advantages I extolled in the article to question, namely the third-party software support, the openness of the platform, and the amazing backward compatibility.

    I’d love to recommend Squeezebox again to folks looking for audio solutions, as several of my friends have learned how incredible it was. But knowing the hardware is end-of-life, and the software is in maintenance mode isn’t the most compelling argument for future sales.

    I hope Logitech reconsiders it’s position on the Squeezebox, and takes the risk of reintroducing the Squeezebox platform to the masses. I’d be thrilled if at one point the UE radio joins the burgeoning line of Squeezebox players. Making it a lame duck system only adds confusion to an already confused market. And make no mistake: the UE Smart Radio is a confused duck. You’ve essentially ceded the higher-end streaming audio market to Sonos, Linn, and DLNA / Airplay devices. I’m almost certain that wasn’t your original intent.

    Regardless, I still stand by what I wrote, because at the time it was true: Logitech was forward thinking by keeping the Squeezebox open, and made a compelling argument for folks like me to pick up other Squeezebox devices, and tell their friends. I hope those words once again ring true.

  • Like others, I would like to start by thanking you for taking the time to write.

    I have used the Squeezebox products over the past few years, and also been a keen observer of the how the market for streaming or at least use of digital music files has been developing.

    It seems to me that the introduction of the UE radio is a clear pointer to the road Logitech has decided to follow. Your careful choice of words such as ‘ we currently have no plans to stop supporting it ‘ sounds like management-speak and give little comfort.

    Squeezebox fans as you describe us, would like to hear more definite news along the lines of ‘we will support xxx for at least nnn periods of time’.

    Of course you would probably say that you cannot say such things by using another common tech company expression ‘I cannot comment on our planned future roadmap’.

    Well, it should be remembered that ‘squeezebox fans’ are loyal customers, who deserve good customer service and support. One of the key things you notice about Squeezebox and Sonos customers is that once they buy one device, they often come back for a second, third, fourth etc. They also have a tendancy to recommend these products to others.

    To invest time and hard earned money in these solutions requires faith in the continued life of the ‘system’ – an expectation that they will be able to add to their system later, and that they will not be presented with a sudden ‘dead end’.

    If Logitech does not listen to the ‘squeezebox fans’, the fans, the customers will go elsewhere.

    There is a great opportunity in the market for a system that offers a flexible,affordable multiroom system that provides better sound quality than the Sonos system.

    If Logitech does not listen, and grasp the opportunity, somebody else will.

  • So will there be any other product in the “UE Series”? The “Smart Radio” is simply not an option for me. I need something in the Squeeze Touch format — though, as I mentioned earlier, I don’t need the actual “touch” capability … just the large display.

  • This is a sad sad day. An open system is closed. Audiophile quality is sacrificed. It’s bad enough that most MP3/AAC files sold typically compress and degrade files to 256 kbps, but now the industry appears to be forcing steaming music over the web; degrading and compressing quality even further. I suspect my substancial investment in Squeezeboxes (Three Touches, two Squeezebox 2s, one Boombox, and one Radio, not to mention supporting my family with one Duet, one Squeezebox 2 and one Radio) will in the not too distant future, sound as good as a brick. My current Squeezebox setup which enables audiophile quality throughout my house, on my local network, of my lossless audio files, will slowly degrade to non-operability in a couple of years, as computer OSs upgrade and Squeezebox support diminishes for devices (as well as software for smart phones and tablets); leading to incompatibility.

    So how many years (or months) is EU/Logitech committed to supporting now legacy Squeezebox devices with the Logitech Media Server (formerly Squeezebox Server) anyway?

    For a company (Ultimate Ears – UE) that claims to be a champion for the Audiophile, you’ve definitely misjudged your customer base, and destroyed an awesome end to end product. If only you got your marketing ducks in a row, and marketed Squeezebox with any degree of commitment, you could have made a nice chunk of change and taken a substancial portion of the market. You had a product that was as good, more approachable and more affordable than the likes of overpriced products like Sonos, Olive Media, Meridian’s Sooloos, Kaleidescape, and Linn’s Songcast systems. Like I said it’s a sad sad day.

  • Oh Logitech, Logitech,
    You are leaving us all out in the cold. You had a strong, loyal, first mover, influencing client base and you dumped us. You don’t move fast enough to compete in the highly competitive, fickle, non-hi-fi world. You just lost both customer groups. Big Mistake.
    Sorry to see you go. You dump us, we stop supporting you. I will never buy another logitech product again. Bye.

  • I have 2 touch and 7 radio.
    The living room touch (connected to my homecinema amp) is sync’d with the kitchen’s radio.
    The second touch in the bedroom is sync’d to the bathroom radio. In the morning, they nicely wake me up for 2 years with a random album of my own local collection.
    Why is it so hard to understand that upgrading only the radio to UE is not an option since it would simply break my multiroom setup ?

  • All of this makes me think someone spiked the punch in the boardroom.

    As an owner of a Transporter, a couple of Duets, and a Boom, I am one very sad dude. And as anyone with sales background knows, when you lose one customer, you really lose 10 others too. I got a lot of people psyched on this technology — all for nothing.

    This is a classic case of management that got too far removed from their customers. They simply don’t know what it means to have a niche in the marketplace and a loyal customer base. They THINK they do, but they don’t really. Think how hard their salespeople must have worked to build that base, which as a previous poster here pointed out is as strong as the Apple die-hards in some quarters. Logitech had the chance to build on what the essence of what made this product line special, and instead, decided to trash it and replace it through downgrading.

    It is such an egregious strategic error that I wouldn’t be surprised if will be used in business schools when studying how management can seriously damage their companies through short-sightedness and ignoring their customer base. There were very real problems in the products that were stated over and over on the blogs that weren’t properly addressed through better technology and better software, such as those many who were frustrated just trying to configure the things, and yet, the product line still wasn’t beaten in features by the competition. So, rather than double-down and fix the problems, modernize the interface and technology, expand on what made the product unique, thereby making it unassailable, they simply chose to walk away.

    Astounding, isn’t it?

  • I’m the happy owner of 1 Duet, and 4 SB Radios running from a Synology.

    It is so incredible to see how LOGITECH can drill the hole in the boat.
    Unfortunately, they forgot that we are thousands of SB advanced users still in that boat, and that we will sink with the boat…
    unless some rescue boat comes close…
    Oh, i see the Sonos ship coming close.

    Smart move LOGITECH !!
    the modern history of marketing amazes me every day.
    So Long stupid.

    ch.

  • Hi Ariel,

    Thank you for taking time here – even if I am unhappy with what you have to say!

    Like most others commenting I am very unhappy with Logitechs decision to discontinue the Squeezebox platform. I have only been a fan for less than two years but already have 3 Radios and 2 Touches – if I had known the fate of the platform earlier I would not have gone near it!! I put my trust in the Logitech name and now feel VERY let down. I have also used a UE Smart Radio for a couple of weeks and it doesn’t even come close – Dumb Radio by comparison to Squeezebox.

    Logitech had a unique product with much future potential and just blew it – and for what? a much inferior platform your loyal customers will shun like the plague, and if it is advertised as little as Squeezebox was no one else will ever find it. I would have bought into Squeezebox much earlier – had I known it existed – do you not have a marketing dept??!!

    Imagine if Apple had developed and marketed Squeezebox – the Radio and the Touch would cost twice as much as now – BUT they would be in every home!! You really do not have any idea what you have just given away – a great product range and a loyal customer base, gone for nothing.

    Anyway, that is my view – now for my question: as you must be aware the Squeezebox Controller App no longer works under iOS6. I have contacted your Customer Service who have no idea when or even if this will ever be updated now the platform is discontinued. Can you say if a fix is planned or will this be the first part of the Squeezebox platform to disappear?

    Regards

    Jim Bay

  • I feel compelled to voice my regret that Logitech is eliminating the Squeezebox line, particularly the Touch. I will say that I think this appears to be a Marketing failure, and the elimination of these products will not only leave a gap in Logitech’s portfolio, but a gap in the overall music server market.

    Here’s an example of the failure of Marketing. My first Squeezebox purchase was a Duet, which I bought and used in conjunction with a NetGear ReadyNAS Duo. I visited the forums to get the system set up, and the system worked perfectly for me. I would occasionally visit the forums to perform an upgrade, but for the most part the system worked great for me – it did everything I needed, and I was extremely happy. I can be categorized as an influencer among my friends and I have helped more than a few of them setup their own Squeezebox systems. When the Touch was introduced I remember reading about it on the Logitech site, but quite frankly the copy used on the site did not do a good job at articulating the features and value of the product. I remember thinking, “well that really doesn’t offer me anything”.

    I learned of the demise of the Squeezebox line because of a random visit to the forums. Then it was only after reading a “Duet vs Touch” thread did I fully understand how great the Touch product was. As a result, in the last two weeks I bought two Touches. I would have bought these long ago had I known how great they were. How did you not get to me sooner? I am your target customer and you failed to reach me.

    I think when people say that they will never buy another product from Logitech it is in part because Logitech no longer offers products that fit our needs, but it’s also in part because our loyalty is to Squeezebox the product line, and not Logitech the company.

  • Ariel,

    My biggest concern is that Logitech appears to have a policy of offering no support for out of warranty products. Basically, if something fails after the warranty period, the purchaser is expected to throw it away. I would personally be willing to pay to repair the two SB3s that are currently sitting on my shelf. I suspect that the fix for one is almost trivial as it would involve replacement of the network component. The fix for the other is probably less obvious as the unit restarts itself after playing a song for 5-10 seconds. But neither of these units apparently has any residual value after the warranty expires, unusual for a $279 product. I’ve looked in the support forum and did not see any remedies, either from Logitech or a third party. As it is I will continue to buy used units on e-bay as they become available to have spares for the future and to provide for friends and family interested in having them. You should make note of the fact that Logitech derives *no* revenues from these e-bay purchases and I will certainly not be recommending the purchase of the UE Smart Radio.

  • Wow. I’m so disappointed to see you have discontinued the SB product line.

    I would not buy a system that did not let me play back local content.
    I would not buy a system that depends on remote servers. If you cut them off (and you will, someday), the hardware will be junk.

    I bought into the SB system because I could integrate and automate with it. I don’t yet know much about the UE line (except that the radio is monaural), but “dumbed down” doesn’t sound automatable to me.

    I don’t see any benefit to a dumb radio. I would just use my iPad and AirPlay in the future.

    I hope your marketing people know what they are doing, because it’s not obvious from here.

    -Tom M.

  • Ariel: Are there any plans for providing a Touch-like device for customers to use with their stereo systems? And, any plans for a 4-6 speaker Boom?
    I think Logitech did have a great selection prior to this UE development, that is a Radio, a Touch/SB3, and a Boom. The Transporter was cool also just out of my price range.

  • Quality product goes out the window.

    Why does your company want to be known for cheap throw away junk?

    So long intelligent marketing people

    Any marketing from your firm just makes me mad as…

    Think of some clever answer?

    My theory is you’re all about cheap junk

    Don’t respond, it will not work

  • I guess the biggest issue is that I now have such a substantial monetary investment in the squeezebox platform (Duet, 2 add on receivers, Boom, Radio). It’s unrealistic to think that they will be supported indefinitely. Further, upgrading the software on one or 2 devices of 6 and having to use seperate controls for it doesn’t seem like a great option so the fact is that the people who have the most invested in your product will be hurt the most as they will most likely not upgrade one device of 5 (for instance) and will eventually be phased out.
    Additionally, I’ve recommended the squeezebox to many friends. Now I feel bad leading people down this road that I believed in so strongly.
    It was big of you to post the letter, but I won’t continue to purchase logitech products after this.

  • I see that Ariel has now undergone a metamorphosis into generic Logitech!!

    Just to add my dismay.

    IMHO a big mistake to kill the SB line, unless, of course, there is a buyer in the wings that is going to continue the product line. And just my bad luck/timing as I am in the market for a SB Boom but now there are none to be had.

    Anyone have any suggestions on an alternative product? Must have an ethernet connection (wireless at a pinch) for connection to my NAS which holds all of my media.

  • As many others that have posted it is disappointing to see what is happening. I truly believe that this market has incredible potential and it was simply not marketed correctly. Having kept a simplified platform for the non techi and the current one for the feature rich IMHO could have done it, but that is only my opinion.

    For the valued customer and ongoing support I have doubts. An these doubts are already materializing. As I plan to keep my Booms and duets up and working Logitech needs to do their part. It has been said for a long time the iphone application always needs to have the user enter mysqueexbox and PW when the application is opened. This is a major pain and it is not necessary. I as others have mentioned it and nothing happened. I truly wish this gets fixed as the day the server goes online the app will probably no longer work. And now on top of all the iphone app is not working correctly with IOS 6 and there seems to be no rush to fix it. These are all symptoms of a company abandoning a product. I sure hope it is only an impression.

    Regards

  • Ariel,
    Thanks for being responsive and having taken the time to send this open letter. I am really a big fan of the SBT which plays my iTunes library off my synology NAS. The quality of the SBT connected to my stereo is superb at the price it was sold.

    What I do not understand however is your strategy here for EOLing the SBT. Are you pulling back from that high quality SBT market ? I know you have stated that Logitech will continue the support going forward but wouldn’t it be better to announce the EOL at the time you also announce the successor to this wonderful piece of equipment? Now it seems that you are pulling out of this segment and that you are not securing your relationships with your customers in this segment of the market.

    Without going into details on future product announcements, which I know you can’t, can you provide a statement of direction explaining Logitech’s strategy here? I think that may provide clarity for many of your SBT customers who can then probably still be loyal customers going forward.

    Thank you in advance for your reply.

  • Hello,
    This is terrible. I own SqueezeBox Classic, Squeezebox Boom all around the house. I also want SB Touch (two) in near future. These are excelent pieces of hardware. I am NOT INTERESTED in mono devices, or devices I can not expand and/or connected to bigger HiFi equipment. I believe that the road you have chosen is bad. You will loose clients considering myself. 🙁

  • Hi Ariel

    As a very satisfied SB Touch user, I am very disappointed too. For sure, Logitech will only support this products for a limited time. Your promises are worthless in the near future.
    Its is not to comprehend, why Logitech stops the roadmap for the best products it delivers.
    I am angry.

    After disappointments in support of other Logitech products, like some Webcams for which Logitech delivers no actual drivers (and therefore I never buy again Logitech Webcams), this is the next big disappointment in Logitech!

    I’m working in a big IT company, and in this case, I never again will (can!) recommend Logitech products.

    It’s a kind of arrogance, if a company does not listen to its customers. I can only quote Michael Gorbatschow with his famous sentence: ” Whoever comes too late is punished by life” …

    I’m working in a big IT company, and in this case, I never again will (can!) recommend Logitech products.

    Regards,
    Roman.

  • I own 1 Touch + 3 radio.
    Basically a solution would be to allow at least the latest generation of squeeze box players (Touch and Radio) to move to the new UE environment. Ideally older models should be also concerned.
    It does not make sense for me for example to have two environments, two PC servers, two remotes……either you are given the possibility to make one complete move or you have to stay on your current Squeezebox world-
    If Logitech does not introduce an UE replacement of the Touch I have no great hope for a global move. But at the same time without a Touch like development the UE smartradio will have very little chance to survive on its own. So let’s cross our fingers on future UE development and in the meantime I trust Logitech to maintain the current Squeezebox environment (do not ask for any development but at least please deliver and maintain what was advertized and insure that LMS will be compatible with the latest OS).
    You had a unique niche and a great product; you still have the choice between moving it to a new high or loose the market but time is not on your side and the total lack of communication on your plans for UE products does not help. Current user can wait and continue to trust Logitech if they are given a clear path to the future, otherwise………

  • I was about to buy a third touch when the end came. Since then I’m searching for a replacement.
    My requests are:
    1. working independent with my lms. Internet is very slow at my place and I won’t waste any speed for unnecessary transfers.
    2. I didn’t read the user terms but I’m generally not willing to let anybody know what I’m listening. Again no connection to the Internet. My boxes are blocked by the firewall!
    3. Digital out. I want to connect it to my new surround system.

    My solution so far:
    Raspberry-PI with squeezplayer connected via HDMI + old Android WiFi device as controller

    But I’m still looking for a BOOM! I can place in the bathroom!
    Have you ever checked the ebay price since the end of squeezebox?

    Again my alternative solution so far:
    A nice Wireless analog Audio solution + Raspberry-Pi with sqeezeplay + old Android WiFi device as remote

    • I have been reading all of your comments and sharing them with the team. While we appreciate your feedback, we do not have plans to change our stated course with regards to the Squeezebox line.

      If you do still have questions regarding ongoing support for Squeezebox or features and functionality of the new Logitech UE Smart Radio, I encourage you to visit our support forums.

  • As the owner of two Touches and two Booms, I am very disappointed at this decision. The SBTs aren’t even very old, I bought them just a year ago. Please consider updating at least the Touch to the latest software so it has at least a 6-7y or longer lifespan. Or maybe opensource the hardware specs so someone else can step in and maintain this.

  • A disappointing change in direction. Why kill off a product that worked so well and was so flexible?

    As many have already said the SB line was interesting, versatile, and good value. My two SB Touches and the Logitech SB server on my NAS provide an incredible choice of music – either on my own network (without internet connection) or from the internet – both at hi fi quality through either coax, TOSLINK, RCA or headphones, with inputs from other storage devices.
    The interface is simple, configurable and effective – controlled either via a remote, my phone or by touching the screen. There are almost infinite presets in the favourites.

    I was contemplating another SB Touch – but sadly that is not to be.

    In comparison, the UE Radio serves its music through a 3.5mm audio jack or a basic speaker – hmmmm – basically a kitchen radio (many of us abandoned that decades ago) attached to the internet (all the time).
    Just like a kitchen radio, it can be moved around the house – not sure if thats any better than the earbuds I can attach to my smart phone and stream from my NAS via wifi.
    The interface here appears to be a step back in time – a bunch of push buttons and dials. In the world of touch interfaces, thats very retro.

    I confess I have not physically seen the UE Radio device (we get things very late here in the antipodes), but from the rather vague specifications, images, product quick start, FAQs on the web site, and reading what little material I can find, its not ground breaking or of a similar standard to what I’ve become used to with the SB devices.

    It may have been a more productive step to make UE Radio downward compatible with SB, therefore allowing interoperability, and not alienating a large community of users. Even Microsoft has downward compatibilty in their applications.

    Hopefully Logitech will not totally abandon the mysqueezebox web site (I keep reading Ariel’s comment thats not to happen, but can one trust a company that has effectively killed off the product and its development?) – or at least pass it to the slim devices community or another manufacturer with greater vision.

  • Real shame your abandoning a product line that many are completely happy with and replacing with something completely different aimed at a different demographic.

    It really shows that you don’t care at all for your customers – you could so easily have added support for “legacy” players, not just a recent single player that just happens to share a common hardware as your UE line.

    Please hurry up and sell the IP rights to another company who cares about quality audio products before the brilliant product that is squeezebox disappears.

    I will be seriously re-considering any future Logitech product purchase. Why should I buy logitech if I always have to think in the back of my mind – will they abandon the platform at any stage. Continuing to support the software isn’t good enough if you can’t buy any of the old devices.

    You need to re-think your migration strategy and add support for the squeezebox platform into your UE platform or people will simply buy another product.

  • For those of you looking for an open source solution (who
    may be Linux users) check out MPD (Music Player Daemon).

    MPD is the server component available for all major
    distributions. It can play most major formats and is *very*
    low overhead (ideal for an older machine) with none of the
    bloat of a full UPnP server. Pulse Audio on Ubuntu, for
    example, can synchronize an MPD stream in different rooms.

    There are lots of compatible MPD clients, everything from
    MPOD on the iPhone to ncmpcpp, an ncurses command line
    player for Linux. Check out the Wiki.

    It sounds like this is another Apple casualty. I for one am
    not a fan of iTunes or any other closed systems. Very sorry
    to see SB falling by the wayside, but glad to hear of the
    commitment to keep the website running, at least.

  • To clarify only squeezebox radio can run the new UE system therefore no upgrades for other products

    The system will always require an Internet connection to play music stored on computer

    Please confirm the above

  • I am running LMS on my Vortexbox filled with 350gb or Flac files which I currently play through my high end hi-fi system via a USB DAC. Sound quality and functionality is amazing.

    I was considering buying a whole host of touches to go in my other rooms when we move house, so am astonished you have taken the decision to stop production and development of this product line.

    I chose the Squeezebox route over Sonos and hi-fi streamers from the likes of Cyrus, Cambridge Audio and Pioneer for three main reasons
    1 – hi-fi quality at a great price
    2 – multi room capability
    3 – the peace of mind given by a company the size of Logitech, and the future innovation that would SURELY come from them.

    Looks like I was wrong on point 3 – you are going backwards and away from the audiophile community that have supported, purchased and endorsed your squeezebox range for years.

    What now happens to my LMS? Presumably the version I have is now the last version ever to be produced, which at some point will mean it gets out of date as other technology moves on around it? Am I reduced to buying second hand touches and classics from ebay when I want to expand my system?

    Please also let me know how I can buy the Squeezebox rights and intellectual property, so I can go about making a mint and supplying audiophiles with the product range that they so obviously and vocally love and desire. Do you not read the forums! Where did you do your market research for all of this – the local high school?!

    I feel genuinely baffled, disappointed and let down by your seemingly incomprehensible decision to move away from Squeezebox. I will have to look elsewhere and will struggle to buy or recommend a Logitech product ever again.

    Regards
    Nick

  • I’m tri-lingual and I use my SQBs (2 Booms & 2 Duets/Controllers) to listen on the Logitech to a series of broadcasts in those languages (English, Spanish & French) through the squeezebom.com web-link where I usually have at least 50 stations memorized, a few plug-ins installed, etc. I also listen to a handful of radio stations from my country…Cuba, music mainly. On the other hand, I also depend on the 4 SQB units to reproduce the thousands of songs I’ve recorded in FLAC format in either our music room, family room or master bedroom. Just imagine the intellectual damage you guys will be causing to me and so many other loyal SQB users if you abandon the squeezeboxes in ‘an ill relatively short period of time” and… You got the idea, right? Thanks and good luck with your ‘UE’ plans but please, KEEP AT LEAST THE BASIC SQB SYSTEM RUNNING for…YEARS?! to come, until the last SQB bites the dust, he he, hopefully, optimistically. I read a great number of the postings prior to mine but didn’t see anybody ask you if 7.7.2 is the last planned formal upgrade to the SQB core system. Please address that point. I have that in the server and in my two controllers with everything seemingly working fine, perfectly at this time, fortunately (which hasn’t always been the case in the past). Thank you.

  • I was directed here by another SB fan, and thought I’d like to weigh-in.

    I have 19 SB devices. 9 Booms, 6 Radios, 3 v3/classics, and 1 Touch, all connected to a 6TB QNAP NAS also acting as the LMS. I also have iPeng as both a player and controller on 2 iPhones and an iPad. I use them as a way to provide ambient music and streaming Internet audio to all portions of my home, my office, and workshop; it is an alternative to what SONOS would offer. Needless to say, I have an interest in the future of the platform.

    There is definitely a market for people who want quality distributed audio — intelligent wireless speaker systems. I, like my peers, have a combination of locally stored media, use of Internet streamed media, a/v systems, and computer audio. We will continue to want a way to access all applicable media in as flexible and powerful a way possible.

    I think it is a mistake to consume too much cloud cool-aid, and believe people want cloud EVERYTHING. People will continue to want local control of their devices. Local control of their user experience. Access to all media available, which is a mixture of local, remote, and various clouds. And an integrated and extensible product offering.

    I would rather see the product grow in more useful directions. To me, this would include:

    –> Better SONOS alternative. If Logitech stumbles here, SONOS will be the clear audio innovation leader. Sony is also-ran at best, especially with their crippled DRM mindset.

    –> Less quirky and more capable (easier to use) sync. I find it buggy.

    –> Better use of bandwidth and protocol handling — the product should support multicast. With the product’s unicast implementation, it is easy to saturate the Wifi spectrum, and get induced delays, jitter, sync-loss, and negatively affect other network use.

    –> Low latency capability to allow usage as an audio destination for video, game systems, and computers. Pulse has proved this possible in the Linux world. Why not also allow these to be part of an integrated computer audio system? Wouldn’t this be a natural integration in the Logitech product line? You could even provide bridging to logi-branded bluetooth speakers.

    –> Stronger and more transparent bridging technologies to other media streaming capabilities, even if those might be pay-to-play (possibly due to licensing – i.e. Airplay).

    –> Ability to run the LMS on a device and point it to a NAS. Home NAS systems are incredibly common. Why not run LMS on the Touch (or similar product, ARM chips are cheap) and point to the NAS?

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