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 Logitech Wireless DJ Music SystemLogitech’s music streamer plays all of your PC’s music files through your stereo using a sexy and intuitive remote. Price:
$249
by John Brandon 
Streaming music from your PC to your stereo should be all pleasure and no pain, which is why we like the Logitech Wireless DJ Music System. This light and portable unit comes with a flashy but intuitive remote for navigating your music collection. Most importantly, the DJ plays protected music tracks downloaded from Real Rhapsody, Yahoo Unlimited, and even Apple iTunes without ever skipping a beat. For those who can live with limited range, this is one of the best music streamers on the market.
Logitech has improved its Stream Point music system technology over the past year. A base transmitter plugs into your PC’s USB port and sends the 2.4-GHz wireless signal to a receiver attached to your home stereo using RCA analog cables. The wireless remote sits on the receiver for recharging. You can also add up to three more receivers at $80 each. In our tests, audio transmissions stayed smooth for about 300 feet from one floor of a suburban home to another, with no drop-outs or pauses. That’s adequate range but not nearly as good as the whole-house coverage a Wi-Fi streaming device can provide. Also, you can’t extend the Wireless DJ’s range by adding an antenna or booster to your router, as you can with Wi-Fi media players. The Wireless DJ supports just about any music track on your PC, including Windows Media, MP3, iTunes AAC, and even Internet radio streams. You can also use a PC Control mode, where any sound from your PC streams to the Wireless DJ, including alert sounds, radio streams, and DVD movie audio. Configuring the system was simple. Once you install the client program, you can search for local Windows Media and Apple iTunes files on your hard drive. You can also add any network directory and search for MP3 or WMA files there. Because of a minor bug, we couldn’t play some network tunes with long directory names. Logitech acknowledged the issue but has no plans to remedy it at this time. As a way to control a music collection, we prefer the Wireless DJ client program over the apps that ship with other players—like the Roku Labs SoundBridge Radio—because you can control which folders you add and search for them more intuitively. The feather-light Wireless DJ remote has a bright LCD that allows you to perform two main tasks: play songs stored on your PC and create playlists. The real advantage of the DJ, though, is that you can quickly adjust songs in the playlist. For example, if you create a playlist of reggae classics, you can quickly insert new songs without stopping the music. Higher-end network music players such as the Sonos Digital Music System let you customize playlists but not quite as easily. Playback quality on the Wireless DJ was exceptional from room to room. We never noticed any distortion or hiss while playing a few test tracks recorded at 160 Kbps. In fact, James McMurtry sounded exactly the same on our living room stereo as he did on our laptop. Two other minor gripes: The remote control’s scroll wheel physically turns rather than using synaptic pressure, so the scroll speed is a little sluggish. Occasionally, you might try to click Back to see a music list when you have to click on an option instead. None of these drawbacks will make your retro 1990s party a bomb; for the most part, the Wireless DJ is a superb wireless music player for all musical tastes. Compare Prices | Logitech Wireless DJ Music System Specifications
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