What Hi-Fi? Verdict
The Boom plays everything and sounds great, but it could be easier to use
Pros
- +
Detailed playback
- +
decent performance across the frequency range
- +
Napster and Last.fm support
Cons
- -
Menu system takes some getting used to
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Install Logitech's Squeezecentre software on either a PC or Mac, and it will act as a server, delivering tunes wirelessly to this Boom.
This system's substantial format support is impressive: other than DRM-protected tunes, pretty much everything is covered, from MP3 and AAC to Apple Lossless and WAV.
Playback is detailed, and there's good rhythm and punch. Treble avoids harshness, bass is taut, and the midrange is clear.
The system operates quickly, but the interface and menu system is a bit cumbersome and unintuitive.
Along with the 'proper' internet radio, you also get Last.fm and Napster. The latter requires you to pay a £9.99 per month subscription, but for that you get unlimited access to millions of tunes, which are streamed directly to the Boom in the same way as your digital music library.
This is a fine media-streaming solution, and given the addition of Napster and Last.fm, we've raised our verdict to five stars.
