I have been reading some past posts it was obvious more than 2 years ago that the IR1000 was not going to ship. It does seem that some people already owned the AudioTron Internet radio and MP3 palyer.

Is the AudioTron product worth getting for someone that likes listening to the radio and may want a new fun gadget? Is it "audiophile" grade sound?

Being new to the subject, is Internet Radio dead? Was it killed be satillite radio?

Thanks!


[This message has been edited by NYC-EMT (edited March 05, 2004).]

From what I understand, the IR1000 is dead -- the flurry of legislation a couple years ago significantly curtailed the internet radio industry and threatened the viability of a product like the IR1000. By the time it had stabilized, the IR1000 had probably missed the window for most effective marketing. It's a shame, because the IR1000 was a pretty nifty piece of gear.

The Audiotron is not solely an internet radio -- in fact, it started out without any support for Internet streaming audio. It is not as standalone a product as the IR1000 (you won't get the full value of an Audiotron without a networked PC, for example). At the same time, it offers the advantage of being able to provide convenient access to your personal MP3 collection in addition to Internet radio. At $350, it's not exactly cheap, but it has built a strong and loyal user base over the last few years. And since it is built on a foundation of playback of lossy compression formats (MP3, WMA, streaming audio), it probably doesn't mesh well with the traditional concept of "audiophile" grade sound. There is a pretty good dissection of an Audiotron here (its creator has posted on this forum from time to time, although it's been a long while since I've seen him around).

There are a few other similar products cropping up still, as well. Here's a sample of a couple of those:

Prismiq Media Player
Onkyo NetTune NC-500 (also reviewed at Secrets )

I don't think that Internet radio and satellite radio are going to directly compete. Satellite's a subscription service original aimed at cars and now moving to home/office as well. Internet radio is an extension of existing radio in many cases (although there are a number of broadcasts that are Internet only). It will potentially allow niche formats to get some form of "underground" airplay no matter how completely the corporate world takes over the airwaves.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

[This message has been edited by gonk (edited March 05, 2004).]

I love my AudioTron although lately I've been looking at other products. The internet radio feature is great (although I usually only listen to one station - groove salad anymore). The problem I have is I started purchasing songs from iTunes and cannot play them without going through hoops (burn group of iTune ACC files onto a CD - then rip the CD back to MP3's) I am now looking for a product that is compatible with iTunes. I have been following ROKU (www.rokulabs.com) they have a great product that intefaces with iTunes - it just doesn't play the copy protected files.
I guess to make a long story longer still if in the market today there are products other than the Audiotron I would be looking at.

It seems the "ethernet only" version is now on sale for $199 which makes it easier to justify for just Internet radio and its other features.

AudioTron Ethernet


I looked through thier discussion boards and some people stated a new version was coming but I could not find any dates or even rumours that seemed reliable.

For $199 and a birthday coming next month this may be a fun gift to get for myself.