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TerraTec Noxon Audio
Price: £99.95 inc VAT

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Andy Shaw

This review updated: 17/02/2005
Featured in magazine:
Issue 103
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: TerraTec
Web Address: www.terratec.net


Using your computer to store all your music seems like a great idea, right up until the point when you want to listen to some tunes in a different room to your PC. The Noxon Audio can be placed anywhere in the house, hooked up to a stereo or a spare set of speakers and, as long as your PC has a Wi-Fi connection, will play all the music on it.

Features
With devices now available that can plug into your TV as well as your music system, allowing you to play photo slideshows and video as well as music, a gadget that sticks to music alone might seem a little old hat. But despite its reduced features, if all you want to do is play music, it's actually perfectly poised. It can also stream radio but is restricted to stations available on VTuner (www.vtuner.com). There are loads of things to listen to here, from classical to classic rock, but you may miss the British BBC and commercial stations.

Performance
The device needs a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) music server installed on the PC you keep your music on. This is available as a free download, although TerraTec recommends you use the one that comes with the free MusicMatch Jukebox music player. In tests it carried consistent sound that we found impossible to distinguish from the original file on the host computer. The biggest downside is that, while it can handle MP3 and WMA files, it can't play some of the more proprietary formats like Apple's AAC used by iPods or Sony's ATRAC.

Ease of use
The manual is chirpy and friendly without losing any of its thoroughness, and got us through our installation efficiently. Nothing that involves a wireless connection is ever completely straightforward, but if you've already got a network in place, this won't cause you any added stress. Using the device is also simple, with a remote control used to skip around tracks. However, the unit's display is tiny when compared to the music software you get on your PC, so don't expect an iTunes-like experience.

Value for money
Considering it can be used to transfer your entire music collection around the house, this is pretty good value, especially if you're going to plug it into an existing hi-fi system. If it's going anywhere near your TV though, you might want something like the Pinnacle Showcenter (www.pinnaclesys.com) instead, which offers the added versatility of video and pictures, albeit for a higher price.

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