The Roku SoundBridge Radio ($399 list) may not look like much on the outside, but it works surprisingly well. Its a one-piece 2.1-speaker system that can grab music from your PC via Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), as well as play AM/FM radio and Internet radio.
Music software support is very broad, and the sound quality is impressive for such a small box, reminding me somewhat of the Bose Wave system.
Setup can be a bit tricky depending on how your wireless network is configured, and the device doesnt currently support WPA security. The SoundBridge Radio wont replace a multispeaker stereo system, but its certainly a viable solution for a den, bedroom, or kitchen.
Housed in a single 11- by 6- by 6.5-inch black plastic cabinet weighing about 5 pounds, the SoundBridge Radio looks like a large clock radio, consisting of two full-range speakers (each powered by a 20W RMS amp) and an upward-firing subwoofer (powered by a 30W RMS amp). Buttons along the top control presets, audio source, track skipping, and various alarm functions.
Theres also a large volume knob that puts the SoundBridge in standby mode when pressed. On the front, theres a 280- by 32-pixel vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) screen with adjustable brightness and text size.
On the back, there are ports for AM and FM antennas, and theres a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Secure Digital media slot on the right side. The whole thing looks a bit retro, but the technology inside is very modern.
