Black Boxes: ReQuest Multimedia AudioRequest ARQ1-20 MP3 Jukebox

by John Davis
Summer 2001

ReQuest, Inc.
(800) 236-0802
www.request.com
$799.99

AudioReQuest is an MP3 jukebox that connects to your home stereo, computer and TV. It has a built-in CD-ROM drive, so you can encode MP3 files from audio CD, CD-R or CD-RW, and allows you to organize your encoded songs into playlists for jukebox-style playback. The fact that more than 320 hours (over 6,400 songs) can be stored at 128Kbps (CD quality in the MP3 world) makes the AudioReQuest an efficient way to store, catalogue and play all your music without compromising sound quality. This capacity compares with about 233 hours on a 200 CD changer (also capable of customizing playlists) at half the price.

Getting Hooked Up
We wired the AudioReQuest to a stereo and a 27-inch TV, then cabled-up a keyboard and a computer with Internet access. Connecting the AudioReQuest to the television monitor gave us a graphical interface which we were able to navigate using the remote control.
The interface consists of two panes: the left one is for "folders" such as playlists, albums and the currently loaded CD; the right one shows the individual tracks contained in a given folder. The colorful display includes vivid fonts on a black background, and is easy to read and navigate from the sofa.
When connected to a computer with an Internet connection, AudioReQuest allows you to access an online CD Database (CDDB) to name organize and playback music selections. The CDDB provides title, artist, copyright and other information for nearly 400,000 albums and over 4.5 million tracks. This information is displayed on the small LCD on the front of the box, or on your television or VGA monitor during playback. If you choose not to use the CDDB, you can manually enter album info with any USB keyboard.

Inside the Box
Under its cover, the AudioReQuest is a specialty computer with a significant amount of horsepower: an Intel Celeron-600 CPU with 16MB of RAM and a 20GB hard drive. It also has connections for USB keyboards (there may be support for other USB devices later), video out (both composite and S-video), LAN connection (RJ-45) and a parallel port, which it uses to connect to the computer.

Request One of Your Own
While it is entirely possible to replace your CDs with the AudioReQuest, the more likely use would seem to be as a home "radio station," allowing you to program playlists of only your favorites, to play as background music, so that you never have to swap discs or change stations.
Having all your music in one place and indexed is a real plus. Overall we liked the unit, and really enjoyed having it in our hands during the preparation of this review. This is a product that can be considered to be one of the pieces in your stereo system that will help you enjoy your music collection to its utmost.

Smart Specs
Storage Capacity: Approx. 320 hours at 128Kbps; 20.4GB hard drive
Inputs/Outputs: Stereo RCA Jacks; Microphone In; Video Out = Composite Video; S-Video, (NTSC and PAL); VGA
Other Connectors: Two USB ports; parallel port; ethernet 10/100 base T = RJ-45 jack; AT keyboard
Frequency Response: 22Hz - 20KHz
Signal to Noise Ratio (dynamic range): -83 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N): 0.037%
Weight: 25 lbs
Size: 17"(W) x 3.5"(H) x 13"(L)