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Monitor’s AirStream 10 network music player catches the eye immediately, as it’s shaped like a Tetris block. It feels beautifully made with its wood veneer and sturdy metal construction. There’s a lot inside it, too, as it also works as a DAB, FM and internet radio, media receiver and alarm clock. A dial adjusts the volume and lets you browse through the logically organised interface on the small, bright screen. It works very well, making even long lists quick to browse. It also doubles as a button for selecting menu options. There are touch-sensitive short cut buttons for quick access to frequently used features, such as the alarm settings. No remote control is provided, however. The AirStream can connect to a network over Ethernet or 802.11b/g WiFi and supports WPA and WPA2 security. We had no trouble accessing music stored on our UPnP media server. It instantly recognised our playlists, and we were even able to search our music collection by keyword. Unlike many other network audio players, it can also access standard Windows shared folders, plus you can save your login details for use with a password-protected PC. You can browse the large selection of internet radio stations and podcasts by genre or country of origin, or search by keyword. Usefully, there are dedicated menu commands for quick access to BBC and other UK radio stations. You can save your favourite stations and organise them into folders or assign them to the four touch-sensitive buttons. The selection of online content isn’t quite as vast as we’d like – for example, we couldn’t find our favourite Japanese country and western radio station. You can add unlisted stations through the online web interface, though. This can also be used instead of the device’s interface for browsing and bookmarking radio stations. We weren’t expecting much from the built-in mono speaker, but it’s surprisingly loud and clear with a decent amount of bass. It distorts badly at the highest volume setting, but you can plug in a better set of speakers using the 3.5mm jack. The alarm can use any type of radio as a source, or a simple buzzer, although this can sound jarring as it doesn’t fade in gently. It has dual alarm settings, which you can set to go off daily, at weekends, on weekdays or just once.
The AirStream 10 is an impressive network audio player. Pure’s similarly priced Avanti Flow has an iPod dock and a more comprehensive catalogue of online content, but it’s not as compact or as well-designed as the AirStream. If you’re looking for something that looks stylish, the AirStream is a great buy.
