Now, seeing the Acer/SonicBox thing for $40, I bought it - WORD OF CAUTION: dont get the KO version unless you dont need wireless. As long as you get the little blue pager thingee, you will be able to broadcast from the square transmitter thing up to 100 feet. For me wireless was the whole purpose.

Summary:
It works pretty well even several rooms away on a different floor. In 2004 though, it looks like the manufacturer is out of business or not supporting the product and about a third of the preprogrammed stations dont seem to work for me. However, I love this product! Now I can listen to channels fro around the world from VOA to VOIran (!)

Interesting Points I found:
* The RCA 900 mhz speaker/transmitters I already owned seem to work with the Sonicbox - though not in stereo. I am trying to figure out how do something neat with this.
* Pray your IRhythm works - mine worked well. Im not sure how youd get service or help if it doesnt work. This does seem to be the best remote internet listening choice.
* Im still trying to figure out how to get extra stations added. I have been able to add most mediaplayer format streaming stations, but havent had any luck with ReadAudio stations added to your personal Z band. Im not sure how to get MP3s to work.
* My PC is XP Home and seems to work fine with the tool. There doesnt seem to be much help for hacking or using this product on the web. Im using these customer reviews as my primary help source! (Thanks Amazon for having the reviews in the first place!)
* This product is actually a pretty cheap way to make yourself a pair of wireless headphones - just plug your good headphones into the pager thingee and an audio source into the transmitter input and youve got decent stereo - though I would not agree with other reviewers that the sound is better than a good FM tuner.
* I have a CABLE MODEM (read: Broadband Connection) which makes the IRhythm a great thing to have. I dont know if I would think the product was so good if I didnt have a fast constant connection to the internet.

It would be great if someone with a dial up modem could tell us all if the product is still any good -- for example, wouldnt it be cool if when you turn on the unit it was smart enough to dial up your internet provider and get you on line, even though you are in another room lying on your bed!

In addition to being able to access a (seeming) zillion internet radio stations, the remote device can also wirelessly "broadcast" your music playlists (or internet radio) from your PC to your home sound system or headphones (using the included small remote receiver).

It is recommended that you also install the latest FREE versions of Windows Media Player and Real One Player. Somehow these players interface with the iRhythm Tuner and expand its capabilities.

A cautionary note: The iRhythm software may tell you, incorrectly, that you have obsolete versions of Windows Media and Real One Players. This slight error does not affect the functionality of the unit and can be ignored.

The unit is optimized for Broadband/DSL connections but will operate with a good 56K modem connection. If you can stream music using Windows Media or Real One Players then the device will work on your system.

Summary, it is a fun and highly practical device that enables you to squeeze more audio entertainment from the internet and from your PC.

There were only a few shortcomings. First, the documentation shows where to plug cables, and describes the buttons and features, but falls short when explaining how to get rid of static and get a clear signal. It mentions pushing a recessed button in the base unit, and moving the receiver around a bit, but that did not work for me. In addition, about 10%+ volume reduction is experienced when using the iRhythm tuner. Furthermore, the software setup was a bit confusing with the update screens showing up for Windows and Real Player without clear guidance as to how to proceed. Finally, the iM Band guide printed on the back of the portable tuner does not align with the correct bands. All of these problems are definitely fixable as follows:

1. Static. There may be cases where you encounter static, just as you would with a 900 MHz cordless telephone. No big deal. On the receiver, there is a dial marked "Tuner". This is not a radio station tuner, but a signal tuner. Just turn the dial until you get the clearest signal possible - just like you had to do before digital tuning on FM/AM radio. Second, there is a volume dial on the receiver as well. Just dont turn the thing up full blast. Back it down a notch from max and you will be fine. The signal is clear and crisp.

2. If you were to plug speakers into your pc directly, the signal would be about 10%+ louder. No biggie, just increase the volume on your PC sound card. If this doesnt give you the wall-shattering volume you desire, just purchase a an amplifier and plug that into the pc before plugging into the base unit.

3. The software set up pops up with a few windows showing you that you may need to update Real Player or maybe some other windows part. If these come up, just go ahead and update the Windows software. With Real One Player, if you have the basic version (read: free), the message will pop up. I just went to the web site and made sure I was selecting the free player, not the Real One Premium player. Once this was done, I continued through the messaging with no other events.

4. So the iM Band Guide isnt up to date. The guide is correct in the software. Just retype the thing and print it on a big shipping label and stick it on the back of the portable tuner. What do you expect for [the price]?

Here is the good stuff. Not only can I listen to Internet radio through my stereo speakers, I can listen through my high-end headphones as well. It also works with my higher-end pc speaker system that is located in another room. The headphone option works great for late night activities when others are sleeping, or in the office when I need to move around a bit but dont want to listen to all the noise around me. The receiver works off of batteries or a/c, as well as has a nifty belt clip so I can stay connected just as if I had a tiny MP3 player with a huge amount of memory, since Im pulling from my pc. Its easy to move from room to room as well.

Another bonus is that this unit not only works as a wireless Internet radio tuner, but it also works with anything I want to output through my pc. This means that if I am subscribed to other music services, I can access those as well (although I dont have remote tuning ability). I can play mp3 files, cds, or even audio books through audible.com. I can use the premium pc output devices, mixers, equalizers, and sound enhancers, and they go through the system just great!

Im extremely happy with my decision and am even debating getting one for the office so Im not porting the hardware back and forth. I like a device that is simple and functional. The iRhythm Wireless tuner is just that and more.

I found the documentation and technical support for the product left a lot to be desired also.

I have chose to ditch the idea of using the tuner remotely, but I am going to use the device as a wired device to my home stareo. Plugging the device directly into my home strero provides great reception and terrific sound quality.

When listening to the internet radio its hard to keep track of what station is where. The pre-printed band descriptions on the back of the unit were already out of date when I received it.

One pleasant surprise that wasnt mentioned in the documentation is that the iRhythm receiver can work on two AAA batteries. I thought that the receiver looked alot like a pager - it even has a belt clip. This allows you to connect a set of headphones directly into the receiver and listen in bed or by the pool. I wouldnt recommend moving around much when you do this, as reception has to be fined tuned to get good reception.

I just bought the iRhythm 900MHz Wireless Remote Tuner and am impressed with the software AND the hardware. Not only does it let you play streaming music through your stereo, it also broadcasts whatever you want to play on your computer: MP3s, CDs, DVDs, .wav files -- all without the hassle of stringing cords from room to room.

The tuner hardware is straight-forward, intuitive and looks just like the iRhythm software. I plugged it in and within 2 minutes, I had music from the Net playing on my stereo. With dozens of high-quality preset stations and the ability to add your own customized internet stations via the software interface, the simplicity and flexiblity make the iRhythm a winner.

It takes a lot to impress me, but the iRhythm Tuner certainly gets my vote.

Today I received my iRhythm tuner in the mail. I was at work so I didnt get to set it up right away, but I immediately popped the batteries in the remote and watched the remotes display light up blood red as it powered on. Way cool.

Upon getting home I was set to install this puppy. Honestly, I was somewhat pessimistic. Although I had read many good reviews about this device, along with a couple of users having trouble with it (however tech support on their newsgroup server seemed to fix their problems right away), I was afraid that this might not be the ideal solution I was hoping it to be.

I was wrong. Installing this device was a breeze. The first thing I did was install the base. Think of this as the base for a cordless phone, it connects to your computer which in turn connects to the internet and then broadcasts its music to your stereo in the other room. (it even uses the same 900mhz as most modern cordless phones). I didnt even have to install the iM radio software because I already had the latest software from online. It instantly recognized the device, no rebooting! The next thing I did was play with the remote, I was able to start and stop the iM radio app using the power button on my remote. Too cool! (The app did crash on me once, I simply pressed the power button on the radio, and the app restarted itself).

The next thing I did was connect the receiver to my stereo in the neighboring room. At first, there was a significant bit of distortion. I realized this was because the volume on my computer was too high. I simply adjusted the computers volume using the volume controls on the remote and the distortion was gone.

I cant stress how clear the transmission is. The sound coming out of my stereo in my bedroom is identical to the sound coming out of my tethered speakers. There is the occassional static if you walk by the receiver, and when there are quiet moments in a song you can hear a little bit of background static, but nothing that you wouldnt expect from listening to FM radio. Infact, I would go out on a limb and suggest the quality is better than FM radio.

After I got everything hooked up, I laid back on my bed, iRhythm remote in hand and began scanning through the stations. As soon as I found a station I liked, I pressed the "Add to Z band" button, heard a distinct beep from the stereo, and the station was instantly added to my presets. There are 25 bands each with 30 possible stations, and the Z band which is where you put your presets, your MP3 playlists, or your custom streaming audio stations.

I heard a song I liked while I was playing with my new remote, I pressed the smiley button to vote for it and then pressed the info button to get more info. When I got back to my computer later on, the name of the artist was sitting in my in box. All "Best of the Planet(TM)" music at my fingertips and the computer, my keyboard, mouse and ethernet connection were out of the way. It was just me, my stereo and my iRhythm remote control.

I cant say anything bad about this device, the only thing that is annoying is that some of the streaming audio sites are a bit latent and take a while to buffer, even though I have a 3Mbps cable connection. The nice thing is, while you are waiting for it to buffer, iM radio plays a nice intro message, usually the name of the station, and some looping music to let you know that you are still connected. Besides, iM Radio cant control other peoples bandwith issues, they are just a third party, organizing streaming content for me.

If you like the idea of being able to control your internet radio stations without being tied to your computer but do not want to deal with wireless audio, there is also the iRhythm K.O. (...) which acts as a stand alone remote. You can always download the software for free to check it out before you buy the hardware. The software interface is almost identical to the hardware interface and you will be all ready to go when you receive your hardware.

my transmitter and receiver are only 20 feet apart, and the sound is really distorted at times.

depends on your location.

The device looks cool enough. But upon installation, it was immediately obvious that there were huge gaps in performance. Its ability to transmit a decent signal was lost. Not even in the same room with the transmitter was it able to work properly.

Being an electronics gizmo addict, I had no problems understanding the easy to follow instructions, or the layout of the remote tuner. Still, its a great idea, but with poor exectution.

If your looking for remote access to your MP3 files, go with the Dell Remote Tuner instead. It uses the telephone lines, has a traditional remote control, performs flawlessly, and may someday be able to tune in Internet Radio.

RTD.

Thanks to the IT guru at IRhythm, the tuner now works. There is a bug in the tuner when uninstalled and then reinstalled. After deleting some files as instructed by their IT department, the system is now working great. Ive been told their engineers are working on this, "bug."

Other new developments: The pager sized receiving unit has a problem with the line out jack. When inserting the headphone jack all the way into the socket, only one of the stereo channels works. Also, when using the ac adapter in the unit, a loud hum comes over the speakers of my stereo. This isnt a problem when using batteries. These may be a defects only in my unit.

The remote control works flawlessly. I highly recommned this product. My thanks to the IT department at IRhythm.

The IM tuner software can be downloaded for free at (sonicboxs website) and I suggest that buyers of the hardware first download the software and play with it for a week. If by chance the software works on a regular basis for you, then get the hardware.

My experience has been that the software does not work and I suspect the problem is with the irhythm server. I have a good computer and a cable modem connection. I have spoken with IT at irhythm and they werent able to help me despite an hour of discussion on the phone. Their guess was my bandwith was a problem but the stations work without a problem on other programs, its only on sonicbox where the stations regularly buffer and then pause.

If you need a 900 mgz audio transmitter for your computer, buy the hardware and expect to use Real player or Microsoft Media Player, maybe someday the software/server for irhythym will work.

By the way, you cant order extra receivers for the remote tuner.

To say I am disappointed is an understatment. My wife is from Europe and we had hoped that this would allow us to listen to her favorite stations anywhere in the house with a remote control to change stations. Well, it doesnt work for us.

Very cool.