Philips Streamium network music player NP2900 May 2009

The Philips Streamium network music player, also known as the NP2900, is a music player for the digital age. It has no cassette deck, no turntable, and not even a CD drawer; what it does have, however, is a Wi-Fi antenna and the ability to play music, housed on your PC or laptop, wirelessly. 

We haven't fully tested this product comparatively against other music playing devices (such as MP3 players, speaker docks or hi-fi micro systems), but we've had sufficient time with the NP2900 to give you our expert first impressions.

Philips Streamium out of the box

When you pick up the Philips Streamium box from the shop or collect your NP2900 from the postman, you'll be immediately struck by how heavy it feels in proportion to its size.

Once unpacked, the weight of the Streamium will be reassuring, particularly if you're going to have it sat on a sideboard where it's liable to get knocked. 

The weight of the NP2900 and the grip of its four small, but effective rubber shoes, means it can safely be set on any level surface without worry. Wall-mounting the NP2900 is also an option, and a bracket for doing so is supplied.

Internet radio on the NP2900

The Philips Streamium has an optional demo that presents itself when the NP2900 is first switched on. This is a little underwhelming and sells the NP2900's capabilities a little short. 

The Streamium is described as being operational as soon as you take it out of the box and plug it into the mains – and it is – though the remote control is required for many of the operations.

The NP2900's remote control is nice to look at, but the buttons are a little fiddly and the lay out is slightly overcrowded. 

Entering in the WEP key required for an internet connection to a secured network was fiddly and a little frustrating. Fortunately, it only needs to be done once, and internet radio stations can be set as favourites on the Philips Streamium to create shortcuts to them and reduce remote control use. 

Adjusting the volume and skipping tracks is easy enough, with or without the remote.

Clear sound and full bass on the NP2900

Once connected to the internet, you can then search for stations on the NP2900 by genre or area. If selecting by area, first you choose the continent, and then the country – for example Europe and then UK.

The sound quality from the Philips Streamium is clear and the bass is full. 

Philips describes the device as containing four built-in speakers, four built-in amplifiers and a digital signal processor. Philips claims that with this technology at the NP2900's disposal, the sweet spot (the optimum location in the room for listening to a music player) is increased.

The Philips Streamium's LCD monitor is clear and easy to read, and the on-screen menu options are reasonably intuitive. Album art of music played from a PC looks good on the screen, which is positioned squarely in the middle of the device.

Connecting the Philips Streamium to a wireless network

To play music from your PC on the NP2900, you will need to install the supplied TwonkyMedia software, then follow the straightforward on-screen instructions. The device communicates with your PC or laptop wirelessly with a Wi-Fi connection, and the audio playback is seamless.

The device can be hooked up to existing hi-fi systems through coaxial digital outputs. There's also an Ethernet port for connection to the internet if you don't have a wireless router. 

There are a few equaliser settings on the Philips Streamium, most common music file formats are recognised and the NP2900 has all the usual clock and alarm functions, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Philips Streamium music player is available from Amazon, and costs around £250

Pros: Reassuring weight and build quality, sound is clear

Cons: Some settings are fiddly, particularly when requiring lengthy use of the remote control