While the Tunes Explorer Wireless gets the job done, the product has a pretty narrow appeal: people who want to control their PC-based music from within a 40-foot radius. That's theoretically far enough to be in the next room, but remember--you have just the remote, while the speakers and the computer remain behind. By contrast, network-based digital audio receivers such as the Roku SoundBridge M1001 let you pump digital music to anyplace in the house within reach of your Wi-Fi network. Similarly, the Tunes Explorer is only playing audio on the computer itself--so if you want to hear your music on better speakers, for instance, you'll need to connect your laptop to your stereo. The Logitech Wireless DJ, on the other hand, streams music from the PC to a base station that connects to a stereo that can be in an adjoining room. It also lets you control the music via a wireless remote with a much more upscale design and a larger screen than the one offered on the Tunes Explorer Wireless. Similarly, the Belkin TuneStage 2 lets you use your iPod as the remote, bypassing the computer entirely, and streaming the Apple player's music to its stereo-connected base station nearby.
Of course, the Roku, Logitech, and Belkin models cost three to six times the price of the $40 Hercules Tunes Explorer Wireless. And at the end of the day, the little system performs exactly as advertised. If you have the need to control your PC-based digital music from a distance, the Tunes Explorer will get the job done.
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