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Olive 4HD or 3HD any good ?

IWC Doppel

IWC Doppel

pfm Member
I wonder how these units might be as an alternative to a CD player ?

I like the simplicity and idea, but have not been fully sold on Computer audio just yet.
 
I'm stuck in the same place right now. Been considering the Naim Unitiserve and waiting for the Cyrus offering, which is a long time coming.
 
Have you seen user reviews on Amazon (US)? Not that there are many of them, but they do complain of unstable firmware/hardware and unresponsive customer support.

There used to be many more negative comments on their (presumably previous gen) Olive 3, but the listing has disappeared. Make what you will, but the comments regarding problems never getting resolved were rather too plenty for comfort.

What aspect of computer audio are you concerned with? Is it getting your CDs ripped, managing storage/archival, or playback and controlling playback?
 
i sell them..

Make no mistake that this a CD player with 2 Tb of storage , which equates to 6000 CDs at 24 bit resolution
Some of the good points are its WiFi compatible which allows you to access other hard drives on the network , it streams internet radio lots of stations!
It comes with a selection of Chesky 24/192 recordings to show you what it can do
You can choose how you want to rip your CDs Flac Lossless , 352/128 MP3 etc
Its not the fastest out there but it allows you to listen to other sources while this is being done
But for me the neatest thing is that if your not really into CA then its a great way of getting into Hard drive storage , the ease of how it gives you track listings and artwork at high speed without going out into the WWW to find them is great.
My feelings on this player is for someone who wants to get into this new medium its a great piece of kit...
But make no mistake if you want to go that extra mile , i still feel that a Mac Book and a DAC is a better bet in the long run.
Cheers
John
 
To me, If they sound better than actually playing the CD then I am interested, if they don't, then they are expensive for a bit of convenience. I am also not sure I want to spend countless hours transferring my CDs onto the HD.
 
They seem very expensive for what they are.

Also you're buying a low volume product from an obscure company which might not be a good thing if it breaks down in a couple or three years or the formats move on.

£1500 spent on a PC or MAC + Dac will see off pretty much all but the very best and most expensive CD players which it will merely equal in performance but at a fraction of the cost. Its also likely to be pretty futureproof.
 
colasblue said:
Also you're buying a low volume product from an obscure company...
Click to expand...

I don't consider Olive Media Products Inc. obscure, at least by my definition.

Actually refreshing to see an audio company with a singular focus, and they've been at it for five years now, and with a track record of improving and enhancing their product line.

Having said that, I do agree with points made by Colasblue & Midlandaudiox.

I am coming at this from the pc audio camp, quality digital out to an ARC DAC. I did consider the Olive, and am open to considering Olive or another similar component provider, in the future.

The front ends in this particular area, are all evolving, rapidly I might add, whether it be pc/mac based or from a stand-alone unit approach.

If you:

- are not comfortable with messing around with a pc/mac to output audio properly

- want much higher aesthetics than the standard pc/mac box in your listening room

- do not want to deal with positioning and placement issues for the pc/mac/display/DAC and the additonal wiring (some of which is not easily hidden; some cable types have length constraints) to control the interfaces

- want a quieter component, or don't want to hassle making your pc/mac quiet (this is a pretty critcal point - if you are fussy with additional noise - and we are talking real noise here)

- like the feed-the-slot and download aspect of the Olive + the very good and easy access to meta-data

- and are reasonable with your storage requirements (too many get caught up with nose-bleed storage rather than focusing on the quality of music delivery) Storage options are evolving so the options, if / when you are ready to upgrade, are likely to offer significant upside across a host of variables

...then the Olive is worth looking at.

Call them up and have a lengthy discussion with them.

(and yes, I am in no way affiliated with them).
 
I am looking at this for sound quality, convenience is a bonus.

I have been using a BluRay player as a transport, I have tried many options from an apple PC and still found coax out from my BR into my DacMagic preferable. Not everywhere but there was some 'drive' to the sound missing with the computer audio for me, somehow a little immediacy was reduced.

I would ideally like the transport only and have the option to play with DAC's and storage to support the transport is a bonus, a nice bonus but that would not be why I buy.

My front end is arguably way outclassed as it drives a bunch of naim boxes before exiting Sonus Faber Extremas.

Space is not a major issue, but is becoming an issue, this is part of a home cinema system and I have too many boxes as is JUST for film and CD replay. The box count is 14 (excluding speakers, projector etc). One box is much more attractive than a PC
 
I've considered the Olive 4HD (with an external DAC) but i've been put off by the flakey firmware reported in many forums and the propieatary hard disk format meaning you can't swap it out should it fail.
So, my attention is now drawn to the Bryston
Bryston have a genuine hi-fi pedigree (not sure about Olive). I'll probably use it with a SSD too,
See this thread...
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=87882.0
 
IWC Doppel said:
I am looking at this for sound quality...

I would ideally like the transport only and have the option to play with DAC's and storage to support the transport is a bonus, a nice bonus but that would not be why I buy.

My front end is arguably way outclassed as it drives a bunch of naim boxes before exiting Sonus Faber Extremas.

Space is not a major issue, but is becoming an issue, ... One box is much more attractive than a PC
Click to expand...

Sounds to me as if you have landed on a solution: Transport plus DAC.

I do not know what DACs the Olive uses. But, in my opinion, the DAC is absolutely critical.

The DacMagic will only get you so far. Invest in a high quality DAC - the rest of your system is begging you to do so. And you are selling yourself short, if you do not do so.

Let me repeat that, Invest in a high quality DAC - the rest of your system is begging you to do so.
 
Hi Peter,

Not sure what point(s) you are making? Can you elaborate?

The DacMagic is a great product and is a heck of a buy. Am agreed on that. What are you running?
 
A Lindemann D680 for SACD/CD - but my point is IWC tried and failed to find a DAC which surpassed the DacMagic in his system; whilst I have no doubt there is a better DAC out there, it's not evident that it will work in IWC's setup.

Notably, the DacMagic sounds thin and harsh in mine (Tron/Avantgarde) and the Lindemann excellent, whereas it's much less clear cut in IWCs and it was clearly demonstrated to me that the Naim and Weiss could not outpoint the DacMagic there. For some reason it just had more 'swing'.

Anyway, I know IWC is unconvinced by computer audio but looking for a solution which gives easy access to music, superior sound and avoids the dreadful clutter of CDs littering the floor - as am I. Thus far he's not found a computer that matches his Blu-Ray playing CDs, even with Pure Music and RAM-buffer play and the Weiss acting as master clock to the DacMagic.

Hope that makes sense
 
Peter,

Thanks for the clarification.

So much of this is synergy, the room, and one's own ears, which is why I generally do not make product recommendations.

Way too many variables.

IWC has stated that he is "I am looking at this for sound quality [and that his] front end is arguably way outclassed."

Only way to accomplish both: is to (a) output a higher quality digital signal and transmit it with greater fidelity and (b) convert it to analog in a superior way, per how it is reproduced downstream from the DAC, in his system and per his preferences.

I personally found the DacMagic lean and thin, similar to your experience, but I know many who have been very happy with it. I could live with it in a secondary system, but not in my primary.

Only way out of this, other than embracing his current setup, is for IWC to keep up his comparisons and let that guide his decisions. Or worse and/or better, start thinking about a system wide overhaul.

On my end, I output digital via pc audio and it is reproduced via ARC DAC7 / AYON / Vaughn.
 
It is very interesting this synergy thing. I hate lean, analytical, bright, harsh sounding items. Yet the DM is far from this in my home set up.

I really liked the TRON valve DAC, an early pre production example, so anything valve is of interest, and I have always liked ARC, an ex SP10mkII, SP8 and D70 owner.

In my set up, three people independently chose the DM when comparing to the Bryston, Weiss, Naim. Not across the board in terms of qualities but better in musicality, communication and want to play another track rightness.

My DM does have the L54 power supply and a separate mains spur feeding this supply, I do wonder if this lifts the DM performance more than other better powered DAC's

I still believe the DM should be easily bettered, I now believe it can and will but it won't be as easy as I first thought !
 
For musicality read "boogy" or tangibility. It is a subjective term and so obviously it means different things to different people but it is really term for enjoyment quotient mixed with believability. It is a term that really only works with people you know, as they will know what you mean, whereas outsiders will find it meaningless. I know what I mean............:)
 
Keith/Purite Audio

You are joshing, right? Weiss and Lansche, to name just two of the lines you represent!

And you're wondering about musicality? :) If only I were so fortunate! I need the education. :D
 
For me Musicality is the old but more encompassing PRaT.

It is boogy, the ability to get the timing, poise and phrasing spot on but in a way that relays all the swing, ebb and flow of the music. You can understand and get into the music more readily it is more music, talent and performance and less recording in terms of what differentiates a good performance of the same piece of music.

At a live performance you can easily differentiate a good evening from a bad when the artist is on the money and really swinging. It is for me capturing this element.
 
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