Olive Musica Review

Dear Realist,

I'm a bit baffled by your insistence on comparing a $1300 music server to "reference standard transports." Most folks shopping for a product like this wouldn't know or care what that phrase means.

What they are concerned about is functionality and ease of use, which is why the review is skewed in that direction. They are also concerned about apparent reliability and looks. The Musica scores high in every category of concern to most music fans. With iTunes, it's a breeze to use, is very flexible, and it looks nice and sleek.

The Olive Musica sounds great, by the way. Totally enjoyable.

thanks,

Barry Willis

• reply

Barry Willis wrote:Dear Realist,

I'm a bit baffled by your insistence on comparing a $1300 music server to "reference standard transports." Most folks shopping for a product like this wouldn't know or care what that phrase means.

Mr. Willis,

This is a review within an audiophile magazine, and as such it should be reviewed thoroughly in terms of sound quality. I can't see there being any execuse for why there is so little said about its sound quality in a magazine focused on sound, as those who read this magazine should first and foremost be concerned about sound quality.

I don't think that anyone would seriously expect that the analog output stage would come close to that of a high end CD player. Those with high-end DACs could probably care less about a high end output stage on a CD player anyway (at least I don't). But there is a significant following in audiophile circles who are looking at media servers as an excellent way to access their large CD collection in a no-compromise fashion. Several questions therefore exist:

1. Does FLAC sound just as good as an uncompressed file, or is WAV the only real audiophile option? Could you tell a difference between the two?
2. How does a (read this) media server played through a high end DAC compare to a high end transport?
3. Should those who use CD players purely as a transport be looking at devices like these?
4. Is it time for those who run high end CD players to consider the media server/high end DAC option?

• reply

Chicken or egg? If the magazines tested these devices with a high end DAC, and the results were very positive, then your technically savvy audiophiles probably would abandon their kilobuck transports in a heartbeat. I could even see the diehards adopting a media server, because the ease of accessing their library is so hard to pass up. I strongly recommend a revisit of this product, as the promise (perfect copies and communication of audio data) is too great to ignore IMHO.

• reply

That's understandable if you aren't using an outboard DAC. But the improved analog section and D/A convertor is of little benefit to those who are already well down the digital path. That is, the parts that are being upgraded in the audiophile version, should have very little impact for those who use an outboard DAC. The Opus should have negligible improvedment for those using an outboard DAC. Olive should be offering the Musica in higher hard drive capacities.

Allegedly these devices can rip error corrected CD copies. Squeezebox and Slimserver allege flawless copies, and there are owners here and there who are selling off their kilobuck transports. Personally, I'd like to see a Sonos remote being applied to something like Squeezebox or Olive, but I'm not going to lay the cash down on any unit until someone I can trust has tested out FLAC, rip and data delivery quality.

• reply

PhilNYC wrote:Audiophile Realist wrote:
Squeezebox and Slimserver allege flawless copies, and there are owners here and there who are selling off their kilobuck transports. Personally, I'd like to see a Sonos remote being applied to something like Squeezebox or Olive, but I'm not going to lay the cash down on any unit until someone I can trust has tested out FLAC, rip and data delivery quality.

Squeezebox/Slimserver are dependent on independent ripping software for "flawless copies"...if you use EAC to rip your CDs, you'll get perfect copies. The SB3 is not quite "reference quality", but spec-wise, the Transporter is very very close (35ps jitter measurement)...

Yes, I didn't mention EAC, but that is fundamental to the solution. There is a new review on the Squeezebox, and the results for digital out are very positive.

• reply

Audiophile Realist and PhilNYC,

Stepping aside from the Olive Musica subject, per se, I wanted to sound you out on three or four related questions:

1. For Audiophile Realist: Just out of curiousity, what DAC do you use?

I'm not inclined to get in a topic about which DAC I use. It did however cost $8-$10k. Far more than 99% of the population, I'm sure you'd agree.

2. For Audiophile Realist and PhilNYC: What is your take on the relative merits of using a traditional outboard DAC fed digital audio data from a music server (i.e., using something along the lines of an Escient, Olive, or ReQuest server, as a transport), as opposed to using a USB DAC fed digital audio data from a PC?

Actually I never knew that someone made a USB DAC. Well there is the obvious placement of the PC noise issue, of course. Besides I believe that USB has a far less usable distance than ethernet. For me, I just want to be able to tuck a PC or NAS away in a corner, then be able to instantly access my large and diverse library of music at the click of a button - with superb sound quality of course. The means by which it gets there is secondary. Ideally I'd have a remote like the Sonos, but I'd be able to navigate my library via album cover like my Creative Zen player.

The larger servers are waaaaay overpriced IMO. I had a spare PC that I built over the last week, and it has 130GB of space on it (plus I can add tons more if I want). I just purchased a Squeezebox this week, and it is waiting to be picked up from the couriers. As soon as I can relocate my ethernet cable to the appropriate spots in my home, I will give it a whirl. Can't wait to try it! Guess I'll just be burning to FLAC until the cabling gets sorted out :-(

3. Do either of you have any experience with Empirical Audio's USB Off-Ramp or USB Freeway computer audio products as used in conjunction with high-quality DACs? If so, what are your thoughts?

Interesting link: www.empiricalaudio.com

Okay, that's just about the ugliest website I've ever seen. I found it pretty difficult to actually find out what I was being sold for $1,200.

4. Do either of you have any experience with Burwen Bobcat digital audio processing software and with the associated Daniel Hertz Advanced Audio Designs USB DAC? If so, what are your thoughts?

Interesting links: www.burwenaudio.com, www.danielhertz.com

$14k for software?!?!?! That's most likely a major economy of scale issue, and I would never even remotely consider it, especially given how good my system already sounds compared to "the best" out there.

Best,

Chris Martens
TPV/TAS

As an aside, last night I ripped a very musical CD(all actual instruments and delicate vocals) to FLAC and burned it back to CDR to compare it to the original disc. Could I detect any significant differences, you might ask? Well, I think I actually may have preferred the CDR, but I was VERY hard pressed to tell the difference. Now if I am THAT hard pressed to tell the difference, I feel pretty damn good about the potential of the Squeezebox.[/b]

• reply