Olive 2 Player ?

[USAudio]

Does anyone here have or have they looked in detail at the Olive 2 player?
http://www.olive.us/products/olive2_overview.html

Streams from Olive 4 server or any PC/Mac/NAS.
Wired or WiFi
Comes with a remote but can also be browser controlled.
Touchscreen.
TosLink, COAX, Analog outputs
Streams up to 24/96
Aluminum enclosure
$599 USD
Etc.

It's pricier than the Touch but is Made in USA.

Any thoughts in comparison to the Touch?

[sleepysurf]

Looks interesting, but they don't provide any details about the DAC and analog output stage. Also, the angle of the display would make it difficult to view from your listening position. I presume they figure you'd use and iPhone or iTouch for primary control. I d/l the Opus 4 brochure, which actually has erroneous information about the Squeezebox and Transporter... http://downloads.olive.us/brochure_opus_no4.pdf Looking forward to seeing some reviews!

[Gomez]

"500GB Opus N4 for £1500, a 1TB model for £1800 and a 2TB unit for £2000"

Wow an extra 500gb for just £300 No Sh*t What are they doing filling it with music !!!!

[lrossouw]

Good looking unit.

Lots of little errors in the doc though.

On the face of it, it looks like good value compared to a transporter assuming similar quality. To make the transporter comparable you need to add the cost of a small server with storage and cd reader. Of course the quality needs to be compared. And some of the features don't map well.

I would say that a touch + attached USB drive and/or small server would be lot better value though.

It seems that you get music on via the CD drive. How is it ripping etc? EAC comparable? Can you also load music from the PC?

[USAudio]

They don't seem to position the Olive 2 as a competitor to the SqueezeBox, but just as an extension to the Olive 4, even though their documentation seems to state that you can stream from a computer as well.
If they did they could potentially sell a lot more units...
It seems to be a really well made unit but they need to give more details.
I'll ping them and see what I can find out ...

[blacksburg98]

http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/c...t/dreamscreen/
$200 with 10.2" screen.
It does not support FLAC, though.

[erland]

http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/c...t/dreamscreen/
$200 with 10.2" screen.
It does not support FLAC, though.

Oh, that would be a real competitor to the SB Touch.

The obvious disadvantages it has compared to SB Touch:
- No FLAC support (probably no lossless format support I'm guessing), I suspect this also means that the audio circuits isn't a good as the Touch.
- No third party support
- Probably no support for synchronized playback with multiple players.

However, even though it has some disadvantages I wonder if most users really care, the advantages like large screen, lower price and support for video should look pretty appealing to most users.

I suspect the HP Dreamscreen 100 might look more appealing than SB Touch for most users doesn't already have an investment in Squeezebox devices.

[mbonsack]

Oh, that would be a real competitor to the SB Touch.

The obvious disadvantages it has compared to SB Touch:
- No FLAC support (probably no lossless format support I'm guessing), I suspect this also means that the audio circuits isn't a good as the Touch.

It does support WAV. Also, if the alarm works halfway decently it will be competition to the Radio as well. Probably won't sound as good (although it is stereo), but how many people care how good their clock radio sounds?

It would behoove Logitech to consider fixing the alarm bugs in the Radio sooner rather than later...

[mdconnelly]

If you're vested in Squeezeboxen, then the HP DreamScreen (or many of the Netbooks or an IPod for that matter) make a great alternative to the Squeezebox Controller, but hardly a Touch replacement.

[sxr71]

If you're vested in Squeezeboxen, then the HP DreamScreen (or many of the Netbooks or an IPod for that matter) make a great alternative to the Squeezebox Controller, but hardly a Touch replacement.

That's what I would use it for, but really iPeng working with a fast server is like a dream. I mean its right up there with Apple's remote application. Its actually better in that there is far more functionality than "Remote" thanks to 3rd party support like MusicIP and Trackstat. I have to say given the alternatives $250 for the Controller is a little out of line these days.

There have been times I have been so fed up with the SB system due to constant bugs, things breaking between releases, just a real PITA to deal with. I researched Sonos, Olive and other and I willing to make the right investment if it would rid me of SB problems. But ultimately it was the 3rd party support that kept me trying again with this system.

If you're willing to lose some capabilities mostly related to information about tracks and you just want to listen, then I doubt you could beat a computer running iTunes and an Airport Express. I maintain a copy of my library in ALAC just so I run it as a backup in case SB screws up. Sure optical out isn't the same as coaxial but it will make do when it is the only working system. It's only $99. Or even connect a computer running iTunes to a USB DAC and you're done.


I'd say if Olive gets a music recommendation engine like Genius or MusicIP and it allows you to keep track of stats/ratings then it would easily draw away people from the Transporter. The ideal I suppose would be to have both. Or I mean all 3. The same device controls them all anyway.