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This is the age of distractions for audio buffs, what with high-resolution, lossless and compressed formats jostling for attention. All these can be delivered to your hi-fi system via the Internet, your computer and a USB-equipped digital-to-analog converter. The hi-fi fraternity is in two minds, though. Shun the computer or ride the tide to explore brave new worlds? Or is there a halfway house?
Amidst such a scenario, it is only natural for enterprising designers choose a multi-pronged approach. Olive Media Inc., an American company, founded five years ago, best exemplifies this – it makes CD players and media servers, and CD players with a sever and hard disk on board. As good as having your cake and eating it. Of course, audio geeks have already been at it for a while, armed with computer and iTunes, which allows them to rip their CD collection to a hard disk and surf for Internet radio stations. But then, where’s the pride of ownership you get from a “proper” hi-fi product, eh? Oh, audiophiles, such a fastidious lot.
But getting back to the task at hand – the Olive 4HD, a CD player equipped with a hard disk drive and an Internet radio station server.
Ripping Stuff Getting started is a breeze, the Olive people have ensured this. The 4HD contains 24-bit Chesky Records HD sampler, so you can be entertained right out of the box. Later, you can fire up your Internet and get connected to world radio – the 4HD has an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi capability.
The sloping fascia is a nice touch, and the cacophony of the text on the top plate apparently adds to the “coolness” factor. A small, high-resolution touchscreen display and slot-in CD compartment take up the fascia; controls under each access relevant features, but a remote control is also provided. Turn the unit around and you will see a pair of analog outputs, coaxial and optical digital outputs, coaxial digital input, USB 2.0 interface, HDMI (for video), Ethernet port, IR remote socket, and two terminals for the Wi-Fi antenna. You can also link the player to your TV via HDMI, if you want a larger display.
The 4HD plays CDs, and not other optical discs. Once you load a disc, an onboard database gives you a read-out of the artist, album, and track titles, and other peripheral information. However, you will have the occasional CD where information is unavailable. Olive recommends updating the 4HD every couple of months, via the Internet (you need to register the product first, after purchase). The 4HD will also ask you if you want to rip the CD to the hard disk. The review unit was provided with a 1TB hard disk, but this can be doubled.
A number of storage formats are available – WAV (no compression), FLAC, ACC, and MP3. The advantage over iTunes is FLAC compatibility, which is preferred by a growing number of users to Apple’s Lossless. The MP3 options are varied at128kbps and 320kbps. Should you opt for WAV rips, which take up the most space, you can store more than 1,600 CDs on the 4HD; with FLAC, it is close to 3,000 CDs.
While Olive recommends using Gigabit Ethernet connection for faster data transfer, I didn’t find it too slow on Wi-Fi (802.11n is supported) either: there was the rare dropouts on Internet stations when the signal was being buffered, but nothing to cause long-term bother.
You can use your iPhone or iTouch as a remote control for the 4HD, once you download the free app from Olive’s site. At the heart of the 4HD is Texas Instruments’ 24-bit/192kHz Burr-Brown 1792A converter. Users can backup the hard disk’s contents regularly via the USB interface – a recommended procedure. The review unit came in Silver; a black finish is also available.
Unlimited Jukebox Once the 4HD was linked via Wi-Fi to my modem, I went for the Internet radio station and sure enough, there was a plethora of options. In fact, this feature should keep many music lovers chair-bound for years! The sound ranged from decent to average but as an endless resource of free music, this is unbeatable!
The 4HD first went into a McIntosh C220/MC402 system when I initially set it up a couple months ago, but later, this made way for an Odyssey Audio Tempest 2/Khartago Extreme SE pre-power combi. The Magepan MG1.6 was used all the way. Cabling and interconnects were from Gotham, MIT and Audio Magic. All electronics went into the PurePower 1050i power regenerator. My reference was the Ayon CD-05 CD player. Initially, I found the navigation system cumbersome, and indeed, with long-term use, this impression was only exacerbated. The small touchscreen, fascia buttons and remote controls are no match for the flexibility of a laptop or PC; you need to scroll through pages sometimes. Computer users might not see the point in a pretty box with a single-purpose operating system.
Yet, once you’ve developed a feel of things, and can live with the system, you’ll find it to be useful as a music playback and archival tool, and an Internet station jukebox. Importantly, there isn’t much wrong with the 4HD’s sonic performance. The 24-bit samples are an impeccable introduction to high-resolution audio coming off a hard disk. Detailed, spacious, crystal clear and rhythmic, the 4HD certainly was no slouch in high-fidelity reproduction.
A comparison with the Ayon – CD-to-CD, all else equal – showed the 4HD to possess somewhat less bass impact and dynamics, nor was the stage as open or the projection as holographic. Yet, on its own, the 4HD was impressive – it tackled complex recordings with gusto, and the presentation was crisp, if a little laidback, and certainly not lacking in verve.
I was curious if there would be any difference between a CD and is uncompressed ripped copy – to my surprise, the hard-disk version seemed to possess more depth and space, with a better grip on the lower frequencies. Vocals were better projected and defined from the mix, and there seemed more air in the recording; this, without losing any of the positive attributes of the CD. Ultimately, I ended up listening more to the hard-disk’s contents – once I had ripped the CDs, they became as good as redundant.
Between the Two The Olive 4HD draws the bridge between hi-fi and computer audio significantly closer. Sure, there are more comprehensive audiophile-based solutions but they’re costlier. You could also build such a system for half the price, with a laptop and a USB-equipped DAC, but it’s messier. The 4HD sits between the two – better presented for audiophiles, and sonically ahead of a basic computer-based system.
Audiophiles willing to open their minds will find a lot to like about the 4HD; the only issue is what you would do with your CDs after you’ve finished ripping them to the hard-disk. This is an interesting product that delivers much of what computer-audio does, in a more concise manner, with a sonic performance that steps into serious hi-fi territory.