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I've received an offer of buy 1, get 1 free from Olive. Having read the reviews - some are scathing about the software and clunky, old style performance of the touchscreen etc, yet others love it.
Does anyone here have first hand experience of the Olive One and if so, what do you think. I need to take up the offer before Monday (tomorrow). The offer is buy any one of the range and get the same one free.
Dave.
Dave Farr: I've received an offer of buy 1, get 1 free from Olive. Having read the reviews - some are scathing about the software and clunky, old style performance of the touchscreen etc, yet others love it. Does anyone here have first hand experience of the Olive One and if so, what do you think. I need to take up the offer before Monday (tomorrow). The offer is buy any one of the range and get the same one free. Dave.
Hi Dave,
I was an original funder/ subscriber, and there are at least two others here who did the same. I have had no complaints other than the fact that all the BBC net radio broadcasts have disappeared, possibly because the BBC has switched to a type of stream that the Olive cannot read. I am waiting for feedback from Olive on this point.
My Olive One works flawlessly, but whether I would have paid full price is another matter. As an early purchaser I did get an offer some months ago of a second unit at half price, but I declined. You get stung with VAT and import duties if you are in the UK / Europe.
But buy one, get one free? Very tempting, as you can stream simultaneously to two rooms. Get one with a hard disk for storage.
Graham
Hi Graham,
yes, I sent you a message asking about it as I knew you had one as an early adopter/backer. I'd go for the 1TB model I think which should be plenty for me. The multiroom feature was something I liked. I'm still mulling it over as it will still be about 700 EUR + 80 EUR shipping for the two units. The implication is that there will be no duties as it would come from within the EU but I'm not 100% sure about that?
Thanks for the comments.
I seem to recall that mine came straight from Taiwan. FedX invoiced me separately for the duty and VAT. In some countries you had to pay in advance, before delivery.
Have they now got stocks in Europe and are now quoting VAT inclusive prices?
Another reply with nothing controversial in it has gone for moderation!
vikinger: Another reply with nothing controversial in it has gone for moderation!
Now above (1.18).
BeoBoy68:@ Dave Don't buy
Don't buy
Why not? Without any context, what is your rationale - apart from advising me to buy something by 'Devilinit' or whatever it's called.
Oh boy - that device was hyped and took ages to get to the market...
...is it now soon to be discounted?
Or are they just trying to revive the sales!
There are many (what we could call) 3rd party devices with similar functionality, that can be used with B&O gear.
But after B&O Multiroom and the Essence (second generation) has finally arrived, why worry?
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Dave Farr:Why not?
Now two years from development, so in the world of electronics there will be plenty of similar alternatives around.
But I am happy. Would I buy again right now? I would probably look at the various streamers at the likes of Richer Sounds rather than go for crowdfunding.
But if they are in stock and available at a discount then that would be a different matter. The Olive One websites do not carry any information on discounts or European stocks though.
Just an additional point to consider. As reported above and elsewhere, my Olive One lost its BBC streaming, possibly because the BBC had switched its high quality streams to a different format involving flash and/or m3u8.
I made a support request to Olive at the beginning of September. After getting no response they eventually told me that the relevant engineer was on leave and that they would get back to me in a couple of weeks. That didn't happen.
A further prompt yesterday got the reply that they were 'a bit swamped being in the middle of update .31'. All I can advise is that the support is not what it was! The other thing to bear in mind is that a lot of the things highlighted on their website like wall mounts etc have not materialised, and the integrated speakers etc may still be in development.
....... and I just had a further reply that they have added m3u8 support......... but they can't open the BBC streams..........
Of course BBC streaming is now getting very complex and where there are overseas copyright problems the streaming gets blocked outside the UK.
Gadgetynews.com. Sept 2015
On my way out I met a very cool little streamer by the name of Olive.
Olive is a touchscreen streamer with a choice of storage options. This means you can hook up more than one Olive with your main Olive packing up to 2TB of on-board storage whilst two others feed from that from the network in to other rooms.
The Music OS user interface appeared to be clear and intuitive and should feel familiar enough to anyone who uses a smart device.
Under the hood is a 32-bit/384kHz Burr-Brown DAC with 8X Oversampling and incredible Signal-to-Noise ratio of 112dB to its ultra-low jitter master clock, as well as an amplifier per channel.
The Olive will play WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, Ogg Vorbis and outputs via 3.5mm outs as well as Bluetooth, Coax, RCA, USB. You can also Bluetooth your tunes from your smart device or use DLNA/UPnP.
All-in-all a very smart and well put together package.
Gadgety.com
Realistically, if I wasn’t being realistic then I would have just had the dCS room contents packaged up and delivered, and if I had the money, I would definitely have come away with some Kralk speakers, either the bookshelf BC-30 or the floorstanding BC-30 3. They were just so impressive.
I also like what I heard from the all the Schiit amps and DACs I heard – there is very much something for every budget and listening style.
Finally, as I am on the look out for a stylish and good performing streamer, I think I’d pop an Olive on top.
Well in the end, I decided to not go for the offer. I couldn't understand why the offer was so generous and the issues raised regarding it's UI, slow software and a host of other negatives made me decide against it. That and the fact that my step-daughter is 18 next month and will need a car! I have enough products in my house - not just B&O and I don't really need any more music systems in the house.
Thanks for all of the input though, it was very useful.
BeoBoy68:@ Dave Good choice Happy for you
Good choice
Happy for you
I still think it's got potential if they sort the issues out. I quite like the look of it and could see it working well in the right place. My kids would love it! I should also listen to it first rather than buying blind (or deaf!).
Denmark, HiFi4All.dk, August 2015
"Olive ONE is a network streamer that delivers the data to be converted into music. And with Olive ONE it may happen in several ways. First, data can be stored remotely on a NAS server, and streamed via Ethernet or wireless. You can also choose a few other options: Olive ONE also comes with an internal hard drive of 1 or 2 GB. From here it is delivered either via S / P-DIF or USB. As a third option, you can also play via Bluetooth from a smartphone or similar.
But it can also be converted internally and played through a built-in 2 x 32 watt class D amplifier, which may surprise when taking the Olive ONE’s size into account. But this is because the amplification is via two small chips of 1 x 1 centimeter! The technology has gradually evolved a lot, since the first commercial time. D amplifiers unveiled, with, for example ICEpower.
One has a large touch panel, which dominates the sloping front, and it works almost as good as most tablets. But the greatest comfort is achieved via an app downloadable for both iOS and Android tablets, so the operation can be performed from a casual listening position. … you can also turn the volume up and down on the front of Olive ONE in a circular motion on the small panel under the large touch screen. The same panel is also used to turn the ONE on and off. As a whole, the provided service of ONE is a really appealing experience.
Olive ONE is, when you receive it, not really the final product, there is an ongoing process with coming updates enabling new features. And in the future, it will also be able to stream music from various online services. ONE’s enclosure is constructed from one solid piece of aluminum, almost a "vessel" in which the top is mounted, and is made up of one piece with the display and the small round panel. At the bottom, behind a panel, is space for the hard drive. Fit and finish are very good, and gives the right exclusive feeling. The connectors are nicely tucked away and hidden on the "back" so they do not disturb the aesthetic expression.
Later this year passive speakers will be released from Olive, which matches the design of ONE.Listening Impressions
Olive ONE is very honest and straightforward in it's style of playing … But it does not prevent the One from setting up a large and beautiful soundscape, a la McIntosh, in the listening room. … Otherwise, the sound follows, what we know from digital sources. The bass is precise and with good impact, and has a good weight. Midrange area is very straightforward, and makes no particular expression of it. …
But then came a very positive surprise ... and that was when the speakers in the listening room were connected to Olive ONE's built-in amplifier and the data flow was converted via the internal DAC. My expectations were low due to the two small chips, which on paper are not very powerful. And at the same time the Xavian speakers require some power for the bass to perform.
But they did with Olive ONE without a murmur! And not only that ... it was the same exact bass, with both impact and weight. But as the best it also softened the sound too, and gone was the S and T artifacts and the worst track of digitalitis! ... But it is completely irrelevant, because all of a sudden I hear the music, instead of thinking about the technical aspects. As an integrated streamer and amplifier One delivers actually a fairly good Boogie-factor. At the time of this writing Brian Johnson from AC / DC yells "giving the dog a bone" and it is roaring away :)
At the price, I was actually a little impressed, and unfortunately I have to bite the bullet and admit that small chips can actually play music. And as a streaming setup for the living room or the like, then Olive ONE is actually an excellent example.
Conclusion
Olive ONE is a true lifestyle product that leads the way when it comes to the design and operation. That it also plays quite sensibly is only a plus. Especially the built-in amplifier impresses, and it can be argued that the Olive ONE should be used as an integrated product that plays along with a good pair of speakers.
At the same time it is said to be an extremely versatile product, which will be further and continuously updated as technology evolves. Olive ONE gets the highest recommendations from us!"
Read the full review in Danish here.
_______
USA, Trustednerd.com, 5 stars (Excellent), July 2015
"I get many tech products almost daily, many of which I am embarrassed to put on my living room table as they just don’t fit into the decor. Not a problem with the Olive ONE, it actually makes the decor happen. The beautiful aesthetics of the device you really have to see it in person to believe it. Once you do I guarantee you’ll fall in love with the device.
...
Overall, I highly suggest getting the Olive ONE. It’s a must have for every home that loves to listen to music. I really don’t know how I was able to live life without it. Olive ONE creates such an immersive music experience, you’ll want to pick up more than one."
Read the full review here.
Portugal, July 2015
"Connecting the Olive ONE to my network was really simple. As soon as the ONE got it’s IP address it popped up as a shortcut on my computer desktop, which allowed me to transfer the music from my NAS and computer to the ONE ...
I connected the ONE first to my Primare 30 amplifier, and later directly to my Sonab OA6 speakers. Through the amplifier the ONE sounded great, demonstrating rhythm, precision, wide sound stage and detail. Connecting the ONE directly to the speakers really blew me away ... the sound didn’t lose any vivacity, nor dimension, nor definition and did not even complain when I pushed for more dB’s. It’s an excellent surprise at this price point ...
The ONE is good or even better than some specialized equipment at the same price range.”
Japan, June 2015
"I have never seen a more beautiful audio device … and was very impressed with its functionality and sound quality. Especially considering its small size. The Olive ONE reproduces high resolution audio exceptionally well … and is very easy and fun to use!"
Do you have tons of music on your computer, but you don’t really want it all to be sitting on your computer taking up space from other things? Are you that kind of person that wants One device that can do oh so much for your music. Well keep reading cause the Olive ONE is the device for you.
I originally saw the Olive ONE at CES 2012 and I instantly fell in love with it, I just HAD to have one. Those who know me really well know that when I fall in love with something, it’s an emotional connection to the product and the company. I could tell that the staff behind the product were extremely passionate about it and I knew this was going to be a killer device. I wasn’t wrong.
When Olive ONE finally produced units, there were a few hurdles back then they had to overcome, they sent me one and oh my gosh was I in tears. It looks fantastic and is loaded with features any audiophile or music lover will just tear up over.
I get many tech products almost daily, many of which I am embarrassed to put on my living room table as they just don’t fit into the decor. Not a problem with the Olive ONE, it actually makes the decor happen. The beautiful aesthetics of the device you really have to see it in person to believe it. Once you do I guarantee you’ll fall in love with the device.
Olive ONE was an Indiegogo campaign, back in April 2013 that raised over half a million dollars from around 1,500 backers. They didn’t lie during their campaign either, they delivered on their promises. It’s a beautiful glass and aluminum product, not cheap crap from China.
Let’s talk interface. It’s just stunning to say the least. They have a song selection screen that is divided into three sections: one column for the artist, another for the album and then once an album is selected, it will show you a list of songs. It’s pretty swag to say the least!
The Olive ONE is a streaming music player, yes, it streams. There has been a lot of talk lately about Apple’s streaming services, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and such. Honestly, I used Spotify before getting the Olive ONE but do I still use Spotify, Pandora or Apple Music, no. I like to be in control of my own music, not have someone like Taylor Swift have the ability to control where my music will be streamed from. Yes, I just went there. So I’m guessing Taylor Swift endorses the Olive ONE then?
Even Facebook is now in talks about music streaming… but anyways…..
Or maybe not… Guess they’re scared of Taylor Swift.
Anyways.. the Olive ONE includes a built in DAC and dual 32 watt per channel amps. It also has coaxial, RCA and Ethernet (if you don’t want to go the wifi route). It also has Bluetooth input (Not output yet). The Olive ONE also has models without a hard drive, with a 1TB HD and one with a 2 TB HD. Is 2TB enough for you? For me, yes.
In terms of formats, the Olive ONE supports WAV, FLAC, AIFF, MP3, Apple Lossless and Ogg Vorbis. The quality is so crystal clear, you’ll think you’re dreaming.
Pricing for the Olive ONE is decent at under $1,000.
Here are some specs:
HD Digital-Analog-ConverterBurr-Brown PCM5142• 32-bit/384kHz• Dynamic Range / SNR: 112 dB• THD+N: – 93 dB @ – 1 dBFS• 8X oversamplingDual HD amplifiers and DSPBurr-Brown PCM5142
• 2x 32W/channel into 8 Ohm, high-efficiency (92%)• 1 amp per channel, perfect channel separation• DSP with patent-pending PRISM technologyAudio OutputBurr-Brown PCM5142
• Analog: Speaker out (24k gold-plated)• Digital: Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast ™• Bluetooth (A2DP)• Wi-Fi Direct™Digital Audio InputBurr-Brown PCM5142
• Bluetooth (A2DP)• Wi-Fi: Miracast™, Direct™, DLNA/UPnPGraphical User InterfaceBurr-Brown PCM5142
• Built-in 7.0 inch LCD with capacitive touch-screen• TV interface via Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast™• Free Apple® iPhone®, iPad® and Android AppWi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) Burr-Brown PCM5142
• Supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)• DLNA Certified®• Play music from Mac, PC, NAS (UPnP)• Multi-room music (requires ONE for each room)Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Direct™Burr-Brown PCM5142
• Stream music from portable devices• Connect wireless headphones or speakersBuilt-in AV hard driveBurr-Brown PCM5142
Optional• 2.5” AV hard drive or SSD drive• From 500GB to 2.5TBOlive Home Cloud ServiceBurr-Brown PCM5142
• Access your music anywhere in the world.• Dynamic compression: Stream up to full HD quality (24-bit/192kHz)EnvironmentBurr-Brown PCM5142• Power: Meets EUP (0.5W in Standby)• RoHS compliant• Recyclable (aluminum and glass)Dimensions & WeightBurr-Brown PCM5142• Diameter: 9.0 inch (22.9 cm)• Height: 1.61 inch (4.1 cm) max• Weight: ~6 lb. (2.7 kg, without HDD)Overall, I highly suggest getting the Olive ONE. It’s a must have for every home that loves to listen to music. I really don’t know how I was able to live life without it. Olive ONE creates such an immersive music experience, you’ll want to pick up more than one.
If you're looking for an audio solution to store your entire music library I highly suggest the Olive ONE.
Dave Farr: Well in the end, I decided to not go for the offer. I couldn't understand why the offer was so generous and the issues raised regarding it's UI, slow software and a host of other negatives made me decide against it. That and the fact that my step-daughter is 18 next month and will need a car! I have enough products in my house - not just B&O and I don't really need any more music systems in the house. Thanks for all of the input though, it was very useful. Dave.
No doubt the right decision for you, particularly if you are already overflowing with B&O and the like. Nevertheless, I have posted a couple of reviews just to balance the detractors who neither own nor have experienced the Olive.
As a.matter of interest, did your offer come direct from Olive or from a new distributor?
it was direct from Olive by e-mail. I'd registered interest a few weeks ago on their website. I also see that if you put one in your cart, a pop up appears saying that for one customer a day, you can state what you want to pay and they chose one a day from those submitted so someone gets a chance to get one cheap anyway. Seems a bit odd.
It seems to be something that people either love or hate - a bit like Marmite! I like the look and proncipal of it but haven't heard it or tried it out so had to go on reviews. Some are positive, some are downright vicious (one guy says he's never used it and it's just sitting in the back of a cupboard!). Built in speakers (coming soon apparently) and a few updates in the future I may re-examine my decision and buy one for the kids (then I'll borrow it).
What d/a conversion electronics is B&O using in the Moment
Mmmmmm.....Topsecret😂
Surely having a device with a spinning hard drive in 2015 is bad new guys?
Paul W: Surely having a device with a spinning hard drive in 2015 is bad new guys?
Nonsense - it means I can listen to my own content in whatever format I own it, whenever I like and have full confidence it hasn't been fiddled with by streaming sites to suit the listening preferences of the "beats brigade".
I can also listen to it when BT have the road dug up at the top of the street, and it'll always be mine - it doesn't disappear into the ether when I do, I can leave it to my kids and they can play to their own children the horrors I made them endure when they were young and strapped into the back of the car.
Ban boring signatures!
I think he means a SSD rather than an HDD. He is probably right.
Peter
You can fit a ssd into the olive one.
Must admit I brought it for my office but if I actually get my extension done it will be connected to the AV9000, it works well and is updated regularly, they need to bring out a wall mount then it would be very good.
Peter: I think he means a SSD rather than an HDD. He is probably right.
I don't really see why! Although they may be deemed to be more reliable they are still not 100% and so still require a back up. There is no advantage to their speed if they are purely used as a music data store as conventional HDD is more than fast enough. They are more expensive.
For a system disc I would agree, for multitrack recording and mixing I would also agree, for streaming music I don't think there is any significant advantage - unless you happen to be one of the nutters who think SSD sounds better than HDD!
From the specification in the review above:
Puncher: Peter: I think he means a SSD rather than an HDD. He is probably right. I don't really see why! Although they may be deemed to be more reliable they are still not 100% and so still require a back up. There is no advantage to their speed if they are purely used as a music data store as conventional HDD is more than fast enough. They are more expensive. For a system disc I would agree, for multitrack recording and mixing I would also agree, for streaming music I don't think there is any significant advantage - unless you happen to be one of the nutters who think SSD sounds better than HDD!
They also will wear out, there is a finite number of read/write cycles they can handle before failure, just like a HD. I have no idea how longevity compares though I'd expect an SSD to last longer due to mechanical issues. However, my NAS has been running two 1 TB HDs for 5 years now with no problems, as I have it set to spin the drives down when not being used.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Jeff: They also will wear out, there is a finite number of read/write cycles they can handle before failure, just like a HD. I have no idea how longevity compares though I'd expect an SSD to last longer due to mechanical issues.
They also will wear out, there is a finite number of read/write cycles they can handle before failure, just like a HD. I have no idea how longevity compares though I'd expect an SSD to last longer due to mechanical issues.
That'll depend heavily on the usage pattern. As an OS main disk with lots of random access, swapping and all, an SSD can fail surprisingly fast. As music storage, they don't wear much as the usage is practically read only. That doesn't mean they couldn't fail in some other way - never trust any storage media! (Except punched paper tape, perhaps )
--mika
I've always used my Olive One with my 1970's BM2000 and S45 speakers. This way I get some control of bass and treble. However, the user reviews of the built-in Class D amplifiers tempted me to try connecting the Olive direct to the S45s.
Steve at Sounds Heavenly supplied a pair of very high quality fly leads... gold plated banana plugs for the Olive, and 2pin DIN female plugs for the speakers.
Set it all up but got no sound. Then realised that just like B&O equipment I had to go into the settings menu to activate the direct speaker outputs. The results are almost indistinguishable from using the BM2000. The fixed bass and treble settings are fine.... in fact I suspect that the bass and treble may automatically increase slightly at low volumes. The digital volume control gives a different range from the BM2000: strangely the peak volume when playing music files is a little lower than when using the BM2000, but internet radio volumes seem much higher and the volume needs to be set fairly low for normal listening. From advice offered elsewhere on the forum I gather that reducing the volume digitally rather than using analogue methods does reduce the sound quality but I've found it difficult to make any distinction.
Personally I find it difficult to fault the Olive One..... other than the fact that they have never produced the promised wall bracket and the promised matching speakers are still in the future.