Has anyone heard the Olive Opus No5 music server?


I'm very interested in going to a music server as my primary source for listening. Consequently, I want to find something that is of excellent quality. I'm very interested in the Olive Opus No5 because it seems to have a true audiophile pedigree, judging by their promotional materials and by the reviews. My concern is in not being able to audition it before purchase and would like some feedback or suggestions from other users.

As an alternative, I'm also thinking of using a Mac Mini or possibly an iMac running iTunes through an outboard DAC, such as the Benchmark DAC-1 with the USB cable. The Benchmark seems to have an excellent reputation and has the added benefit of using the USB datastream which is supposed to be immune to jitter and other interferences.

I would appreciate any comments or suggestions.

My System:
Currently, I'm using an ARCAM DV29 through an AVR-200 receiver (acting as pre-amp) through two P1 monoblocks into a pair of KEF XQ-5 speakers. I have a Shunyata Python going into a Hydra with Taipan VX power cables going to the DV-29 and the AVR-200 and Copperhead power cables going into the P-1 monoblocks. For cabling, I have Cardas Golden Reference DVD to Pre then Cardas Neutral Reference Pre-Power and Power-Speaker. I know, the AVR-200 is the weak link, I plan to add a high-quality Pre-amp in the future - just haven't decided. For the money, it really does sound better than it should.
asclepius

Showing 1 response by evkatz

Hi. I actually had Steve Nugent mod an Opus 5 for me, and I have it connected up to one of his outboard DACs -- the Spoiler. Sounds great. 750 GB disc. Nice and quiet, too. Two thoughts. There IS a difference in sound between encoding the audio in WAV and FLAC. But even with WAV, you can get over 1000 albums on there. I can't tell you what the Opus' DAC would sound like on its own, though. Check the company for return policy, or have Steve do his magic!

Evan