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Advice buying a Music Server? Just Olive 4HD?

Hi All,

I have a custom tube preamp/amp and a Rega Apollo for my CD collection. It is wonderful, but I dream of having my CDs all ripped onto a simple and quiet device, that wirelessly synchronizes music from my macbook when I rip it / download.

I do not want a Squeezebox + DAC [I do not want to have to use a computer with my stereo and I do not want two components, just one simple device].

I do not want a RedWine Audio IPOD, although this represents almost what I need [easy music synching with my library of Apple lossless files, easy UI, improved acoustics, etc.]. Here the sound is not quite what I want, and the storage is limited by the iPod.

It seems like the Olive 4HD is the only thing out there that has plenty of storage, WiFi for easy music synchronization, and high quality DAC componentry. But $2500 seems crazy.

I don't need the Olive CD transport [I can rip on my macbook]. I don't need internet radio. Is there really no $1000 solution to this problem? The Olive 3HD just makes me think that I'll want a better DAC, so please don't point me there.

Thoughts?
thanks,
Keith
kbigelow
kbigelow OP
2 posts
 
Thanks everyone! It sounds like the AppleTV + DAC is a good foray into a music server for the near term [1-3 years].
All my best,
Keith
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
The Apple TV makes things very easy IMO. Its the most enjoyable thng I've done to my system in a very long time. I'm sure you'll be very happy with one.

Get a good DAC and an iPod Touch for a remote, even if you're OK with a TV in the room, and you're good to go.

Hopefully Rega's DAC will be out soon!
edge22
31 posts
 
I have had my Apple TV for a couple of months and love it!

I would recommend getting the 160GB hard drive version that is being phased out. This older version is also capable of streaming, and when I first synced the Apple TV I was initially disappointed with the sound -- it did not sound quite as good as my CD player going to my DAC. However, I realized that what I initially heard was streaming (that is, I began listening before the songs were synced to the Apple TV harddrive). After the songs were synced on the Apple TV hard drive, it sounds every bit as good (and possibily better) as my CD player going to my DAC.
ozzy's avatar
ozzy
7,230 posts
 
Question on the Apple TV. Is there a way to add more storage? 160 GB is very small. I am currently using a Squeezebox Touch with a 1TB external Hard drive.
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
You can't add extra memory to the Apple TV. Once out of space, you can stream to it from your main computer.

I have about 300 or so CDs in Apple Lossless stored on it. It's about 3/8 full. If I ever run out of space, what I'd do is keep my everyday CDs on it, and stream the odd stuff.

I have all my music stored on an external 1TB hard drive in addition to the Apple TV.

There are hacks out there that allow an external hard drive to be connected directly to the Apple TV, and there are a few companies that'll put bigger hard drives in them. Not sure how much I trust altering gear personally.
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