Moon i1 cd player vs Olive O4HD

poldo

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Hi,

I am looking to buy a new cd player, because i own the moon i-1 amp, the i1 cd player is the obvious choice. But i read a review about the Olive O4DH, it has a dac, streamer, ripper and cd player in one box.

Do you think the olive has the capabilities to perform as good as a dedicated cd player?
 

CnoEvil

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IMO. The primary reason for getting the Olive would usually be for its streaming ability, rather than for its CD player. If you are only going to play CDs then a dedicated player would be better.

I think the Olive is the way to go, but only if you are going to use it as a streamer - I believe you would be pleasantly surprised with the result, especially with hi-res music.
 

manicm

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The Olive's main purpose is ripping and playback through its built-in hard drive, even though it has streaming capability.

If you're looking for a streamer only then you should also consider the Linn Majik DS - under 2000 quid, but ethernet only. For a few hundred over the Olive I would also seriously consider the NaimUniti.
 

CnoEvil

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Sorry to pick you up wrong.

Once your music is ripped, I think it will sound good enough that you will end up "mothballing" your CDs.

Going purely on sound quality, it will take a fairly expensive CD player to out-perform it.

Edit: I'm not using the term "streaming" correctly - as Manicm has pointed out, I should have said, playing music from a hard drive....but I think you get the gist. I own the Magik DS so can help on this front if needed.
 
A

Anonymous

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If you are in UK, there're many choices such as Rega Saturn, ARCAM FMJ CD37, Sugden CD21 and Creek Audio Destiny 2. All of them may suit your system quite well.

I'm happy you've found the origin of the harshness.

Regards!
 

poldo

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iam very happy too audiomaniac.

I have the moon on home trial, and it sounds great, very nice synergy with the amp.

i am enjoying all my music over and over.

porcupine tree - deadwing sounds great
 
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Anonymous

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Poldo,

By the way, do you live in UK?

If so, UK and other European brands shall bring you the same quality you get with Moon i1 CD for less money. As far as I know, foreign brands (mainly American, Canadian and Japanese's) are expensive in UK and I'm in doubt it's worth purchasing their products.
 
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Anonymous

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Poldo,

Actually, I've never heard about Olive brand. That's embarrassing! :bigsmile:

Anyway, external DACs suppose to be as good as full CD players, but don't forget a good transport is required. If you already have a good one, it's worth purchasing a DAC.
 
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Anonymous

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A reliable transport is Oppo BD-83. It's a high end blu-ray player and a really rock solid transport.
 

noogle

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Haven't heard the Olive, but the deconstructionalist in me says that you are paying a price for the all-in-one convenience of this kind of product. My gut feel is that you could achieve better sound at the same price using a laptop and standalone DAC.
 
A

Anonymous

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Wow! It costs 2200 pounds!

If you can afford such expensive digital sources I think you'll be better off with players like Krell S-350a. It plays SACDs and ordinary CDs wonderfully. You should also consider Luxman D-05 SACD/CD player as well. I'm sure by taking home of them it's a guaranteed satisfaction.
 

CnoEvil

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Poldo, I have heard the Olive and it's good enough to deserve a demo before you make up your mind.

I think the Linn Magik is better, and (IMO) I have heard it out perform some high end CD players.....but the DS is not an all in one solution, as has been mentioned above. Even Linn's little Sneaky is well worth a look (£800 in UK) and it outperforms most CDPs at up to, and slightly over twice its price - especially on 24 bit....WHF's review is pretty accurate.

Apologies for last night, it was a long day and I thought you were asking if the Olive would work as a good CD player. :tired:

Glad you got to the problem of the brightness (shows the importance of the source). As I mentioned in your previous thread, the dealer I used, said Moon amps don't sound right till they have been left on for 5-7 days......worth bearing in mind.

Cno
 

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