Olive Ships $5000 2TB O6HD Music Server

That are audiophiles, and then there are audio freaks. If you consider yourself an audio freak, or even an audio snob, this amazing new box might interest you. Olive has been producing media servers for years now, and they've always been high-end in nature. Beautiful design, high-end components and limited numbers. That all adds up to impeccable performance and crazy high price tags. All of that's true here as well with the introduction of the O6HD flagship music server.


This sleek box ships in black or silver and has a 800x480 resolution display on the top to showcase meta data, as well as lots of high-end inputs/outputs, 24-bit audio processing, support for lossless audio playback, two Burr-Brown PCM1792 DAC modules, a 124dB signal-to-noise ratio, jitter of less than 10 picoseconds, a TI SRC4194 to up-sample any lower audio standard to 24-bit/384 kHz and a CD-RW drive from TEAC. It's hand-made in America, and it ships with a 2TB A/V hard drive to store upwards of 6,000 CDs in original quality.

But at $4,999, these definitely aren't made for those on a budget. If you aren't worried about the cost, this can be purchased now in limited quantities direct from Olive.

Olive Unveils Groundbreaking O6HD Music Server for Audiophiles

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Leading HD music server manufacturer Olive Media Inc. today debuted its flagship offering, the hand-crafted Olive O6HD music server for home stereo systems. The culmination of over five years of design and innovation in the category, the O6HD is an audiophile’s dream.

Every design choice on the O6HD was made with purity of sound as a priority, making the O6HD Olive’s most advanced offering to date. Olive pioneered the HD music category, matching recording engineers’ golden standard of 24-bit studio recording sound and up to 192 kHz sample rate. This offers music lovers an experience that is more than 250 times the resolution of CDs and is as perfect as recorded music can get. The O6HD represents an assembly of premium components to facilitate this experience that would cost tens of thousands of dollars to recreate elsewhere.

“When approaching the O6HD design we sought the highest possible quality for each component, without compromise,” stated Dr. Oliver Bergmann, co-founder and CEO of Olive. “Primary for us was creating the most faithful playback of high quality audio in digital format. Nothing has been spared. Supporting 24-bit playback enables a rich and emotional experience not found with other digital music solutions. MP3 files are infamous for compressing tracks to the point of destroying the depth and nuances of a performance, even CDs are incapable of reproducing the way music sounds as it is recorded live in the studio. The O6HD achieves this and is the Olive ideal.”

This attention to performance with component choices represents the details that audio purists crave:

Fully balanced differential DAC Design

At the heart of the 06HD is a fully balanced differential DAC, with a matched pair of TI’s top-of-the-line 24-bit/192 kHz DAC modules (Burr-Brown PCM1792) for the inverted and non-inverted signals on each of the right and left channels. With a Signal-to-Noise ratio of 124 dB, the sounds come from a truly black background, revealing all the nuances and subtleties. The patent-pending DAC design is enhanced with additional premium components:

• Ultra-low jitter master clock A separate temperature-compensated crystal oscillator, with jitter of less than 10 picoseconds after re-clocking virtually eliminates jitter. This best in class clocking eliminates the edginess issues found in some digital music players. The resulting sound is of unequalled transparency and tonal accuracy.

• High-performance Sample Rate Converter The new O6HD uses the latest TI SRC4194 to up-sample any lower audio standard to 24-bit/384 kHz, guaranteeing incredible purity in high frequencies and low-level detail.

• High-end output stage Enjoy warm, open and spacious sound. The O6HD eliminates slewing induced distortion by using ultra-fast op-amps with at least 20V/us slew-rate, and a gentle 2nd-order Bessel reconstruction filter. Witnessed in its exceptionally flat frequency response (+0/-0.5db, 20Hz-20kHz) and ultra-low THD+N of less than 0.0007% (at 20Hz-22kHz)

• Dedicated headphone DAC The O6HD also features a separate 24-bit/192 kHz PCM1792 DAC and TPA6120A2 High Performance Audio Amplifier for headphone use, giving users the sharpest possible sound regardless of how they’re listening.

High-Precision Linear Power Supply

The obsession for sound performance behind the O6HD’s design is further evidenced with the unique presence of dedicated power supplies for the analog and digital components. The highly sensitive analog section is powered by a dedicated linear power supply with a custom-built ultra-low noise toroidal transformer. A separate AC line filter, with noise attenuation at close to 80dB, reduces noise floor from the start.

Iconic Design, Hand-Built in the USA

Olive’s O6HD embodies design with purpose: each feature in the service of performance, the whole an aesthetic treat. To deliver on this promise, Olive has selected design elements that first and foremost enhance the listening experience. The pinnacle of Olive’s sound, technology, and design, the O6HD ultimately serves as a showcase piece for the home.

More than just a shell, the O6HD’s elegant aluminum enclosure eliminates operational noise and resonances. A distinctive angled front includes a huge 10.1" glass-on-glass color touch-screen, both of which allow for easy navigation of the music library. The music library has capacity for up to 6,000 CDs in original quality or up to 20,000 High Definition tracks on the O6HD’s internal 2TB hard disk drive, which is cushioned in 8 layers of noise-canceling padding.

Even the 06HD’s Anti-Vibration Feet play a role in producing sound that is pure, with each foot designed in a 2-part, special polymer mold. This allows the chassis to float above its supporting surface and protect it from outside vibrations and resonances, which can negatively affect sound performance. Furthermore, Olive has chosen a unique fan-less cooling system further eliminates operating noise.

The care that went into the design of the O6HD also goes into its construction. The entire series is custom-built in small quantities at Olive’s facilities right in downtown San Francisco, USA. This ensures the highest quality for each and every product; nothing is left to chance.

Pricing and availability

The O6HD music server is available in limited quantities directly from Olive (www.olive.us; 1.877.296.5483) for $4,999 (2TB). Olive is available worldwide through a network of authorized distributors. More information on product specifications, features, pricing, images and other multimedia assets are available at www.olive.us.