Olive O3HD review

In terms of value for money, the Olive O3HD is hard to beat Tested at £925

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

A great music server at a competitive price

Pros

  • +

    Outstanding value, usability and flexibility

  • +

    decent sound quality

  • +

    now has digital output via USB

Cons

  • -

    Sound lacks a little sparkle next to good CD players

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Whatever their allure, most music servers are complex and expensive.

Olive's O3HD, by contrast, is designed as a modern music server for a less well-heeled audience. In fact, at £900, it's priced to rub shoulders with many mainstream CD players.

The O3HD has a 500GB hard-disk and an integrated CD drive; it's self-contained, and doesn't require connection to a computer. Clearly, you can buy music servers (and PCs) with larger hard drives, but Olive argues that this isn't a music server aimed at music hoarders, but music lovers.

It's specifically designed to be plug-and-play simple: there's an Ethernet port, but it's also preloaded with a 2.7-million-strong CD database to provide suitable artist, title and track information whenever you load a disc.

A delightful interface
The touchscreen control interface is a delight, both in its simplicity and the speed of its response. Olive wrote its own control software to deliver the best user experience, and it shows.

The standard remote is, by contrast, plain and utilitarian – although an iPhone/Touch app is also available.

Build quality is fine, if not as lavish as the pricier Olive O4HD. The spec's fine too, with Ethernet, a rear USB for connection to a suitable hard-disk for backing up your music, and preloaded internet radio access.

The original model lacked a digital output to upgrade its sound quality with an external DAC, but now that's been rectified and a digital out (via USB) is fitted as standard.

Needs a touch more rhythm
While it sounds perfectly fine, it's not quite as rhythmically adept as we'd like. However, now that you can add a good DAC, the problem is easily corrected.

It's smooth, listenable, able to focus musical elements within a broad and engaging soundstage and reasonably detailed.

A dedicated CD player, such as the Marantz CD6003, will sound better, but obviously doesn't have the functionality of a full media server.

The O3HD can perform feats that would elude both the Marantz and many a dearer CD player, and it's delightful to use.

Now that it's endowed with that digital output, it's an even more competitive product and deserves five stars.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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