The Olive Symphony: The mega iPod for your stereo

Just got a pair of them in today... Nice looking--not 1/2" aluminum plate crowd nice, but OK for quasi-mass market stuff. I'll be interested in seeing how they look lit up and, more importantly, how they sound...

I called Olive. The "Musica," is the next model up from the one reviewed in the Stereophile newsletter. It has a 160 GB hard drive, but doesn't have the Classical Software for auto cataloging your recordings. I also asked about adding hard drives as mentioned in Stereophile. I was told that capability is not yet available.
I should have thought to ask about the remote control. I wonder if it has a scroll display like an I-pod?

David

A scroll display on the remote itself? That would probably sell me right there.

I did a little research on this piece because it somewhat intrigued me. However, there is IMO a better solution. The Apple iMac w/17" screen via airport would offer you much more for you're money. You also get a Screen, you can place it on you're coffee table or if you are farther away the new iMacs come with remote controls. The price is the same as the Musica and you get the same amount of space, 160GB. I realize with the Musica you do have some free digital radio but with a iMac you can digitally stream ANY radio station in the world. It also has built in bluetooth. If someone had there setup by a TV I could see somebody using a mac mini in the same way hooked up to the TV and controlling it via bluetooth from the couch.

Baroque_lover, the Mac Mini route is the way I went. I've got a massive NAS RAID setup with the library on it, and run iTunes via a Mac Mini with a BT keyboard and mouse.

I'm actually thinking of going another route, however. I figure I can pick up a fanless small form factor PC--something like a Sumicom or Serener XP box--for relatively cheap. I can run iTunes off a windows platform, and use a USB audio output device the way I do with my Mac Mini. The benefit of this route is that I can dust off an old 10" viewsonic airpanel--an 802.11 wireless touchscreen display--and run a remote desktop for the PC--having iTunes control while on the couch in touchscreen form.

This also gives me the option of tacking on some USB/RS232 converters, an IR generator, and running Mainlobby and Girder to consolidate all system control functions on the airpanel. Think of it as a 10" color touchscreen wireless remote with iTunes control...