1) Are you currently looking for or using a music server?
a) if you are currently using, which do you use and why
b) if you are not, would you like one, why or why not.
1.) I am always on the hunt for new gear. I think the Olive's are sleek, sharp machines. I would love to own one.
a.)I own an Escient Fireball SE 80, that is probably 5 years old. At the time I purchased it new, I had hoped to own an Olive or an Audio Refinement but they were out of my price range at the time and the Escient was all that I could afford. It has served me well but is now long in the tooth, loading slower and slower as it fills up, and has a couple of hiccups in the software.
b.) I would love to replace the Escient. It only does 320 Kbps.
2) When purchasing a music server, which are the three most important considerations to you and why?
Storage capacity and bit rates, cost, aesthetics, ease of use, firmware updates, customer support.
I know, more than three, but I have thought about servers for awhile and love mine to death. I would never go back to cds. Never. Search my posts and find that I am always jumping in the music server threads and telling the computer geeks that not everyone wants to build a server, and that the store bought ones are worth it to joe six packs like myself. My Fireball only does MP3s at 320. I would love to have my cd collection at full strength. Escient has been a little lame in support of the few small hiccups I have had. I have drooled over the Olive's for some time but they were out of my price range for the bigger ones. This one looks to be perfect. Having the screen on the unit is so nice as now I have turn on my flat screen to use my server. I have also heard good things about Olive's cs.
3) Are their any deal breaker features in music servers (meaning you wouldn't buy one with that feature)? What are they?
I would not buy a server without a built in display. I would not buy a server that was MP3 only. This unit is perfect at it's price point. Good job Olive! David