[MauiMods]

Yes A flawed design. And admitted to it.
here is the story:

I picked up a few Olive Opus Music servers,.
For some testing and reviews..
Something was just not right with the SPIDF Out.
Up on the bench it went, and WOW!
MASSIVE JITTER! I was surprised it was even able to play music!!!
I sent the Screen shots of my Scope to Jeff at Resolution Audio...
You can see the shots here:

http://www.mauimods.com/thepiginmud.htm

Jeff from Resolution audio did confirm the findings true yesterday. But before he admitted it, he asked if he was being tape recorded. 
He explained when he modded the unit to fit his DAC card in,
it introduced huge amounts of jitter to the SPIDF, ADC, and to his DAC card. 
Jeff said it did not matter because his DAC card will reclock the Data. (A jitter infested DAC card will fix the jitter????) 
Meanwhile the SPIDF out and ADC in the AC97 was still compromised with jitter. 
He blamed the design he was working with was the cause of the jitter mess (Pc board platform) and left it as such.
I expressed my concern, there must be a way to fix this mess, I was not about to give up that easy,  I was determined to find the solution... and we ended the call.
About 2:00am this morning, the fix was found and the screenshots was sent to Jeff. I talked to Jeff and he was truly amazed with the results,
and felt much better shipping the Opus out with the fix.   

When Posted the problem and fix on a thread, A few hours later I get a call from Jeff, in a whole different attitude.. 
It was Jeff with amnesia. Claiming he remembered why he left the unit infested with jitter..... And how it sounded so good jitter infested.
Well...  here comes the cover up....  This was a secret he wanted to keep from Olive........... 
And last thing he wanted to see was a post alerting current owners...... 
I gave Jeff a couple of good choice words and hung up. 

Then I gave Robert Altmann a call at Olive. Explained the situation, of course he was clueless to anything what was going on, as it was suppose to be kept a secret.
I ask Robert if he can send me screws that were missing from one of the black units I had. I explained to Robert, the screws were missing right out the box. He had nerve to accuse me of "loosing them". His excuse to the flawed Opus's was because of a dealer dispute?????? 
How can a dealer dispute cause a flawed product? How does a dealer or a dispute come in to the picture in the first place? 

Jeff did mention the company HAS PROBLEMS, and Robert did confirm this. Why was this brought up by them, who know? Maybe because the problem the Opus has?? It that the reason it was delayed so long?????  Was this the Excuse to ship out a flawed product? WHO know?

What I see two separate companies, Modding another companies unit, De-tunes the unit, tries to keeps it a secret, and a dealer who is thirsty for money, and Phoney group buys.

NUTS!

All I wanted is what was advertised. Just like it said in the Specsheets...
nothing more nothing less.

[Double Ugly]

Interesting reading, Anthony. 

Some of it is a little convoluted, but it's definitely interesting. 

[Double Ugly]

I haven't done business with them either, but I can't imagine *that* post was intended to boost ANYONE'S image.

I think he's just pissed.

[jhm731]

I haven't done business with MauiMods, but if this expose is intended to boost MauiMods' image as a professional audio company, I think it has failed.

Confusing to read and poorly written, this report lacks credulity.

Do you have test results which dispute mauimods' claims?

[lonewolfny42]

From his other posts, seems it's a fixable issue....

[Dr. Krull]

I wonder why no other "modder" has seen (or reported) this problem with their units?  Have they not measured their units, or was your unit an isolated case?  Are you certain your results are correct?  Seems there are a lot of unanswered questions...   

"They never had a Group buy. Or would ever have one."   How on earth did JC organize one? 

-Krull

[MauiMods]

[Confusing to read and poorly written, this report lacks credulity.
[/quote]

Yes, I admit, its a bit confusing. I just went over and I saw allot of words has be changed from a spelling and grammar checker.
I just put in some crazy hours, and had little sleep. Yes, a bit Poe'd when you have a manufacture screwing the consumers.

If you never did any biz with us, or even know us, "your" Comment Lacks "CREDULITY".

Do a search here on MauiMods / Anthony  / Aberdeen components / Tact / Meridian
And you see I earned more than enough. And this is just this forum.
Go to the yahoo group, "Therealtacthackers" then read up.
Last thing I need here is to "boost" my image.
Only thing I intend to do is to search for the "truth".

Regards!
Anthony

[Double Ugly]

From his other posts, seems it's a fixable issue....

And the fact that he's offered to fix them free of charge would seem to lend some "credulity" to his claims.

I don't have a history with Anthony aside from a few phone conversations, and I've never purchased anything from him.  That said, his work has received rave reviews all over the web, and people I trust vouch for his knowledge and abilities as a modder and troubleshooter.

FWIW...

[95bcwh]

Anthony doesn't give a "X%$@" what others think about him, he speaks from his heart, he normally backs up his statements with scientific evidence. From my dealing with him, he'd never tried to "boost" his image before anybody. His attitude has always been "Take it or leave it, try his product for 30 days, return it if not satisfied, stop wasting time and stop talking crap".

If you can prove him wrong, I believe he will openly admit his mistake. But don't try to provoke him if you don't know what you're talking about or else you will just be asking for trouble. 

[MauiMods]

Here is the Full Report!
Olive is this:  http://www.hermstedt.com/
This company sell 2 units the Hifidelio, and the pro version.
This is the "Olive" equivalent of the Symphony and Musica, in the same respected order.

The "OPUS" is a Chopped Musica. They rip out the supply and Have Resolution Audio "Mod" the unit.
RA, Drops in his Linear supply (look similar to his Opus 21) and His Dac cards that was lying around for a Laptop computer project.
Then the Musica output is disabled buy removing two inductors by the RCA's. The Power is tapp'ed off from the -6 G +6 spot that feed the original Optamps and the AC97 chip.
The Stock Crystal is remove that feeds the AC97 chip.
A RA laptop Dac card left over from another project, is 2 way taped under the hard drive.
The caps from the Dac card hits the bottom of the HD holder.
The SPDIF Is tapp'ed right in the front of the Pulse Transformer (OK, I just realized another potential  issue why the SPIDF out is so poor)  (the SPIDF Does not work on some DACs or Digital amps)
A Clock wire from the RA DAC in now fed to the AC97 Chip.
The Temperature compensated  "ClocK" As it mentions here:

The phenomenon, known as jitter , is one of the most
decisive factors accounting for the sonic differences in highend
audio equipment. The  OPUS recognizes the crucial role   of
the master clock , and incorporates a high accuracy, temperature-
compensated crystal oscillator to provide its DACs with an
ideal clock reference.

See specsheet: http://www.olive.us/downloads/opus_datasheet.pdf  

If you read this spec sheet, BOY its one big lie!

I plan to send OPUS samples to a independent Lab tommorow for testing
to prove Published Specs are FALSE. AND it is one big JITTER MESS.

And once that is done, I plan to SUE Olive for the Refund of my money that they REFUSED TO HONOR thier
15 MBG!

Regards!
Anthony



LOL, I forgot to finish this!

SO to give the chopped Musica some flash, Aluminum Veneer back panel is laid over the "stock musica" rear panel.
Fancy front panel face is machine from aluminum, with display and buttons from Stock "Musica" Screw rigged in to place.

YES I have a right to be pissed..... I bought quite a few of them!

Oh cant for get the fancy crate they give ya! The wood is good to get the fire rolling,
hummmm, is this when they give you a pack of matches with the owners manual?

$3500?????  WOW.... that can get you 2 transporters!

$3500 can get you a BTTW Dell XPS, with some exotic RME DAC/Digital out card and a WHOLE LOTTA HD SPACE! And a WIDE SCEEN TOO!

$3500 can get you a full Enchilada Northstar, a Nespa , and a WHOLE LOTTA FLUID!

[lonewolfny42]

Can you explain this statement...thanks.

Oh yea! Olive is Unaware of any group buy.  They never had a Group buy. Or would ever have one.   If you any questions about a Group buy, Call Olive. And remember, "They" can’t stand behind a product, if "they" don't exist.

[Nick B]

I've known Anthony for just a few months, visited his home a couple of times and exchanged many emails and phone calls. He's from back east some place (maybe NJ) and speaks in that distinctive east coast style. He also spells with that distinctive style. Don't be fooled because his spelling isn't what you think it ought to be. He's a very bright guy and a very, very hard worker. He has been extraordinarily generous offering me equipment to try and has never, ever pushed me to buy anything. I love his analog modded SB 2 and his $600 power supply. The incremental difference going from the cheap and very noisy stock switcher to the Acopian PS and then the Aberdeen is quite amazing. I am not "techno" like many of you guys, but I can tell you that I have seen a number of pieces of equipment in his shop that he told me were different scopes/measuring devices and I have no reason to disbelieve him. He's very passionate about audio and sometimes gets real "hot under the collar" if he perceives dishonesty or too much BS from somebody. That's my .02 FWIW
Nick

[MauiMods]

I wonder why no other "modder" has seen (or reported) this problem with their units?  Have they not measured their units, or was your unit an isolated case?  Are you certain your results are correct?  Seems there are a lot of unanswered questions...   

"They never had a Group buy. Or would ever have one."   How on earth did JC organize one? 

-Krull

I don't think many or (any) Modders, did any mods on these. (I may be wrong)
The Opus's  I have, ALL have the identical problem.
RA, Admitted to the problem, and blamed the platform he was given to do the work on.
He admitted this, After he confirmed he wasn't being tape recorded.
According to RA , Olive was not aware of this, And wanted to keep it on the DL.
The rag was thrown, and units shipped.
According to RA, the SPDIF Was heavy jittered , and with the ADC,
But "Massive jitter did not effect his Dac, so it was ok" ..
 This  I could not accept for the answer.
Understand this:

There is One clock signal that splits in to 44.1 to feed the Dac and the 48 to feed the AC97.
Both the Dac and Ac97 is fed Heavy Jitter. Now you have mr audio digital data, travels threw
the High jitter AC97 chips PLL,, out the SPIDF JITTERIZED getting fed back in the More jitterized Dac, that is fed more
Jitterized clock. So.... as you can see, you got a one big mess.  
Now read the Opus spec sheet..  High this, high that, jitter free, this jitter free that.
Jitter up $3500.???????


Was I sure?  Well at first I though my scope was broken.
This is how bad the jitter was.
It was so bad, i was surprised  it played any music.
The SPIDF, worked with my Digital amp, But not work with my ESOTERIC GU-25.
it work sometimes with my Digital Preamp.
This is what prompt me to pop the cover and take some measurements.
At first I thought my GU-25 was broken, or a defective digital cable.
Meanwhile all worked well before...
I kind of sick talking about this.... its going on three days with no sleep,
pure aggravation...


No one organized a group buy.
Its a  sleazy way to beat around the dealer agreements.
They mention the more They buy, the cheaper the price. FALSE!
You need to buy more than one. Big woop.
I guess they was looking for a participant so they can get one for themselves cheaper.
Dealers like that are bad. It shows that they dont give a dam for customers.
In fact in the morning they be finding themselves with a few less lines that they will be carrying.
In the industry we call them bottom feeders. They are short lived.

A group buy is when a "group" contacts a manufacture and tells the manufacture how many units they want to buy.
The manufacture will give special pricing, "TO THE GROUP"  based on the number of units requested.
This Information is given to the "Group". And the "Group" with then Do the math so ALL pay the same price.
If this Info was not Supplied BY THE PERSON who Organized the Group buy, I would DEMAND to Know the Dollar amount the manufacture offered..
Or demand your Money back.

Typically Group buy pricing is 20-25 pieces and if we use "Olive" as an Example, Pricing would be:
$900 for the Musica
$2100 for the Opus
$30 fixed shipping for Opus
$20 Fixed shipping for the Musica

This is the Norm...give or take.. and some may not do group buys. 

Bottom line , IF you was in a group buy, make sure you are given a copy of the invoice by the manufacture for the group purchase.
If not, suspect fraud. Remember reason why you participated in one so ALL can EQUALLY share the saving.

[theborg]

they just dropped thier pants to thier ankles.

This thread appears to be veering dangerously close to a personal attack on someone else in the industry. Facts are OK, personal attacks are not. You have been warned, etc

[gostan]

they just dropped thier pants to thier ankles.

This thread appears to be veering dangerously close to a personal attack on someone else in the industry. Facts are OK, personal attacks are not. You have been warned, etc

Please keep this thread open as there are many of us who have or still may jump on a Musica, but before doing so, we certainly need this important information and a confirmation of what is really going on. 

And a response from the dealer, and more importantly, the manufacturer as to both the  jitter issue and the group buy issue is really warranted.

But, I do completely agree, that MM and JC & Olive (if they respond) need to tone down the personal nature of all responses.  This is supposed to be a fun hobby and we all need to try to keep it that way.

[Pretender]

Is there anyone else from the Group Buy who has not received their Opus yet? I am seriously considering cancelling my order. Please do not close this thread until someone can get to the bottom of this; because I don't know who to believe!!

[MauiMods]

But, I do completely agree, that MM and JC & Olive (if they respond) need to tone down the personal nature of all responses.  This is supposed to be a fun hobby and we all need to try to keep it that way.
[/quote]

Gostan,
What dealer? what JC?
Tone down? I have no argument's with no one here. This forum is the best.. And Honestly, I do not know why I am even posting a personal issue here.
Maybe I need to Vent? wrong place I guess? 
I guess I can say... I had big expectations based on information on the Opus on Olives site.....  Look at the spec sheets..   The thing is incredible....
I followed other units... but they turned out just being a converted pc.......  I wanted a linear, I wanted a TCXO, I wanted what was advertised.
And what I got, was a bad joke. 

Olive has a 15 day return policy. I was denied that. And if they took these units back, they would want 5%. restocking fee.

Besides spending alot of $$ for junk. I spent several days working to try to get it right. RA admitted to the flaw. According to RA, Olive did not know.
But still Olive should of not treated me the way the did. My rights as a customer was violated.

ok enough.

Q&A

Will they tell the truth?   NO, Why would they?
Was there ever a group buy?  According to Jeff at RA NEVER, and Robert Altmann at Olive NEVER.
What should I buy? Buy a Musica or a Symphony.

Same power supply, Same mother Board, same board level parts. just  Diffrent HD configs. right?
What you get is OEM original unit made in Germany.

The Opus?  eheh....

RA claims to get better sound rip his dac out, and use another brand. He siad it was built to a price point. (and for a laptop)
So we are left with with a  RA linear..... but wait a second.... they mention this:


Combined with an innovative cooling concept the
OPUS is the worlds only audiophile digital music player without
a fan. All your hear is music. Nothing more, and nothing
less.

Innovative cooling concept? Am I missing something? I think they forgot something!
The unit was designed to be sealed as much as possible and guess what?   there is no ventilation at all.
Remember they was trying to keep it SEALED from Cd rom and HD noise. Yes I know, I said heat is great.
But this is sizzling HOT. Add a Teflon finish, A few eggs and some bacon and some headphones and
They just created the World first Audiophile cooking skillet! with a whole lot more.!

Toss the RA linear out the door.

OK so your left with a $3500 fancy faced unit....... cool.   

Just go... for the OEM version from Germany. Proven , and tested over time.

Ok, enough, 3 days no sleep. I am close for today!

Best regards!
Anthony
In search for the Truth.

[woodsyi]

What a thread to wake up to.  I haven't even had my morning coffee and I got sucked into reading this front to back.  From everything I have read, Maui Mods seem genuine, helpful and knows his stuff.  I take his expose of the Opus to be true.  I also have a lot of respect for JC and his ever engaging way to assist ACers with tweaks and ideas.  I have even bought a few things from him.  I don't believe JC would go to Olive, buy a bunch of units at dealer cost, then sell them as group buy for little or no profit.  I am assuming that group buy price is lower than the usual dealer discount.  Perhaps Olive, if they are in trouble financially, did offer JC a "group" deal and is denying that fact publically to keep their other dealers happy. 

I have been curious about Olive product and have asked questions about them here.  I thought Symphony was a decent deal for the computer challenged; Musica, OK; but Opus, over the top priced.  I am guessing that Symphony and Musica models were not making enough money and Olive wanted to bring in the Opus model with silly "audiophile" markup to make money.  Unfortunately, they took a quick and "jittery" way to bring Opus to market.  The idea of an Opus may have been good, but they bypassed the R & D and tried to fit a square peg into a circle with Resolution Audio parts.  Apparently the graft did not take.  I hope they will engineer a real Opus in due time and replace the current too-quick-to-market hackjobs at no cost to the owners.  I also think Symphony or Musica modded by RWA or Bolder (I am guessing Anthony had his fill with Olive and won't be working on them) still has value and performance for the right clients.  I would stay away from the OPUS.

[MauiMods]

Is there anyone else from the Group Buy who has not received their Opus yet? I am seriously considering cancelling my order. Please do not close this thread until someone can get to the bottom of this; because I don't know who to believe!!

Trust me on this.. I am willing to poney up, and send a few  samples to an indentpendent Lab, for measurements.
There is a few guys around here with the Audio Precision setup, same used in Stereophile.
Also I have talked to the Rep of AP. his out from Cali. I am going to need this documentation anyways, When I sue the Bass-masters!
Just because they have money trouble does not mean: Take advantage of the consumer.

[MauiMods]

  Perhaps Olive, if they are in trouble financially, did offer JC a "group" deal and is denying that fact publically to keep their other dealers happy. 

Woodsyi,
 Well I am glad you had a good night sleep, cause I am SHOT, I think I been up a 72 hours straight.
Good piont you made above. I have thought of that. Common practice among manufactures to Backdoor thier products.
They do it when they even rich.

Well, that what a "group buy" is. A private group. Audiophile club...  ok.... Audiocircle Club?
what ever!

I did a "Force Group Buy" to my customers, in effect right at the moment.
Here is the post I made on my forum... Kid you not.


Attention happy customers

Thanks for the feedback.
 
The hottest tweak product I found, (thx to Dan) .Is the Nanotech Nespa. and this special fluid by the same company.
I would call this product "Indispensable"  once you see what this does to you DVD and CD, is so dramatic..  you can not listen to your system without it.
No!, it's nothing wrong with your system, it is when the CD/DVD was manufactured. They "forgot" the final processing step.  This is the step they forgot.
It gets better!  when you "flashed" your Cd/DVD it is done for life.  A one shot deal!   (not the cleaning / conditioning fluid, of course~!)
I reordered 20 pcs.  Many are aware that your getting one sent to you like or not, to "try it". why ?  cause its that good!
For the ones who are not aware, hit me with an email, and I will put you on the list to ship to you, when the shipment arrives...
Regards,
 
Anthony