[MauiMods]

this is the only BB, 4 channel dac in one chip they made:
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/pcm4104.pdf

[PhilNYC]

this is the only BB, 4 channel dac in one chip they made:
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/pcm4104.pdf

But isn't the chip in U1 identical to the one in U6?  There appear to be many BB DACs that are 24-bit, 192khz, 28SSOP 2-channel chips...so with two of them, you have 4 DACs in total?

[MauiMods]

If you bought a Corvette from the dealer and found out when you took it home it had a 4 cylinder engine under the hood.
You go back to the dealer and he says, "The sticker says it has a 8 Cylinder , and you paid the premium for it."
would that matter?
I am not being sacastic..  just an example.

I just like to make clear the DAC that is used in a one chip 2 channel dac (right and left channel)  it is classified by Texas instruments Spec sheet as being  a two channel Dac. Jeff is was trying to justify this is a 4 DAC chip, stating its a 4 dac chip, A dac for each of the - , + , of the left and right channels.  This is FALSE. and the people at Texas Instruments agreed. And again Why are the part number grinded on the Dac board?

Anthony,

I'm kind of a neophyte, coming only kicking & screaming into the digital world 5 years ago.  To me, most red book CD's have sounded flat & lifeless, compared to analog LP's.  I do admit that lately many new remasters of old classical & jazz recordings, plus HDCD (my Arcam FMJ-23 decodes), are *big* improvements that can sound very musical.

But i don't know the difference between DAC's or their specs or intracacies.  All that matters to me is the ultimate sound quality & how faithfully a component reproduces music.

So...would you mind summarizing your main points about the actual sonic implications of the Opus that you've described?  That is, for those of us who will listen to the Opus using its internal DAC(s) & analog out to preamp, why does what you describe matter?  What is the implication of having a 2- vs. a 4-channel DAC?  And specifically, of the other issues that you've touched on, what are the sonic limitations as you see them?

Thanks in advance!

Phil Brandt
Seattle

[MauiMods]

Phil,
that would be correct, BUT U1 is a digital receiver.

The Dac is center front of the dac card.  The two indentical IC in the rear, are Instrumentation amplifiers

this is the only BB, 4 channel dac in one chip they made:
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/pcm4104.pdf

But isn't the chip in U1 identical to the one in U6?  There appear to be many BB DACs that are 24-bit, 192khz, 28SSOP 2-channel chips...so with two of them, you have 4 DACs in total?

[MauiMods]

Where is the engineers when you want them?   
ussually I go head to head with them in the other forums 

Where Is Paul K. from Lab??? 

[Vinnie R.]

Is this a one-sided board or are there components under the board?  

[MauiMods]

Is this a one-sided board or are there components under the board?  

Vinny! wasss up my man!
under the board is the inductors that seperate the ground planes.
If you notice on the spidf plug/clock out , is missing the center wire for the digital ground is missing

[PhilNYC]

under the board is the inductors that seperate the ground planes.
If you notice on the spidf plug/clock out , is missing the center wire for the digital ground is missing

Any chance you can take a picture of the other side of the board?

[Vinnie R.]

Is this a one-sided board or are there components under the board?  

Vinny! wasss up my man!
under the board is the inductors that seperate the ground planes.
If you notice on the spidf plug/clock out , is missing the center wire for the digital ground is missing

Well the only way there could be 4 dacs is if they are all built into the 28-pin U6 
Based on the pic, U6 is the only part that looks like a dac...

Are you sure U6 is TI/Burr Brown? 

[blackhook]

FWIW, Alan Taffel in the Apr/May issue of The Absolute Sound gave the OPUS his Most Significant New Product award -- based on his listening impressions from CES.

Of course this doesn't necessarily negate anything in this thread.  But...this product has created a lot of advance buzz & we can expect full OPUS reviews from TAS, Stereophile, et al -- and presumably we will know the full story by then.

My hope is that Olive will respond ...and make adjustments if warranted.  We all know that any company can -- and does -- make mistakes, but most important is how the company deals with mistakes, and how it treats its customers.  So if the product has a technical flaw, software or otherwise, or if Marketing has somehow misrepresented the product, we would hope & expect that the company make corrections.

My advice to Olive is that the company needs to address this situation.  If flaws are known, it ought to bite the bullet & correct units that have been shipped to those of us who are its early adopters.  It is in Olive's best interest to do this.  Many of us -- as bleeding edge buyers -- have influence over friends, colleagues, etc. as to their audio purchasing decisions.  We tend to talk to people & to post our impressions on forums that are seen by $imilar-minded folk$. 

And I would bet that no one would hold early mistakes against Olive -- *assuming* the company comes clean & does whatever is necessary to correct any known flaws.  If Olive does this, I certainly won't hold anything against the company.  I want to see Olive succeed ...it has a cool vision and seems to be doing a lot of things right.  Let's hope they don't jeopardize their long-term success by  being less than forthright now.

Phil Brandt
Seattle

[MauiMods]

Can someone post the scope picture from my site?

http://www.aberdeencomponents.com/manufacturelist.htm

[Occam]

Where Is Paul K. from Lab??? 

Hiding.
Anthony- I don't have access to an OPUS, so I'm not in any position to comment.
What truly amazes me about these boards is how any group of folks can generate 5+ pages of discussion [I'm not specifically talking about this thread] on a product not yet available, or folks who enthusiastically recommend a product they've not yet heard, which from my perspective is 'thread crapping'.
Given the consistent raves over what I consider a mediocre product du jour, professional reviews, in both print and on the net, are, IMO, worthless.

We all have our idealized components based on our wants/fantasies of what we think would be 'best'. But sadly, implementation is often quite distant from that Aristotelian Ideal.

If indeed, the OPUS uses a single chip dac on its daughtercard, and they call it 4 DACs [2channels x2phases =4], I'd call that very clever marketing hyperbole. Personally, such dissembling was one of few offenses that would prompt me to strike my sons when they were young. But in a marketing context, its sadly expected and commonplace.

Still hiding,
Paul

[MauiMods]

Where Is Paul K. from Lab??? 

Hiding.
Anthony- I don't have access to an OPUS, so I'm not in any position to comment.
What truly amazes me about these boards is how any group of folks can generate 5+ pages of discussion [I'm not specifically talking about this thread] on a product not yet available, or folks who enthusiastically recommend a product they've not yet heard, which from my perspective is 'thread crapping'.
Given the consistent raves over what I consider a mediocre product du jour, professional reviews, in both print and on the net, are, IMO, worthless.

We all have our idealized components based on our wants/fantasies of what we think would be 'best'. But sadly, implementation is often quite distant from that Aristotelian Ideal.

If indeed, the OPUS uses a single chip dac on its daughtercard, and they call it 4 DACs [2channels x2phases =4], I'd call that very clever marketing hyperbole. Personally, such dissembling was one of few offenses that would prompt me to strike my sons when they were young. But in a marketing context, its sadly expected and commonplace.

Still hiding,
Paul

 

[satchmofan]

there goes your warranty 

I will check with Olive (Jeff Kalt?) what this is about ...

[MauiMods]

The warranty and the product went out the door when they shipped OPUS

there goes your warranty 

I will check with Olive (Jeff Kalt?) what this is about ...

[MauiMods]

I would like to note:
the heavy banded tops of the clock signal is due to the  missing digital ground wire.
the digital ground plane is oscillating (rippling) due to lack of ground, and a one ohm resistance due to an Inductor,that is between the analog and digital ground planes.
(in other words, the digital ground is like a flag flapping in the wind)

[MauiMods]

WOW I figured how to post PICs!!!!

[95bcwh]

Of course you can figure it out.. it's easier to post pictures than modding all those complicated electronics! :green

[MauiMods]

NEWS BREAK! OLIVE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!
WHEN A COMPANY GETS CAUGHT WITH THEIR PANTS DOWN!
WHO DO THEY CALL? SRAJAN EBAEN, OF 6 MOONS !

CLICK ON THIS LINK: http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=11097&Main=10952#Post11097
GO TO PROAUDIO POSTS
SEE HIS IP ADDRESS?   69.224.5.178   COPY IT IN TO YOUR BROWSER, AND HIT ENTER!
GUESS WHO? OLIVE HIDING  FROM THE PUBLICS VIEW!

ATTENTION MODERATORS!!  Please check for any posts to this thread from this IP ADDRESS 69.224.5.178 (olive media products)
THIS IS WHAT OLIVE (ROBERT) AKA: PROAUDIO POSTED:

Re: Olive Opus [Re: kana813]
      #11076 - 08/03/06 01:19 PM (69.224.5.178)   Edit     Reply     Quote     Quick Reply   

Your profile says that you are in Maui, does the guy making all these claims (MauiMods) have anything to do with you? It sure looks suspicious  Seems like you promote him http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=3123&Main=584

If you go through the complete post you see that there is another side to the story (i.e. measurements of MauiMods seem not to have been taken correctly etc.). All I am saying is that this guy seems to be driven by some other motivation (other people in the forum think the same way).            
 
I JUST KNEW SRAJAN EBAEN HAD SOME TYPE OF INTERIOR MOTIVE! WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO NEXT?
DRUM UP SOME RAVE REVIEWS OF THE OPUS FOR ROBERT AT OLIVE?
HOW MUCH WOULD THAT COST OLIVE? A FREE OPUS? aa
WOULD YOU THROW IN PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD TOO?

Busted and cant even be trusted!!!  shame shame shame.

[eric the red]

I JUST KNEW SRAJAN EBAEN HAD SOME TYPE OF INTERIOR MOTIVE! WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO NEXT?
DRUM UP SOME RAVE REVIEWS OF THE OPUS FOR ROBERT AT OLIVE? Rules
HOW MUCH WOULD THAT COST OLIVE? A FREE OPUS? aa
WOULD YOU THROW IN PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD TOO? Laughing

Busted and cant even be trusted!!!  shame shame shame.

Can you and your idiot conspiracy theory bullshit please take a hike from AC as in permanently? Some of us enjoy what Srajan brings to the audio community and to this site. Audio Asylum welcomes wankers like yourself. Or check out Audio Karma. Or Audio Review. Or the Audiogon forums. Or Chuck Josephson might need a friend. Plenty of internet audio boards out there besides AC to spin your shit on. Go-please.