"E" vs Olive vs K03

[hkval]

The "E" (eSilentPC) is the custom made Music/Media Server (+) by AA's very own Emile.
The Olive is the Olive 04 - now superseded by the Olive 05 ($3,000).
The K03 is the Esoteric CD/SACD/DAC.

My evaluation test was to take the CD The Well by Jennifer Warnes and A/B the Olive with the K03 and then the "E" all using the Esoteric DAC.

Olive:
Dan and others have reviewed the Olive through the MCD1100 and the K03 and I very much agree that it is a very nice combination. The Olive is quite quirky but most of its quirks can be cured by a hard rebooting. I am not pleased that Olive no longer has its phone number available and some members have questioned its longevity and response to our inquiries. I continually back up my Olive on a separate hard drive but found out that it does NOT back up the Metadata. When you get into the back up hard drive it only shows CD plus a lot of numbers. If the Olive had a total hard drive failure, I could recover all of the music on the CD's from my back up but not the Metadata. Consequentially, it would be just as easy to record all (500+) CD's over again as it would be to enter all the metadata manually - Bummer. The "E" has a 2 x 3TB mirrored NAS storage so my worries are now over.

So, I played the "The Panther" from the Olive, as I have done many times, through the KO3 and thought this is pretty good and quite impressive for the average listener.

Esoteric K03:
Everybody loves this baby. I played the actual CD, selecting "The Panther" and both Valerie and I thought it was slightly better with more openness and clearer detail. Any audiophile listener would agree that it sounded terrific.

"E" (eSilentPC):
Because everything inside the E is state of the art, I thought it might sound as good as the K03 but hoped it would, at least, be an improvement over the Olive. I want to use the word "Astonishing" but that might affect my credibility like using the word "Awesome" often does. It is so good that I cannot imagine ever using the transport on my Esoteric once I have the CD on the "E". I am absolutely convinced that every little "bit" on the original CD is now on my E.

I think "E" stands for:
Excellence in Communication
Excellence in Construction and Quality
Excellence in Knowledge of computers and audio
Excellence in follow-thru
Excellence in caring that you are completely satisfied and comfortable

My computer knowledge, on a scale of 1 - 10 (with 10 being the best) is about a 2. Emile's main objectives are communication and product quality. In my layman's understanding, The "E" sounds so much better because it is free from any effect of heat, vibration and noise. The NAS is located in my den which is 40' from the entertainment center. I ran a CAT6 cable (100') long from the center, via the attic, to the den. It could also be simply done by using WiFi.
At first I thought, "Oh my Gosh, what have I gotten into". My first e-mail to E was answered within 1 minute. Every other communication was the same way. I went from extremely nervous to confident in a short time. For example, I would e-mail him with a SHOW MY PC number and, in less than a minute, he was on my 56" Panasonic Plasma totally controlling my system. He would write what he was doing on the Notepad and show me with the cursor how everything worked. He would even save the notepad to my desktop. I cannot say enough wonderful things about him. He has unlimited patience and excels as a teacher.
Apparently, the E, is capable of handling any digital format including DVD, Blueray, and Hi Rez, etc. I will let E answer the technical questions, but I know he can customize your eSilentPC to do whatever you may desire. The E copies are virtually 100% perfect. The ripping process takes longer and required a few simple steps but, I guess, that is the price of perfection.
The silver (also in black) looks fantastic with the Esoteric and the Pass electronics. It would be great with the Bryston or anything else. It is rock solid and, if it were 4 times the price, it would be a bargain. The Synology NAS looks terrific on my desk and is very, very quiet.

My system has changed recently so I am including some pictures of the Black/Silver combination.

[j3brow]

Awesome !!.... Oops. There goes my credibility . But seriously, thanks for the excellent review. I have been curious about the eSilentPC myself. So nice to see it blossom here through AA.

[Taylode]

Excellent write up and thanks for sharing.

[-E-]

Howard,

What a review! I am flattered. Thank you for the kind words, and it continues to be a pleasure to bring you closer to audio nirvana.

Originally Posted by hkval

"E" (eSilentPC):
It is so good that I cannot imagine ever using the transport on my Esoteric once I have the CD on the "E". I am absolutely convinced that every little "bit" on the original CD is now on my E.

I believe this one comment sums up everything, and wholeheartedly agree with your assessment.

I forgot just how beautiful your setup is... the eSilentPC looks great in that rig!

[audio bill]

You have a beautiful system setup! Can you share the approximate cost of the eSilentPC? Of course I realize it will vary depending upon the options selected. Happy holidays to all!

[-E-]

Prices start at $3199 which includes the eSilentPC, 2-drive business-class NAS, remote setup, configuration, support, training, etc.

[Masterlu]

Howard... Congrad's on a World Class setup; great review too!

E... Nicely done, thanks for taking care of us here on AA!

[cma29]

Thanks, Howard.

I may need to look into this! I also have the K-03 and would like to experiment with a music server configuration.

[Doug Lax]

Very nice article Howard! It is pretty obvious this is the way to go!

[jdandy]

Howard.......What a fabulous sound system you have built. Your ability to maintain symmetry in your alcoves and rack has always impressed me. I really need to get to Naples for a visit. I would love to hear your system.

Thanks for sharing the details of the eSilentPC. Your comments have piqued my interest.