Olive

A wonderful soundin media streamer from Olive Opus no.4.

It's a high-end audio device aimed squarely at audiophiles and gadget geeks. Our test unit had a 1TB hard drive installed for users to store their music collection in WAV, FLAC, MP3 or AAC formats. More niche codecs like OGG and Monkey's Audio aren't supported (since we prefer FLAC we weren't too fussed). A wired Gigabit Ethernet port and 54Mbps 802.11g wireless networking means you can stream audio from anywhere around your house.

As with the Transporter, the Olive Opus No.4 looks like a high-end product. The interface on the front of the device is simple: navigation buttons join playback and power controls next to the 4.3in high resolution colour LCD. The only other feature is a thin slot-loading CD drive, cut into the brushed aluminium fascia. Be careful, though — the slot is precisely cut and surprisingly sharp (when we were brushing down the front of the Opus No.4 we managed to get a nasty slice on a fingertip).

The interface is simple to use and easy to navigate. The colour LCD makes navigating through music stored on the player's 1TB internal hard drive a breeze — looking at the screen from a distance gives you the impression you're using an over-sized Apple iPod. You can sort through your music, change volume and adjust various settings using the Olive Opus No.4's remote control, which is as much a work of art as the player itself.