Taiko Olympus A/B Comparison

[nenon]

If you have done any comparisons with the Taiko Olympus, please share in this thread.

If not, please share what comparisons you might be interested to hear.

Examples:
Taiko Olympus XDMI analog vs. a top tier DAC (list the specific DAC)
Taiko Olympus XDMI analog vs. a state of the art vinyl system
Taiko Olympus USB vs. another streamer USB (list the specific streamer)
Taiko Olympus XDMI analog vs. Taiko Olympus XDMI digital to another DAC (list the specific DAC)
Taiko Olympus XDMI analog vs. Taiko Olympus + Olympus I/O XDMI analog

 

[Steve Williams]

Taiko Olympus XDMI analog vs. a state of the art vinyl system (but I use the digital card which I think should be an option above)

Ive done this test vs my TechDas AF1 with my Lamm. LP1 Signature phono stage. vs Taiko digital board via XDMI using KBL top of line cable into my Horizon 360
I use top of the line MasterBuilt Ultra cables from phono stage to preamp

I have also compared the digital card via XDMI to USB using a $15K Masterbuilt Ultra USB cable vs a $4k KBL XDMI top of the line cable.USB was beautiful and one could easily live with it. Having said that you cannot unring a bell and XDMI truly trumped USB and not by a small margin but a big margin. I sold my MB Ultra USB cable. I only listen now via XDMI using the Lampi Digital card.

To make a long story very short, I love my vinyl system but Emile has done something so uniquely different that IMHO streaming is so good that not only do I rarely use my NAS but streaming has risen to a level that I have listened to my vinyl side of my system perhaps one time for every 20 times I stream via Qobuz or Tidal. (and also my library in my NAS which is powered via DC cable from the Taiko DCD using the 2nd DEFAULT output)

The next question which could be asked is how many people would sell the vinyl side of their system because Taiko has closed the gap such that things now are truly so close.

 

[dminches]

I would never sell my vinyl or tape setups for multiple reasons including:

1 - They all sound different. Why limit myself to one sound?
2 - The vinyl and tape masterings for many recordings are superior to what’s available in the digital domain. Even if digital sounded better there are so many recordings that have not been mastered well for digital. I wish that would change but I doubt it will.
3 - Watching tapes and LPs spin is more fun than the digital visuals.

 

[Steve Williams]

I would never sell my vinyl or tape setups for multiple reasons including:

1 - They all sound different. Why limit myself to one sound?
2 - The vinyl and tape masterings for many recordings are superior to what’s available in the digital domain. Even if digital sounded better there are so many recordings that have not been mastered well for digital. I wish that would change but I doubt it will.
3 - Watching tapes and LPs spin is more fun than the digital visuals.

I again agree. I wont ever sell mine but to my ears digital , even by streaming, has risen to such a high bar that it is easy and enjoyable to queue up a playlist via Qobuz or Tidal and sit back and be truly entertained. Vinyl is like the after dinner apperitif, or fine cognac.

Its just that there is little if anything wrong with the digital I am hearing now

I always listen with lights out so whatever spins or are digital visuals become a non factor for me. It's all about the sound, nothing more and nothing less

 

[Steve Williams]

One other comment that I have forgotten to make is that when I owned the Extreme I was a Taiko XDMS tester as were most of you. I preferred the XDMS sound far more than Roon even though it was buggy. Again for me it's all about the sound. When I got my O/IO I had to relearn how to use Roon as XDMS is off in the future still for Olympus . The sound I am getting once again is spectacular with Roon and if Ed Hsu and Emile are reading this and the goal was to make XDMS even better, then Im betting the gap between digital and vinyl will be even closer

 

[John T]

Very interesting times ahead. I went into this with the H1 now 360 as my path going forward. As Vassil @nenon mentioned without A/B in quick step it is very difficult to do a proper evaluation. Throw in how we interpret and I think it's going to be a mixed bag. I think both will excel, it will come down to personal taste and system...

When I receive my O it will have the Lampizator Link/Board installed. My plan is keep it this way for several months. Establish my benchmark/reference and when/if I get the urge, swap the boards out...Or not...

 

[nuway]

Interesting.

 

[ssfas]

I would never sell my vinyl or tape setups for multiple reasons including:

1 - They all sound different. Why limit myself to one sound?
2 - The vinyl and tape masterings for many recordings are superior to what’s available in the digital domain. Even if digital sounded better there are so many recordings that have not been mastered well for digital. I wish that would change but I doubt it will.
3 - Watching tapes and LPs spin is more fun than the digital visuals.

Much of my vinyl has been bought on regular visits to a range of record stores or on the way out of gigs (Church of Sound, Ronnie Scotts, etc.). There are lots of record stores here, some with their own labels, have a chat with the owner/manager and walk out with something new and hopefully interesting. My favourites are World of Echo (ambient, electronica), BBE Music (Japanese, Afr/Carib), Sounds of the Universe (Latin, Carib, Jazz). They all have their own labels, BBE are now up to about 700 titles. BBE is also nice as it's a nightclub and they do cocktails from 3 in the afternoon. Most of this is only vinyl.

I've just finished listening to Alina Ibragimova playing Telemann. Recorded in Henry Wood Hall in 2021, where she does her solo recordings, engineered by OscarTorres, now that her previous engineer Simon Eadon has retired after 50+ years. It's a 24/192 download, purchased before Hyperion started streaming on Qobuz. I know her sound well. Between this and her previous recording (Paganini) I heard her play sometimes 2 or 3 times each week. Hyperion is only digital.

I could spend my life listening to Simon Eadon recordings and never need a turntable, or just listen to BBE pressings and never need a streamer.

In 2013 I went to hear this album by Emily Barker played live at King's Place (excellent acoustics), bought the vinyl album, listened to it at home half an hour later and then listened to the digital download that I'd bought previously (listening to it now). There are two digital versions, the full band and an acoustic version. A high quality recording by Linn, played on a Linn system.


After that I resolved that live v recorded and digital v vinyl is a fool's errand. Worshipping at there altar of one format or manufacturer seems to negate the purpose of having a hifi system. It's music, sit back and enjoy.

 

[Steve Williams]

After that I resolved that live v recorded and digital v vinyl is a fool's errand. Worshipping at there altar of one format or manufacturer seems to negate the purpose of having a hifi system. It's music, sit back and enjoy.

once again that's the bottom line for all of us. These comparisons are fun but at the end of the day it's all about personal preference. It's your ass in the sweet spot using your ears and your wallet

There is no right answer. Plus the digital board might sound better in your system than the digital board in another system because of different room, speakers and electronics. It's all personal. At the end of the day, IMO no one should be forced to rethink their preference for the reason I stated above

Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone. We are going to our favorite French restaurant and damn but it's getting to be a struggle to stay awake and watch the ball fall in Times Square. Getting old is a bitch

 

[RUIN*ish]

once again that's the bottom line for all of us. These comparisons are fun but at the end of the day it's all about personal preference. It's your ass in the sweet spot using your ears and your wallet

There is no right answer. Plus the digital board might sound better in your system than the digital board in another system because of different room, speakers and electronics. It's all personal. At the end of the day, IMO no one should be forced to rethink their preference for the reason I stated above

Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone. We are going to our favorite French restaurant and damn but it's getting to be a struggle to stay awake and watch the ball fall in Times Square. Getting old is a bitch

Individual sport..

 

[nenon]

These comparisons are fun but at the end of the day it's all about personal preference. It's your ass in the sweet spot using your ears and your wallet

I believe the level of improvement is also an important factor.

There are improvements that are fundamentally better.
I don't expect that someone with a Taiko Extreme USB will try the Taiko Olympus USB and say: "To my tastes / in my system I prefer the Taiko Extreme USB". This is a case of a major improvement in every direction.

There are cases where some things are better but others not. That's the case of a "different flavor". System, room, and personal taste are the main judges in this case, and I expect polarized opinions.

 

[Steve Williams]

I believe the level of improvement is also an important factor.

There are improvements that are fundamentally better.
I don't expect that someone with a Taiko Extreme USB to try the Taiko Olympus USB and say: "To my tastes / in my system I prefer the Taiko Extreme USB". This is a case of a major improvement in every direction.

There are cases where some things are better but others not. That's the case of a "different flavor". System, room, and personal taste are the main judges in this case, and I expect polarized opinions.

I havent discovered anything yet where I have found something is not better....to wit as I stated yesterday, with my Extreme I preferred XDMS , not Roon. With O/IO we have no choice, only Roon and it is killer good....what happens when XDMS becomes available for Olympus remains to be seen

 

[Steve Williams]

9pm your time, right?

plus or minus 30 minutes

 

[Steve Williams]

we watch the ball fall corrected for the 3 hours so midnight. The plus or minus is when before or after 9:00 my eyes begin to shut

 

[RUIN*ish]

I havent discovered anything yet where I have found something is not better....to wit as I stated yesterday, with my Extreme I preferred XDMS , not Roon. With O/IO we have no choice, only Roon and it is killer good....what happens when XDMS becomes available for Olympus remains to be seen

Glad I found this post.
I was, in brief, to suggest that Roon is good with the O. But, i can hear Roon's signature...
My preference is to have v2 and xdms roll out together for the O.

 

[cat6man]

Glad I found this post.
I was, in brief, to suggest that Roon is good with the O. But, i can hear Roon's signature...
My preference is to have v2 and xdms roll out together for the O.

I can't contribute directly since I don't have one, but how about the fortunate folks here give feedback on a scale of 100% (extreme with xdms and USB out) to 300% (Olympus + IO + xdmi analog out) plus everything in between that you've had a chance to compare.

Emile gave a quick first cut at this last year around this time, so how about some updates folks? Let's assume streaming qobuz/tidal (i.e. flac) to reduce the number of variables.

 

[VPN]

Taiko Olympus XDMI analog vs. Taiko Olympus XDMI digital to another DAC (Totaldac Sublime w/live clock and optional feet)

I have been using the Taiko Olympus XDMI analog out for the last three months. It was complicated for me because I use two Totaldac Driver Sublime XLR and don't use a preamp (so no input switching), and the XDMI analog v.1 does not have digital inputs, so when I wanted to watch movies (with Kaleidescape and Appletv X), I had to move the output cables to the Totaldac.

During this time with the XDMI analog out, I had the impression that I had great clarity, besides great soundstage, and I was quite happy with it.

Yesterday, together with two experienced audiophile friends who came to my home, we listened to several songs with the XDMI analog, then replaced the XDMI daughterboard with the digital out, connected by AES (Transparent Reference XL) to the Totaldac sublime reclocker and Totaldac Sublime live clock DAC. Then left it playing for some time because the daughterboard and AES cable were not in use for months, so needed to stabilize.

As agreed by the three of us there, in my system, the sound of the Taiko Olympus XDMI AES with the Totaldac Sublime Live-clock was considerably better than the XDMI analog. The Totaldac having better body, better dynamics, more detail, better soundstage, and more musical.

I am looking foward to hearing the version 2 of the Taiko XDMI analog (sometime in the future, and hopefully with digital inputs) vs. the Totaldac Sublime Live-clock.

 

[cat6man]

Taiko Olympus XDMI analog vs. Taiko Olympus XDMI digital to another DAC (Totaldac Sublime w/live clock and optional feet)

I have been using the Taiko Olympus XDMI analog out for the last three months. It was complicated for me because I use two Totaldac Driver Sublime XLR and don't use a preamp (so no input switching), and the XDIMI analog v.1 does not have digital inputs, so when I wanted to watch movies (with Kaleidescape and Appletv X), I had to move the output cable to the Totaldac.

During this time with the XDMI analog out, I had the impression that I had great clarity, besides great soundstage, and I was quite happy with it.

Yesterday, together with two experienced audiophile friends who came to my home, we listened to several songs with the XDMI analog, then replaced the XDMI daughterboard with the digital out, connected by AES (Transparent Reference XL) to the Totaldac sublime reclocker and Totaldac Sublime live clock DAC. Then left it playing for some time because the daughterboard and AES cable were not in use for months, so needed to stabilize.

As agreed by the three of us there, in my system, the sound of the Taiko Olympus XDMI AES with the Totaldac Sublime Live-clock was considerably better than the XDMI analog. The Totaldac having better body, better dynamics, more detail, better soundstage, and more musical.

I looking foward to hearing the version 2 of the Taiko XDMI analog (sometime in the future, and hopefully with digital inputs) vs. the Totaldac Sublime Live-clock.

thanks for the comparison @VPN

can you also comment on how both of these compared with the extreme/totaldac combination?
also, was this all streaming, local files/NAS, flac or wav formats?

 

[VPN]

thanks for the comparison @VPN

can you also comment on how both of these compared with the extreme/totaldac combination?
also, was this all streaming, local files/NAS, flac or wav formats?

Hi,

I received my Olympus #19 in 9/13/2024, so it has been a while. My comments at that time regarding Extreme vs. Olympus XDMI AES/Totaldac:

Introducing Olympus & Olympus I/O - A new perspective on modern music playback

For those who just started reading up on Olympus, Olympus I/O, and XDMI, please note that all information in this thread has been summarized in a single PDF document that can be downloaded from the Taiko Website. https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/taiko-audio-downloads The document is...

www.whatsbestforum.com

"I would say that the areas with the most improvement (in my system) are: Better focus, better soundstage, more micro-dynamics, better separation of instruments, more body in the vocals. It really sounds amazing. More realistic and the music more beautiful."

The test yesterday was with streaming (Tidal and Qobuz). The difference was very significant in favor of the Totaldac, so I am sure it will be similar for NAS files.

Cheers

 

[cat6man]

Hi,

I received my Olympus #19 in 9/13/2024, so it has been a while. My comments at that time regarding Extreme vs. Olympus XDMI AES/Totaldac:

Introducing Olympus & Olympus I/O - A new perspective on modern music playback

For those who just started reading up on Olympus, Olympus I/O, and XDMI, please note that all information in this thread has been summarized in a single PDF document that can be downloaded from the Taiko Website. https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/taiko-audio-downloads The document is...

www.whatsbestforum.com

"I would say that the areas with the most improvement (in my system) are: Better focus, better soundstage, more micro-dynamics, better separation of instruments, more body in the vocals. It really sounds amazing. More realistic and the music more beautiful."

The test yesterday was with streaming (Tidal and Qobuz). The difference was very significant in favor of the Totaldac, so I am sure it will be similar for NAS files.

Cheers

thanks for the report. as a tri-unity DAC user, i'm really pleased to hear that you find the totaldac w/aes-ebu output superior to the xdmi analog out.
on the other hand, if i recall correctly, @cmarin came to the opposite conclusion (but i don't know if he went back to the aes/ebu after trying the analog out). of course, every system is different and can have unexpected synergies or incompatibilities. this is still fascinating.

i'm still hoping to see the extreme evolve with xdmi from the cpu to a no-usb output card with aes/ebu and analog options. exciting times should be coming down the road once those olympus chassis issues get out of the way