Taiko Olympus A/B Comparison

[VPN]

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

Cmarin has good ears and a great system, but every system/room is different. I don't know either if Cmarin has ever changed back to compare. I don't know also if he has done: (a) the Sublime upgrade, (b) the Live-clock upgrade, and (c) optional feet.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Cmarin has good ears and a great system, but every system/room is different. I don't know either if Cmarin has ever changed back to compare. I don't know also if he has done: (a) the Sublime upgrade, (b) the Live-clock upgrade, and (c) optional feet.

He has the latest upgrades, but he also uses an I/O and a preamp. More importantly, however, he had a professional (Stirling) set up and retune his system using the I/O with analogue output.

I recently saw a Japanese Olympus owner post on X, recommending the removal of all previously applied tweaks, footers, and positioning in order to re-evaluate everything. This is very good advice—not only for the Olympus, but for any piece of gear that sounds distinctly different in your system.

Additionally, results can vary wildly from system to system, room to room, and person to person.

This is why there are so many manufacturers in a relatively small market—there’s no absolute “best,” only what fits best in a particular situation.

 

[cat6man]

He has the latest upgrades, but he also uses an I/O and a preamp. More importantly, however, he had a professional (Stirling) set up and retune his system using the I/O with analogue output.

I recently saw a Japanese Olympus owner post on X, recommending the removal of all previously applied tweaks, footers, and positioning in order to re-evaluate everything. This is very good advice—not only for the Olympus, but for any piece of gear that sounds distinctly different in your system.

Additionally, results can vary wildly from system to system, room to room, and person to person.

This is why there are so many manufacturers in a relatively small market—there’s no absolute “best,” only what fits best in a particular situation.

absolutely, YMMV goes without saying.
if you can get me an extreme card with xdmi, aes/ebu output and an analog DAC daughter board, i'll be happy to get you another data point!