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 frequently updated.

Scroll down to the 'XDMI, Olympus Music Server, Olympus I/O' section and click 'XDMI, Olympus, Olympus I/O Product Introduction & FAQ' to download the latest version.

Good morning WBF!​

We are introducing the culmination of close to 4 years of research and development. As a bona fide IT/tech nerd with a passion for music, I have always been intrigued by the potential of leveraging the most modern of technologies in order to create a better music playback experience. This, amongst others, led to the creation of our popular, perhaps even revolutionary, Extreme music server 5 years ago, which we have been steadily improving and updating with new technologies throughout its life cycle. Today I feel we can safely claim it's holding its ground against the onslaught of new server releases from other companies, and we are committed to keep improving it for years to come.

We are introducing a new server model called the Olympus. Hierarchically, it positions itself above the Extreme. It does provide quite a different music experience than the Extreme, or any other server I've heard, for that matter. Conventional audiophile descriptions such as sound staging, dynamics, color palette, etc, fall short to describe this difference. It does not sound digital or analog, I would be inclined to describe it as coming closer to the intended (or unintended) performance of the recording engineer.

Committed to keeping the Extreme as current as possible, we are introducing a second product called the Olympus I/O. This is an external upgrade to the Extreme containing a significant part of the Olympus technology, allowing it to come near, though not entirely at, Olympus performance levels. The Olympus I/O can even be added to the Olympus itself to elevate its performance even further, though not as dramatic an uplift as adding it to the Extreme. Consider it the proverbial "cherry on top".

 

What XDMI cable are you using

Steve I'm still using my msb cascade . Next will be my 360 with extrema kbl . Due to back I can't switch cards right now

 

I guess I misunderstood. I kept thinking you were using a Lampi

 

I guess I misunderstood. I kept thinking you were using a Lampi

No worries

 

I've read some posts in which some have reported XDMI being more "tolerable" with lesser recordings. What I find is a poor recording remains a poor recording and not easier to listen to with XDMI...

 

WARNING: STOLEN OLYMPUS ON THE INTERNET

Unfortunately one of our customers has had his Olympus stolen. It has now appeared on a Chinese reseller app.
Do not buy this unit.

Two serial numbers attached to this situation: TOL257721 and TIO258404
Screenshots below.

 

WARNING: STOLEN OLYMPUS ON THE INTERNET

Unfortunately one of our customers has had his Olympus stolen. It has now appeared on a Chinese reseller app.
Do not buy this unit.

Two serial numbers attached to this situation: TOL257721 and TIO258404
Screenshots below. View attachment 154508View attachment 154509View attachment 154510View attachment 154511View attachment 154512View attachment 154513View attachment 154514View attachment 154515

Can you brick them?

 

Stolen out of his house??

 

Stolen out of his house??

…a man in Brussels. He was six-foot-four and full of muscles…

 

Well then I knew it wasn’t you for sure ALF. You need assistance getting your iPhone out of your pocket

 

I did do a listening test using my PowerAdd Pilot Pro2 battery pack to a DXP-3A0DSCombo dual stage to the full Taiko Network stack (DCD+Switch+Router) I found the JS4 to be a big step up (I can't find my notes about the JS2 vs PP2+DXP, but I'm pretty sure I preferred the JS2 as well)

The big caveat here is that in my battery experiments several years ago, the battery packs I was playing with all out performed the PP2 as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the battery management system in the PP2 or other control circuits are holding it back. It is on my (long) list to revisit this with a beefier/more direct battery pack

My js4 has shipped. Any recommendations on burn in time?

 

Poor recordings, room acoustics, and the effects of mains improvements...

Second system had a bump at 58 to 60hz that made certain recordings unlistenable. Have traps and furniture in this room.. Some success with traps.
Not until I tackled the supply mains from the wall did I realize the bump was eliminated..

Data point..

Marc

 

Has anyone done any tests on whether it is preferable, via SQ, to connect the NAS to the Taiko Router or the ISP Router?

 

Has anyone done any tests on whether it is preferable, via SQ, to connect the NAS to the Taiko Router or the ISP Router?

I listened both ways with the Exteme and did not hear any noteworthy difference. I haven’t tried it with the Olympus yet but I will at some point. It is much more convenient to have the NAS on my home network for file transfer purposes so unless I hear a big difference I will keep it that way.

 

Thank you.
Yes, I'm interested in other users' experiences with Olympus.
I can't test it yet. My Olympus arrived this morning, but it arrived at my work. Now I need my son's help transporting it home, and I depend on his availability due to work.

 

@nonesup, I’m also interested in the replies to your question.
Congratulations on the delivery of your Olympus. Now the fun begins!

 

Two questions for @Christiaan Punter or @Taiko Audio:

1. With the DCD and Router/Switch not being galvanically isolated from the O/IO - how important is it that they closely share the same AC ground?
How many people have the DCD/Router/Switch on a separate circuit vs the same circuit as the O+I/O?

2. A Roon extension is available to allow volume control of my preamp from Roon (it connects to Home Assistant and triggers an IR blaster to send Vol up or Vol down signals), allowing me to control volume directly from Roon without switching apps or grabbing the remote.

Any known detrimental effects from running Roon extensions? The Home assistant instance does poll Roon for song/playback position and status on an ongoing basis, though probably no different than having another Roon client connected to the Olympus Roon instance...

 

How many people have the DCD/Router/Switch on a separate circuit vs the same circuit as the O+I/O?

...same phase. Different (dedicated) circuit from Olympus (and everything else, actually).

 

Poor recordings, room acoustics, and the effects of mains improvements...

Second system had a bump at 58 to 60hz that made certain recordings unlistenable. Have traps and furniture in this room.. Some success with traps.
Not until I tackled the supply mains from the wall did I realize the bump was eliminated..

Data point..

Marc

What did you do to the mains?

 

What did you do to the mains?

You have a pm..

 

Two questions for @Christiaan Punter or @Taiko Audio:

1. With the DCD and Router/Switch not being galvanically isolated from the O/IO - how important is it that they closely share the same AC ground?
How many people have the DCD/Router/Switch on a separate circuit vs the same circuit as the O+I/O?

2. A Roon extension is available to allow volume control of my preamp from Roon (it connects to Home Assistant and triggers an IR blaster to send Vol up or Vol down signals), allowing me to control volume directly from Roon without switching apps or grabbing the remote.

Any known detrimental effects from running Roon extensions? The Home assistant instance does poll Roon for song/playback position and status on an ongoing basis, though probably no different than having another Roon client connected to the Olympus Roon instance...

My experience has been to keep the network on a separate phase, dedicated circuit, opposite the rest of the system. I've always done it like that. I know when I installed the Torus WM unit the folks at Torus liked that approach...