Anyone Listen to the Taiko Extreme Server and Go With Something Else? Anyone Make a Change from Taiko?

ACHiPo

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Feb 22, 2015
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I have no doubt that the Extreme and others are outstanding servers. My issue has always been how does one really evaluate a product unless it is in your system? I have listened to many products at a dealer just to get it home and realize it isn't for me. At a dealer I think one can get a basic understanding of what the product does but how does the unit fit in your system? At these levels I'm sure nearly all of them are awesome. But how do you know which one is for you without a home demo?
Fair point and I agree to an extent. The sound I heard at Taiko in their demo room was the best reproduced sound I’ve heard. Period. My thinking is that unless the front end is “right” the rest of the system could not sound that good. I have no doubt it will sound different in my system, but I am equally confident it will sound significantly better than my Aurender S10 especially since it can’t play DSD256.
 
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bryans

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Fair point and I agree to an extent. The sound I heard at Taiko in their demo room was the best reproduced sound I’ve heard. Period. My thinking is that unless the front end is “right” the rest of the system could not sound that good. I have no doubt it will sound different in my system, but I am equally confident it will sound significantly better than my Aurender S10 especially since it can’t play DSD256.
I'm with you. I believe in having the front end right as well. As I stated I'm sure the Taiko and others are outstanding units. I'm sure they are better than most anything I have listened to. But for me the only way I can decide which outstanding unit is for me is for me to get it in my setup. I just believe all of these top notch units are excellent, it just comes down to preference.
 

kennyb123

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But for me the only way I can decide which outstanding unit is for me is for me to get it in my setup. I just believe all of these top notch units are excellent, it just comes down to preference.
I honestly believe the company should be the deciding factor as sound quality is a moving target. The big question is how well does the company allow you to say current should you want to take advantage of their latest advancements. The server market is still in the maturing phase, and things are moving so quickly that a point in time assessment is far less meaningful than it would be for a preamp or amp.

Taiko is spectacular at allowing their customers to stay current. I would feel really bad for the person who might have auditioned and passed on an Extreme before their USB card became available. There was an OS update that came just after the card came out and I got to hear the difference these two things made to a friend’s system. It brought about one of the most jaw dropping improvements I’ve heard through all the many changes he’s made.

I wish I could afford an Extreme but unfortunately it’s well beyond my means. I landed on Antipodes because they checked many of the same boxes that Taiko checked. At some point they will offer an upgrade for my K30 or make it easy for me to trade it in on another model. Antipodes are very transparent about the upgrades they offer and that was a huge deal to me. I had previously owned an Innuos Zenith Mk2. Innuos promised an upgrade that would bring it the Mk3’s power supply. I was told that I would receive an email once the upgrade program was launched. I have yet to receive that email. This contributes to why I say that the company should be the deciding factor.
 

bryans

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I honestly believe the company should be the deciding factor as sound quality is a moving target.
Sorry I don't agree. I do believe a company plays a major part in my decision but not enough for me to buy a product I like less. Given that SQ is a moving target, is exactly why I have to do a demo to see how it works in my environment.

There is nothing wrong with you or anyone putting the company ahead of SQ when deciding what to buy. We all make our decision in different ways.
 

kennyb123

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There is nothing wrong with you or anyone putting the company ahead of SQ when deciding what to buy. We all make our decision in different ways.
That is not exactly the point I had meant to make. Of course sound quality has to factor into it. I just think that the point-in-time demo shouldn’t be the sole determining factor.

The reviews I read about Antipodes gave me a strong indication that it would match my listening preference. Who they are as a company wouldn’t have mattered if that wasn’t the case. Fortunately for me they offer a 30 day return policy when purchasing direct from them so I took a low risk gamble and it paid off big time. It sounds a lot better than when it first landed thanks to burn in, software updates and a better power cord - but that would be true of any server.
 
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Willgolf

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A second thumbs up to Lucas Domansky of Lucas Audio from the UK and Poland. He is a computer genius. I have the Pacific DAC and was originally disappointed in the sound. Then I got the LDMS. Wow.
I have talked to Lucas at 3 am his time in the past. He set up my whole system remotely. I just had to plug it in and turn it on and he loaded 7tbs of music on it. His customer service is fantastic. I love the fact that when I call him (9 hours difference in time) he answers the phone.
I know Taiko and Wadax are the industry standards. Wadax is in another price league and Taiko was just more than I wanted to spend. I had considered Aurender, Pink Faux and Antipodes. You should call Lucas on What's App (free) and just ask him about his servers. He does not hard-sell anyone and he is a great guy.
 

bryans

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That is not exactly the point I had meant to make. Of course sound quality has to factor into it. I just think that the point-in-time demo shouldn’t be the sole determining factor.

The reviews I read about Antipodes gave me a strong indication that it would match my listening preference. Who they are as a company wouldn’t have mattered if that wasn’t the case. Fortunately for me they offer a 30 day return policy when purchasing direct from them so I took a low risk gamble and it paid off big time. It sounds a lot better than when it first landed thanks to burn in, software updates and a better power cord - but that would be true of any server.
I agree 100%. The reason why I do a home demo is because no point-in-time demo at a dealer is enough for me. The 30 day return policy is an awesome way for someone to see if the products works for them. I would suspect most of the time the 30 day demo leads to a sale.
 

kennyb123

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I agree 100%. The reason why I do a home demo is because no point-in-time demo at a dealer is enough for me. The 30 day return policy is an awesome way for someone to see if the products works for them. I would suspect most of the time the 30 day demo leads to a sale.
I absolutely agree with this. In hindsight, I had swung the pendulum a bit too far in the pick-a-company direction as a result of having some poor experiences previously because I had placed all my eggs in the sound quality bucket. You are being smart about doing the proper due diligence. I hope you are able to arrange to audition the servers that interest you.
 
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spiritofmusic

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It is not an significant thing to mention that prior to purchasing any other server, you may wish to ask this question...

You have a really bad server issue and its 3 am. Who you gonna call, ghostbusters? There is no other service organization in audio that is as responsive or as professional as Emile and his team at Taiko. For goodness sake, the guy doesn't sleep and responds in a flash almost 24/7! That alone, is a feature that goes well beyond price and performance and is worth serious consideration. There is a commitment to excellence there that is almost unheard of elsewhere in a field of rapidly changing digital technology and for which there is a strong unblemished track record.
Marty, sleepless at 3am, I'd rather be calling my government funded drug dealer for more sleeping pills.
 

christoph

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Dec 11, 2015
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A second thumbs up to Lucas Domansky of Lucas Audio from the UK and Poland. He is a computer genius. I have the Pacific DAC and was originally disappointed in the sound. Then I got the LDMS. Wow.
I have talked to Lucas at 3 am his time in the past. He set up my whole system remotely. I just had to plug it in and turn it on and he loaded 7tbs of music on it. His customer service is fantastic. I love the fact that when I call him (9 hours difference in time) he answers the phone.
I know Taiko and Wadax are the industry standards. Wadax is in another price league and Taiko was just more than I wanted to spend. I had considered Aurender, Pink Faux and Antipodes. You should call Lucas on What's App (free) and just ask him about his servers. He does not hard-sell anyone and he is a great guy.
And I second your much more elaborate posting wholeheartedly
 

Daverich4

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May 8, 2020
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An open source application called Shairport can be enabled on Antipodes players. This provides support for Airplay 1. I believe that Innuos is using this as well.
The various Sonore Rendus support Shairport as well. Works fine for what it is.
 

Macattack

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Aug 21, 2014
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I have. My favorite dealer represents them. I looked at the K50 and the new Oladra both. They are interesting for sure. Do they have airplay? I will ask about that. The Grimm MU1 is also well regarded… I will wait for my new Horizon to arrive before deciding. What about you?
OP, I am curious where you heard the Oladra? As far as I know, they have only shown them in Munich…
 

Rejean

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Given the devaluation of the euro, the new Antipodes Oladra will be the same price as the Taiko Extreme. Something to think about...
 

Lagonda

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Hugh,
Fly to AMS, 2 hrs by train to Hengelo. It will blow you away. Emile has good coffee, too, for the jet lag.o_O

You can even swing by Gryphon to visit the mothership.;)
Evan
You are mixing the Dutch and the Danish Sir., not recommended ! ;)
 

Sampajanna

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Apr 1, 2021
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OP, I am curious where you heard the Oladra? As far as I know, they have only shown them in Munich…
Hi. I am not the OP. I didn‘t hear the Oladra. Just looked into it. Sorry for the confusion In my post.
 

ACHiPo

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Feb 22, 2015
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Fridays

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Nov 19, 2018
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I hope the Innuos Statement is worlds better than the Zenith Mk3 with Phoenix, because in my system it was absolutely dead sounding, yes my Mac Mini trounced it I like saying that, because people don’t believe it I don’t really want to spend 20 k however
 

Skanda

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May 2, 2020
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@bryans @HughP3 wanted to call your attention to my taiko thread which detailed my initial experiences with the server. i was very skeptical buying it but bit the bullet and have been a happy customer. i try to detail the changes i heard over weeks vs. my old server. i have since recabled my system and got "more" out of it as a result but haven't had the time to write it all down. I have also upgraded speakers from magico s5mk2 to magico m2 and I think they are quite happy with the source.

my thread isn't a replacement for listening but might be helpful: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...a-taiko-extreme-and-then-this-happened.31014/
 
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bryans

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i was very skeptical buying it but bit the bullet and have been a happy customer.
I have no doubt that when one bites the bullet and purchases a top notch server like the Taiko, Aurender, Innuos, etc. it will be outstanding. For me the reason why I don't commit without doing a home trail is because I'm trying to find the one that fits my personal taste. How do I know which one I like best without trying it in my setup?

Congrats on your Taiko Extreme, I bet it is outstanding.
 

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