DOES ANYONE REGRET BUYING A TAIKO EXTREME SERVER? ANYTHING BETTER?

[MarkusBarkus]

when more R&D projects turn into retrofittable upgrades.

...this concept plays a large role in the initial purchasing decision, and many owners are hoping to keep the Extreme relevant and industry leading through this methodology. So far, so good.

 

[acg]

... And it will improve again over that, when more R&D projects turn into retrofittable upgrades...

One of my dacs has an upgrade path like that and it has been lovely to update rather than replace it as new technology comes along that improves the sonics. Antipodes have also done something similar in the music server space, so Taiko is not alone there, although you are able to concentrate on just one product.

 

[caesar]

What are the reference level CD Transports you’re referring to? This is a matured technology at this juncture and certainly capable of (With a suitably quality DAC) sublime sound quality, no doubt.
Charles

Hi Charles1Dad,
The MBL Reference transport blows the Taiko, and all streamers, out of the water. When MSB was selling their transports, they were better than the MSB streaming option also. Ditto for top Esoterics.

Very few of the streaming guys actually compared their Taiko to top CD transports. They are experientially impoverished. Although Taiko is in the top tier of streamers, most of the Taiko owners only compared their Taiko streamer to other streamers, and Taiko usually and deservedly wins those matchups. So we need to look at Taiko from this perspective instead of assuming it is the best all around digital transport - just because a bunch of the guys on the internet say it is

 

[sbo6]

There is a rather fundamental difference between the Extreme server and the others mentioned in the past few pages, which is a decisive factor which made the vast majority of our customers "jump onboard". The Extreme was designed from the get go to be an evolving project, it launched 4 years ago and is here to stay for many more. It is being regularly improved over the course of its lifespan and its owners have some degree of influence over the direction it takes. The next up mayor performance upgrade is launching at the end of this year and there are several more performance and functionality upgrades scheduled for the first quarter of next year. These upgrades have been developed for a large part using data collected from our customers.

We consider streaming to still be in its infancy stages, it evolves at an accelerated pace compared to vinyl and cd playback which can turn this type of product obsolete very fast. The Extreme, as it originally launched in 2018, would hardly be competitive anymore today while it was considered to be the absolute best back then, but it's still going strong, and about to reap the awards of several years of R&D. And it will improve again over that, when more R&D projects turn into retrofittable upgrades. For that, in this space, I could perhaps consider it a "bargain", even though I struggle with calling anything High End Audio a bargain.

Obviously this is not for everyone, there is something to be said for just buying a fixed performance appliance and replace it when something better is released, which is the more traditional model in high-end audio.

I think it's commendable that companies like yours provides upgrades, I think it's a great way to keep products technically / sonically relevant. It also makes good business sense to ensure continued customer purchases and it ensures customer loyalty while sustaining / increasing revenue. It's why I own Aqua products. However, the upgrades are not free and all companies revise their products, upgradeable or new versions arise; pick your poison based on how long you want to own your box. It's been the case with audio products since the dawn of time and several computer music server companies have led the charge based on customer feedback and customer testing long before Taiko.

This takes nothing away from your product, just some perspective.

 

[Audire]

I think Taiko is one of the best servers available. Though I presently choose something different (Aurender N30SA) in time the Extreme may very well become the server of choice for all high end systems. It does sound amazing. In time, Taiko may very well distance itself from the competition.

 

[sbo6]

IMO more than likely the (subjective) crown will be held by Wadax with Taiko, Aurender, Auralic, Wolf Audio, Innuos, JCAT, etc. battling for second place..

 

[matthias]

Taiko, Aurender, Auralic, Wolf Audio, Innuos, JCAT, etc. battling for second place..

I don't think so

Matt

 

[plasmod3]

I haven’t heard anyone hear both the N30 and the Extreme and not prefer the Extreme. Even without XDMS (the new proprietary software for the Extreme), which takes it to another level.
But that makes sense, isn’t the N30 half the price? And one look inside and it’s obvious that the manic build quality and attention to detail is just not there (but again, half the price, so it makes sense).

Not everyone posts on here. I know of at least 3 ppl who has done just that. We just choose not to post

 

[Audire]

IMO more than likely the (subjective) crown will be held by Wadax with Taiko, Aurender, Auralic, Wolf Audio, Innuos, JCAT, etc. battling for second place..

Second, third, and fourth, etc. place belong to anything I don’t purchase. Other people may have their own first, second and third place that doesn’t agree with mine. It’s all good.

It’s all about the end user, not one person‘s conceived notion of what the absolute best is for all humanity.

 

[Steve Vu]

Second, third, and fourth, etc. place belong to anything I don’t purchase. Other people may have their own first, second and third place that doesn’t agree with mine. It’s all good.

It’s all about the end user, not one person‘s conceived notion of what the absolute best is for all humanity.

You had two statements contradicted each other.

 

[joeling]

Been holding my breath for the last few years due to tough business environment. I am looking for a music server to beat my Vivaldi transport. Fellow enthusiasts, seeking your advice.

 

[DoctorWhy]

Been holding my breath for the last few years due to tough business environment. I am looking for a music server to beat my Vivaldi transport. Fellow enthusiasts, seeking your advice.

Hi Joeling. All I can say is that going from my top of the line Sonore to the Taiko was a bigger improvement in sound and stability than going from the PS Audio Direct stream DAC to the Nagra HD DAC X and/or the MSB Select II DAC. The later two are still in a prolonged shoot-out as I continue to optimize other elements of my system. As the initiator of this thread, I can say definitively that I have no regrets over buying the Taiko. It may not beat your transport, but it is a great streamer. I doubt that the Wadax streamer is better unless paired with the Wadax DAC. That combo may be the ultimate, but I have not heard it.

 

[Zeotrope]

I second that!
Although the improvements from the PS Audio DSD DAC to the Nagra Tube DAC and then to HD DAC X were monumental.

Grand total of Zero regret buying the Taiko Extreme.

 

[bryans]

I am looking for a music server to beat my Vivaldi transport

Now this is a tough one. My advice is to listen in your system and decide what sounds best. You might not find one that you like when comparing to your transport.

 

[Zeotrope]

Now this is a tough one. My advice is to listen in your system and decide what sounds best. You might not find one that you like when comparing to your transport.

I don’t think this is that tough - the Extreme should destroy any physical media player. For one, it has the “unfair“ advantage of being able to playback higher resolution files than SACD.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...and at 99 pounds, it must be the heavy-weight digital champion of the audio world!

 

[charles1dad]

I don’t think this is that tough - the Extreme should destroy any physical media player. For one, it has the “unfair“ advantage of being able to playback higher resolution files than SACD.

I have zero doubt that the Taiko Extreme sounds sublime. But destroy any physical media transport is simply hyperbole. There are exquisite sounding transports as well.

Its always best (When possible) to compare components directly. Just listen and then develop an opinion. Given the reality of wide individual taste and diversity, people will draw varying conclusions.

There will never emerge an unanimous undisputed choice.
Charles

 

[MarkusBarkus]

There will never emerge an unanimous undisputed choice.

...that must surely be true! Cheers, Charles.

 

[Zeotrope]

...that must surely be true! Cheers, Charles.

I would not be so sure…!
By all means, do a side by side comparison. However, the transport is handicapped right from the start:
- inability to play higher resolution than SACD
- spinning disc mechanism and how the disc is secured will undoubtedly reduce output fidelity somewhat. The PC/Streamer does not start with either of these handicaps. So it’s not really a fair fight…

 

[MarkusBarkus]

I have an Extreme and a Luxman SACD player. I like them both and they both sound excellent. I do think a person might prefer one over the other, even with the "handicap" you describe.

I personally think the Taiko Extreme sounds better than the SACD machine in my room, but that is certainly not an exhaustive or objective comparison.

Aside from the comparison quite a while back, I prefer to leave the Luxman SACD player direct to the Luxman c900 "pre" and m900 amps...NOT through the MSB dac.

In that way, I can enjoy the original SACD/CD sound when I feel like it. It's excellent...but different than the Extreme. Both are fun.