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".

 

No weight constraints, very interesting...

Im referring to the 85 Kilos of the Olympus and IO

 

Im referring to the 85 Kilos of the Olympus and IO

Understood..

 

Im referring to the 85 Kilos of the Olympus and IO

I assume you plan on having the IO on a different shelf, and not stacked underneath the Olympus?
Non-stacking has easily won on my CMS racks for every component demo (stacked vs non-stacked) I've tried.

Of course the best thing to do is demo them stacked vs non-stacked and listen in your own room ....

 

I assume you plan on having the IO on a different shelf, and not stacked underneath the Olympus?
Non-stacking has easily won on my CMS racks for every component demo (stacked vs non-stacked) I've tried.

Of course the best thing to do is demo them stacked vs non-stacked and listen in your own room ....

FWIW I have a 16 platform CMS Rack separate from my CMS amp stands so 20 in all . Having said that I will for the first time be stacking the Olympus on the IO. I prefer it that way. Plus I have every component standing on Ultra TT's and for the Olympus (Extreme presently) I am using LS Ultra 2.25's so I have it covered. I appreciate your input but you're kind of preaching to the choir when it comes to CMS and Center Stage

 

 

View attachment 132280

Have you tried to place LS 2.25 outside the feet of Extreme

Jeff

 

FWIW I have a 16 platform CMS Rack separate from my CMS amp stands so 20 in all . Having said that I will for the first time be stacking the Olympus on the IO. I prefer it that way. Plus I have every component standing on Ultra TT's and for the Olympus (Extreme presently) I am using LS Ultra 2.25's so I have it covered. I appreciate your input but you're kind of preaching to the choir when it comes to CMS and Center Stage

You have plenty of space, Steve!



Maybe consider moving the Taiko router to it's own shelf too. Please report back if you do.

 

Are there any real pictures of completely
finished IO ?
We have many of the Olympus now including the Munich, but not IO I believe

 

Have you tried to place LS 2.25 outside the feet of Extreme

Jeff

They are perfect where I have them now

 

You have plenty of space, Steve!

View attachment 132285

Maybe consider moving the Taiko router to it's own shelf too. Please report back if you do.

The router is on its own shelf directly below the Extreme with the DCD and Switch. I've had a long talk with Joe about it and there are a few other factors that I had to consider that I won't say just yet . So the answer is Joe is making me a special platform even though he feels that the 85 kilos would still perform well but the new platform in his opinion would be better suited. More to come later

 

I can give it a try, some aspects which jump to mind are:

1) It’s faster and more agile, yet it’s almost as if the music sounds slower. Which it doesn’t ofcourse, perhaps caused because it’s much easier to relax into the music?

2) There’s more detail, but it doesn’t really sound “more detailed”. The additional detail is better integrated with the event it’s part off. So it doesn’t stand out / is not highlighted if that makes sense.

3) Distortion is magnitudes of orders lower, from the deepest bass to the utmost top end, everywhere, maybe that will be the most apparent from the get go

4) Instrumental decay belongs to the event which creates it, it’s part of the event, it has the same tonal structure, the same tone, the same density, it decays in a continuous fashion, slowly fades away in space, evenly decreasing in volume till its gone, which does appear to take much longer then before.

5) Which reminds me of another aspect which is musical flow, it really floooowwws, it’s very continuous like the decay, you would almost think the “old way” is stitched together, seemingly stitch less, but apparently not entirely so.

6) It can be brutally powerful/forceful. I’m hoping your loudspeakers woofers and midranges are up to the task. Go a bit easy on them with your volume control initially.

7) Staging is enormous, absolute system phase will be more important, be aware of that, a lot of analogue stages reverse absolute phase, very few manufacturers disclose if their components reverse phase. The XDMI analogue output stage has 2 stages, both invert phase so the end result is it’s in phase. If staging sounds strange to you, or if the presentation lacks “starting” energy on tones, reverse your loudspeaker cables or hit the reverse phase button on your preamp (if it has one).

But it would really be best to just listen yourself.

Thank you Emile for making the effort.

Very insightful. Especially your description of the musical flow and decay.

Can’t wait to hear the real thing!

 

I can give it a try, some aspects which jump to mind are:

1) It’s faster and more agile, yet it’s almost as if the music sounds slower. Which it doesn’t ofcourse, perhaps caused because it’s much easier to relax into the music?

super. seemingly making music seem slower is a key SQ marker for me. relaxed, yes. my feeling is that so much detail is being presented (and specifically coming out of the low noise background) that comprehending all that detail keeps my brain totally engaged until the next sound, then the next........

 

...and I thought there was some of that "slow-down" phenomenon with NSM too, as I recall.

 

Hello fellow Olympians! Happy to report I joined the band. It will be a looong countdown for me, I will vicariously enjoy the first owners' reports in the meanwhile, hope they will start coming soon

 

Getting a 404 at that URL, Christiaan. Not the URL to the Downloads page, but the link to the Olympus file.

https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Olympus-and-Olympus-IO-Introduction-FAQ_v030_05-06-2024.x80569.pdf

Edit and update -- Even with a different browser I am still getting a 404 from the Taiko Audio Downloads page when I try to get the Olympus pdf document.



Steve Z

Woops... thanks for the heads up. Now fixed

 

Are you guys still planning on shipping some units next week? I am hoping the status page will see some updates.

 

Are you guys still planning on shipping some units next week? I am hoping the status page will see some updates.

I think we are al anxious David but realistically they said to check the progress in the link that was provided to everyone. Why ask here. It only IMO adds consternation.

 

I think we are al anxious David but realistically they said to check the progress in the link that was provided to everyone. Why ask here. It only IMO adds consternation.

Cmon Steve, let’s not try to police benign questions. And I mentioned the status page but we have no idea when they will actually get that going.

 

Patience is a super power...
Mn

 

I want my Olympus and I want it now !