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".

 

not for me.......to me it is a tribute to where Taiko has taken the threshold of digital music. Dare we say the barrier has been crossed

Vinyl doesn't sound real......enough said

 

Okay......

Tom

 

Okay......

Tom

Vinyl doesn't sound real......enough said

It's OK Tom, everyone knows what I meant but we know him as the grouch so all is good.

 

Will the 4A(110v) rated fuse (used on the Extreme) be good on the Olympus?

 

Sounds great but I could do without the vinyl comparison.

If Olympus sounds like vinyl, it would be a regress, not progress. Vinyl sound has loads of distortion, which may be more tolerable than digital distortion, but is seriously deficient in transparency and dimension (or soundstage). "Analog" would be a better word. While analog is often used as a synonym for vinyl, it is used here as meaning sound like real music, which is analog when heard live, without any conversion or filtering. If a digital component produces sound that feels real (or analog), it is the highest achievement we can have here.

 

The only comparisons I want to hear about are the Olympus vs. Extreme. Specifically, comparisons between:
1. the baseline: your Extreme > USB > your DAC vs.
2. Olympus USB: your Olympus > USB > your DAC vs.
3. Olympus XDMI analog: your Olympus XDMI analog vs.
4. Olympus XDMI SPDIF or AES: your Olympus XDMI SPDIF or AES > your DAC
5. Olympus XDMI: your Olympus > XDMI > your XDMI DAC

 

The only comparisons I want to hear about are the Olympus vs. Extreme. Specifically, comparisons between:
1. the baseline: your Extreme > USB > your DAC vs.
2. Olympus USB: your Olympus > USB > your DAC vs.
3. Olympus XDMI: your Olympus XDMI analog vs.
4. Olympus XDMI SPDIF or AES: your Olympus XDMI SPDIF or AES > your DAC
5. Olympus XDMI DAC: your Olympus > XDMI > your XDMI DAC

Geez, you don't want much do you Rajiv? I'll add it to my honey-do list. . .

Steve Z

 

With great power (being in the first batch of deliveries) comes great responsibility!

Looking at you particularly, number 17!

 

As I stare into my crystal ball; With certainty I can assure you all, this will be a very interesting adventure!!!

 

Geez, you don't want much do you Rajiv? I'll add it to my honey-do list. . .

Steve Z

My first and likely only comparison will be the analog board vs the digital board.Im betting the analogue board will be so good that it will validate the decision of many to sell their DAC's and go with the analogue board. When this whole thing began and Emile gave his first impressions he did comment that XDMI is neither digital nor analogue but something very unique. Those who were in the Rhapsody room at Munich and heard the analogue board were nothing short of amazed . Bob Visintainer's posts were very positive. Comments yesterday that the digital board with USB was a game changer. I can't see myself selling my DAC but I will certainly give praise where praise is due. The anxiety in awaiting delivery for each of us has become thunderous. From what I was told yesterday I believe we are all in for a major revelation and I look forward to getting mine.

Another interesting comparison IMO would be to see to what extent Olympus +IO adds to Olympus alone

 

As I stare into my crystal ball; With certainty I can assure you all, this will be a very interesting adventure!!!

Can you adjust the resolution on that device to see calendars and percentages?

I'm a numbers kind of guy.

 

Looking at you particularly, number 17!

Beers first, then reviews

Sincerely,

#6

 

Beers first, then reviews

Sincerely,

#6

Glad to see you have your priorities straight.

Enough beers and we'll be reading about how the Olympus provided the best rendition of "Louie, Louie" ever heard.

Steve Z

 

Just being pragmatic Steve. I want to make sure beer payment is made *before* silvers ship and crush on SQ

 

Poor #17...

In case you haven't seen the post from Lukasz:

https://www.facebook.com/100057287425157/posts/990316762887895

 

Thanks @nenon -- that was a fun read from Mr. Lampizator.

 

My last read was USB was changed to a port on the new mobo, right?

Yes

 

Poor #17...

In case you haven't seen the post from Lukasz:

https://www.facebook.com/100057287425157/posts/990316762887895

Fantastic review. Lukasz must be very happy now.
And this is not burned in device I believe.
Forgot How long it takes for a burn in period ?

 

Fantastic review. Lukasz must be very happy now.
And this is not burned in device I believe.
Forgot How long it takes for a burn in period ?

Yes very good news...

 

Fantastic review. Lukasz must be very happy now.
And this is not burned in device I believe.
Forgot How long it takes for a burn in period ?

Can someone paste this here, for those of us not in FB?