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".

 

My understanding is that Steve has a silver Olympus with I/O. If so, it either shipped this evening or will be shipping any day now.


Steve is right. My platform is too small indeed.

As I have mentioned to Steve privately, I won't be using CMS in the long term. I was just testing what I had on hand to get a feeling of how the Olympus reacts to different platforms / footers. So far, I have two preliminary results:
1. The Olympus reacts well on platforms/footers; and
2. What worked best for my Extreme was not the best combination for my Olympus.
Given that my Olympus is still burning in, it's probably not the best time to start an intensive study on racks / footers just yet.

Could you please be so kind to update all of us how this burn in improved the SQ while we are waiting for our own Olympus?
Thank you

 

(Hope All Is OK) me too...

all is good.my O/IO ship this week. The O has been done for a while whilst they awaited delivery of the IO chassis

My comment to Nenon was based on the photo he supplied. My own information is based on my experience with the Extreme. I'd be very surprised if I didn't find the same with the O/IO. Also based on the combined weight of the O/IO Joe has fabricated a special platform where that total load wont impede the platform . Stay tuned. Finally I was also pointing out to Nenon that CS footers are not meant to be used to supprt platforms but rather should be sitting under the O/IO and ON the platform to get desired results

 

all is good.my O/IO ship this week. The O has been done for a while whilst they awaited delivery of the IO chassis

My comment to Nenon was based on the photo he supplied. My own information is based on my experience with the Extreme. I'd be very surprised if I didn't find the same with the O/IO. Also based on the combined weight of the O/IO Joe has fabricated a special platform where that total load wont impede the platform . Stay tuned. Finally I was also pointing out to Nenon that CS footers are not meant to be used to supprt platforms but rather should be sitting under the O/IO and ON the platform to get desired results

Will the weight of the Olympus exceed what my stock CMS Maxxum filter would ideally support? It will top racked, where my Extreme currently resides (in my Avatar photo)

 

Will the weight of the Olympus exceed what my stock CMS Maxxum filter would ideally support? It will top racked, where my Extreme currently resides (in my Avatar photo)

simple answer is NO. I spoke to Joe. However the O/IO is stretching the limit. Likely yes it's OK however it might cause indentation in the top of the platform. Hence the special platform on order which I should have next week as well

 

Will the weight of the Olympus exceed what my stock CMS Maxxum filter would ideally support? It will top racked, where my Extreme currently resides (in my Avatar photo)

I would encourage you to consider the LS Ultra 2.25 between the O and platform. Mine is also top racked

 

I’m planning to use the Wellfloat Babel that I presently use between a Diaza and Extreme. Though, I’ll probably replace the Diaza with an IKEA bamboo cutting board as I believe all the copper in the Oly is not a good match with the Diaza? So, concrete floor- bamboo- Babel- Oly.