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".

 

We riffled through a bunch of albums I happened to have in my sound room and Chris picked out the remaster of Amused to Death and arbitrarily asked me to cue up Three Wishes and to play it at my customary level. After some warm up of my phono stage and turn table the track was cued up and the needle dropped. it sounded spectacular......

the 'Amused to Death' AP reissue is from a digital remaster. from analog tape. the spendy original is supposedly all analog (possible digital step there somewhere) + Q-Sound effects. not to say that the Olympus/Horizon is not approaching vinyl replay in any case. just that that example is not ideal to make that case.

Next he cued up from Tidal via Roon the same album version and track. The Horizon was passing full signal with its output at 63 and my preamp at the 6 detente position. For power cords I still had Chin Cheng PC's in both Olympus and IO. Play was started and it sounded extremely good and very close to vinyl with a slightly different flavor. If the vinyl version was worth $1 , the digital version was worth $0.95 . The next part of the test was when Chris wanted to play the same track but with the horizon gain dialed back to 57 (less than the full signal). Volume level on my Lamm preamp remained unchanged at the 6 detente position. Play was started and Chris looked at me and I too him as we both said WTF just happened. The sound was very nice, but best description by both of us was that it sounded on th polite side and lacking detail, Again the comparison wa if vinyl version was worth $1 then this same track dialed back to Horizon gain of 57 and Lamm preamp unchanged at position 6 was now worth $0.90. We both agreed that full signal out of the Horizon simply put had more detail and more meat on the bone

The icing on the cake however for both of us was when Chris said, let's see what the Masterbuilt Ultra Power Cord brings to the table if the Chin Cheng was removed from the Olympus and substituted with the MasterBuilt Ultra. Same track was cued up with Horizon gain at 63 , Lamm preamp at detente position 6. The song was repeated streamed through Tidal using Roon and both of our jaws dropped. It was an epiphany for both of us as it easily proved what Emile said, and substantiated by Vassil that there is a huge uptick in sound quality with a proven power cord. Both Chris and I said that this was damn close to the vinyl version we played. In fact, if the vinyl version was worth $1, this stream tidal version, passing full signal through the Horizon (63) and now with a MasterBuilt Ultra in the Olympus this version was now worth easily $0.98. It truly was that close. Further Chris found a very secure way to plug in the Power Cord which , did not budge with gravity It was the most impressive comparison fore my ears that we did all these past 3 days. There is a huge gain to be achieved with the use of a quality Power Cord. The Chin Cheng was instantly retired. I then questioned Chris as to what further benefit would be gleaned if a similar power cord was used in the IO. Without any hesitationChris said, "not necessary" and went through a detailed explanation as to why my Chin Cheng would be just fine.

after 19 years with 2 battery powered darTZeel preamps it's always easy to hear how power cords matter. it's been explained to me that power cords act as a grounding cable for the charging circuit/battery. and different quality grounding cables matter. so it's more than the quality of the power delivery. the Masterbuilt probably serves as a great grounding cable.

 

the 'Amused to Death' AP reissue is from a digital remaster. from analog tape. the spendy original is supposedly all analog (possible digital step there somewhere) + Q-Sound effects. not to say that the Olympus/Horizon is not approaching vinyl replay in any case. just that that example is not ideal.

after 19 years with 2 battery powered darTZeel preamps it's always easy to hear how power cords matter. it's been explained to me that power cords act as a grounding cable for the charging circuit/battery. and different quality grounding cables matter. so it's more than the quality of the power delivery. the Masterbuilt probably serves as a great grounding cable.

Mike - are you still using the Wadax server / DAC?
Would you be interested to hear an Olympus in your system at some point?
I think the world will benefit from your thoughts and experience, especially if directly compared to Wadax.

BTW, I am asking as a passionate audiophile, not as a dealer. There are some very good Taiko dealers on the West Coast who I am sure can help. If I can be a fly on the wall, that would be a plus . I am trying to hear comparisons between the Olympus and the best digital sources out there for my own knowledge.

 

Mike - are you still using the Wadax server / DAC?
Would you be interested to hear an Olympus in your system at some point?
I think the world will benefit from your thoughts and experience, especially if directly compared to Wadax.

BTW, I am asking as a passionate audiophile, not as a dealer. There are some very good Taiko dealers on the West Coast who I am sure can help. If I can be a fly on the wall, that would be a plus . I am trying to hear comparisons between the Olympus and the best digital sources out there for my own knowledge.

i'm happy and not in the market, but i'm also a huge Taiko fan and am enjoying this launch. i enjoy my Wadax and have no doubt i would enjoy the Olympus (with whichever dac or analog out) too. and the new dCS Varese or MSB Sentinel when those hit.

i don't think the Olympus needs my 2 cents. not planning/thinking about that either. but i will be enjoying the progress here.

 

Mike, where can I see a picture of your “homemade” solution for holding heavy cables?

 

Mike, where can I see a picture of your “homemade” solution for holding heavy cables?

there are pics on my audiogon system link in my signature, which is normally at the bottom of each of my posts, but does not appear in this thread as it's a Taiko forum. i did just take some quick phone pics see below. standing near the racks they do look ugly, but sitting down they are mostly hidden behind the turntables. so it's not quite as 'sore thumb' as my close ups show. my system pics show the long view to get an idea.

Mike Lavigne's System | Virtual Listening Room

mikelavigne's listening room featuring Evolution Acoustics MM7's, darTZeel NHB-468, darTZeel NHB-18NS with 2 internal phono stages., Evolution Acoustics 7.5 meter 'Zeel', Evolution Acoustics 'System' speaker cables--10 feet, WADAX SA Reference DAC, WADAX SA Reference Server with Akasa optical...

www.audiogon.com

 

I got so tired of cable sagging I went mostly all vertical. I used a variety of slings with cords before this. Then I built this "gang box" each receptacle is walled off inside. Then I mounted it to the floor. IEC end I use a support block that I build according to size of the gap.

 

Great report!

Did Chris offer an explanation for why charging a battery supply with different
Power cables would make a difference?

Did you not have time to try the analog out?

No and No.

All I can say is the immersive effect and 3D feeling with the Masterbuilt Ultra PC was a ginormous step up . I passed this on to Chris who will answer

It looks as if my first audition of the analogue board will be when Emile pays his visit here

A major reason for this is that a power cable does not feed the Olympus server and IO in isolation. It is connected to the power distributor which is, in turn, connected to other components of the system. This couples earth, and potentially introduces a capacitance. Even if the battery-powered components should be almost indifferent, this still has an impact on the rest of the system. Just connecting a power cable to the power distributor alone, even when not connected to a device, can already have an audible impact.

Mike is spot on: a power cable is a grounding cable, too.

 

If anyone needs one of these let me know, it can be modified into an audio rack. Shipping might be a little high! I call it safe and sound!

 

A major reason for this is that a power cable does not feed the Olympus server and IO in isolation. It is connected to the power distributor which is, in turn, connected to other components of the system. This couples earth, and potentially introduces a capacitance. Even if the battery-powered components should be almost indifferent, this still has an impact on the rest of the system. Just connecting a power cable to the power distributor alone, even when not connected to a device, can already have an audible impact.

Mike is spot on: a power cable is a grounding cable, too.

Have you had the liberty to experiment with different metallurgies?

 

If anyone needs one of these let me know, it can be modified into an audio rack. Shipping might be a little high! I call it safe and sound!

I'll take two of them, JT!

 

I'll take two of them, JT!

You will have to give me your shelf config. along with your preferred combination number. 15 numbers and letters! I must tell you its holiday time here in NC so things slow down a bit. Actually its always slow here. Oh another aspect contact our engineer team, we will have to shore your floor up. Its part of the special we have been running. I take it you like the industrial look....A fine choice choosing two Michael, Analog for one and digital in the other... Safe and Sound Appreciates your business!

 

You will have to give me your shelf config. along with your preferred combination number. 15 numbers and letters! I must tell you its holiday time here in NC so things slow down a bit. Actually its always slow here. Oh another aspect contact our engineer team, we will have to shore your floor up. Its part of the special we have been running. I take it you like the industrial look....A fine choice choosing two Michael, Analog for one and digital in the other... Safe and Sound Appreciates your business!

Maybe I can buy one of this to support my MasterBuilt Ultra from the Olympus

 

@steve williams if you have a little bit of room on the shelf *behind* the Olympus, you may be able to use these Furutech Boosters.

They work well, and you can add sections to the vertical rods to get the correct height range. The set-screws on either side allow one to adjust the platform up/down on said rods.

I have used them behind gear, even reversing them to put the longer end of the feet *under* the component. When in place, they are very secure. I even used one at the duplex outlet to support those massive Sablon King fixtures, which are about the size of John T's safe doors.

 

I really have no room on the shelf behind the Olympus which has limited my options. The big cable came loose again last night even with Christoph's capable hands

 

...FWIW it looked like you had some room in front (hard to tell depth from pics), which if true, might make a case for moving the Taiko gear forward...to create rear space. Please excuse the arm-chair/remote QB-ing. You'll figure something out.

 

The Taiko gear is about 165 lbs and is centered on the CMS filter so thanks again but that wont work either

 

The Taiko gear is about 165 lbs and is centered on the CMS filter so thanks again but that wont work either

Is there any shelf space under the IEC??? And if there is aprox. inches...

 

If there is, a wedge of some sort, small wood block and subsequent thin pieces on top of the wood block until it is firm and level, cardboard folded, anything to keep that support tight under the connection...

 

If there is, a wedge of some sort, small wood block and subsequent thin pieces on top of the wood block until it is firm and level, cardboard folded, anything to keep that support tight under the connection...

Also, get some of the IEC covers mentioned earlier.

 

You know everyone is waiting for Friday shipment notices when there are 10+ messages on a Thursday on how to keep an Olympus plugged in