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".

 

I am wondering how Olympus compares to a very good CD transport.

Emile has Metronome Kalista .
Olympus was much better as far as I remember his opinion.

 

Emile has Metronome Kalista .
Olympus was much better as far as I remember his opinion.

I've got a Metronome Kalista CD Transport as well. Looking forward to comparing the Olympus-I/O and the Kalista in the near horizon.

Where did you read Emile's post on the Kalista comparison?

Thanks

 

I've got a Metronome Kalista CD Transport as well. Looking forward to comparing the Olympus-I/O and the Kalista in the near "horizon."

No pun intended ......just a reminder to all about the weekend event at my house Nov 1-3 where the Horizon 360 will be shown with the Olympus/IO

Please RSVP if you plan on attending

 

Emile has Metronome Kalista .
Olympus was much better as far as I remember his opinion.

Thanks for your reply. I am mostly listen to vocal music. Is Olympus overkill for my preference ?

 

Thanks for your reply. I am mostly listen to vocal music. Is Olympus overkill for my preference ?

Vocals, piano, and symphonic music are, in my opinion, the most challenging genres to reproduce and the most demanding on hi-fi equipment.

I primarily listen to classical music, ranging from Renaissance composers like Cristóbal de Morales to Romantic composers such as Schubert and Dvorak, and of course Beethoven's quartets and concertos.

I ordered the Olympus + Olympus I/O XDMI with this type of music in mind.

The Olympus XDMI offers an extremely low level of distortion/noise, which is exactly what you want for acoustic music, especially vocals.

So no, the Olympus is not overkill, quite the opposite!!!

If it’s within your reach, just go for it!

Cheers,

Thomas

 

Vocals, piano, and symphonic music are, in my opinion, the most challenging genres to reproduce and the most demanding on hi-fi equipment.

I primarily listen to classical music, ranging from Renaissance composers like Cristóbal de Morales to Romantic composers such as Schubert and Dvorak, and of course Beethoven's quartets and concertos.

I ordered the Olympus + Olympus I/O XDMI with this type of music in mind.

The Olympus XDMI offers an extremely low level of distortion/noise, which is exactly what you want for acoustic music, especially vocals.

So no, the Olympus is not overkill, quite the opposite!!!

If it’s within your reach, just go for it!

Cheers,

Thomas

Also
Some people use Olympus for their headphone setup and they don't consider it being overkill.

 

Also
Some people use Olympus for their headphone setup and they don't consider it being overkill.

I will visit my local dealer and listen to it. I hope it sounds better than CD transport. But the price is l.

 

Is Olympus overkill for my preference ?

...of course it's over the top! That's why we do it! Enjoy the music.

 

FWIW I remain cautiously optimistic that Emile might be able to find time to be present for the event at my house. He will be letting me know soon. So those who want to be here when Emile is, please follow this thread as well as the invitations re the open house I have scattered throughout pertinent forums here on WBF. I can say that presently there are many so far who have RSVP'd. Don't miss out on a promising memorable weekend

 

I've just received my Olympus + I/O XDMI

It's like Christmas came early!


A quick tip: make sure you have something to help get the pallet out of the van.

The driver arrived with nothing to unload the pallet or to bring it to my place.

I ended up having to take it out of the van myself with the driver's assistance.

I was a bit worried because the driver was quite... skinny (the pallet is around 112 Kg)

At one point, I almost carried the pallet all by myself, just long enough to carefully place it onto a wooden plate with wheels (which I had anticipated).

This small adventure was just enough to add a little excitement to the joy of receiving the Olympus!

Cheers,

Thomas

 

View attachment 136780
View attachment 136781


I've just received my Olympus + I/O XDMI

It's like Christmas came early!


A quick tip: make sure you have something to help get the pallet out of the van.

The driver arrived with nothing to unload the pallet or to bring it to my place.

I ended up having to take it out of the van myself with the driver's assistance.

I was a bit worried because the driver was quite... skinny (the pallet is around 112 Kg)

At one point, I almost carried the pallet by myself, just long enough to carefully place it onto a wooden plate with wheels (which I had anticipated).

This small adventure was just enough to add a little excitement to the joy of receiving the Olympus!

Cheers,

Thomas

They got mine to my front door. I hired two muscle men to get them up my 17 stairs and up
on to the stand.

 

FWIW I remain cautiously optimistic that Emile might be able to find time to be present for the event at my house. He will be letting me know soon. So those who want to be here when Emile is, please follow this thread as well as the invitations re the open house I have scattered throughout pertinent forums here on WBF. I can say that presently there are many so far who have RSVP'd. Don't miss out on a promising memorable weekend

I’m sure it will be a great time!

(Selfishly speaking, I hope Emile stays back in the Lab. Aries Cerat dac owners, like me, have been waiting months for Xdmi integration!)

 

I’m sure it will be a great time!

(Selfishly speaking, I hope Emile stays back in the Lab. Aries Cerat dac owners, like me, have been waiting months for Xdmi integration!)

FWIW Emile has said to me that he will only leave the factory if he feels comfortable with the progress in getting orders made and shipped to catch up to where he should be in the queue. I have told him each time we talk that there is no pressure and assured him that if this date doesnt work he and I will work out a favorable date in the future. I hope you can attend wil. We would all love to meet you

 

If that's the case, Steve, I'm not sure he'll be joining you. From early calculations it seemed my #55 set should have been in my house by July at the latest.... Lot a ground to catch up!

 

Well he is back at full staff and working long hours. To be fair he said he wouldn't leave until he felt comfortable with the in-house production. He's not the only one assembling the product and I have no knowledge as to whether he will be herein November. Also to be fair the event is a weekend event where the factory is closed. I do however understand your point

 

#55 should ship by then. But the lack of movement on the update page does make the mind wander. Hopefully soon…

 

Did any units get shipped on Monday or Tuesday? It seems as though you have changed the ship days to the beginning of the week as opposed to the end.

 

...I thought it was noted Friday was too hectic, and shipping was moved to the other side of the weekend. Status still wonky though...

 

...I thought it was noted Friday was too hectic, and shipping was moved to the other side of the weekend. Status still wonky though...

Yes. That’s why I asked if anything was shipped at the beginning of this week.

 

Did any units get shipped on Monday or Tuesday? It seems as though you have changed the ship days to the beginning of the week as opposed to the end.

For a variety of reasons, certain shipments may sometimes leave on non-standard days.

Let me take this occasion to introduce Julien Vermeiren who freshly joined Taiko last week. In his function as Chief Product Officer, he will take care of the logistics and other structural aspects. As we speak, he is checking with various couriers and is in the middle of making agreements to ensure fast and reliable delivery. As we are recovering from personnel shortage due to the hectic holiday period, and seeking ways to mitigate the anodizing issues, we are gearing up to move toward a much more structured process with fixed assembly, QC, and shipping routines.