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".

 

For those with interest, Part 2 of my Olympus review just got posted:

Reality Quest: Review of the Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server (Part 2 of 2)

Audio: Listen to this article. In Part 1 of this review, I covered what has changed in the Taiko ecosystem in the past four years, dug into the hardware design and more unique aspects of the new Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server, and shared some curious first impressions. In this Part 2, I dig int...

audiophilestyle.com

Amazingly thorough write up, Ray-Dude! I appreciate your trailblazing on the various aspects we all should consider when using the new Taiko technology. Can't wait to get my units...

 

Ha, you found my visual pun!

(as an aside, when you have so much wine that you're able to make visual puns with the wine labels, it is time to have people over to enjoy the wine while listening to music)

I thought it was a clever Decoy!

 

IIRC, (please correct me if Im wrong) Emile said either using the DCD in your sound room or putting a NAS somewhere else in your home are equally effective. I also remember Emile suggested that using internal storage in the Olympus does have a slight negative effect on SQ. As a result I omitted all internal storage and did want to use the DCD with my NAS in the sam room however I my power supply to the DCD, router and switch was not sufficient to also power my NAS . This did cause me some chagrin as I did not want to invest in another LPS to keep my Qnap TS 464 with 16 TB storage in my sound room. I took Emile's advice and moved it downstairs wired into my home router with a cheap RJ45 using port forwarding and to my ears the sound is terrific

Hi Steve,

I’m pretty much going to follow your same storage approach with my NAS connected to my home router. Where can an IT ignoramus like me find out how to implement “port forwarding”?

Thanks

 

Hi Steve,

I’m pretty much going to follow your same storage approach with my NAS connected to my home router. Where can an IT ignoramus like me find out how to implement “port forwarding”?

Thanks

Hi @cmarin ,

Not Steve but assume you won’t mind me answering this one

This is normally not necessary. If your NAS is upstream of your router, aka on the WAN or Internet side, it will be in a different subnet / ip range.

If you enter your NAS ip-address into Roon, and that address is not in it’s own subnet/ip-address, aka on the LAN / music network side, it will automatically attempt to reach it on the WAN side.

This same process is used when you browse whatsbestforum.com from your home computer.

We did configure port forwarding for Steve prior to the arrival of his Olympus which wasn’t necessary in hindsight as he changed his NAS location from downstream to upstream.

If you want to setup port forwarding the procedure is described in the Router manual which you can download from our website.

If that looks challenging you can of course always contact our support team.

Edit for clarity: port forwarding is ONLY necessary if you position your NAS downstream of the Router (on the LAN side) and if you want to access your NAS from a device upstream of the Router (on the WAN side).

 

I ordered my Olympus with the minimum internal SSD, and now that I have a SSD NAS, I want to remove the Olympus music SSD. Is there a video or detailed instructions explaining how to safely remove the internal music SSD of the Olympus?

No but we can make one, @Christiaan Punter

 

Hi @cmarin ,

Not Steve but assume you won’t mind me answering this one

This is normally not necessary. If your NAS is upstream of your router, aka on the WAN or Internet side, it will be in a different subnet / ip range.

Of you enter your NAS ip-address into Roon, and that address is bot in it’s own subnet/ip-address, aka on the LAN / music network side, it will automatically attempt to reach it on the WAN side.

This same process is used when you browse whatsbestforum.com from your home computer.

We did configure port forwarding for Steve prior to the arrival of his Olympus which wasn’t necessary in hindsight as he changed his NAS location from downstream to upstream.

If you want to setup port forwarding the procedure is described in the Router manual which you can download from our website.

If that looks challenging you can of course always contact our support team.

But again, this should simply not be necessary under normal circumstances.

Thank you for the reply Emile aka “Steve”!

My O server-I/O should be shipping soon but it will give me some time to try to enter the NAS ip-address into Roon before it arrives. Hopefully that will work without having to dive into the router manual or calling the taiko paramedic life support team!

 

Hi @cmarin ,

Not Steve but assume you won’t mind me answering this one

This is normally not necessary. If your NAS is upstream of your router, aka on the WAN or Internet side, it will be in a different subnet / ip range.

Of you enter your NAS ip-address into Roon, and that address is bot in it’s own subnet/ip-address, aka on the LAN / music network side, it will automatically attempt to reach it on the WAN side.

This same process is used when you browse whatsbestforum.com from your home computer.

We did configure port forwarding for Steve prior to the arrival of his Olympus which wasn’t necessary in hindsight as he changed his NAS location from downstream to upstream.

If you want to setup port forwarding the procedure is described in the Router manual which you can download from our website.

If that looks challenging you can of course always contact our support team.

But again, this should simply not be necessary under normal circumstances.

Although I don't have my Olympus yet, after reading Ray's fantastic article, I've decided to get my old NAS back. My question is, from the sound quality point of view, is it better to connect it to the Taiko Router or to the ISP Router at home?

 

For those with interest, Part 2 of my Olympus review just got posted:

Reality Quest: Review of the Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server (Part 2 of 2)

Audio: Listen to this article. In Part 1 of this review, I covered what has changed in the Taiko ecosystem in the past four years, dug into the hardware design and more unique aspects of the new Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server, and shared some curious first impressions. In this Part 2, I dig int...

audiophilestyle.com

Hi Ray.
Great job!!!.
One question, to which input of the Taiko DCD have you connected your NAS: Alt_1, Alt_2 or Default?

 

Hi @cmarin ,

Not Steve but assume you won’t mind me answering this one

This is normally not necessary. If your NAS is upstream of your router, aka on the WAN or Internet side, it will be in a different subnet / ip range.

Of you enter your NAS ip-address into Roon, and that address is bot in it’s own subnet/ip-address, aka on the LAN / music network side, it will automatically attempt to reach it on the WAN side.

This same process is used when you browse whatsbestforum.com from your home computer.

We did configure port forwarding for Steve prior to the arrival of his Olympus which wasn’t necessary in hindsight as he changed his NAS location from downstream to upstream.

If you want to setup port forwarding the procedure is described in the Router manual which you can download from our website.

If that looks challenging you can of course always contact our support team.

But again, this should simply not be necessary under normal circumstances.

Actually, my issue has to do with a quirky Roon port forwarding. My NAS is connected to my Taiko router so it is seen by Roon without any port forwarding. Since my NAS is on the Taiko network I think I had to set up a port forwarding rule from the WAN side so I can see it from my home laptop and add files.

The coffee is still brewing and I did this 9 months ago but hopefully what I wrote it correct.

 

Actually, my issue has to do with a quirky Roon port forwarding. My NAS is connected to my Taiko router so it is seen by Roon without any port forwarding. Since my NAS is on the Taiko network I think I had to set up a port forwarding rule from the WAN side so I can see it from my home laptop and add files.

The coffee is still brewing and I did this 9 months ago but hopefully what I wrote it correct.

That makes perfect sense, you do indeed need to configure port forwarding for that particular scenario. I’ve added that to my previous post as an example for clarity.

 

No but we can make one, @Christiaan Punter

Can certainly provide, but that will take some time. I made a note so I won't forget.

 

Hi Emile ( @Taiko Audio )

The use of internal storage in the Olympus has an impact on the sound.

What about the use of internal storage in the Olympus in the context of the Olympus + I/O ?

I have not been able to find the information.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,

Thomas

 

Hi Emile ( @Taiko Audio )

The use of internal storage in the Olympus has an impact on the sound.

What about the use of internal storage in the Olympus in the context of the Olympus + I/O ?

I have not been able to find the information.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,

Thomas

The I/O does indeed address that specific “issue”.

 

The I/O does indeed address that specific “issue”.

If I understand correctly, it is not necessary to remove the internal storage card ( if one plans not to use it) installed in the Olympus server if one is using Olympus I/O with XDMI taiko Lampi Horizon output board?
Having the internal storage but not using it to store files in the above situation will not degrade sound quality?
Thanks in advance for clarification!

 

Hi Ray.
Great job!!!.
One question, to which input of the Taiko DCD have you connected your NAS: Alt_1, Alt_2 or Default?

I have my music on my home file server on my home network (not connected to my Taiko Router). I have not experimented with moving storage around my network yet (I hit diminishing returns when I couldn't tell the difference between Qobuz and my home file server)

For my DCD, I have Alt1 going to my Taiko router and switch. Much to play with and learn with the Taiko network stack still

 

A bps Taiko NAS would be nice.

 

Hi @cmarin ,

Not Steve but assume you won’t mind me answering this one

This is normally not necessary. If your NAS is upstream of your router, aka on the WAN or Internet side, it will be in a different subnet / ip range.

If you enter your NAS ip-address into Roon, and that address is not in it’s own subnet/ip-address, aka on the LAN / music network side, it will automatically attempt to reach it on the WAN side.

This same process is used when you browse whatsbestforum.com from your home computer.

We did configure port forwarding for Steve prior to the arrival of his Olympus which wasn’t necessary in hindsight as he changed his NAS location from downstream to upstream.

If you want to setup port forwarding the procedure is described in the Router manual which you can download from our website.

If that looks challenging you can of course always contact our support team.

Edit for clarity: port forwarding is ONLY necessary if you position your NAS downstream of the Router (on the LAN side) and if you want to access your NAS from a device upstream of the Router (on the WAN side).

Emile,

Great explanation as usual!

I only wanted to add that if you're used to referring to your NAS by its name (for example \\MusicNAS\music) when everything was on your home network, these names typically don't work across subnets.

So as Emile suggested, reference your NAS by its IP address instead (for example \\192.168.1.150\music) and all should be good.

 

Hi @cmarin ,

Not Steve but assume you won’t mind me answering this one

This is normally not necessary. If your NAS is upstream of your router, aka on the WAN or Internet side, it will be in a different subnet / ip range.

If you enter your NAS ip-address into Roon, and that address is not in it’s own subnet/ip-address, aka on the LAN / music network side, it will automatically attempt to reach it on the WAN side.

This same process is used when you browse whatsbestforum.com from your home computer.

We did configure port forwarding for Steve prior to the arrival of his Olympus which wasn’t necessary in hindsight as he changed his NAS location from downstream to upstream.

If you want to setup port forwarding the procedure is described in the Router manual which you can download from our website.

If that looks challenging you can of course always contact our support team.

Edit for clarity: port forwarding is ONLY necessary if you position your NAS downstream of the Router (on the LAN side) and if you want to access your NAS from a device upstream of the Router (on the WAN side).

Like I said...I'm totally ignorant to all of this and thats why I asked Taiko and allowed them to make the recommendations. FWIW, using Roon there has been zero problems being able to play files from this method and as I also said I find it virtually impossible for my ears to distinguish any difference in SQ whether I am streaming via Qobuz or Tidal or I am playing my internal files which are in a downstairs bedroom wired via a cheap RJ45 cable to my main router. and at least 100 feet away from my sound room My mistake for calling it port forwarding. All I know is that it works flawlessly thanks to Taiko audio help.

 

Apologies, if this is already been answered…
If the internal storage is not being used, is it using any power that could degrade sound quality from streaming?

 

yes the internal storage is continuously using power (I heard the sq lift after physically removing it)