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".

 

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?

You need to physically unplug it, Will. Call me at your convenience and I will walk you through the process.

 

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

Then I misunderstood, I thought your NAS was powered by the Taiko DCD.

 

You need to physically unplug it, Will. Call me at your convenience and I will walk you through the process.

Slice of Wednesday evening humour.

The perfect tool when calling Taiko Audio for support



... In fact, I'm thinking it's not a bad idea!

 

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

I wonder if it is necessary to disconnect the Olympus from the power outlet and run it until the main battery is at zero before removing the card that has the music ssd.

If making a video will take a while, detailed step by step instructions would be fine for me. Thanks.

 

You would put the system into standby, then use the BMS app to put the BPS's into shipping mode. That turns off power from the batteries and powers down the system.

After that, I removed my card with both the drives on it, unscrewed the music storage drive and removed it from the card, then put the card back in and brought the system back up.

With a video, it will be very easy to follow

 

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

Emile, is this to say that if I have the Olympus with standard internal storage, that the sound quality degradation which ray-dude has made comment on is alleviated/eliminated in combined use with the I/O? Thanks! : ) - kevin

 

I haven’t heard the analogue card and you haven’t heard the digital card. What I find with XDMI via the digital card is that all formats played native, sound excellent in my system. I don’t look any more nor do I search out formats. I find that with XDMI everything just sounds right to my ears and my analogue board is still in the wrapping in which I received it . When Emile finds time for a week end open house I am looking forward to the comparison of both boards

Steve,
That might be unfair comparison if you use Fresh out of the box Taiko DAC board i comparison to "used every day" XDMI Lampizator.

I hope you will have a burned in Taiko DAC board for this comparison test.

 

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

I am a big fan of DCD.
Not sure if I am the only one but I purchesed 2 of them.
Some of my " attached" DC devices are 12v ( Taiko switch, Taiko Router) and few ( modem , home router , PinkFaun clocks ) are 5v.
It made a perfect sense to use TWO DCDs . One for 12v devices second for 5v devices.

As a side note
accidentally I powered only one of my devices directly to SJ DC4 ARC6 power supply and lost part of the " magic "

Every device I connected to DCD (even with top power supply feeding DCD) benefits from additional filtering offered by DCD.

I believe it is partially due to the fact of additional filters between all DCD rails including both + and grounding side of it.

 

I wonder if it is necessary to disconnect the Olympus from the power outlet and run it until the main battery is at zero before removing the card that has the music ssd.

If making a video will take a while, detailed step by step instructions would be fine for me. Thanks.

Like @ray-dude suggested, If you want to disable all internal power the best way to go is to disconnect the Olympus from mains power and to place the batteries in “shipping mode”.

We’re already working on a new version of the BMS app where we’ll add an additional button with a different label for this, like “storm mode” or, more straight forward, “disable battery power”.

 

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!

Emile, is this to say that if I have the Olympus with standard internal storage, that the sound quality degradation which ray-dude has made comment on is alleviated/eliminated in combined use with the I/O? Thanks! : ) - kevin

The I/O significantly reduces the impact but does not fully eliminate it. In high-end audio everything unfortunately matters.

Local storage has always had a negative effect on sound quality. This is nothing new, it affects the Extreme, it affects the Olympus. Ssd tweaks have been offered for over a decade, and most commercial manufacturers take some kind of measure to try and minimise this effect.

This has just always been something you had to accept, as although bad for sound, it was still better then playing files from a NAS or from Tidal/Qobuz.

That has changed however. We can now play files from a NAS or from Tidal/Qobuz without sonic degradation. This gives you the option to eliminate the internal drive and boost performance a few % higher.

 

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?

It doesn’t appear to matter, all those who’ve tried report their NAS sounds similar or the same as streaming from Qobuz. Some have it connected to the Taiko Router / DCD, some to their home router.

 

The I/O significantly reduces the impact but does not fully eliminate it. In high-end audio everything unfortunately matters.

Local storage has always had a negative effect on sound quality. This is nothing new, it affects the Extreme, it affects the Olympus. Ssd tweaks have been offered for over a decade, and most commercial manufacturers take some kind of measure to try and minimise this effect.

This has just always been something you had to accept, as although bad for sound, it was still better then playing files from a NAS or from Tidal/Qobuz.

That has changed however. We can now play files from a NAS or from Tidal/Qobuz without sonic degradation. This gives you the option to eliminate the internal drive and boost performance a few % higher.

Thanks for your quick and definitive reply, Emile : )

 

Dear Ray-Dude and Taiko, thank you!

I understand that there are two SSDs, the one on the left is the System and the one on the right is the Music, correct?

 

Dear Ray-Dude and Taiko, thank you!

I understand that there are two SSDs, the one on the left is the System and the one on the right is the Music, correct?

The one closest to the rear of the Olympus, coloured black, labelled “Intel Optane”, is the system drive. The one more in the interior, coloured silver, is the music drive.

 

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

Thanks for taking the time to do this detailed and informative review!
It's a great read filled with excellent observations.
#39 is really excited to take delivery on the O and I/O. Should be any week now.
Can't wait to hear it!

 

My Olympus has just arrived. I plan to put my local files in an NAS ( Synology 224+) How critical is the SSD choice. I have a very small library of local files (less than 1 TB) and plan to buy a pair of 1 TB SSD's. The units I have found are from Sandisk or Gigastone. Is there a best choice here? Is the 2 TB disk I bought with the Olympus for internal storage transferrable to an NAS?

 

Steve,
That might be unfair comparison if you use Fresh out of the box Taiko DAC board i comparison to "used every day" XDMI Lampizator.

I hope you will have a burned in Taiko DAC board for this comparison test.

My experience would emphasize this and that it needs a very long burn in and it will not be an accurate comparison without enough time.

I thought I had enough run-in time on the Taiko Dac board at about 100-150 hrs. At that time I “concluded” it was somewhat slow and mid bass heavy sounding compared to the usb/Ithaka dac.

But now, I think I can safely say that sound signature has disappeared and the Taiko dac/Xdmi sounds quick and incisive. I don’t have any desire to go back and listen to the USB.

Maybe the Taiko dac needs 200+ hours? Curious what others have found?

 

Steve,
That might be unfair comparison if you use Fresh out of the box Taiko DAC board i comparison to "used every day" XDMI Lampizator.

I hope you will have a burned in Taiko DAC board for this comparison test.

Huh. My O/IO has been on 24x7 and played for 5-6 hours daily so I feel very confidant it's well burned in. What I hear with every format is so good that I honestly dont look any more as to what format I am playing. Yes, everything sounds perfect to my ears. I am only listening to XDMI. I no longer have any use for USB. what I hear with XDMI in every format is as good as I stated. I probably have close to 1000 hours on mine so no worries for the demo next weekend. Thanks for your concern though. Also FWIW, my Lampi H360 arrived after my O/IO . I was previously using an H1 with XDMI input

 

Huh. My O/IO has been on 24x7 and played for 5-6 hours daily so I feel very confidant it's well burned in. What I hear with every format is so good that I honestly dont look any more as to what format I am playing. Yes, everything sounds perfect to my ears. I am only listening to XDMI. I no longer have any use for USB. what I hear with XDMI in every format is as good as I stated. I probably have close to 1000 hours on mine so no worries for the demo next weekend. Thanks for your concern though. Also FWIW, my Lampi H360 arrived after my O/IO . I was previously using an H1 with XDMI input

Apologies for jumping into the conversation, but I believe Kris was referring to the daughter board needing some burn-in, not the Olympus&I/O.

So the Taiko XDMI DAC daughter board :



Cheers,

Thomas

 

The one closest to the rear of the Olympus, coloured black, labelled “Intel Optane”, is the system drive. The one more in the interior, coloured silver, is the music drive.

Thank you!

After the batteries are in shipping mode, what is the best procedure to open the Olympus before removing the board/ssd?