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".

 

He doesn’t use USB, he uses XDMI.

Right. This is what I’m asking. When using XDMI, and turning off the DAC, Roon will continue to play…?

 

Right. This is what I’m asking. When using XDMI, and turning off the DAC, Roon will continue to play…?

Yes, I edited my reply while you quoted it realising this would be the follow up question a bit too late

 

Team Taiko,

Wanted to also thank everyone on the Taiko Team for the handling and coordination of the shipment and delivery.

Even with a 3-day delay in customs, the delivery was completed in six days once it shipped including a weekend!

That’s pretty good compared with some of my previous experiences with international freight shipments.

 

Team Taiko,

Wanted to also thank everyone on the Taiko Team for the handling and coordination of the shipment and delivery.

Even with a 3-day delay in customs, the delivery was completed in six days once it shipped including a weekend!

That’s pretty good compared with some of my previous experiences with international freight shipments.

Congrats on your delivery. Looking forward to hearing the first reports about performance with totaldac.

 

Added a second Gryphon cabinet so I can have the Olympus on top. Recovered my old NAS, updated the OS and copied all music files from Extreme to the NAS. I now have “only” 85 Olympus before my own to join the party.

 

Just over 60 to go for me...

 

Added a second Gryphon cabinet so I can have the Olympus on top. Recovered my old NAS, updated the OS and copied all music files from Extreme to the NAS. I now have “only” 85 Olympus before my own to join the party.View attachment 139515

Will that top shelf support the Olympus. It weighs 60 kgm

 

I hope so, it looks more solid than the Artesania Audio rack that supports my 60kg Kassandra, but I will check with Gryphon.
Thx

 

I have the O/IO on my top shelf and have a special CMS rack to support the load

 

Is it viable to plug an Olympus, Olympus I/O and the network stack (router, switch, power distributor) into a Stromtank 2500? If yes, how much is the power draw of the Taiko devices/how much Stromtank capacity would remain for powering other gear?

Model comparison - STROMTANK - German Power Tank

Compare the StromTank models

stromtank.com

Thanks.
Parker

 

Is it viable to plug an Olympus, Olympus I/O and the network stack (router, switch, power distributor) into a Stromtank 2500? If yes, how much is the power draw of the Taiko devices/how much Stromtank capacity would remain for powering other gear?

Model comparison - STROMTANK - German Power Tank

Compare the StromTank models

stromtank.com

Thanks.
Parker

Seems to me a bit redundant as the Olympus and Oly I/O are already fully battery powered?

 

Seems to me a bit redundant as the Olympus and Oly I/O are already fully battery powered?

Safety/peace of mind during the 6-8 month thunderstorm season we have in the southeast.

 

Safety/peace of mind during the 6-8 month thunderstorm season we have in the southeast.

got it. interesting to see what Emile @Taiko Audio thinks. I use a whole house protector (EP-2050).

 

got it. interesting to see what Emile @Taiko Audio thinks. I use a whole house protector (EP-2050).

Where does that get installed? Do you think it has any effect on sound?

 

Where does that get installed? Do you think it has any effect on sound?

main panel.

Audiophile Power Conditioning / Tweaks - VH Audio

AC Power Conditioners and filtration by Environmental Potentials, Bybee, Furutech, and VH Audio. Some of the best power conditioning solutions available to audiophiles.

www.vhaudio.com

Don't think any detrimental effect. Installed it at the same time as i did other power upgrades though, so not scientifically rigorous.

 

Is it viable to plug an Olympus, Olympus I/O and the network stack (router, switch, power distributor) into a Stromtank 2500? If yes, how much is the power draw of the Taiko devices/how much Stromtank capacity would remain for powering other gear?

Model comparison - STROMTANK - German Power Tank

Compare the StromTank models

stromtank.com

Thanks.
Parker

Hi @pdubya ,

The total power consumption of the entire stack, ranges from about 60 watts in normal operation to 250 watts when charging at maximum power which you’d only reach with fully depleted batteries. Otherwise you’d be looking at about 60 watts for 16-18 hours and 160 watts for 6-8 hours a day.

There’s more information in the Olympus / I/O manuals you can download from the downloads section of our website here:

https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/taiko-audio-downloads

From a SQ performance POV you’d expect powering the battery chargers from a battery would not be that productive but who knows

 

Hi @pdubya ,

The total power consumption of the entire stack, ranges from about 60 watts in normal operation to 250 watts when charging at maximum power which you’d only reach with fully depleted batteries. Otherwise you’d be looking at about 60 watts for 16-18 hours and 160 watts for 6-8 hours a day.

There’s more information in the Olympus / I/O manuals you can download from the downloads section of our website here:

https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/taiko-audio-downloads

From a SQ performance POV you’d expect powering the battery chargers from a battery would not be that productive but who knows

Thanks. Less a SQ concern than having the ability to keep the system powered up even when thunderstorms are threatening.

 

Thanks. Less a SQ concern than having the ability to keep the system powered up even when thunderstorms are threatening.

I'm not sure if lightning has a "do not disturb" list?
Based on my experiences here in florida, I disconnect my ethernet to my kit when not in use. If I see a particular type of storm brewing, the kit is unplugged..
I would guess that lightning would go right through the Stromtank and into the kit..
I've seen mains breakers turned off and even that didn't help..
Marc

 

Depending on the timing you may be able to just unplug the olympus from your mains during the concern for thunderstorms. That stops the batteries from re-charging. A small drop in charge level shouldn’t affect the sound quality. It may be something to try.

 

Seeking some help from one of you technical wizards, please. I'd love to get a very explicit description of how to set up port forwarding in my TaikoRouter (or whatever it takes, if that's not the solution) so that Roon can 'see' my new DS224+ NAS on my home network. I've attached it to my TaikoRouter successfully simply by figuring out the IP address for the NAS within the Taiko network and then mapping a new network drive to the NAS on my Extreme, then pointing to that drive within Roon (this is all in preparation for doing the same thing with my Olympus-I/O when they arrive). But I'd like to at least experiment with keeping the NAS on the home network side for various reasons--just cannot figure out how to do it. I assume that it probably involves adding some port forwarding to the Taiko Router, but the example provided in the Taiko documentation just doesn't seem to help me get there.
Many thanks!