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".

 

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

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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!

 

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!

No port forwarding needed. Actually no configuration on the router is needed at all. The default configuration is fine.
You attach the NAS to your home network, make a note of the IP address, and use that IP address in Roon on your Extreme.
Note: you need to use the IP address, not a hostname.

As far as I know, the only time this did not work out of the box are those that have a home network on the 192.168.100.xxx network (which is the same IP range as the Taiko network). Starlink does this. That's very easy to fix as well, but a topic for another post.

 

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.

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

Already have the Stromtank, so wanted to know if there’s some reason not to try it at all. I can unplug it from the wall and it will still supply power - depending on length of storm I may not want to drain the Stromtank by playing music, but at least I won’t have to shut it all down. It’s also convenient if I’m going to be away for a few hours to just pull the plug on the Stromtank and not worry if some pop-up forms overhead.
Also, there are many times when a storm seems to threaten but never actually hits. Being able to go to the Stromtank while waiting for the front to pass is preferable to unplugging preemptively.
Yes, I’m aware the Ethernet can be a conduit as well …

 

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

As a bonus, you get that house shaking (thunderous) bass too

 

No port forwarding needed. Actually no configuration on the router is needed at all. The default configuration is fine.
You attach the NAS to your home network, make a note of the IP address, and use that IP address in Roon on your Extreme.
Note: you need to use the IP address, not a hostname.

As far as I know, the only time this did not work out of the box are those that have a home network on the 192.168.100.xxx network (which is the same IP range as the Taiko network). Starlink does this. That's very easy to fix as well, but a topic for another post.

Thanks! I'll try this as soon as I get a chance and report back. I thought I had tried just this with another NAS I've got on my home network, but I suspect I was trying to create a new network drive on the Extreme and then adding that to Roon as a storage location, so maybe that's what I'm doing wrong. Will know soon enough. (And my home network is 192.168.1.x)

 

Already have the Stromtank, so wanted to know if there’s some reason not to try it at all. I can unplug it from the wall and it will still supply power - depending on length of storm I may not want to drain the Stromtank by playing music, but at least I won’t have to shut it all down. It’s also convenient if I’m going to be away for a few hours to just pull the plug on the Stromtank and not worry if some pop-up forms overhead.
Also, there are many times when a storm seems to threaten but never actually hits. Being able to go to the Stromtank while waiting for the front to pass is preferable to unplugging preemptively.
Yes, I’m aware the Ethernet can be a conduit as well …

I can't see any reason not to try it. The only thing is to be aware of:

1. The Olympus and I/O draw some power even if you put them on standby. Say you unplug the power cord on your Stromtank and leave the Olympus on standby. The system BPS will slowly deplete your Stromtank battery. And if it manages to deplete your Stromtank batter, it will start depleting the Olympus batteries too. That will take quite a few hours but something to be aware of.

2. If you turn off the Olympus from the power button on the back, it will not deplete your Stromtank batteries. Instead, it will deplete the Olympus batteries.

You may end up in a situation where the storm is over but the batteries (either on the Stromtank, or on the Olympus, or both) are depleted.
The solution to prevent that from happening is to put the Olympus BPS's in shipping mode. Let me know if that needs further clarification.

 

And my home network is 192.168.1.x

So is mine. And my NAS is on my home network. And it's also a Synology NAS. It has an IP address of 192.168.1.226. I just put that that IP in Roon on my Olympus (which is behind the Taiko router with its default config) , and it works fine.

Can't show you a screenshot at the moment as I am in the middle of installing my I/O, and my Olympus is powered off.

Ping me on a Private Massage if you have problems, and I can help you. If we learn anything new in that private chat, I will share it here to bring it to everyone's attention.

 

So is mine. And my NAS is on my home network. And it's also a Synology NAS. It has an IP address of 192.168.1.226. I just put that that in Roon on my Olympus (which is behind the Taiko router with its default config) , and it works fine.

Can't show you a screenshot at the moment as I am in the middle of installing my I/O, and my Olympus is powered off.

Ping me on a Private Massage if you have problems, and I can help you. If we learn anything new in that private chat, I will share it here to bring it to everyone's attention.

I have the exact same setup and it works without any new rules.

Remember though, you can’t type in the server name. That doesn’t (seem to) transfer from one subnet to another. However, the IP address will.

 

So is mine. And my NAS is on my home network. And it's also a Synology NAS. It has an IP address of 192.168.1.226. I just put that that IP in Roon on my Olympus (which is behind the Taiko router with its default config) , and it works fine.

Can't show you a screenshot at the moment as I am in the middle of installing my I/O, and my Olympus is powered off.

Ping me on a Private Massage if you have problems, and I can help you. If we learn anything new in that private chat, I will share it here to bring it to everyone's attention.

Many thanks to you and dminches. My problem was trying to map the NAS as a network drive on the Extreme, apparently, rather than just adding it within Roon--which makes sense, in retrospect, but it sure had me stumped. Anyway, both adding it within Roon and making sure to use the IP address, not the server name, worked right away.
You guys are a great resource!
Jerry

 

Many thanks to you and dminches. My problem was trying to map the NAS as a network drive on the Extreme, apparently, rather than just adding it within Roon--which makes sense, in retrospect, but it sure had me stumped. Anyway, both adding it within Roon and making sure to use the IP address, not the server name, worked right away.
You guys are a great resource!
Jerry

So glad you have it up and running.

 

Many thanks to you and dminches. My problem was trying to map the NAS as a network drive on the Extreme, apparently, rather than just adding it within Roon--which makes sense, in retrospect, but it sure had me stumped. Anyway, both adding it within Roon and making sure to use the IP address, not the server name, worked right away.
You guys are a great resource!
Jerry

question: if you add nas with roon, will the nas be available for xdms?

 

question: if you add nas with roon, will the nas be available for xdms?

Right now XDMS only recognizes music files on the internal D:\ drive. I assume that will change as it gets built out.

If you are asking if the NAS can be accessed by both Roon and XDMS, assuming XDMS can read from a NAS, the answer is yes.

 

Right now XDMS only recognizes music files on the internal D:\ drive. I assume that will change as it gets built out.

If you are asking if the NAS can be accessed by both Roon and XDMS, assuming XDMS can read from a NAS, the answer is yes.

thanks. i was wondering if setting it up first in roon would enable xdms to see the nas. guess we wait, but not a priority to me at this time