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".

 

O+I/O #39 arrived on Friday. From the time I received the FedEx email that it had shipped to the time it was in my front door was just three days. I let them acclimate in the flight cases in my front hall over the weekend. Had some helping hands here yesterday to get it in the rack. I plugged it into the mains power and turned on the rear switches. Downloaded the BMS app and the O+I/O showed right up. I was able to set the charge cycle to my preferred timing. Super easy so far.

It's not mandatory but I wanted to let the O+I/O charge overnight before wiring into my system. Enjoying my Extreme for one more day.

This morning, I powered down the Extreme, router and switch. Wired the O+I/O into my system, powered up the router, and waited a few minutes. Powered up the switch, waited a minute. Then powered up the O with its front switch. Restarted my Ipad, signed into Roon, then Quobuz and Tidal. Selected the Olympus as the Roon server and selected the Taiko USB output. I queued up one of my favorite recordings both musically and sonically (Chick Corea - Trilogy - live from 2013, 96/24) and VOILA I was listening to sweet music again! That was super easy!

What was with all the trepidation on my end? I find that I almost go into panic attack mode when my stereo system is down. So, I put on a CD to break the silence when the Extreme was offline, and the O+I/O was being wired. Just the possibility of removing the Extreme from my system and then not being able to get the O+I/O working had me sweating throughout the process. As it turned out the worrying was for no reason. The whole unwiring of the Extreme, rewiring of the O+I/O and O setup process took less than a half hour.

I’m starting out using USB to the DAC. It will take me at least a few days of listening to get a good idea of the difference in sound between the Extreme and O+I/O. Even though it has only been running for about an hour, I can already say there is a significant improvement in definition, imaging, transient response, dynamics and detail. The imaging is much larger in every dimension which tells me that the Dac is receiving even more detailed and accurate information than it was previously. I remember the Extreme improving in sound quality for about a month or so when it was new. So, I expect a similar burn in period for the O+I/O. Once I’ve spent some time listening to the USB output, I’ll give a listen to the I/O XDMI analog out. After reading the comments that others have posted, I’m really looking forward to that!

Fun times ahead for sure!

Give the Xdmi/analog out a good long burn in! It seems to just keep getting better

 

Taiko Olympus from 4 mins in.

 

Give the Xdmi/analog out a good long burn in! It seems to just keep getting better

Thanks for the heads up on the burn in time. Makes sense especially with the analog section involved.
I've been captivated by the sound with just the USB output of the Olympus & I/O. Everything sounds so solid and calm, it's a whole new paradigm.
@Steve williams - That bell rang loud and clear!
People here are saying that XDMI is even a bigger step up.
I'm really looking forward to that! I'll make sure to give it plenty of play time when I get there.

 

NASA released a photo from the ISS flying over @austinpop 's house, showing Mt Olympus




(actually Olympus Mons on Mars, but the other story is better

 

NASA released a photo from the ISS flying over @austinpop 's house, showing Mt Olympus

View attachment 140501


(actually Olympus Mons on Mars, but the other story is better

Who knew they had boobs on Mars?