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".

 

...you get us the modules and we'll get you the data, Emile! Can't wait.

 

Yes.
I expect my Olympus/MSB XDMI to ship any day....

I'm really interested in a Cascade to Cascade comparison, as my order is way back at the end of the column.

 

Hello Team Taiko, for those of us looking to get our weekly fix, any update on next batch under construction and/or how far into the queue expected before the holidays? I can imagine timing gets complicated at the factory as well as catching people at their shipping destination.
Thank you!

“Black Olympus servers under construction: 44, 53, 54, 56, 60, 61, 62” - those are all finished.

“We currently have 45 chassis waiting to be anodised” - those are finished and in transit, arrive Monday/Tuesday.

I’m unsure of how many chassis are queued up at the anodiser(s) now and I cannot check that till after the weekend.

 

That is fantastic. So it looks like like close to order #100 might have chassis in house next week, assuming they are up to snuff, ready to be incrementally built out.

 

Indeed, the MSB modules have arrived, we’re testing all of them now, we do need to make some minor modifications to the mounting brackets.

They’re performing really well. The improvement over USB is very similar to the XDMI Lampizator link, which is an interesting datapoint as MSB PRO ISL connects over fiber and Lampizator over copper. I still have to try a copper DAC cable in stead of fiber, but I suspect others may get around to that before me

FWIW, MSB says that fiber run can be quite long, allowing significant separation of the server from the DAC (I'm using vague words because I can't remember how long he said ).

 

Have 34.1, 40, 42, 49 shipped?

 

Have 34.1, 40, 42, 49 shipped?

Kindly reach out to support@taikoaudio.com for the status of individual order numbers.

 

FWIW, MSB says that fiber run can be quite long, allowing significant separation of the server from the DAC (I'm using vague words because I can't remember how long he said ).

Would a kilometre suffice?

 

I'm really interested in a Cascade to Cascade comparison, as my order is way back at the end of the column.

As soon as my Olympus arrives!

 

That is fantastic. So it looks like like close to order #100 might have chassis in house next week, assuming they are up to snuff, ready to be incrementally built out.

Yeah

 

My dealer just texted me he will deliver my Olympus XDMI on Sunday (!). I will be using it with the Horizon 360 through KBL Extrema cable. Expectations are fairly high .

 

My dealer just texted me he will deliver my Olympus ...

Lucky you. Mine only has invoicing service.

 

Have 34.1, 40, 42, 49 shipped?

Probably not, I have number 42 and it seems to be for approval with dangerous goods service.

 

Il mio rivenditore mi ha appena scritto che mi consegnerà la mia Olympus XDMI domenica (!). La userò con Horizon 360 tramite cavo KBL Extrema. Le aspettative sono piuttosto alte .

Allora buon Natale!

 

Allora buon Natale!

E un felice anno nuovo!

Stefano Z

 

My dealer just texted me he will deliver my Olympus XDMI on Sunday (!). I will be using it with the Horizon 360 through KBL Extrema cable. Expectations are fairly high .

you are in for something truly unexpected. I suggest playing through USB first before you switch to XDMI. BTW IMO smart move in getting the better KBL XDMI cable. I still have yet to listen to my XDMI analogue board.

 

On thunderstorms threats and the O-I/O.

I was going to be out of town for a couple of days in which thunderstorms were predicted in my area.

I normally turn my system completely off in this situation, but was apprehensive about how to deal with it for the O-I/O.

Decided to put it in shipping mode as I believe Steve (Old Mustang) recommended.

I had to put my iPad right next to the O-I/O to make the connection between the Taiko BPS application and the O-I/O, but putting the system in shipping mode was a breeze. I then turned off the entire system. Turning everything back on when I got back and getting music going was another flawless breeze!

Great job Team Taiko on the BPS app!

P.S. A good friend/audio manufacturer had suggested that breaking-in goes faster if you turn the system on and off periodically through the break-in process. I could be lying to myself, but the system did show a nice uptick in SQ to boot after turning it back on!

 

On thunderstorms threats and the O-I/O.

I was going to be out of town for a couple of days in which thunderstorms were predicted in my area.

I normally turn my system completely off in this situation, but was apprehensive about how to deal with it for the O-I/O.

Decided to put it in shipping mode as I believe Steve (Old Mustang) recommended.

I had to put my iPad right on the O-I/O to make the connection, but putting the system in shipping mode was a breeze. I then turned off the entire system. Turning everything back on when I got back and getting music going was another flawless breeze!

Great job Team Taiko on the BPS app!

P.S. A good friend/audio manufacturer had suggested that breaking-in goes faster if you turn the system on and off periodically through the break-in process. I could be lying to myself, but the system did show a nice uptick in SQ to boot after turning it back on!

Ipad?

 

Ipad?

Yes. I use an iPad to run the Taiko BPS application.

 

On thunderstorms threats and the O-I/O.

I was going to be out of town for a couple of days in which thunderstorms were predicted in my area.

I normally turn my system completely off in this situation, but was apprehensive about how to deal with it for the O-I/O.

Decided to put it in shipping mode as I believe Steve (Old Mustang) recommended.

I had to put my iPad right next to the O-I/O to make the connection between the Taiko BPS application and the O-I/O, but putting the system in shipping mode was a breeze. I then turned off the entire system. Turning everything back on when I got back and getting music going was another flawless breeze!

Great job Team Taiko on the BPS app!

P.S. A good friend/audio manufacturer had suggested that breaking-in goes faster if you turn the system on and off periodically through the break-in process. I could be lying to myself, but the system did show a nice uptick in SQ to boot after turning it back on

I have the same issue. I think it is limited to O/IO owners trying to connect to Taiko BPS app as the antenna is in the IO which lies under the Olympus. I have the app on my mobile phone and my iPad and I have to be close to connect. I leave my I/IO always on as it’s a rarity here in SoCal to have thunderstorms. Maybe Emile could correct me if I’m wrong. The last time I used the BPS app was a few weeks ago when Emile was helping me with a Roon issue