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".

 

All Blu-Ray opera discs are multichannel. Not sure if Taiko or Lampi DACs plan to cater to multichannel sound. I play back all my multichannel SACDs (thousands of them) and Blu-Ray opera discs on my home theater setup with an Oppo 205D feeding into a Marantz AV 8802 running into Marantz multichannel amps. It’s mid-fi but sounds in many ways far superior to two-channel audio with the best components. Multichannel SACD has a spatial resolution that leaves two-channel audio in the dust. But let’s be realistic here. The vast majority of music of recorded history is available in two channel only. Some of the best recordings I own are mono vinyl. I’ve yet to hear a great jazz album recorded from 1920s-late 1950s that sounds better in digital than mono vinyl. So, I stick to a mono vinyl system, a stereo digital/analog system, and a multichannel audio home theater system. I try not to mix these.

I keep my home theater multichannel system far away from my two channel audio systems. It’s like oil and water. Multichannel home audio for home theater doesn’t mix well with two channel audio. Many high end manufacturers go to silly lengths to provide for compatibility by offering “theater” outputs (like my ARC 6SE), but I never use these. Sacrilege. My home theater is on a different floor of the house and will always remain so.

 

I find the NAS sounds best here plugged into the Taiko router vs. the house LAN, which in my setup is located with all my gear in the basement. However it's not plugged into the DCD yet as I need a higher current 12v supply, thinking the UpTone JS-2. NAS is QNAP TS 432-x with 4 16TB drives

I have the TS 464 with 4 12 TB drives and the JS-s is a perfect and inexpensive solution and TBH the noise is minimal and not a distraction to me. Plus you can have fun with the open outlets of the DCD

 

All Blu-Ray opera discs are multichannel. Not sure if Taiko or Lampi DACs plan to cater to multichannel sound. I play back all my multichannel SACDs (thousands of them) and Blu-Ray opera discs on my home theater setup with an Oppo 205D feeding into a Marantz AV 8802 running into Marantz multichannel amps. It’s mid-fi but sounds in many ways far superior to two-channel audio with the best components. Multichannel SACD has a spatial resolution that leaves two-channel audio in the dust. But let’s be realistic here. The vast majority of music of recorded history is available in two channel only. Some of the best recordings I own are mono vinyl. I’ve yet to hear a great jazz album recorded from 1920s-late 1950s that sounds better in digital than mono vinyl. So, I stick to a mono vinyl system, a stereo digital/analog system, and a multichannel audio home theater system. I try not to mix these.

I keep my home theater multichannel system far away from my two channel audio systems. It’s like oil and water. Multichannel home audio for home theater doesn’t mix well with two channel audio. Many high end manufacturers go to silly lengths to provide for compatibility by offering “theater” outputs (like my ARC 6SE), but I never use these. Sacrilege. My home theater is on a different floor of the house and will always remain so.

I only listen to the stereo (2 channel) audio tracks, not 5.1 (or even 7.1) of the Blu-ray (or DVD) discs. No plan to set up a surround sound system. Keep life simpler (which is already complicated); a 65" LG OLED TV is planted between the speakers (don't care whether its presence degrades sound or not); the DVD transport is part of the audio system (the only system I have). These days I have used the DVD player much more often than Extreme - waiting for the eventual arrival of Olympus - because it is much more engaging given the overall effects I mentioned. Regardless, the DVD transport will remain an indispensable part of my system unless and until Taiko (or another manufacturer of similar quality) produces a video/audio server.

 

All Blu-Ray opera discs are multichannel. Not sure if Taiko or Lampi DACs plan to cater to multichannel sound. I play back all my multichannel SACDs (thousands of them) and Blu-Ray opera discs on my home theater setup with an Oppo 205D feeding into a Marantz AV 8802 running into Marantz multichannel amps. It’s mid-fi but sounds in many ways far superior to two-channel audio with the best components. Multichannel SACD has a spatial resolution that leaves two-channel audio in the dust. But let’s be realistic here. The vast majority of music of recorded history is available in two channel only. Some of the best recordings I own are mono vinyl. I’ve yet to hear a great jazz album recorded from 1920s-late 1950s that sounds better in digital than mono vinyl. So, I stick to a mono vinyl system, a stereo digital/analog system, and a multichannel audio home theater system. I try not to mix these.

I keep my home theater multichannel system far away from my two channel audio systems. It’s like oil and water. Multichannel home audio for home theater doesn’t mix well with two channel audio. Many high end manufacturers go to silly lengths to provide for compatibility by offering “theater” outputs (like my ARC 6SE), but I never use these. Sacrilege. My home theater is on a different floor of the house and will always remain so.

with all due respect, does not seem relevant to this Taiko Olympus thread

 

with all due respect, does not seem relevant to this Taiko Olympus thread

Mentioned all this because I am petitioning an extension of Olympus or XDMI technology to video and other products. There is a need. Enough said; we can move on. Happy New Year to all!

 

Happy New Year to everyone from me as well.
Below is some speculation from me, after reflecting on the difficult and challenging year for Taiko in 2024.

What products Taiko will release will be entirely driven by market demand and perception.

I see the XDMI analog on the Olympus as a product to test the market. It's already better than most high-end DACs out there, although it was designed to compete with DACs at the price range of an Aqua Formula DAC.

One of the intentions of the XDMI analog card was to get a better understanding of how easy or difficult it will be for new innovative technology to change what people have been taught about high-end audio over the years (typically from manufacturers that do very little to no innovation, distributors/dealers who get very healthy margins, and massive marketing campaigns).

We can already see massive resistance by a lot of people here. It does not have my favorite tube, so it can't match my current DAC. It does not have XX DAC chips (5000?) in parallel, so it can't be good. It's just a small board in a very noisy computer environment, and it can't be better than my DAC. It does not have the analog stage of my X or Y DAC, and it can't be that good. It does not have the fancy (5-digit priced) clock on my DAC, so it can't be taken seriously. The resistance from quite a few people here so far has been so big, that they refuse to pop in the XDMI analog card they have on hand and have a listen to it.

But as it always happens with innovative technology, there is always a massive pushback in the beginning, but the technology always wins in the end. Uber is a good example of a new technology that was difficult to accept. And look at Uber now... Not much in common with the Taiko Olympus XDMI of course other than both companies are "innovators" in their field.

A lot of pushback... and yet, almost everyone who dared to listen to the XDMI analog card has decided to stay with it and sell their previous favorite DAC. That includes a wide range of what were considered state-of-the-art DACs ranging from $50K to $150K and from quite a few really good manufacturers.

Some of these more open-minded, less dogmatic people, who trust their ears and nothing else, managed to sell their DAC, DAC power cord, and USB cable. They freed up a shelf or two or three on their rack, simplified their system, and have a better sound than ever. Some of them even kept a little cash in their pocket in the end.

Thanks to the acceptance and the feedback of these people, Emile got excited and motivated and is working on XDMI analog v2. That will not be something released to compete just with $10K-$20K DACs... And it won't be just a "different flavor". It will be an answer to the small but good XDMI analog acceptance and the natural next step this product evolves to.

But that's just the beginning. When I was in the Netherlands and talked to people in the Taiko R&D, one thing was clear to me. What people are hearing from their Olympus right now is barely scratching the surface of what's possible with the Olympus and XDMI. There are so many major improvements to come for this platform and an abundance of ideas of new things to try. Emile and others at Taiko just need more time to focus on R&D.

Here is what I expect:
XDMI analog v1 is already a giant killer.
XDMI analog v2 will shake the market.
XDMI analog v3 will become the first sophisticated XDMI analog release with all the functions people need, such as volume control, additional inputs, etc.

But these things take time. A lot of time. So, I am guessing XDMI v2 sometime in the second half of 2025 and XDMI v3 in (probably late) 2026?

Can Taiko jump on multichannel now? Makes no logical or business sense to me. Taiko will instead be focusing on other things, such as increasing the manufacturing output, reducing the lead time to days or weeks instead of many months, building some stock, etc. And of course, releasing updates and upgrades for the Olympus and Extreme.

I hope I am not way off with my assessment and speculation. Wishing a healthy and successful year to the Taiko team and everyone here.

 

@nenon , what you wrote is all wonderful to me. @Taiko Audio My hope is that analog3 will have an i2s input set (made of master clock (which is perhaps optional), bit clock, word clock and data) to match the same set of i2s outputs in my modded DVD players (2 so far), which i2s setup Lukasz has confirmed to be the best digital audio connection bar none (except of course the XDMI). Not saying i2s is necessarily the best; ideally it should be an XDMI input set, but there is no way that I could have an XDMI-equipped DVD transport unless Taiko produces an XDMI-equipped video server. The i2s set I have now (done in a purist direct coupling way) is the best I have heard so far (even better than the much more expensive USB-connected Extreme) with a set of 4x 1.0M special ribbon pairs (each with an individualized impedance value) connecting the DVD transport and H1. I am yet to get and hear my Olympus.

 

mine was initially 100 feet away in a bedroom downstairs on a totally different router and played beautifully. I had no issues until my wife said it was a distraction for any guest staying there. My point, as David stated, it doesnt have to be there. in fact I wish mine still was as I had to go to the expense of buying the JS-2 to power it and the other devices by virtue of moving it back into the sound room

Note to self. Relocate NAS to mother-in-law suite.

 

Happy New Year to everyone from me as well.
Below is some speculation from me, after reflecting on the difficult and challenging year for Taiko in 2024.

But that's just the beginning. When I was in the Netherlands and talked to people in the Taiko R&D, one thing was clear to me. What people are hearing from their Olympus right now is barely scratching the surface of what's possible with the Olympus and XDMI. There are so many major improvements to come for this platform and an abundance of ideas of new things to try. Emile and others at Taiko just need more time to focus on R&D.

Here is what I expect:
XDMI analog v1 is already a giant killer.
XDMI analog v2 will shake the market.
XDMI analog v3 will become the first sophisticated XDMI analog release with all the functions people need, such as volume control, additional inputs, etc.

I hope I am not way off with my assessment and speculation. Wishing a healthy and successful year to the Taiko team and everyone here.

@nenon

thanks for sharing your thoughts on Olympus evolution in the coming year.

when you were visiting, did anything you saw/heard give you any ideas on evolution strategies/plans for the Extreme? i'm sure many of us are excited about the advances of XDMI but not if the Extreme does not have a parallel path forward (although at a lower altitude) due to allocation of resources.

another thought: an identified evolution path for the extreme will be beneficial in re-selling all the Extremes that were traded in by Olympus buyers.

 

Happy New Year to everyone from me as well.
Below is some speculation from me, after reflecting on the difficult and challenging year for Taiko in 2024.

What products Taiko will release will be entirely driven by market demand and perception.

I see the XDMI analog on the Olympus as a product to test the market. It's already better than most high-end DACs out there, although it was designed to compete with DACs at the price range of an Aqua Formula DAC.

One of the intentions of the XDMI analog card was to get a better understanding of how easy or difficult it will be for new innovative technology to change what people have been taught about high-end audio over the years (typically from manufacturers that do very little to no innovation, distributors/dealers who get very healthy margins, and massive marketing campaigns).

We can already see massive resistance by a lot of people here. It does not have my favorite tube, so it can't match my current DAC. It does not have XX DAC chips (5000?) in parallel, so it can't be good. It's just a small board in a very noisy computer environment, and it can't be better than my DAC. It does not have the analog stage of my X or Y DAC, and it can't be that good. It does not have the fancy (5-digit priced) clock on my DAC, so it can't be taken seriously. The resistance from quite a few people here so far has been so big, that they refuse to pop in the XDMI analog card they have on hand and have a listen to it.

But as it always happens with innovative technology, there is always a massive pushback in the beginning, but the technology always wins in the end. Uber is a good example of a new technology that was difficult to accept. And look at Uber now... Not much in common with the Taiko Olympus XDMI of course other than both companies are "innovators" in their field.

A lot of pushback... and yet, almost everyone who dared to listen to the XDMI analog card has decided to stay with it and sell their previous favorite DAC. That includes a wide range of what were considered state-of-the-art DACs ranging from $50K to $150K and from quite a few really good manufacturers.

Some of these more open-minded, less dogmatic people, who trust their ears and nothing else, managed to sell their DAC, DAC power cord, and USB cable. They freed up a shelf or two or three on their rack, simplified their system, and have a better sound than ever. Some of them even kept a little cash in their pocket in the end.

Thanks to the acceptance and the feedback of these people, Emile got excited and motivated and is working on XDMI analog v2. That will not be something released to compete just with $10K-$20K DACs... And it won't be just a "different flavor". It will be an answer to the small but good XDMI analog acceptance and the natural next step this product evolves to.

But that's just the beginning. When I was in the Netherlands and talked to people in the Taiko R&D, one thing was clear to me. What people are hearing from their Olympus right now is barely scratching the surface of what's possible with the Olympus and XDMI. There are so many major improvements to come for this platform and an abundance of ideas of new things to try. Emile and others at Taiko just need more time to focus on R&D.

Here is what I expect:
XDMI analog v1 is already a giant killer.
XDMI analog v2 will shake the market.
XDMI analog v3 will become the first sophisticated XDMI analog release with all the functions people need, such as volume control, additional inputs, etc.

But these things take time. A lot of time. So, I am guessing XDMI v2 sometime in the second half of 2025 and XDMI v3 in (probably late) 2026?

Can Taiko jump on multichannel now? Makes no logical or business sense to me. Taiko will instead be focusing on other things, such as increasing the manufacturing output, reducing the lead time to days or weeks instead of many months, building some stock, etc. And of course, releasing updates and upgrades for the Olympus and Extreme.

I hope I am not way off with my assessment and speculation. Wishing a healthy and successful year to the Taiko team and everyone here.

Well, it is possible, but I am hoping that by the end of 2025 Taiko will release a XDMI analog with at least two digital inputs, even if optional. I need one for my Kaleidescape and one for my AppleTV X. For me, it could be an AES/EBU an a spdif/Coax.

I fully agree that video (in my case with a 133" screen) with top audio is sometimes better than just audio. It is complementary to just audio, and probably a more social activity.

 

Well, it is possible, but I am hoping that by the end of 2025 Taiko will release a XDMI analog with at least two digital inputs, even if optional. I need one for my Kaleidescape and one for my AppleTV X. For me, it could be an AES/EBU an a spdif/Coax.

I fully agree that video (in my case with a 133" screen) with top audio is sometimes better than just audio. It is a complementary to just audio, and probably a more social activity.

The fully developed analog DAC board may be larger in size than what the O's or even IO's expansion slot can accommodate. If so, I imagine a larger IO with a full-size analog board addressing different requirements, the volume control, the headphone output, the SPDIF/AES-EBU inputs, the special i2s inputs (my fond hope), and so on. @Taiko Audio said that it was not in the DAC business, but why not? Taiko is in the best position to produce a DAC that is fully optimized with its XDMI technology, potentially the best DAC, bar none, that is fully integrated with and benefits from its infrastructure or ecosystem.

 

The fully developed analog DAC board may be larger in size than what the O's or even IO's expansion slot can accommodate. If so, I imagine a larger IO with a full-size analog board addressing different requirements, the volume control, the headphone output, the SPDIF/AES-EBU inputs, the special i2s inputs (my fond hope), and so on. @Taiko Audio said that it was not in the DAC business, but why not? Taiko is in the best position to produce a DAC that is fully optimized with its XDMI technology, potentially the best DAC, bar none, that is fully integrated with and benefits from its infrastructure or ecosystem.

While this all sounds great, it may have limited market appeal which would make it difficult for anyone to develop this at a reasonable cost.

 

While this all sounds great, it may have limited market appeal which would make it difficult for anyone to develop this at a reasonable cost.

If a $40K-50K IO (hypothetically) with a killer DAC built in sounds better than a 60K, 140K DAC in Taiko's ecosystem (source being the most important critical factor), I could imagine another queue of 150. 2 boxes of O and IO that render an external DAC and a preamp redundant, that would have great appeal.

 

If a $40K-50K IO (hypothetically) with a killer DAC built in sounds better than a 60K, 140K DAC in Taiko's ecosystem (source being the most important critical factor), I could imagine another queue of 150.

My guess is that the current DAC and certainly v2 already fit that bill. I was referring more to the all the other extras you are seeking.

 

While this all sounds great, it may have limited market appeal which would make it difficult for anyone to develop this at a reasonable cost.

 

Happy New Year to everyone from me as well.
Below is some speculation from me, after reflecting on the difficult and challenging year for Taiko in 2024.

What products Taiko will release will be entirely driven by market demand and perception.

I see the XDMI analog on the Olympus as a product to test the market. It's already better than most high-end DACs out there, although it was designed to compete with DACs at the price range of an Aqua Formula DAC.

One of the intentions of the XDMI analog card was to get a better understanding of how easy or difficult it will be for new innovative technology to change what people have been taught about high-end audio over the years (typically from manufacturers that do very little to no innovation, distributors/dealers who get very healthy margins, and massive marketing campaigns).

We can already see massive resistance by a lot of people here. It does not have my favorite tube, so it can't match my current DAC. It does not have XX DAC chips (5000?) in parallel, so it can't be good. It's just a small board in a very noisy computer environment, and it can't be better than my DAC. It does not have the analog stage of my X or Y DAC, and it can't be that good. It does not have the fancy (5-digit priced) clock on my DAC, so it can't be taken seriously. The resistance from quite a few people here so far has been so big, that they refuse to pop in the XDMI analog card they have on hand and have a listen to it.

But as it always happens with innovative technology, there is always a massive pushback in the beginning, but the technology always wins in the end. Uber is a good example of a new technology that was difficult to accept. And look at Uber now... Not much in common with the Taiko Olympus XDMI of course other than both companies are "innovators" in their field.

A lot of pushback... and yet, almost everyone who dared to listen to the XDMI analog card has decided to stay with it and sell their previous favorite DAC. That includes a wide range of what were considered state-of-the-art DACs ranging from $50K to $150K and from quite a few really good manufacturers.

Some of these more open-minded, less dogmatic people, who trust their ears and nothing else, managed to sell their DAC, DAC power cord, and USB cable. They freed up a shelf or two or three on their rack, simplified their system, and have a better sound than ever. Some of them even kept a little cash in their pocket in the end.

Thanks to the acceptance and the feedback of these people, Emile got excited and motivated and is working on XDMI analog v2. That will not be something released to compete just with $10K-$20K DACs... And it won't be just a "different flavor". It will be an answer to the small but good XDMI analog acceptance and the natural next step this product evolves to.

But that's just the beginning. When I was in the Netherlands and talked to people in the Taiko R&D, one thing was clear to me. What people are hearing from their Olympus right now is barely scratching the surface of what's possible with the Olympus and XDMI. There are so many major improvements to come for this platform and an abundance of ideas of new things to try. Emile and others at Taiko just need more time to focus on R&D.

Here is what I expect:
XDMI analog v1 is already a giant killer.
XDMI analog v2 will shake the market.
XDMI analog v3 will become the first sophisticated XDMI analog release with all the functions people need, such as volume control, additional inputs, etc.

But these things take time. A lot of time. So, I am guessing XDMI v2 sometime in the second half of 2025 and XDMI v3 in (probably late) 2026?

Can Taiko jump on multichannel now? Makes no logical or business sense to me. Taiko will instead be focusing on other things, such as increasing the manufacturing output, reducing the lead time to days or weeks instead of many months, building some stock, etc. And of course, releasing updates and upgrades for the Olympus and Extreme.

I hope I am not way off with my assessment and speculation. Wishing a healthy and successful year to the Taiko team and everyone here.

"I Won't That"

 

when you were visiting, did anything you saw/heard give you any ideas on evolution strategies/plans for the Extreme?

There are definitely ideas and plans for Extreme upgrades, but I don't have any specifics.

 

Has anyone installed a u.3 internal disk in an Olympus on their own, other than the factory installed option? Is it possible to buy a 3rd party u.3 disk or must these be sourced from Taiko? Does the Olympus come with the cable that connects the SFP port to the industry standard RJ45 port? The more I learn about the Olympus, the more I see it as viable only if you adopt the entire Taiko ecosystem (much like owning a Mac requires adopting their proprietary ecosystem including hardware and software). I see the logic, of course, but the learning curve becomes much steeper for newbies (and potential delays in obtaining the parts needed to make it work). Given we are entering an unpredictable year where the new administration is planning on unspecified changes, it’s another cause for uncertainty. Thanks!

 

Is it possible to buy a 3rd party u.3 disk

Yes

or must these be sourced from Taiko

No need to source them from Taiko. They are standard.

Does the Olympus come with the cable that connects the SFP port to the industry standard RJ45 port?

Yes, an SFP module is included, so you can plug in a regular ethernet cable.

The more I learn about the Olympus, the more I see it as viable only if you adopt the entire Taiko ecosystem (much like owning a Mac requires adopting their proprietary ecosystem including hardware and software). I see the logic, of course, but the learning curve becomes much steeper for newbies (and potential delays in obtaining the parts needed to make it work).

I am curious to learn more about the thought process that led you to this comment.

Everything looks pretty standard to me:
- Network is a standard SFP port with an RJ45 transceiver included.
- For connectivity to another DAC you can use the USB output, AES/EBU, SPDIF, or the proprietary MSB ISL Pro, or the Lampizator XDMI digital outputs.
- Or you can use a standard analog output (RCA connectors) from the XDMI Analog card. XLR / balanced to be added in the near future.
- Software is Roon.
- Storage is standard u.3 or you can use any standard network-based storage. In my case, I have only a handful of albums that are not available on Qobuz/Tidal, and so I don't even bother with local files. But that is not the case for others.

 

Yes


No need to source them from Taiko. They are standard.


Yes, an SFP module is included, so you can plug in a regular ethernet cable.


I am curious to learn more about the thought process that led you to this comment.

Everything looks pretty standard to me:
- Network is a standard SFP port with an RJ45 transceiver included.
- For connectivity to another DAC you can use the USB output, AES/EBU, SPDIF, or the proprietary MSB ISL Pro, or the Lampizator XDMI digital outputs.
- Or you can use a standard analog output (RCA connectors) from the XDMI Analog card. XLR / balanced to be added in the near future.
- Software is Roon.
- Storage is standard u.3 or you can use any standard network-based storage. In my case, I have only a handful of albums that are not available on Qobuz/Tidal, and so I don't even bother with local files. But that is not the case for others.

Thanks a lot, @nenon, you’ve clarified some of my major concerns. It’s my sense from talking to Steve and others that the Olympus was designed to exploit the Taiko ecosystem, including their proprietary switch etc. As a prospective buyer, it would greatly help to know at the outset some of the potential gotchas. Since I just invested in a Netgear WiFi 7 system with their Orbi router and satellites, I’m trying to understand how the Taiko system is setup in terms of networking.