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".

 

Looking at the speakers' transducers, I would say they are the Zellaton Reference MKll, from the Klassik series and not the Zellaton Reference Ultra, which belong to the Ultra Series.

I think you’re correct. Here is a photo of the Reference Ultra

View attachment 143167

Here is Emile’s

View attachment 143168

Correct, we have the Zellaton Reference MKll.

 

The suggestion has been noted

I am about to open my Olympus in order to swap in the MSB module. Those directions are available online. But while the Olympus is open, I'd like to remove the music storage drive as well. How to do this was discussed earlier in this thread, I think, but I can't find it. Can anyone help me find this, or any other resource about how to remove the music storage drive?

 

The suggestion has been noted

For the Taiko DAC to replace my outboard DAC, having the ability to plug in a CD transport is important. For that, a switchable AES/EBU and SPDIF input is all that is needed.

 

I am about to open my Olympus in order to swap in the MSB module. Those directions are available online. But while the Olympus is open, I'd like to remove the music storage drive as well. How to do this was discussed earlier in this thread, I think, but I can't find it. Can anyone help me find this, or any other resource about how to remove the music storage drive?

The method to remove the Music Storage Drive in Olympus is as follows:

Put the system into standby, then use the BMS app to put the BPSes into shipping mode. That turns off power from the batteries and powers down the system.

1. Locate the music drive. It is the backmost drive, when looking at the server from the front panel side.

2. Remove the PCI bracket containing the two drives.

3. Unscrew the backmost drive and remove it from the bracket, then reinsert the bracket. Don't forget to fixate it with the screw.

4. When the drive bracket with the system drive is reinstalled, you can start the server normally. After booting, no further config is necessary.

 

Emile, can I beg for an update on the silver chassis supply? November 20 you stated that a number of O's were shipping and listed some O + I/O's that would be next up. What is their status now? Any prognosis?

Yes we have the I/O’s but not the accompanying silver server chassis. Those were promised to be delivered before the Christmas holidays, but weren’t ofcourse . In stead they only started working on them this Monday with a Friday delivery promise.

 

Given the modular nature of the XDMI platform, anything is theoretically possible provided there is enough interest, however, we have not yet firmly decided which functionality the balanced/and/or volume-control implementation will offer. But when we offer volume control, it will likely be defeatable/bypassable.

As for me, the most important feature would be an analogue XLR out.

However, if a version with a preamp (and therefore volume control) were to be released, the preamp would need to surpass mine (the Soulution 727). But with Taiko Audio and its XDMI platform, anything is possible.

From a strategic point of view, though, I would say the most impactful commercially would probably be a DAC so good that it outclasses all competition (regardless of price).

By “so good,” I mean something really obvious, like the sun in the middle of the sky. Something anyone could perceive, even without trained ears. Something that would make even the most "anti boutique HiFi" or die-hard AirPod worshipper envious.

We wouldn’t buy the Olympus simply because it’s the best Roon server available; it would also become the best DAC on the market.

At that point, I believe @Taiko Audio would need to invest in new machinery and production facilities, because the product would sell like hot cakes

 

As for me, the most important feature would be an analogue XLR out.

However, if a version with a preamp (and therefore volume control) were to be released, the preamp would need to surpass mine (the Soulution 727). But with Taiko Audio and its XDMI platform, anything is possible.

From a strategic point of view, though, I would say the most impactful commercially would probably be a DAC so good that it outclasses all competition (regardless of price).

By “so good,” I mean something really obvious, like the sun in the middle of the sky. Something anyone could perceive, even without trained ears. Something that would make even the most "anti boutique HiFi" or die-hard AirPod worshipper envious.

We wouldn’t buy the Olympus simply because it’s the best Roon server available; it would also become the best DAC on the market.

At that point, I believe @Taiko Audio would need to invest in new machinery and production facilities, because the product would sell like hot cakes

Very tall order regarding the 727! Sublime! It just keeps giving...

 

We wouldn’t buy the Olympus simply because it’s the best Roon server available; it would also become the best DAC on the market.

Some of us did this already for this reason

Even if not there right now for some folks (and for what I look for in a DAC it already is), the fundamentals will get us there sooner rather than later.

 

Yes we have the I/O’s but not the accompanying silver server chassis. Those were promised to be delivered before the Christmas holidays, but weren’t ofcourse . In stead they only started working on them this Monday with a Friday delivery promise.

Thanks for the update. I've got my fingers crossed (all of them; toes, too!).

 

Same here. I've thought about this often recently, and prefer home listening for a number of reasons, not least of which are the long drive in traffic to the Meyerson Center for my preferred genre, parking in a garage, and sitting in seats which should've been replaced a decade ago. I think home sound quality is generally better than live. And after you've been through a thing or two as an old-timer, and you realize time is running out, perhaps you justify spending a huge chunk of your life savings for a home system.

Oldmustang misunderstood what I wrote. It was not about one's preference but about the objective reference for SQ. I said it clearly that one's home system can never reproduce the concert hall experience (among other reasons, it is simply because recording microphones are not placed at row 30 or the balcony to record the reflection acoustics or the hall ambience). Recording is made in front of the singer or player (or mixed at the conductor's level for a large orchestra with multi-miking). The best and in many people's view a home system can do is to faithfully reproduce the sound captured by the microphones. To test whether such reproduction is successful (relatively at best), one needs to attend live performances - experienced only at very close range or nearfield - to re-calibrate one's ears. Do the strings sound like the strings experienced in front of them (say, a string quartet) with all the details (the gliding of the bows, the sss sizzling, etc., the timbre, etc.)? Same for other instruments with the minute details of attack and leading edge. Otherwise, what is the objective standard for home system? Your own preference? Emile's preference? The most linear, jittery-reduced system is the one sounding closest to live music experienced in nearfield.

 

(among other reasons, it is simply because recording microphones are not placed at row 30 or the balcony to record the reflection acoustics or the hall ambience).

You are generalizing here. Maybe this is true for the music you listen to. There is an endless number of recordings made with microphones in various locations in the hall which do a pretty job of representing what the hall sounds like.

 

You are generalizing here. Maybe this is true for the music you listen to. There is an endless number of recordings made with microphones in various locations in the hall which do a pretty job of representing what the hall sounds like.

I have never experienced such recordings in my 16TB library. I'd have none of them or component trying to emulate hall ambience. Each to himself.

 

I have never experienced such recordings in my 16TB library. I'd have none of them or component trying to emulate hall ambience. Each to himself.

I don’t’ know what the “each to himself” means. I was merely pointing out that if one wanted to compare a live hall sound to the sound in their room there are endless recordings out there. Whether you have them in your collection or not is irrelevant.

 

Having said that (that live music experienced at nearfield should be the reference point for one's home system), I have to admit that often I get better listening experience from my home system simply because I did not have the luxury of experiencing concerts at nearfield. Just for the sake of having been there, I was sitting in a corner in the second balcony of Amsterdam's famed Concertgebouw (said to be one of the best sounding halls in the world) and did not get much out of it. Same for the Vienna State Opera House way up in the fourth balcony; same for the Met Opera House several times. But enjoyed the hall acoustics of the Boston Symphony Hall (another outstanding hall) for the hall experience (which can never be reproduced at home). The best or most optimal seat in a hall or opera house is impossible to obtain - suspended from the ceiling 3 meters over and in front of the stage platform. That's why the recordings, especially video recordings, are so important to me, which are reproduced as captured by the microphones. The best equipment is one that reproduces the microphone-captured sound as transparently as possible, enabling us to hear all the minute details.

 

Oldmustang misunderstood what I wrote.

My response was to Oldmustang, and not as a continuation of your (slightly boring) debate

 

My response was to Oldmustang, and not as a continuation of your (slightly boring) debate

No desire on my part either. Each to himself and let's leave it at that because we were talking of different matters.

 

Having said that (that live music experienced at nearfield should be the reference point for one's home system), I have to admit that often I get better listening experience from my home system simply because I did not have the luxury of experiencing concerts at nearfield. Just for the sake of having been there, I was sitting in a corner in the second balcony of Amsterdam's famed Concertgebouw (said to be one of the best sounding halls in the world) and did not get much out of it. Same for the Vienna State Opera House way up in the fourth balcony; same for the Met Opera House several times. But enjoyed the hall acoustics of the Boston Symphony Hall (another outstanding hall) for the hall experience (which can never be reproduced at home). The best or most optimal seat in a hall or opera house is impossible to obtain - suspended from the ceiling 3 meters over and in front of the stage platform. That's why the recordings, especially video recordings, are so important to me, which are reproduced as captured by the microphones. The best equipment is one that reproduces the microphone-captured sound as transparently as possible, enabling us to hear all the minute details.

The balcony seats at the Concertgebouw are for sure not the 'premium' spots, how things sound also is vastly impacted by which musician(s) is/are playing. (Generally I opt for row 16-18 ).
There are plenty live recordings that reflect the venue, f.e. one on Quobuz is Arcadi Volods Vienna concert where you get a good whiff of the venue, I've heard him play in my home town and the 'coloratura' of his playing and him playing with overtones he produces in the acoustic of the venue is clearly present on that recording (be it at a different venue)

 

The balcony seats at the Concertgebouw are for sure not the 'premium' spots, how things sound also is vastly impacted by which musician(s) is/are playing. (Generally I opt for row 16-18 ).
There are plenty live recordings that reflect the venue, f.e. one on Quobuz is Arcadi Volods Vienna concert where you get a good whiff of the venue, I've heard him play in my home town and the 'coloratura' of his playing and him playing with overtones he produces in the acoustic of the venue is clearly present on that recording (be it at a different venue)

Like the word "whiff" because even closely miked recording captures some of the room or hall acoustics. I don't have any firsthand experience of recording, but can see that microphones are placed very close to the players from the many video recordings. Some recordings sound so live even when it was done in the late 1950s; others so dead even done yesterday (with 24/192 or DSD256). Recording is art as well as science, I guess.

Addendum: thinking about it: in fact recording, even if closely miked, cannot help capturing room or hall acoustics a lot. I have in mind 2 famed recordings by Gunter Wand/NDRSO conducting and playing Bruckner symphonies live in Lubeck Cathedral, which unavoidably reflected the reverberating church acoustics. The 1987 Bruckner 8 is phenomenal as a performance and also as a recording: the cathedral acoustics was beautifully and masterly managed, working wonders especially in the ending minutes of the divine third movement (the more drawned-out sound of French horns intertwining with a solo clarinet and strings). But the 1988 live, a year later, in the same Lubeck Cathedral of the Bruckner 9 - one of the greatest performances - was not recorded well; the echo of the cathedral acoustics was so pronounced and lengthy that it smeared the orchestral lines. Puzzle why, and a shame, the feat was not repeated.

 

@ray-dude , it was an absolute pleasure meeting you in person, thank you for brightening our Sunday/Monday

A quick question for all those who’ve tried the analog output, what is your opinion on the output level / gain? Would you prefer it to be lower/higher or is it just right?

Emile,

My favorite speaker whisperer and analog (TT) manufacturer will be visiting the week of the January 27th to optimize and compare the XDMI analog out, XDMI digital out to totalDac sublime, and Kodo the Beat TT. All sources will feed a CHP L10 preamp that has variable input gain that will be adjusted for each source. I will provide some feedback on the the analog output gain from them at the time.

 

Like the word "whiff" because even closely miked recording captures some of the room or hall acoustics. I don't have any firsthand experience of recording, but can see that microphones are placed very close to the players from the many video recordings. Some recordings sound so live even when it was done in the late 1950s; others so dead even done yesterday (with 24/192 or DSD256). Recording is art as well as science, I guess.

Addendum: thinking about it: in fact recording, even if closely miked, cannot help capturing room or hall acoustics a lot. I have in mind 2 famed recordings by Gunter Wand/NDRSO conducting and playing Bruckner symphonies live in Lubeck Cathedral, which unavoidably reflected the reverberating church acoustics. The 1987 Bruckner 8 is phenomenal as a performance and also as a recording: the cathedral acoustics was beautifully and masterly managed, working wonders especially in the ending minutes of the divine third movement (the more drawned-out sound of French horns intertwining with a solo clarinet and strings). But the 1988 live, a year later, in the same Lubeck Cathedral of the Bruckner 9 - one of the greatest performances - was not recorded well; the echo of the cathedral acoustics was so pronounced and lengthy that it smeared the orchestral lines. Puzzle why, and a shame, the feat was not repeated.

I’d suggest this topic be moved somewhere else so we can stick to the Olympus here