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".

 

...I think the rankings are, at best, relative positioning. The percentage thing is wobbly, to me. Is apple pie 3.14 times better than pecan?

No, it's more than that, more like 3.141592654...........

 

Must do that compare…

 

If I have to think the logistics of ordering the IO after you get you’re Olympus you would need some redoing of the BMS of your Olympus so correct me if I’m wrong but I’d expect you’d need to send your Olympus back to remove 2 BMS and perhaps other components

 

Grand cat is visiting (fleeing LA fires). He definitely prefers the Olympus >> Extreme






(and from 2 years ago...his formerly favorite place)

 

If I have to think the logistics of ordering the IO after you get you’re Olympus you would need some redoing of the BMS of your Olympus so correct me if I’m wrong but I’d expect you’d need to send your Olympus back to remove 2 BMS and perhaps other components

Food for thought!

 

There is a significant price difference when ordering O+I/O vs adding I/O later.

Why is there now a "significant price difference" or "penalty" if one opts to purchase IO later (aside from possible price increase) as mentioned by @StefanK above?

That is not the case with the current price list (valid from August 1st, 2024).

Buying the Olympus + I/O is exactly the same price as buying the Olympus now and then buying the I/O later. There is no "penalty" for adding the I/O later. And there is no discount for buying as a package.

I am privately communicating with @StefanK to understand his case. He is not in North America, though.

 

If I have to think the logistics of ordering the IO after you get you’re Olympus you would need some redoing of the BMS of your Olympus so correct me if I’m wrong but I’d expect you’d need to send your Olympus back to remove 2 BMS and perhaps other components

This is the first I’ve heard of this! Hopefully not the case.

 

This is the first I’ve heard of this! Hopefully not the case.

Im just thinking out loud..the Olympus has all 4 BMS where in the O/IO are they not split between the 2 units

 

When you have just the Olympus server, you have a XDMI card (digital or analog) and NIC in your server.

When you get an I/O, you need to disconnect and remove these cards, install two QSFP expander cards in your server and connect them power in your server. The manual (section 5.8) seems to read that the BPS for the XDMI card powers the two QSFP expander cards). Manual then says you install your NIC and XDMI card in the I/O, and connect them to the BPS's in the I/O

Certainly easier to have it done at the factory

 

Thanks, Ray, I think sending the Olympus back to the factory would only be my last resort choice!

 

Absolutely! I was thinking about people that hadn't received their Olympus servers yet!

For the rest of us, time to get out the toolkit and do some card swapping

 

I’d be very interested in hearing comparisons from those of you who added the IO after they had their Olympus. I’m betting they find the uptick in SQ to be quite significant. over the Olympus

 

I’d be very interested in hearing comparisons from those of you who added the IO after they had their Olympus. I’m betting they find the uptick in SQ to be quite significant. over the Olympus

Ciao All!

I guess after reading 239 pages of posts during one year it's time to write my first post here. Yesterday I received my black Olympus...I felt like a baby waiting for Santa!
It took literally 5 seconds to understand how much of an improvement the Olympus is over the Extreme. Now it's burning in...
Olympus is connected via spdif to the Vivaldi stack (strangely Aes Abu is not working...on the DAC display I get a message that says it is not receiving audio data). I plan to switch to Olympus DAC middle of next week to start the burn in process.
In the meantime....I am going to place the order for the I/O!

 

Ciao All!

I guess after reading 239 pages of posts during one year it's time to write my first post here. Yesterday I received my black Olympus...I felt like a baby waiting for Santa!
It took literally 5 seconds to understand how much of an improvement the Olympus is over the Extreme. Now it's burning in...
Olympus is connected via spdif to the Vivaldi stack (strangely Aes Abu is not working...on the DAC display I get a message that says it is not receiving audio data). I plan to switch to Olympus DAC middle of next week to start the burn in process.
In the meantime....I am going to place the order for the I/O!

Rob77
I'm on week 3 with xdmi analog and it's still opening up.

 

General announcement:

Realising we have outgrown the startup phase of our company we are changing our direction and focus.

Thus far we have been attempting to “do it all”, designing, manufacturing, providing, often lauded as the best customer support, offering our products through both direct as distributor and dealer sales channels.

This past year has made us realise that we are no longer able to perform all these tasks simultaneously at the level we’re aspiring to.

Therefore we are moving to supplying our products exclusively through distribution channels. Distributors will provide first line sales, service and customer support. We will provide second line support. This will allow us to focus on manufacturing and R&D.

Naturally nothing changes for those with unshipped orders, with the exception of receiving future support faster, in your own timezone! The North American distribution arrangement will present themselves here on WBF shortly.

WBF has always been, and will remain our primary news channel and resource. I will personally remain active here, to answer questions, engage in interesting discussions, provide insights, and to keep in touch with this amazing community, many of it’s members I consider to be friends.

I am thrilled to announce that I will be handling sales, service, and customer support for Taiko Audio in North America. More details will be shared soon with both Taiko dealers and customers. I am delighted to partner with Emile and the Taiko team, and I look forward to what we will achieve together.

Clarification on What’s Changing (and What’s Not) for North American Customers:

1.⁠ ⁠I will take over Taiko’s current customers and will provide them with all the care they’re accustomed to with the benefit of a better timezone alignment.

2.⁠ ⁠Sales - you can continue purchasing from your favorite dealer or order directly from us - your choice.

3.⁠ ⁠Support - you’ll still contact Taiko directly as you always have. I have access to the ticketing system, so if you’re located in North America, you’ll likely hear from me.

4.⁠ ⁠Service - In the rare event that something requires servicing, there’s no longer a need to ship equipment back to the Netherlands. Our Chicago facility is well-stocked with spare parts and ready to assist.

 

Rob77
I'm on week 3 with xdmi analog and it's still opening up.

Hi RUIN*ish,

I'm a few days away from week 4 with xdmi analog, and yes same experience here: still opening up. But significantly more time on the upswing, with dips of much smaller duration and amplitude.

It's the gift that keeps on giving more and more of everything, but especially musical purity and emotional engagement. Color me impressed with a wide Cheshire grin.

I still find that it's in the evenings with the CH Precision M10 amp running at a toasty 52 deg C that music becomes so fluid that the volume begs to be increased, and the purity and engagement reaches new heights.

Two more weeks until system setup - should then have some independent expert third-party opinions about where xdmi analog generally compares with other top end digital systems. It will be fun.

 

I am #106. Any update on when I can expect my Olympus with I/O?

 

Ciao All!

I guess after reading 239 pages of posts during one year it's time to write my first post here. Yesterday I received my black Olympus...I felt like a baby waiting for Santa!
It took literally 5 seconds to understand how much of an improvement the Olympus is over the Extreme. Now it's burning in...
Olympus is connected via spdif to the Vivaldi stack (strangely Aes Abu is not working...on the DAC display I get a message that says it is not receiving audio data). I plan to switch to Olympus DAC middle of next week to start the burn in process.
In the meantime....I am going to place the order for the I/O!

Hi @Rob77 ,

Indeed it appears AES/EBU doesn’t work with DCS, while SPDIF does work. For Totaldac it’s inverted, AES/EBU works but SPDIF doesn’t. On Lampizator and MSB both work. We’re looking into why.

 

I am #106. Any update on when I can expect my Olympus with I/O?

For updates specific for your order number please reach out to support@taikoaudio.com .

I can comment on what’s the situation in general, black is assembly time limited (speed determined by our own capacity) while silver is mainly anodising time limited, the issues causing that are now solved, however it will still take some time to catch up on those.

 

If I have to think the logistics of ordering the IO after you get you’re Olympus you would need some redoing of the BMS of your Olympus so correct me if I’m wrong but I’d expect you’d need to send your Olympus back to remove 2 BMS and perhaps other components

Food for thought!

Im just thinking out loud..the Olympus has all 4 BMS where in the O/IO are they not split between the 2 units

When you have just the Olympus server, you have a XDMI card (digital or analog) and NIC in your server.

When you get an I/O, you need to disconnect and remove these cards, install two QSFP expander cards in your server and connect them power in your server. The manual (section 5.8) seems to read that the BPS for the XDMI card powers the two QSFP expander cards). Manual then says you install your NIC and XDMI card in the I/O, and connect them to the BPS's in the I/O

Certainly easier to have it done at the factory

As hinted at by ray-dude, the difference is indeed in the QSFP modules that need to be installed to interconnect network and audio between the two units. When buying the I/O later, you'll have to install two of these cards in the server.

Whether using the Olympus on its own, or in combination with the I/O, the configuration of the internal BPS/BMS units is the same.