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".

 

In terms of Olympus solo vs. Olympus with I/O, I will be waiting to hear the difference by myself. Hopefully Taiko can provide this comparison during the Munich High End 2025.

 

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.

Thanks for the clarification Christiaan as well as from all the skilled minds here. Im loving my duo O/IO. I just cant imagine digital getting better than this and yet Emile promises there is more to come. The ride might have been long and bumpy with all of the roadblocks this past year but the destination is truly worth it in the end

Kudos to the Taiko team and now with the addition of neon in his new role things will become more streamlined. I really look forward to hearing impressions from Olympus users who move up and add IO to their system.

 

Thanks for the clarification Christiaan as well as from all the skilled minds here. Im loving my duo O/IO. I just cant imagine digital getting better than this and yet Emile promises there is more to come. The ride might have been long and bumpy with all of the roadblocks this past year but the destination is truly worth it in the end

Kudos to the Taiko team and now with the addition of neon in his new role things will become more streamlined. I really look forward to hearing impressions from Olympus users who move up and add IO to their system.

I also want to add congratulations to Steve W for the unique supporting role WBF has played in Taiko’s startup development and growth.

I’m not an industry insider/expert, but from my outsider’s limited view of the industry, the synergy that emerged between Taiko’s developemt and WBF’s role in helping to build support and awareness for Taiko’s products through its network of “prequalified” users is unparalleled - and a credit to both Taiko and the WBF creators.

 

I find my daily commitments in the workings of the website have grown astronomically as has the site. This has precluded me from reading all but a few threads on a daily basis . My morning Joe has always started with this incredible Olympus thread which started just over one year ago and to date has over 5K posts and almost 602.000 views. One would have to say that the number of Taiko members who congregate here daily as well as all of the lurkers who also read the thread is a tribute to the work of Emile and his team. Watching the growth of this company here on WBF and worldwide is a tribute to Emile and his team. Adding @nenon is IMO a very smart move for we North American users for both orders as well as tech support. It will be good to once again , as these pieces fall into place to find Emile with the time to be able to post here again. I know he has been. missed and when he talks, the room goes quiet as we all listen and learn. So truly a good way to start the New Year

 

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 just managed to make it work. I had to reboot the Olympus and it worked. Quality of my AES/Ebu cable is not on par with my Spdif, therefore I went back to Spdif, sounds much better.

 

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

Written like a true audiophile.

Steve Z

 

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!

Congratulations, Rob!

AES to Vivaldi doesn't work for some reason, and that is a dCS issue. I experienced the same here. SPDIF worked just fine however. Taiko even sent me a second card and it was the same thing. No AES, but SPDIF worked.

Edit: Just read that you somehow got it working after an Olympus reboot. Interesting -- I rebooted my Olympus, Vivaldi, network multiple times with no success with AES/EBU.

Steve Z

 

Congratulations, Rob!

AES to Vivaldi doesn't work for some reason, and that is a dCS issue. I experienced the same here. SPDIF worked just fine however. Taiko even sent me a second card and it was the same thing. No AES, but SPDIF worked.

Edit: Just read that you somehow got it working after an Olympus reboot. Interesting -- I rebooted my Olympus, Vivaldi, network multiple times with no success with AES/EBU.

Steve Z

Thanks!
Actually I tried again using AES/EBU. I connected the cable with the Olympus powered on, and the "NON AUDIO" message appeared on the Vivaldi Dac. After rebooting the Olympus, it worked. Unfortunately, after a few songs, the same message appeared and music stopped. Even if it worked, seems not stable.

Rob

 

A bit late (we didn't expect the IOS app to be approved this fast):

V1.2 iOS​

• BMS values in settings that are also shown on the device’s overview screen are removed from settings.
• The following settings entries are no longer user accessible
  • BMS Serial number
  • BMS Software version
  • BMS monitor serial number
  • BMS monitor software version
  • User override duration
  • Minimum SoC
  • Factory reset
• The ‘timezone’ and ‘charge start- & end time’ can only be changed if ‘always charging’ is not enabled.
• Timezone selection now contains the GMT offset per timezone.
• In the ‘scanning for devices’ screen each device now has a charging state icon.
• In the ‘scanning for devices’ screen multiple devices can be selected (long press) and simultaneously put in ‘Shipping mode’.
• App icon updated
• Minor bug fixes

There's going to be a new revision of the Android app as well but we are still looking into the compatibility issue with some Samsung devices.

 

I guess "simplified" didn't cut it....

 

Has the System BMS changed name in the app to something like Taiko BEXX? If so, the app will not connect to your iPad and you need the original code from Taiko to connect.

This situation can no longer occur with the new update.

 

This situation can no longer occur with the new update.

I already have one BMS which reverted to factory setting. Ted Leer gave me the factory PW and I was able to get the connection to work again. How do I cope with that in the new app?

 

I already have one BMS which reverted to factory setting. Ted Leer gave me the factory PW and I was able to get the connection to work again. How do I cope with that in the new app?

With the new app this situation should not occur anymore as the option to reset to factory defaults has been removed.

 

@LampiNA
Will the 360 be at the Tampa show next month?

 

Regarding the XDMI analog card break-in. I can confirm what others here have said here. The XDMI analog card takes at least three weeks of constant play to begin to show its true colors. I’m at week four and it continues to get even better. In the last week, my system has taken on a whole new level of realism and enjoyment. I’m waiting until it stops improving before I go back and compare it to USB out to my outboard DAC. Which has tens of thousands of hours on it.

I’m not planning on trying XDMI AES/EBU digital out to my outboard DAC as the A.C. DAC’s AES and SPDIF input is limited to 96k (not the AES/EBU standard of 192k) and I don’t want to limit the files that I can play to 96k. If it was a quick and easy swap of XDMI daughter cards I might give it a go. But between the need to turn over the I/O to do that, and the AES 96k limit on my DAC, it wouldn’t be a permanent solution for me anyway.

I’ve recently changed this system from all balanced to all unbalanced. Without any negative effect. I can still put my ear right up to the 107dB and 99dB efficient drivers and it is so quiet that I can’t tell if the amps are turned on or off. After spending the past forty-five years in pro audio where virtually everything is balanced which is necessary because of the amount of gear that is interfaced (think 500 point + patch bays) I’ve realized that a simple two channel system with proper power and grounding works perfectly fine unbalanced. It also makes for simpler circuitry, which has its advantages.

The I/O with XDMI analog out seems to be an astonishing achievement sonically!

 

Have always been a fan of audiodrom. Great summary, gorgeous pics and interesting comparisons (Extreme vs Olympus, comp with Horizon XDMI) at:
https://www.audiodrom.net/en/specia...-taiko-olympus-server-olympus-i-o-xdmi-system

One pullout quote per the previous discussion sure to stir:

On the contrary, if integrated properly, there is nothing that can possibly outperform the Taiko Olympus. Don´t even dare to say a good turntable can. It cannot. More magical? Certainly. More fidelity? Never. Try it, you´ll hear what I mean and what you´re missing.

 

Anodising update:

Unfortunately still no shipment of the various anodising companies. I've booked additional much needed anger management sessions but seriously *********** ******* ***** !!!! ****.

This is (their) backlog, aka what we are waiting for:

Anodiser 1: 33 chassis
Anodiser 2: 39 chassis
Anodiser 3: 30 chassis

Anodiser 1 now promises a Friday shipment
Anodiser 2 now promises a Friday status update
Anodiser 3 is a new anodiser we recently acquired, promises 10 a week starting from next week

As eager as we are to start building, we have no other choice but to try to exercise a little more patience.

 

Have always been a fan of audiodrom. Great summary, gorgeous pics and interesting comparisons (Extreme vs Olympus, comp with Horizon XDMI) at:
https://www.audiodrom.net/en/specia...-taiko-olympus-server-olympus-i-o-xdmi-system

One pullout quote per the previous discussion sure to stir:

On the contrary, if integrated properly, there is nothing that can possibly outperform the Taiko Olympus. Don´t even dare to say a good turntable can. It cannot. More magical? Certainly. More fidelity? Never. Try it, you´ll hear what I mean and what you´re missing.

Here’s another review:

Taiko Audio Olympus

Firma Taiko Audio pochází z Holandska a specializuje se na naprosto nekompromisně pojaté hudební servery a pár infrastrukturních doplňků k nim . Doposud se soustředila hlavně na model SGM Extreme, nicméně nyní poskočila s novým top modelem Olympus ještě o dost výš. Cenově, ale i technologicky.

www.hifi-voice.com

“Sure, Taiko Audio's extreme approach and its absolutely crazy price tag may seem like "too much", but the purely subjective experience of listening to the Olympus is that it's a device truly worthy of sitting on this mythical mountain, because we haven't heard music this much fun in a long time, regardless of price categories, formats, forms or anything else. Our advice? Even if you probably won't buy it, because it's really not for everyone, treat yourself to a moment on the Olympus - it's worth it just for the experience.”

 

And last but not least, with an upcoming review:

 

Anodising update:

Unfortunately still no shipment of the various anodising companies. I've booked additional much needed anger management sessions but seriously *********** ******* ***** !!!! ****.

This is (their) backlog, aka what we are waiting for:

Anodiser 1: 33 chassis
Anodiser 2: 39 chassis
Anodiser 3: 30 chassis

Anodiser 1 now promises a Friday shipment
Anodiser 2 now promises a Friday status update
Anodiser 3 is a new anodiser we recently acquired, promises 10 a week starting from next week

As eager as we are to start building, we have no other choice but to try to exercise a little more patience.

Thank you for the update, Emile. I much prefer getting the (bad) news than not knowing where things stand.
Jerry