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 am sure Dave is reporting accurately. The fact that he doesn't happen to have all of the information you want in no way impugns what he is telling you.

 

The highest number reported as shipped that I can remember off the top of my head is 65. But there has been some backfilling of orders since. Guessing shipments into the high 60’s have occurred. Anxiously awaiting official updates on Monday or so.

 

The anger and frustration of buyers paying more than 12 months still not receiving is understandable. In my opinion, unless there is some insider information you want to share, it is better keep quiet. The only updates should really come from Taiko.

 

Like others, I’m in the queue awaiting news my Olympus is being built & shipped. In the meantime my Extreme does not suck. And I have joy of having a Vyger to listen to the black plastic. Life is good.

I do hope the whole issue of anodizing and powder coating gets resolved for team Taiko, I try to have empathy having owned a small business deeply dependent on outsourced parts. Some of the biggest frustrations I had (that really got me spun up at times) were with vendors, reliability, and consistency. F’ me I am glad that part of my life is now in the rear view mirror.

 

The way I recall all the anodizing issues is that silver is more problematic than black
And consider that with an Olympus the top and bottoms need to match, with I/O that adds a third piece to match. That 3rd match is probably why silver Olympus with I/O orders are so slow.

 

The way I recall all the anodizing issues is that silver is more problematic than black
And consider that with an Olympus the top and bottoms need to match, with I/O that adds a third piece to match. That 3rd match is probably why silver Olympus with I/O orders are so slow.

so, it will be bizarre to add I/O in the future as they may never match the colour

 

Like others, I’m in the queue awaiting news my Olympus is being built & shipped. In the meantime my Extreme does not suck. And I have joy of having a Vyger to listen to the black plastic. Life is good.

I do hope the whole issue of anodizing and powder coating gets resolved for team Taiko, I try to have empathy having owned a small business deeply dependent on outsourced parts. Some of the biggest frustrations I had (that really got me spun up at times) were with vendors, reliability, and consistency. F’ me I am glad that part of my life is now in the rear view mirror.

It’s one thing having sympathy for Taiko but imo that is a completely different issue and has no relevance whatsoever.
Emile as a the owner needed to plan for and even expect these issues. The fact that he wasn’t aware of “dangerous goods” protocols prior to taking orders is just ridiculous imo.

 

The IO does not have to sit on top of the Olympus. It seems there are in fact good reasons not to (independent of finish matching).

I bet the powder coating solution on the silver ones should open up the production from here on.

 

so, it will be bizarre to add I/O in the future as they may never match the colour

Taiko keeps a record of every chassis - everything from the material used to who did the finishing is tracked.

I ordered a black Olympus + I/O. They were produced about 4 months apart (per my request) and they matched 100%.

I can confirm the same for silver Olympus and I/O - these two units were produced 6 months apart, and my eye cannot see any difference.

(I know - I should have used two footers on the back of the Olympus placed where the original feet were, but I did not have a fourth footer)