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".

 

@Taiko Audio @nenon

Your last 3 posts along with Nenon's great explanations have really once and for made this all understandable by me. I get now the benefit of the XDMI analogue ...

Those posts to me were the pearls of the past few weeks. Kudos Gentlemen. I finally get it

Emile ....you. have a brilliant mind. So one last question ....how many tubes can you get onto an XDMI analogue card or can you find some toxin to inject me with to overcome the loss of a well sought after desired sound by myself, and achieveable IMHO only by the Lampi Horizon and the infinite possibilities of tube rolling. That for my ears would be so difficult to achieve without tubes.If you can figure out how to do that with your XDMI Analog..............just saying

 

A knob that varies the amount of second order harmonic distortion, maybe. . .

And another knob to vary the amount of negative feedback.

Steve Z

 

@Taiko Audio @nenon

Your last 3 posts along with Nenon's great explanations have really once and for made this all understandable by me. I get now the benefit of the XDMI analogue ...

Those posts to me were the pearls of the past few weeks. Kudos Gentlemen. I finally get it

Emile ....you. have a brilliant mind. So one last question ....how many tubes can you get onto an XDMI analogue card or can you find some toxin to inject me with to overcome the loss of a well sought after desired sound by myself, and achieveable IMHO only by the Lampi Horizon and the infinite possibilities of tube rolling. That for my ears would be so difficult to achieve without tubes.If you can figure out how to do that with your XDMI Analog..............just saying

Just get one of these.

Analog Bridge - ModWright Instruments

The Analog Bridge was designed to fill a niche left by our custom tube modifications for digital source equipment. Due to the rapidly changing world of modern digital, we wanted a product that could be used with a variety of digital and analog SS sources. The Analog Bridge will not be replaced...

www.modwright.com

 

Just get one of these.

Analog Bridge - ModWright Instruments

The Analog Bridge was designed to fill a niche left by our custom tube modifications for digital source equipment. Due to the rapidly changing world of modern digital, we wanted a product that could be used with a variety of digital and analog SS sources. The Analog Bridge will not be replaced...

www.modwright.com

Im going to wait. It is my hope that Lukasz will finds a solution

 

Emile, with the twin analogue outputs of the Olympus and I/O fully optimising all benefit of the XDMI interface, and AES\EBU only achieving ‘significant’ benefit, do you believe a bypass of my DAC to connect the Olympus directly to my preamp with RCA cabling might result in greater sound quality? I fully understand this question is so system dependent, but for how potent it appears XDMI is, I wondered if removing any DAC across the board (and by default, another interface in the signal path) might actually have global benefit regardless of DAC type or setup.

im not very technically adept, so please forgive me if the question is a dumb one, system dependency being so much more vital than XDMI gains.

Thank you! - kevin

 

A knob that varies the amount of second order harmonic distortion, maybe. . .

And another knob to vary the amount of negative feedback.

Steve Z

Or go xdmi analog output to a tube rolling vehicle like the Poseidon pre amp ( or other tube based pre), as Nenon mentioned.

 

Or go xdmi analog output to a tube rolling vehicle like the Poseidon pre amp ( or other tube based pre), as Nenon mentioned.

Definitely an option but potentially painful (in the audiophile sense of pain, or is this the exquisite kind of pain that pulls us in deeper). After rolling tubes for 18 months, spending an ungodly sum on them, in addition to the Horizon, which is sounding absolutely incredible and dialed in now with ideal tube combo (for my ears) with Taiko router, switch and power distributor... can Olympus XDMI analogue out best this? The implications of that alone are mind blowing to my little mind. Or could a future Horizon XDMI development/handshake surpass? Or any DAC manufacturer like MSB? Or maybe more importantly, are Horizon analog inputs best?

Very interesting how things may unfold, how higher end DAC manufacturers may respond and implications for the future of external DACs generally. sorry if stating the obvious. digesting here

Sounds like the listening tests down at Taiko HQ could give us some insights, but an outstanding question if I understand correctly (which i totally might not). I also run Horizon direct to the Heisenbergs which I don't know if would even be an option from the Olympus...

First world problems to have deciding what to do next in this rarified digital air. Perhaps we’ll look back on this month as when digital changed forever. I get the sense Emile and Team Taiko maybe already know.

And thanks again to all here for their invaluable questions, answers and shared experience

 

Definitely an option but potentially painful (in the audiophile sense of pain). After rolling tubes for 18 months, spending an ungodly sum on them, in addition to the Horizon, which is sounding absolutely incredible and dialed in now ideal tube combo (for my ears) with Taiko router, switch and power distributor... can Olympus XDMI analogue out best this? Sounds like the listening tests down at Taiko HQ could give us some insights. I also run Horizon direct to the Heisenbergs which I don't know if would even be an option from the Olympus...

Great problems to have deciding what to do next in this rarified digital air. And thanks again to all here for their invaluable questions, answers and shared experience

I feel your Audiophile pain!

 

Emile, will you make a Dual Mono 4 box Olympus?

I have the perfect name for it.

Olympus Mons.

 

Hi Emile,

will it be possible to listen to Olympus XDMI analog out at High End Munich 2024?

Thanks

 

Well, regarding the project of placing an XDMI interface card in the DAC, Emile has already indicated the problems that arise: First of all, a size problem. The XDMI card is quite large and will be difficult to fit into a DAC not designed to accommodate it. Secondly, the power supply noise from the DAC, which needs to be at nanovolt level (that's why it's not installed in the Extreme) and does the DAC have that power supply noise? And third, added, economical because the price of a second XDMI card would be really expensive. Therefore, at the moment the solution of a second XDMI card in DAC does not seem easy to implement, except probably for MSB.

 

Definitely an option but potentially painful (in the audiophile sense of pain, or is this the exquisite kind of pain that pulls us in deeper). After rolling tubes for 18 months, spending an ungodly sum on them, in addition to the Horizon, which is sounding absolutely incredible and dialed in now with ideal tube combo (for my ears) with Taiko router, switch and power distributor... can Olympus XDMI analogue out best this? The implications of that alone are mind blowing to my little mind. Or could a future Horizon XDMI development/handshake surpass?

Very interesting how things may unfold, how higher end DAC manufacturers may respond and implications for the future of external DACs generally. sorry if stating the obvious. digesting here

Sounds like the listening tests down at Taiko HQ could give us some insights, but an outstanding question if I understand correctly (which i totally might not). I also run Horizon direct to the Heisenbergs which I don't know if would even be an option from the Olympus...

First world problems to have deciding what to do next in this rarified digital air. Perhaps we’ll look back on this month as when digital changed forever. I get the sense Emile and Team Taiko maybe already know.

And thanks again to all here for their invaluable questions, answers and shared experience

This is why I felt a ‘cake and eat it’ solution was ideal, namely USB, XDMI Analogue and XDMI Digital. You could have all 3 and use whichever works best for your mood, music and output choice - speakers or headphones etc. You can always run XDMI analogue output into your carefully dialled in Horizon anyway for further flavour. Having spent many years chasing my ‘perfect system’, I have come to enjoy different options and flavours, especially with headphones but also sometimes with speakers.

 

Is anyone aware what clocking is used in that XDMI DAC board?
There is no clock on the board so I believe it it build in the chip ?

 

Is anyone aware what clocking is used in that XDMI DAC board?
There is no clock on the board so I believe it it build in the chip ?

There’s no clock on the DAC board.

 

Hi Emile,

will it be possible to listen to Olympus XDMI analog out at High End Munich 2024?

Thanks

For sure.

 

Emile, will you make a Dual Mono 4 box Olympus?

I have the perfect name for it.

Olympus Mons.

Would be tempting to do just to be able to use that name

 

There’s no clock on the DAC board.

So it is build to Rhom chip or existent on XDMI motherboard ?
STS ? Secret Taiko Solution ?

 

So it is build to Rhom chip or existent on XDMI motherboard ?
STS ? Secret Taiko Solution ?

There's a "STS" master clock on the XDMI baseboard

 

I do not own an Extreme. Still I found this thread fascinating. It is like visiting the future
I am a believer that server/streamer/dac should belong to the same box and have been waiting for this moment to arrive with Taiko before thinking about investing on an Extreme (or Olympus like is named now)

 

Well, regarding the project of placing an XDMI interface card in the DAC, Emile has already indicated the problems that arise: First of all, a size problem. The XDMI card is quite large and will be difficult to fit into a DAC not designed to accommodate it. Secondly, the power supply noise from the DAC, which needs to be at nanovolt level (that's why it's not installed in the Extreme) and does the DAC have that power supply noise? And third, added, economical because the price of a second XDMI card would be really expensive. Therefore, at the moment the solution of a second XDMI card in DAC does not seem easy to implement, except probably for MSB.

Yes correct with the exception of needing 2 complete XDMI solutions. XDMI can be completely relocated to an external chassis. On the source/server side you then only need this interface card: