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 Does the I/O offer equal benefit whether using analog out or a stand alone DAC? In my case the 360. This is very difficult at best making an informed purchase with so little "in the field" information available...

Yes about equal.

 

Re tariffs, it will be fluid, in that a tariff could shortly go away if an agreement is reached. It will also be helpful to know how broadly goods are classified for determinations of reciprocity. Lastly, I'm wondering how soon Taiko would consider sending components to Vassil at cost for final assembly in the US (anodizing?).

 

Yes about equal.

In my experience, the analog out of the Olympus is just excellent. It has all I wanted like speed, resolution, lots of space and layering, tonality, harmonics, no digital harshness, dynamic.

Mind you, I nevertheless still like to listen to vinyl which, in my case, still betters my digital solution though the margin has shrunk quite a bit.

When hearing there would be a built-in DAC in the Olympus, I did not hesitate a moment to order the Olympus and to sell my DAC at the same time.
Didn't regret it one second.

Thanks to team Taiko!

 

In my experience, the analog out of the Olympus is just excellent. It has all I wanted like speed, resolution, lots of space and layering, tonality, harmonics, no digital harshness, dynamic.

Mind you, I nevertheless still like to listen to vinyl which, in my case, still betters my digital solution though the margin has shrunk quite a bit.

When hearing there would be a built-in DAC in the Olympus, I did not hesitate a moment to order the Olympus and to sell my DAC at the same time.
Didn't regret it one second.

Thanks to team Taiko!

May I ask what your former DAC was? I ask as I have not ruled anything out. I'm keeping an open mind and will let my ears be the final judge...

 

To add a I/O to the Olympus is it just a matter of moving and installing cards between the units or is there programming as well?

 

In my experience, the analog out of the Olympus is just excellent. It has all I wanted like speed, resolution, lots of space and layering, tonality, harmonics, no digital harshness, dynamic.

Mind you, I nevertheless still like to listen to vinyl which, in my case, still betters my digital solution though the margin has shrunk quite a bit.

When hearing there would be a built-in DAC in the Olympus, I did not hesitate a moment to order the Olympus and to sell my DAC at the same time.
Didn't regret it one second.

Thanks to team Taiko!

@John T , @flyer does not have an I/O, not claiming that that would change his preference for vinyl over digital at all, just adding this for clarity since the answer to your question about adding an I/O was quoted

And @flyer thanks for the feedback, happy you’re enjoying your Olympus!

 

To add a I/O to the Olympus is it just a matter of moving and installing cards between the units or is there programming as well?

Moving cards only.

1) the Network and XDMI cards move from your Olympus to the I/O
2) those are replaced with 2 interface cards which connect to the I/O over 2 QFSP cables

The 2 interface cards as well as the 2 QFSP cables are supplied with the I/O.

 

I would venture to say the Olympus and I/O are actually a surprisingly good deal when you consider how clean and clear the analog out card sounds. I'll have more to follow once I have both my Cascade and the analog out fully broken in (currently a few hundred hours on each). From what I heard before installing my Cascade, I would suggest starting analog out in your system and then demo your DAC against that sound (after break-in for each version). Impressive job on that Taiko.

And I understand an even better internal DAC is in the works.

FWIW [Olympus + I/O internal DAC] easily sounded better in my system than [Extreme + Select2]

 

Not asking for you to give away any secrets but is there an evolution path for the I/O? That is, are there any advantages of splitting up the network card and DAC into separate boxes? Or some other future design?

 

Re tariffs, it will be fluid, in that a tariff could shortly go away if an agreement is reached. It will also be helpful to know how broadly goods are classified for determinations of reciprocity. Lastly, I'm wondering how soon Taiko would consider sending components to Vassil at cost for final assembly in the US (anodizing?).

For clarity, we’ve been considering manufacturing servers in the US for years, which just became much more attractive with @nenon onboard. This would not be a (temporary) move to (temporary) circumvent (temporary) tariffs

 

I would venture to say the Olympus and I/O are actually a surprisingly good deal when you consider how clean and clear the analog out card sounds. I'll have more to follow once I have both my Cascade and the analog out fully broken in (currently a few hundred hours on each). From what I heard before installing my Cascade, I would suggest starting analog out in your system and then demo your DAC against that sound (after break-in for each version). Impressive job on that Taiko.

And I understand an even better internal DAC is in the works.

FWIW [Olympus + I/O internal DAC] easily sounded better in my system than [Extreme + Select2]

The Cascade with BDT is just amazing..did u have the BDT installed yet?

 

Not asking for you to give away any secrets but is there an evolution path for the I/O? That is, are there any advantages of splitting up the network card and DAC into separate boxes? Or some other future design?

The I/O system has been designed for maximum flexibility. You could indeed use 2 I/Os to split up the network card and DAC into separate boxes, however that would currently not provide you with any significant benefits. But yes we could get creative and in theory have separate I (input) and Os (output) in the future.

You could go more Extreme with future DAC versions as well of course, in theory you can go dual mono, split digital and analogue, you'd have 2 I/Os then with 4 separate battery supplies for left/right digital and analog.

 

May I ask what your former DAC was? I ask as I have not ruled anything out. I'm keeping an open mind and will let my ears be the final judge...

All I will say is that it was a big DAC from a meanwhile reputed brand.

 

The Cascade with BDT is just amazing..did u have the BDT installed yet?

BDT is getting installed now (DAC is currently at MSB) so that is in process !

 

The I/O system has indeed been designed for maximum flexibility. You could indeed use 2 I/Os to split up the network card and DAC into separate boxes, however that would currently not provide you with any significant benefits. But yes we could get creative and in theory have separate I (input) and Os (output) in the future.

You could go more Extreme with future DAC versions as well of course, in theory you can go dual mono, split digital and analogue, you'd have 2 I/Os then with 4 separate battery supplies for left/right digital and analog.

Has the previously mentioned analog out volume control proven to be viable? Would it work in the current I/O chassis? Would it work in the current Olympus chassis? Thanks.

 

And I understand an even better internal DAC is in the works.

We're indeed working on an improved version with both balanced as single ended outputs. Possibly more modular / split digital/analog sections for even more flexibility.

There will be (free) software updates which improve performance as well.

 

Has the previously mentioned analog out volume control proven to be viable? Would it work in the current I/O chassis? Would it work in the current Olympus chassis? Thanks.

We have 4 different ways to implement volume control, 3 in software (digital), 1 in hardware (analog). All 4 would work in both the Olympus and I/O chassis.

 

We have 4 different ways to implement volume control, 3 in software (digital), 1 in hardware (analog). All 4 would work in both the Olympus and I/O chassis.

Would any of these work through a dedicated, hand-held remote control? Or all through a remote controller such as an iPad?

 

We're indeed working on an improved version with both balanced as single ended outputs. Possibly more modular / split digital/analog sections for even more flexibility.

There will be (free) software updates which improve performance as well.

Hopefully also at least two digital inputs, even if optional.

 

No shortage of permutations to consider when contemplating this Dutch Army Knife. Now that the clock has started for placing orders prior to the April 7 price increase, understanding the possibilities with this added chassis is key to financial justification for some. Any feedback from Taiko is worthwhile. Thanks.