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".

 

If anyone is in need of a broken in KBL Extrema XDMI cable, I have one for sale.

How did it break?

 

How did it break?

Broken In go back to bed

 

Broken In go back to bed

I totally missed the "in". LOL.

 

How did it break?

 

Regarding the pause while doing the run in with Roon; I must admit this is the first time I head to bed with my ipad! The pause seems to occur more at night (so far) it did happen once yesterday. (daytime) Message is "Lost Roon Connection" I do not have the router (yet) just the switch.

In terms of SQ; I have a huge smile on my face. With the acquisition of Gryphon Mephisto Solo Mono's and the Olympus at the same time, (one day apart) I must admit other than it sounds delicious (and my body has slipped into a coma from all the lifting) I'm a bit bewildered. I realize this is just the beginning, I have many miles in front of me. When your captivated and you forget all the listening notes we have all become accustomed to, you know your heading down a beautiful path...

 

Oh, no!

Tom

It's totally baffling and I know this is the Olympus thread. I'll post in the Extreme thread as well - maybe someone has an idea.

After a standard restart, to get the gremlins out, XDMS keeps telling me ASIO driver won't initialize. I don't have Roon, nor do I want to start using it, so my Extreme is just sorting there looking imposing in my rack on a long weekend!

Arun

 

It's totally baffling and I know this is the Olympus thread. I'll post in the Extreme thread as well - maybe someone has an idea.

After a standard restart, to get the gremlins out, XDMS keeps telling me ASIO driver won't initialize. I don't have Roon, nor do I want to start using it, so my Extreme is just sorting there looking imposing in my rack on a long weekend!

Arun

If you haven't already you need to contact ed @EuroDriver since XDMS is his baby.

 

Regarding the pause while doing the run in with Roon; I must admit this is the first time I head to bed with my ipad! The pause seems to occur more at night (so far) it did happen once yesterday. (daytime) Message is "Lost Roon Connection" I do not have the router (yet) just the switch.

In terms of SQ; I have a huge smile on my face. With the acquisition of Gryphon Solo Mono's and the Olympus at the same time, (one day apart) I must admit other than it sounds delicious (and my body has slipped into a coma from all the lifting) I'm a bit bewildered. I realize this is just the beginning, I have many miles in front of me. When your captivated and you forget all the listening notes we have all become accustomed to, you know your heading down a beautiful path...

Hi John, what model of Gryphon Monos did you buy?

 

Hi John, what model of Gryphon Monos did you buy?

Hi Francisco, Solo's...

 

Hi Francisco, Solo's...

John, Mephisto Solo?

 

John, Mephisto Solo?

Yes, the one and only or in this case 2...Above that they do have the Apex Mono. Much debate whether the Apex Stereo will out perform the Mephisto Solo's. Stereo weighs in at around 460 LBS! I went with the fact I am very familiar with the Mephisto Stereo's Voicing and my gut...Also a few people who I know who have heard them both...

 

Ah, ok Mephisto

 

The actual message verbatim "Roon Lost Control Of The Audio Device". It just happened again, interesting enough (I think) around the same time yesterday. Something else to pollute my brain with...

 

Yep. That's the message I keep seeing, sometimes a couple of times a day. It simply stops play mid-track, displays that message, and when you hit Play again, it's rolling where it left off. Pretty annoying glitch that happens whether I'm streaming from Qobuz or from my NAS on my highly reliable house network. Frustrating.

 

It's totally baffling and I know this is the Olympus thread. I'll post in the Extreme thread as well - maybe someone has an idea.

After a standard restart, to get the gremlins out, XDMS keeps telling me ASIO driver won't initialize. I don't have Roon, nor do I want to start using it, so my Extreme is just sorting there looking imposing in my rack on a long weekend!

Arun

Alpha software, I found the problem, a parameter in a configuration file went AWOL

XDMS Alpha is running again

XDMS Beta will be significantly more roboust

 

To those experiencing Roon stopping issues, if you haven't already done so, please submit a ticket via support@taikoaudio.com so we have an up-to-date record of the concerned servers and can follow up.

Please know that we are actively investigating the issue and are currently exploring ways to address it through software settings. In any case, we will undoubtedly find a solution.

 

I try both Olympus usb outputs to my Lampi USB but no music from preamp. This setup was okay with the Extreme. I disabled Taiko XDMI and enabled Taiko Audio USB Audio Device but no luck. Any help is very much appreciated.

Hi Robert, if this issue has not yet been resolved, please send us an email via support@taikoaudio.com, and we will follow up.

 

Thank you Christian! I will try to experiment and see.

I have a followup question for you since you are the footer expert

Given the choice between placing the O and I/O on a glass shelf (part of a decoupled audio rack) vs on a piece of panzerholz placed on the same glass shelf, which is suggested?

I know Emile had indicated in the past that the Extreme and maybe Olympus don't do well on panzerholz, or i could be misremembering.
Thanks again!

Panzerholz panels can work well with aluminum chassis, but we found it to be less synergistic with copper chassis, such as the Switch, Router, and DCD. The Olympus chassis is a copper/aluminum hybrid, fitted with user-removable modular footers. These footers can be exchanged, leading to a wide range of possible permutations.

The Olympus is significantly more sophisticated in terms of resonance control than anything we have built before, featuring various internal measures to mitigate vibrational effects. The server doesn’t need resonance reduction in the time domain, but it does respond to footers / the surface it’s placed on.

For the Olympus, the footers function mainly as an “interface” to the structure (shelf/rack) supporting it. The most common scenario is that the server is placed on a stiff material with high internal propagation of “sound”. Therefore, we chose Acrylic as the interface material, which has a low propagation (speed) of sound for a solid material, with the additional benefit of a lower potential for damaging the surface it’s placed on. In any case, you can always experiment with other footers or use intermediate layers.

With exceptions, of course, we find that glass, by itself, usually does not work well, and I suspect it will also not be ideal for Olympus. But in the Townshend rack, the materials and construction work together to provide a calculated balance. Therefore, I'd generally be hesitant to make structural changes to such designs. On the other hand, I find that additional platforms on top of an Artesania Exoteryc rack *can* also work well, depending on the situation and component, so it is also a matter of just trying it to know.

In general, glass adds a hard edge to the sound and can make it lean and/or lacking in saturation. If you find this is the case with the Olympus, it may be beneficial to try adding other layer(s) between the shelves and the Olympus footers.

Using small pieces only under the footers will yield a different result than using a large panel covering most of the glass shelf, due to increased effect, altered resonance(s), and additional damping. I would not recommend MDF, as it has a very strong character, making the sound dark and adding thickness in the midbass and lower midrange. Panzerholz was indeed found to be not ideal for Olympus. However, it may be a different matter in your case, where the material will be placed on top of the existing glass shelf. You may also want to investigate other woods or wood composites until you find the ideal balance.

 

We find that glass, by itself, usually does not work well, and I suspect it will also not be ideal for Olympus. But in the Townshend rack, the materials and construction may actually provide an ideal balance, "despite" the glass. The Townshend rack has a carefully thought-out construction, and I'd generally be hesitant to make changes to such designs. On the other hand, I find that additional platforms on top of an Artesania Exoteryc rack *can* also work well, depending on the situation and component, so it is also a matter of just trying it to know.

In general, glass adds a hard edge to the sound and can make it lean and/or lacking in saturation. If you find this is the case with the Olympus, it may be beneficial to try adding other layer(s) between the shelves and the Olympus footers. Using small pieces only under the footers will yield a different result than using a large panel covering most of the glass shelf, due to increased effect, altered resonance(s), and additional damping. I would not recommend MDF, as it has a very strong character, making the sound dark and adding thickness in the midbass and lower midrange. Panzerholz was indeed found to be not ideal for Olympus. However, it may be a different matter in your case, where the material will be placed on top of the existing glass shelf. You may also want to investigate other woods or wood composites until you find the ideal balance.

I have shared a similar approach with @seatrope. MDF is excellent material for platforms or shelving when used with a core material. On its own it presents a different sonic presentation. Keep in mind what footers are being used under the platform. I have made several using a variety of compositions and MDF wins out. I have never used glass but my experience tells me not the best material. I have never played with the Townshend. I have made platforms for professional musicians for their Marshal Amps using MDF and they all have had very good results. Typically a stage setting. When complete I will share some pics of the AMP platforms I am making. Its the same concept as I would use for the Olympus/IO or any audio component. These will just be bigger and able to accommodate more weight. MDF with an aluminum center core. Water Jet is needed to have the aluminum cut. Then I will wrap mine in a Maple Veneer. Whatever the IO sits on will dictate the success of stability...

 

Panzerholz panels can work well with aluminum chassis, but we found it to be less synergistic with copper chassis, such as the Switch, Router, and DCD. The Olympus chassis is a copper/aluminum hybrid, fitted with user-removable modular footers. These footers can be exchanged, leading to a wide range of possible permutations.

The Olympus is significantly more sophisticated in terms of resonance control than anything we have built before, featuring various internal measures to mitigate vibrational effects. The server doesn’t need resonance reduction in the time domain, but it does respond to footers / the surface it’s placed on.

For the Olympus, the footers function mainly as an “interface” to the structure (shelf/rack) supporting it. The most common scenario is that the server is placed on a stiff material with high internal propagation of “sound”. Therefore, we chose Acrylic as the interface material, which has a low propagation (speed) of sound for a solid material, with the additional benefit of a lower potential for damaging the surface it’s placed on. In any case, you can always experiment with other footers or use intermediate layers.

With exceptions, of course, we find that glass, by itself, usually does not work well, and I suspect it will also not be ideal for Olympus. But in the Townshend rack, the materials and construction work together to provide a calculated balance. Therefore, I'd generally be hesitant to make structural changes to such designs. On the other hand, I find that additional platforms on top of an Artesania Exoteryc rack *can* also work well, depending on the situation and component, so it is also a matter of just trying it to know.

In general, glass adds a hard edge to the sound and can make it lean and/or lacking in saturation. If you find this is the case with the Olympus, it may be beneficial to try adding other layer(s) between the shelves and the Olympus footers.

Using small pieces only under the footers will yield a different result than using a large panel covering most of the glass shelf, due to increased effect, altered resonance(s), and additional damping. I would not recommend MDF, as it has a very strong character, making the sound dark and adding thickness in the midbass and lower midrange. Panzerholz was indeed found to be not ideal for Olympus. However, it may be a different matter in your case, where the material will be placed on top of the existing glass shelf. You may also want to investigate other woods or wood composites until you find the ideal balance.

Thank you for the thorough explanation. Although, experimenting with platforms for the 130 pound Olympus is easier in the abstract.