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".

 

A curious question, perhaps the Taiko staff can answer. When I connected the NAS to my ISP router and listened to music from Qobuz, the Network LED on the NAS blinked very briefly, and eventually the NAS went into standby mode, stopping the hard drives. However, under the same circumstances, when the NAS was connected to the Taiko router, the Network LED didn't stop blinking, and the NAS never went into standby mode. I'm curious to know why.

 

Not Taiko staff...

The NAS goes into standby when it doesn't get pinged by the network. My guess is that the Taiko router periodically pings devices connected to it while your home router does not. Could that be caused by something in the port forwarding rules which are in play with Roon? That I don't know. Maybe @nenon has a better explanation.

 

Not Taiko staff...

The NAS goes into standby when it doesn't get pinged by the network. My guess is that the Taiko router periodically pings devices connected to it while your home router does not. Could that be caused by something in the port forwarding rules which are in play with Roon? That I don't know. Maybe @nenon has a better explanation.

Do you use your home router for the NAS and how do you power it? I have had people suggest to keep the NAS on the home router and power it separately, away from the DCD. I have neither yet so I have not tested any of this...

 

Do you use your home router for the NAS and how do you power it? I have had people suggest to keep the NAS on the home router and power it separately, away from the DCD. I have neither yet so I have not tested any of this...

I have done it both ways, either connecting it to the Taiko router and powering it via the DCD or connecting it to my home router and powering it separately.

There is no reason to keep it away from the DCD if you have enough powering going into it.

 

I've also tested this. My Paul Hynes has two 12-volt outputs, one powering the DCD, the other remaining unused. I actually preferred the sound using the second output for the NAS rather than using one of the DCD's default outputs.

 

I've also tested this. My Paul Hynes has two 12-volt outputs, one powering the DCD, the other remaining unused. I actually preferred the sound using the second output for the NAS rather than using one of the DCD's default outputs.

May I suggest you move this conversation to the router thread?

 

Post in thread 'Taiko Audio Extreme Router' https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-extreme-router.37794/post-1064932

 

Either works and @nonesup can decide since he started the conversation, but this is not really a router issue per se since one of the options doesn’t involve the Taiko router.

 

My intention was to share my experiences with NAS connection and NAS power supply in relation to Olympus sound.

 

FWIW, I've run my Synology NAS into the house general router that has a feed to the Taiko DCD/Router/Switch system and I have only had the NAS mysteriously shut down twice since I started using it in early March. Both instances were in the first month, though...

 

As one who has been waiting a long, long time for my Olympus and I/O, I was wondering which color configuration would arrive the fastest. I would be willing to change if it would expedite the arrival of my unit. Others would likely be interested in this info also. I think that previously it was mentioned that black powder coated was the fastest but I'm wondering if this still holds true.

Powder-coated black is fastest. When ordering black, we deliver Powder-Coated by default, unless Anodized was specifically specified. If you have a silver anodized model on order, you can change it to black. For that , please send a mail to support@taikoaudio.com

 

A curious question, perhaps the Taiko staff can answer. When I connected the NAS to my ISP router and listened to music from Qobuz, the Network LED on the NAS blinked very briefly, and eventually the NAS went into standby mode, stopping the hard drives. However, under the same circumstances, when the NAS was connected to the Taiko router, the Network LED didn't stop blinking, and the NAS never went into standby mode. I'm curious to know why.

The Extreme Router has no inherent activity, but Roon is very active on the network and is likely pinging your NAS.

In Roon, there is a difference between a NAS before/outside of the Extreme Router (in which case all network devices are in contact) and a NAS behind the Extreme Router in the Taiko Network (in which case Roon only sees Roon Cores).

When the NAS is before/outside of the Extreme Router, Roon does not see it. That's probably why you will see it enter sleep in that case.

 

The Extreme Router has no inherent activity, but Roon is very active on the network and is likely pinging your NAS.

In Roon, there is a difference between a NAS before/outside of the Extreme Router (in which case all network devices are in contact) and a NAS behind the Extreme Router in the Taiko Network (in which case Roon only sees Roon Cores).

When the NAS is before/outside of the Extreme Router, Roon does not see it. That's probably why you will see it enter sleep in that case.

Since I'm currently breaking in the Olympus, it's playing music 24 hours a day. When I'm done breaking it in, I'll turn it off with the front button at night, so I guess it should go into standby mode.

 

Since I'm currently breaking in the Olympus, it's playing music 24 hours a day. When I'm done breaking it in, I'll turn it off with the front button at night, so I guess it should go into standby mode.

Yes, if Roon is shut down, there's nothing to activate the NAS, when connected to the Extreme Router.

 

Any plans for Esoteric XDMI ?

 

Any plans for Esoteric XDMI ?

This is not currently on the roadmap, but we may reconsider it later.

 

This is not currently on the roadmap, but we may reconsider it later.

And the XDMI card for Aries Cerat?
Do you have any idea when the Taiko part will be finished?

 

And the XDMI card for Aries Cerat?
Do you have any idea when the Taiko part will be finished?

The development for this is almost finished. However, pending more pressing developments, this has been put on a lower priority for the time being. As such, we currently have no defined release date.

 

It's a shame if it's "almost finished"

 

It's a shame if it's "almost finished"

We have several exciting developments in progress. However, as a small team, we must prioritize our efforts and cannot tackle everything simultaneously. By focusing on key decisions now, we can ensure that our future projects receive the attention they deserve, even if some may need to wait a bit longer. Thank you for your understanding!