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 "Or we just design something new, perhaps adopt our SFP/QFSP technology, with a small remote daughterboard which can replace for example the jlsounds USB board, used by many manufacturers, let's say a better way to transport I2S. That would be similar to creating something like MSB Pro ISL or Wadax AKASA, but then replacing USB on the server side with XDMI"

I hope this is the Direction you take. When we hear achieving 50% or 60% potential I think this creates small reservations. I think we all want full potential of what you establish...

 

"if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it, and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good, hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be"

Roald Dahl

 

Let me explain the Olympus I/O options in a bit more detail:

There's no price difference between adding an Olympus I/O to a Extreme or Olympus server.

The Olympus I/O (export) price is EURO 20.800 without Network, USB or XDMI cards.

We are offering a pre mounting service, the Olympus I/O then ships to you with a Network card AND USB card OR XDMI card pre mounted. You can then just replace your existing USB and network card by the 2 interfaces cards, connect the I/O and ship your old USB and network card back to us. We are doing this to make the Olympus I/O addition as easy as we can.

So in this scenario, you already own the upgraded USB and network cards, which you return to us AFTER you have installed your Olympus I/O, you pay EURO 20.800.

If you DON'T already own the upgraded USB and network cards the Olympus I/O will be non functional, so you'll have to add those to your purchase. This then adds 2* EURO 1600 for a total of EURO 24.000.

If you ONLY own the USB card OR not the network card, you'll have to purchase the one you're missing and pay EURO 20.800 + 1* 1600 = EURO 22.400

If you don't use USB but have a network connected DAC (there are only a handful of those), you will need 2 network cards to be able to fully utilize the Olympus I/O, this does not change the math outlined above as the price of a network card is the same as the price for a usb card. If you have zero network cards you pay EURO 24.000, if you have 1 network card you pay EURO 22.400, if you have 2 network cards you pay EURO 20.800.

If you own an Extreme and want to add XDMI you will have to replace your USB card, so this option adds 15.000 - 1.600 = Euro 13.400 (minus the EURO 5000 introduction discount while it lasts, for Euro 8.400). If you don't own the USB card, you will pay Euro 15.000 (10.000 with introduction discount).

If you add the I/O to your Olympus the math becomes a bit easier, whether you go for USB or XDMI, it will always add EURO 20.800.

Hi Emile,
Long time reader, but first time poster! I've been very happily on the Taiko train for three years now having bought in after a Demo by Mark at Kog Audio in the UK. Since then, I've also bought in to the USB card, the NIC and Switch, and just waiting for the Router and DCD to arrive, all purely on your recommendation. The sound improvements from TAS and then XDMS proved Taiko knew what they were doing, and I could trust them! Just waiting for an NSM install now. I always knew the BPS would probably be beyond my reach, but was hoping for one more upgrade with an XDMI card. So, I was disappointed when your first announcement suggested it wasn't a good idea to install am XDMI card in an Extreme as it was too noisy an environment. However, the above post does have this as an option now, have I misunderstood anything? With the very generous introductory discount, EURO 10,000 seems a very reasonable way of trying out both the analogue and AES outputs always knowing that a much bigger improvement is promised when the Olympus I/O can be afforded. Is this correct?

Thanks for all the help, Steve

 

Perhaps I'm thinking more into this than need be! But that's kind of what we do! The SFP/QFSP Technology is what I was clumsily trying to allude to...We would then utilize XDMI to its full potential. Right? Thank You for explaining this...

Yes correct.

 

I hope this is the Direction you take. When we hear achieving 50% or 60% potential I think this creates small reservations. I think we all want full potential of what you establish...

For this part we’ll need to work together with DAC manufacturers. FWIW if you rate it the improvement as 50-60% over USB, I’d say that’s very conservative, even when using AES or SPDIF

 

Hi Emile,
Long time reader, but first time poster! I've been very happily on the Taiko train for three years now having bought in after a Demo by Mark at Kog Audio in the UK. Since then, I've also bought in to the USB card, the NIC and Switch, and just waiting for the Router and DCD to arrive, all purely on your recommendation. The sound improvements from TAS and then XDMS proved Taiko knew what they were doing, and I could trust them! Just waiting for an NSM install now. I always knew the BPS would probably be beyond my reach, but was hoping for one more upgrade with an XDMI card. So, I was disappointed when your first announcement suggested it wasn't a good idea to install am XDMI card in an Extreme as it was too noisy an environment. However, the above post does have this as an option now, have I misunderstood anything? With the very generous introductory discount, EURO 10,000 seems a very reasonable way of trying out both the analogue and AES outputs always knowing that a much bigger improvement is promised when the Olympus I/O can be afforded. Is this correct?

Thanks for all the help, Steve

Hi @The Prof ,

Unfortunately you do need the Olympius IO to use XDMI with the Extreme.

 

For this part we’ll need to work together with DAC manufacturers. FWIW if you rate it the improvement as 50-60% over USB, I’d say that’s very conservative, even when using AES or SPDIF

Now this was a nice little tickler! I think you hit the G-Spot with this!

 

Now this was a nice little tickler! I think you hit the G-Spot with this!

I wasn't aware you had a G-spot John. Learn something new everyday. At 50-60% improvement, maybe I have one too!

 

Emile, is there any update at the moment regarding how many Olympus will be in the first production run and what are the expected lead times for orders that are placed now or in the future that will be shipped from probably the second or third production runs?

 

I wasn't aware you had a G-spot John. Learn something new everyday. At 50-60% improvement, maybe I have one too!

When I had the stent put in I said WTF give me the works, G-spot and all! It will take a little while to feel the full advantage...Nerve endings' and such have to heal...Works off of higher frequencies....

 

Emile, is there any update at the moment regarding how many Olympus will be in the first production run and what are the expected lead times for orders that are placed now or in the future that will be shipped from probably the second or third production runs?

Initially we were assuming 20 in the first batch shipping from March the 14th with 6 more in each subsequent week.

We did receive 50 orders already which caught us a bit by surprise.

We are working on increasing the first batch size and increasing subsequent production rate to 10 a week.

We need to not only increase our own production volume, but also order more parts, schedule PCB production runs, reserve time slots etc, it’s quite a puzzle with so many bits and pieces.

I’m a bit slow on responding to all incoming questions and enquiries, but please don’t be worried, I’ll get through all of them and again initial date of enquiry determines queue position.

 

50? I'm impressed, Emile.

 

Living here on the west coast always results in a few pages of catch up reading every morning wrt all things Taiko. Well there is now a lot to catch up on as this thread is filled with Emile pearls. Today it took 2 cups of coffee and a whole lot more to digest. However the more I read the more I feel I want the whole enchilada regarding our DAC manufacturers jumping on board with interest in making this an end to end XDMI termination. For Emile to say that the 60% improvement we will initially hear with the aes/ebu solution is still leap years ahead of USB. Suffice it ti say the Taiko USB board was probably the first game changer in the great scheme of Taiko development so for all of who have yet to hear this partial XDMI to our DAC is definitely a start and reading some of the potential ways to create a fix made me realize that this is all possible. Yet I have to admit that as much as I think my Horizon is icing on the cake, the more I read about the XDMI analogue card and the internal DAC, accompanied by many of Emile's comments, which suggest that this is the next industry standard if well accepted by all manufacturers my curiosity is so piqued now that this comparison will likely be the thing I listen to first . I believe these past few years of R and D by Taiko has produced so much innovation that reading these threads is my morning "fix"

Just to prove the interest from this Taiko community , this thread is only 8 days old and and already has 630 posts but 38,000 views!!

When Taiko talks, we truly all listen. Some like myself are slow learners but when I can put this all together in my mind, to me the biggest development in this 2-3 year project could very well be XDMI. This plus the fact that XDMI will continue to evolve is just part of the taiko philosophy that everything matters and we early adopters will be the recipients of almost certainly all the benefits of XDMI.

MSB seem to be the closest to find a fix but I have faith and trust that between Emile and Lukasz, Taiko will also have a fix and the i2s solution suggested by Emile as easy was the most reassuring comment I read.Apparently Lukasz has much interest in this project and he too has an amazing mind so with 60% of the XDMI digital solution for starter along with the promise that this is already giant leaps ahead of USB, for me this is just all too important to ignore in the development of the best digital sound

So last week the this thread was started it took a lot of reading for e and explanation by others for me to grasp the magnitude of this project. NSM is early and alpha and still has a lot of bugs to squash but to be able to put these issues aside and push the play button and hear what NSM brings to the table is all part of this many years project. At the end of the day I never thought I would be hearing digital music on such a grandiose scale that makes me want to have the complete XDMI fix for my DAC yet deep down I am also betting that the DAC on the analogue card is not only on a scale with entry level DACs but also I am betting will give many of the topper DACs a run frothier money. So yes this is something I fully intend to explore but between Emile and Lukasz and some time for now I will be XDMI digital out via aes/ebu .For me right now without XDMI and having only NSM with my Extreme and Horizon, I find it virtually impossible for me to tell one format from another when I listen so the transition should be easy and painless followed up by the word "humbling" as this is the best to come

 

Initially we were assuming 20 in the first batch shipping from March the 14th with 6 more in each subsequent week.

We did receive 50 orders already which caught us a bit by surprise.

We are working on increasing the first batch size and increasing subsequent production rate to 10 a week.

We need to not only increase our own production volume, but also order more parts, schedule PCB production runs, reserve time slots etc, it’s quite a puzzle with so many bits and pieces.

I’m a bit slow on responding to all incoming questions and enquiries, but please don’t be worried, I’ll get through all of them and again initial date of enquiry determines queue position.

Emile’s posts have been particularly fascinating and elucidating today! I’m now starting to get a better overall picture.

I’d bet the likes of Lucasz at Lampi and Stravos of Aries Cerat are maniacal enough to collaborate with Emile to create an interface with XDMI. Will it be a Mad Scientist Creation or a more humble but still effective solution?

If you look at Areis Cerat gear, it’s easier to imagine the Mad Scientist route being pursued there!

With saving $$ in mind, I find myself hoping the XDMI analog out is so good that the more complex solutions won’t even be tempting. It’s also compelling to keep in mind the Taiko analog out will keep improving from it’s current iteration.

There’s something to be said for simplicity.

 

Initially we were assuming 20 in the first batch shipping from March the 14th with 6 more in each subsequent week.

We did receive 50 orders already which caught us a bit by surprise.

We are working on increasing the first batch size and increasing subsequent production rate to 10 a week.

We need to not only increase our own production volume, but also order more parts, schedule PCB production runs, reserve time slots etc, it’s quite a puzzle with so many bits and pieces.

I’m a bit slow on responding to all incoming questions and enquiries, but please don’t be worried, I’ll get through all of them and again initial date of enquiry determines queue position.

can you share the split between Olympus and I/O?
just curious how the earliest adopters are going at it.

 

For Emile to say that the 60% improvement we will initially hear with the aes/ebu solution is still leap years ahead of USB. Suffice it to say the Taiko USB board was probably the first game changer in the great scheme of Taiko development so for all of who have yet to hear this partial XDMI to our DAC is definitely a start and reading some of the potential ways to create a fix made me realize that this is all possible.

adding another data point. in my system, and with my ears, the taiko usb board, xdms, router and switch were all clearly audible improvements, however the latest NSM software re-architecture/optimization is the only one i consider a 'game changer'.

if NSM today is the baseline for the XDMI improvements to come, WOW!

 

adding another data point. in my system, and with my ears, the taiko usb board, xdms, router and switch were all clearly audible improvements, however the latest NSM software re-architecture/optimization is the only one i consider a 'game changer'.

if NSM today is the baseline for the XDMI improvements to come, WOW!

another interesting question for totaldac users and aes/ebu.
currently, many of us use multiple reclockers after the taiko usb card.
many have 1 or 2 totaldac reclockers ahead of the totaldac dac:
usb out => reclocker1 => reclocker2 => dac
where reclocker1 also converts the usb to aes/ebu and the second reclocker has aes/ebu in and out.

it will be very interesting to see if one or both reclockers are redundant with xdmi=>aes/ebu

 

For this part we’ll need to work together with DAC manufacturers. FWIW if you rate it the improvement as 50-60% over USB, I’d say that’s very conservative, even when using AES or SPDIF

I have no idea how they counted 60% not hearing it but I strongly prefer your numbers Emile because you heard it.
If Extreme USB is 100% than
300% Olympus , 330% Olympus IO

Also not sure why Steve is going to torture himself with 60% (160 in comparison to extreme) if he can hear 330% by getting direct XDMI to his pre .
Curious how long he will resist.
I bet same day switching .

 

another interesting question for totaldac users and aes/ebu.
currently, many of us use multiple reclockers after the taiko usb card.
many have 1 or 2 totaldac reclockers ahead of the totaldac dac:
usb out => reclocker1 => reclocker2 => dac
where reclocker1 also converts the usb to aes/ebu and the second reclocker has aes/ebu in and out.

it will be very interesting to see if one or both reclockers are redundant with xdmi=>aes/ebu

I have 3 reclockers at the moment.
Each brings very significant improvement now, to the point I prefer not to listen if one is removed.
Will report if this is the case after Olympus XDMI lands in my room

 

We wouldn't want this thread to only be for fanboys. We need to display warts and all imo.

I am chasing warts in XDMS every day LoL