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".

 

Has the building begun????

It has begun!

 

It has begun!

Amazing. Good luck with the process!

 

Single color for me.

silver both units

every other component I own is black so I love the silver as it makes Taiko stand out on my racks.

 

The first batch returned from the anodiser today!

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Opinions on bicolor ?

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Single color gets my vote...

 

Good point, adding a single color I/O would probably not look that great.

Keep it simple with one solid color as opposed to two (which IMHO gives the odd appearance of two devices)...
I think the solid color looks great the way it is. However, if you have no production delays additionally providing customers with the mixed color options and some want that choice then that's a nice accommodation for Taiko to decide...I'll take my solid silver Olympus asap

 

Keep it simple with one solid color as opposed to two (which IMHO gives the odd appearance of two devices)...
I think the solid color looks great the way it is. However, if you have no production delays additionally providing customers with the mixed color options and some want that choice then that's a nice accommodation for Taiko to decide...I'll take my solid silver Olympus asap

Candy apple red or electric blue metal flake to match one of my amplifiers would be very cool:



Steve Z

 

Black I/O with a Two Tone Olympus stacked on top to form an Oreo... Mmmmm....

 

When possible, can we see a photo of an Olympus—I/O stack? Will that be an “approved” setup?

 

When possible, can we see a photo of an Olympus—I/O stack? Will that be an “approved” setup?

I/O chassis parts have not arrived yet. Will share once they do!

 

I assume there is a sonic improvement when the I/O is on its own shelf? Have you listened for that?

 

Opinions on bicolor ?

View attachment 129760

I prefer a single color. I have TAD amp + preamp in the two tone scheme and would rather have a solid color.

 

Hello Emile,

I am currently working on building a headphone system and was really excited by the possibility of integrating a headphone amp directly inside the Olympus. I wanted to enquire whether there has been any further thought given to this or something that you are actively working on at the moment? I believe it would be a fantastic integrated solution for many headphone lovers.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you!

 

I assume there is a sonic improvement when the I/O is on its own shelf? Have you listened for that?

Very likely yes but admittedly I have not yet actually performed that specific comparison.

 

Hello Emile,

I am currently working on building a headphone system and was really excited by the possibility of integrating a headphone amp directly inside the Olympus. I wanted to enquire whether there has been any further thought given to this or something that you are actively working on at the moment? I believe it would be a fantastic integrated solution for many headphone lovers.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you!

Yes, that is actually something we’re working on in tandem with the volume control option, which would obviously be necessary for that. We actually already have 600 Ohm drive capability but will add lower impedance drive capability, likely down to 75 Ohms.

 

Yes, that is actually something we’re working on in tandem with the volume control option, which would obviously be necessary for that.

Have you already decided what direction to follow with volume control?

Analogue or digital?

Cheers,

Thomas

 

Have you already decided what direction to follow with volume control?

Analogue or digital?

Cheers,

Thomas

Analogue.

 

Yes, that is actually something we’re working on in tandem with the volume control option, which would obviously be necessary for that. We actually already have 600 Ohm drive capability but will add lower impedance drive capability, likely down to 75 Ohms.

Thank you very much for the update Emile. That is really helpful. The vast majority of high-end electrostatic headphones from manufacturers like STAX, Audeze, HiFiMan, Dan Clark Audio require a 580V DC pro-bias 5pin output. It would be amazing if Olympus could support this connection as I am imagining that most users would like to connect headphones from this cohort to the Olympus.

 

Thank you very much for the update Emile. That is really helpful. The vast majority of high-end electrostatic headphones from manufacturers like STAX, Audeze, HiFiMan, Dan Clark Audio require a 580V DC pro-bias 5pin output. It would be amazing if Olympus could support this connection as I am imagining that most users would like to connect headphones from this cohort to the Olympus.

We’ll look into that!

 

Thank you very much for the update Emile. That is really helpful. The vast majority of high-end electrostatic headphones from manufacturers like STAX, Audeze, HiFiMan, Dan Clark Audio require a 580V DC pro-bias 5pin output. It would be amazing if Olympus could support this connection as I am imagining that most users would like to connect headphones from this cohort to the Olympus.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but electrostatic headphones will need a totally different amp than dynamic headphones.

Is Taiko planning on creating an electrostatic amp version of XDMI too?

 

I'd like to put this following post up for all USA purchasers who are anxiously awaiting delivery of their Olympus , IO orders. International shipments coming into the USA shipped by Taiko come via DHL. DHL serves in the other capacity of clearing the shipment through customs as the official agent. DHL is notoriously slow to clear international orders as the biggest reason is they typically lack the tax ID of the recipient. Usually they post a customs event clearance and they will not reach out to the recipient (even though the online tracking of the package says they will call the recipient). When that happens everything stops until the pertinent Tax ID info is received. When you call DHL customer service to give the information they typically tell you that they don't know what the clearance event was due to and this adds usually 3 days until customer service gets this necessary information and once you give it to DHL customer service, this restarts the progress in the shipment clearance but honestly it's a crap shoot as to when they will get back to clear your shipment and be prepared for this to add a minimum of 3 more days. Once the shipment is cleared through DHL another day will pass until you get another DHL notice stating that you have tax due to DHL for paying the import tax on your behalf. This comes with a notice that says unless they receive payment within 5 days, the shipment willl be returned to sender

As a result I encourage those in the USA who have placed orders with Taiko, to be ready when Taiko reaches out to you to alert you that they will be shipping your order, to have your tax ID (or your social security number) and phone number and email address to give to Taiko as this almost certainly will help avoid delays ( which none of us want)

HTH