Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème
- Thread starter CKKeung
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steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Steve, I have a set of CS 1.5M (which have been release when … late 2021?) under my Extreme which I quite like. Thought about upgrading maybe to the Ultra TTs (released January 2023) some time. And now there is yet another iteration?! As good as the Center Stage footers are, I find this a rather inflationary product cycle rate for footers! … or are they placed above the 2M ans TTs or really intended for loudspeakers (only)?
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
These are LS series, designed for speakers!!!Not for under electronics BUT I said why not and I was gobsmacked. FWIW pricing on these IIRC is less than the Ultra TT so for me it is a win win. The Ultra TT was designed to replace the 2M and they are spectacular under the Extreme. It's just that these LS Ultra 2.25 designed for smaller speakers are spectacular under the Extreme. FWIW, I have a total of 80 ultra TT's under all of my electronics. When I swapped out the Ultra TT's under the Extreme for the LS Ultra 2.25 I could hear the difference immediately
Ok, thanks for the clarification. That means they could potentially have the same positive effect under your other electronics as well. I‘m happy to hear your experiences, especially, if those footers would be less costly than the Ultra TTs/2Ms.
…. now that ball shaped look is yet another thing. But heck, if it sounds great!
…. now that ball shaped look is yet another thing. But heck, if it sounds great!
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
The only other comment about these speaker feet is that they settle very quickly (under 2 days). And yes experimentation can sometimes lead to very pleasant but unexpected results. Once again the Ultra TT under the Extreme will outperform the 2M but these speaker footers for smaller speakers under the heavy extreme produced a sound that for me bested the Ultra TT
Christiaan posted a three-part series with his impressions of various footers and stands earlier in the thread. The Search function at the top of the page should turn them up without too much problem.
Steve Z
Received my router the other day via my dealer.
Missing wifi antenna... investigate - DHL tape says, repacked ..huge customs sticker says, security inspection. Customs opened and went through contents... ugh!
Emailed support and not 10 minutes later Ted is replying back. Within an hour there's a plan send to me a antenna.
This was roughly 10pm his time on a Friday night.
Thank you Ted and the Taiko team.
Mn
Missing wifi antenna... investigate - DHL tape says, repacked ..huge customs sticker says, security inspection. Customs opened and went through contents... ugh!
Emailed support and not 10 minutes later Ted is replying back. Within an hour there's a plan send to me a antenna.
This was roughly 10pm his time on a Friday night.
Thank you Ted and the Taiko team.
Mn
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I met Ted 4 years ago when he and Emile took a trip across the pond and visited me, Mike Lavigne and Rhapsody Audio. I found Ted to be a young, extremely bright person who was an entrepreneur in his own little way. I enjoyed picking his brain as he knew how to make money with some of his online offerings. The taiko team truly is a bunch of amazing people who have customer service as their number one priority
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
For those of you who have talked to Ted, here a a few photos of Emile and Ted when they visited. IIRC Ted was still a teen ager when he visited or early 20's at the most, but he told me ways he discovered to earn money on line and after spending a few days with him , I can tell you this kid is going to go far
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Now that I've got 500 or more hours on my Taiko router and DC Distributor I thought I'd check back in with a progress report.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that break-in has been occurring this entire time. Though not dramatic and thankfully free of up and down swings that sometimes happen with some cables or equipment, it's been a steady cumulative process. I can honestly say every time I've sat down in front of the stereo since day one with the new Taiko router and DCD it has sounded better and better.
Tonight was no exception and I must have gotten a little too enthusiastic with the volume control because my wife gave me a time out while I was playing through Tool's Fear Inoculum album. She only relented after I promised cross-my-heart to keep it dialed back (a little -- I had my fingers crossed behind my back!)
So the router/DCD combination has passed both halves of the "can I listen lower than normal/can I turn it up higher than normal?" test.
I haven't heard any reason to change my preference of Taiko router/DCD Alternate 2 and Taiko switch/DCD Default for XDMS, and Taiko router/DCD Alternate 1 Taiko switch/DCD default for Roon. I still prefer XDMS to Roon but absent the comparison, Roon sounds very good.
Currently the router and switch are on a close-laminated bamboo panel supported by three Stillpoints Ultras and the DCD on another bamboo laminate on three Stillpoints original cones. I haven't played yet with other supports or footers.
At this point I had planned on removing the Taiko router and DCD just to do a credibility check on myself and maybe quantify a little the magnitude of the improvement the router/DCD combo is making. But music sounds so good I'm finding hard to distrupt things.
Steve Z
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that break-in has been occurring this entire time. Though not dramatic and thankfully free of up and down swings that sometimes happen with some cables or equipment, it's been a steady cumulative process. I can honestly say every time I've sat down in front of the stereo since day one with the new Taiko router and DCD it has sounded better and better.
Tonight was no exception and I must have gotten a little too enthusiastic with the volume control because my wife gave me a time out while I was playing through Tool's Fear Inoculum album. She only relented after I promised cross-my-heart to keep it dialed back (a little -- I had my fingers crossed behind my back!)
So the router/DCD combination has passed both halves of the "can I listen lower than normal/can I turn it up higher than normal?" test.
I haven't heard any reason to change my preference of Taiko router/DCD Alternate 2 and Taiko switch/DCD Default for XDMS, and Taiko router/DCD Alternate 1 Taiko switch/DCD default for Roon. I still prefer XDMS to Roon but absent the comparison, Roon sounds very good.
Currently the router and switch are on a close-laminated bamboo panel supported by three Stillpoints Ultras and the DCD on another bamboo laminate on three Stillpoints original cones. I haven't played yet with other supports or footers.
At this point I had planned on removing the Taiko router and DCD just to do a credibility check on myself and maybe quantify a little the magnitude of the improvement the router/DCD combo is making. But music sounds so good I'm finding hard to distrupt things.
Steve Z
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whew. coming off another couple hour Taiko high. Have close to 4.5 days on the Router and Power Distributor running through 'default' (and only XDMS). I have noticed maybe an incremental improvement since that initial euphoric evening, but I'd say 90% was already there out of the box. Not a drop from Taiko wifi since first connection.
What has amazed me most is that I thought with the Router and PD... ok, going to get lower noise floor and hear more detail (another finger movement across the guitar strings or voice in the crowd)... but that has not been the main effect (maybe a touch of that). I fully suspect there is a lower noise floor but the audible signs are in the tonal density, saturation, imaging, soundstage (especially in my case the depth), confident delivery and lack of fatigue.... and not necessarily further nuanced detail. This is actually a much more desirable result to me. I dare say the full network 'bundle' (switch, router and PD) is as transformative as the Extreme itself. But of course one would not be possible without the other.
Ready to try the alternative filters tomorrow as my wife heads out on work trip. Again, thanks, enjoy and take care.
What has amazed me most is that I thought with the Router and PD... ok, going to get lower noise floor and hear more detail (another finger movement across the guitar strings or voice in the crowd)... but that has not been the main effect (maybe a touch of that). I fully suspect there is a lower noise floor but the audible signs are in the tonal density, saturation, imaging, soundstage (especially in my case the depth), confident delivery and lack of fatigue.... and not necessarily further nuanced detail. This is actually a much more desirable result to me. I dare say the full network 'bundle' (switch, router and PD) is as transformative as the Extreme itself. But of course one would not be possible without the other.
Ready to try the alternative filters tomorrow as my wife heads out on work trip. Again, thanks, enjoy and take care.
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steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
@ctydwn
do I remember that you used "unfiltered" ports on the DCD first? I am interested how you compare unfiltered to "default" alt1 and alt2
Has anyone done this comparison
I think I have done something similar to what you are asking, Steve. But not the same.
I initially powered my Router (and Switch) with an LPS with additional voltage regulation, a claimed 750 nanovolts.
When I added the DCD I powered it from the LPS only (ie removed the regulation / filtering after it) and used the default DCD outputs (ie not the passthrough) on both Router and Switch.
I got a very worthwhile improvement - I'm not swapping back!
I concluded that the DCD filtering / regulation is absolutely top class, and I'm sure that applies to the alts as well as default.
So although not using the DCD unfiltered passthrough ports, if I've understood what you after, you could consider that to be similar.
Hope that helps!
I initially powered my Router (and Switch) with an LPS with additional voltage regulation, a claimed 750 nanovolts.
When I added the DCD I powered it from the LPS only (ie removed the regulation / filtering after it) and used the default DCD outputs (ie not the passthrough) on both Router and Switch.
I got a very worthwhile improvement - I'm not swapping back!
I concluded that the DCD filtering / regulation is absolutely top class, and I'm sure that applies to the alts as well as default.
So although not using the DCD unfiltered passthrough ports, if I've understood what you after, you could consider that to be similar.
Hope that helps!
I started out first with the unfiltered ports of the DCD powering the Taiko router and switch while I plugged in load resistors into the two Default ports and Alt 1 and Alt 2. Only after I had about 125 hours of burn-in completed did I start trying different DCD ports to power the Taiko switch and router.
The attributes I'd assign to the Taiko router powered by unfiltered ports are greater clarity, greater ability to hear deeper into the mix, enhanced sense of natural color and timbre, and increased dimensionality.
When I started experimenting with the Default and Alternate ports I could quickly hear that my preferred port combinations removed any residual edginess or hardness, improved dynamic pop and swing, and expanded dimensionality, particularly depth, even more.
With a non-optimum combination of filters the impression was of a flatter, greyer presentation, less interesting and lively. The optimum combination for XDMS and Roon brought back the impact, color, life and emotional involvement.
Steve Z
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Maybe I'm missing the point but did you compare unfiltered to alt1, alt2 and default
What sonic difference is there between default and unfiltered
