Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
Thanks, Emile. Just so I'm clear, your recommendation is:
A: Modem - copper - FMC - 70' fiber - FMC - copper - eRegen - copper - Extreme
or
B: Modem - copper - eRegen - 70' fiber - Extreme
I like the simplicity of of option B. However, I do have the complication of the Mac mini (Roon Endpoint) in the mix.
So given that, I thought I would, with the purpose of bypassing the 70' of copper.... either
A: Use FMC's and fiber from Modem to eRegen with fiber to Extreme and copper (B side) to Mini or
B: Extend fiber 70' via a coupler and relocate Modem and ONT at the end of it and run the eRegen off the Modem from there. Then use the existing 70' of copper back to House and wifi router use there.
Option B would eliminate the need for FMC's and potential noise from them.
A: Modem - copper - FMC - 70' fiber - FMC - copper - eRegen - copper - Extreme
or
B: Modem - copper - eRegen - 70' fiber - Extreme
I like the simplicity of of option B. However, I do have the complication of the Mac mini (Roon Endpoint) in the mix.
So given that, I thought I would, with the purpose of bypassing the 70' of copper.... either
A: Use FMC's and fiber from Modem to eRegen with fiber to Extreme and copper (B side) to Mini or
B: Extend fiber 70' via a coupler and relocate Modem and ONT at the end of it and run the eRegen off the Modem from there. Then use the existing 70' of copper back to House and wifi router use there.
Option B would eliminate the need for FMC's and potential noise from them.
Yes, very good question! The only reason is I want to try Bacch DSP cross talk cancellation software which, frustratingly only runs on Mac OS. https://www.theoretica.us
I’ve been enjoying Emile’s SGM Extreme in my home for a little over two weeks now. It is providing far and away the best digital music I’ve ever heard, in my home or anywhere else. The density of sound, depth, nuance, texture and sheer realism easily rivals the best analog playback from my turntable. I’ve found that right out of the box with no optimization other than using the Startech FMC, SFPs and fiber optic recommended earlier in this thread, the Extreme delivers an emotionally involving musicality from all but the poorest digital transfers, whether streaming from an on-line service, serving music from my NAS, or playing files directly from on-board storage. I’ve also found that while the Extreme sounds superb as-is and certainly doesn’t demand heroic measures elsewhere in the system or LAN, it is transparent enough to reward careful experimentation and optimization with even higher levels of sonic performance.
During the initial set-up, Emile and I traded e-mails — mine in the form of progress reports and questions that occurred along the way, Emile’s in the form of quick replies to my questions and cheerful encouragement as I worked my way through the process of getting everything set up and my music library transferred to the Extreme’s internal storage. Note that included in the purchase of an Extreme is Emile’s services to perform all the setup, transfer of files, and operating system optimization, accomplished by logging into the Extreme via Teamviewer; I opted to do as much as possible myself because I learn and retain information best when I do things myself rather than watching someone else do them for me.
At the end of the process Emile requested I pull together my chronology of set up, the various questions I had and what seems to be working the best for me, and post my experience to the group to give new users and potential customers a feel for what getting the Extreme playing its best involves.
My expertise with the Windows operating system is that of a workplace user and doesn’t involve a lot of diving under the hood or getting into what makes Windows tick. We had an IT department for that. I’ve been a Macintosh user for my personal computing since 1985, but would hardly consider myself a power user on that platform. I’ve been using Roon since it was introduced and love the UI for the richness of the experience, though Roon by itself, while having very good sound quality, is bettered by a few other music players (Stylus EP, Innuos’ “Experimental” Squeezelite mode).
So, bear with me as I walk through my user experience thus far with the Extreme.
First, the ordering process couldn’t have been simpler. Emile and I communicated about my requirements, desired options — inputs and outputs in addition to the standard provided, amount of storage, color of finish — and what equipment I planned to use the Extreme with. We did a wire transfer for payment, and Emile got to work configuring my Extreme. Since my unit was already built, this also required re-configuring the power supply to accept North American standard 115VAC power.
Within a week my Extreme was ready to go. Shipping was super-fast — in two days from acceptance by the shipping company it was delivered to my doorstep from The Netherlands to the western US.
Pictures and specifications didn’t totally prepare me for how beautiful this device is, inside and out. The level of fit and finish, the bead-blasted aluminum, the engraving, the artistic pattern of ventilation holes on the top, the contrasting finish of the various connection panels recessed into the casework on the back panel, the well-protected heat sink fins on the sides — all are to the very highest standard. This isn’t just a high-end audio component, it is a work of industrial art.
Specifications also did not prepare me for just how large and heavy the Extreme actually is. I was able to carry it in from the garage by myself and lift it into place on my Stillpoints ESS rack without damage to the Extreme, anything in the area, or myself, but I wouldn’t want to try this with anything much heavier. It would be prudent to have at least another pair of strong hands available if you have more sense and patience than I possess. I would say the Extreme is at least as heavy as my D’Agostino amplifier and considerably larger in every dimension. However, the width is such that it still fits side-by-side with my dCS Vivaldi Upsampler and DAC on a double-wide Stillpoints ESS rack.
There are a variety of connection options available, standard being a card with open SFP cage, two RJ-45 ethernet ports, and USB. Output to DAC (or in my case, dCS Upsampler) can be either ethernet or USB.
I have both copper ethernet and fiber optic from my office on the other side of the entry foyer under the floor to my equipment rack in the living room. So after inserting an SFP into the open SFP cage, fiber into the SFP, power cable into IEC inlet, and trying to find a USB cable that would reach from the Extreme USB out to dCS Upsampler input — I found I had nothing on hand long enough to go from the right-hand side of the Taiko on the right side of my equipment rack to the left side of the Upsampler on the left side of the rack, I moved to plan B and connected one of the Extreme’s two RJ-45 ethernet ports to the Upsampler ethernet port.
A press of the front panel button and a brief pause to wait for the system to boot up — a beep announces all is ready — and, hmm. I can’t find the Taiko as an endpoint in Roon, nor can I find it as a device on my network. A bit of checking connections and it turns out that the FMC on the head-end of my fiber link has green lights, but the LEDs below the SFP on the Extreme are not lit. More checking connections, plugging things in and out, but no connection at the Extreme. So, first e-mail to Emile.
In the meantime, I decided to work around the lack of fiber connectivity by connecting my copper ethernet run into the Extreme’s other ethernet port. Voila! — there is the Extreme on the network and as an available core in Roon.
After de-authorizing my existing Roon core (Innuos Zenith) and authorizing the Extreme as the new core, then identifying the path to my NAS I let Roon scan the 6000+ albums/75,000+ tracks residing on my NAS and cued up something to stream from Qobuz. I was impatient to hear some music.
Oh my goodness! I had read through every single post on this thread and all the praise and raves for the sound quality of the Taiko, but just as with fit and finish, size and weight, reading about sound quality doesn’t come close to the actual experience of listening to music. Cold out of the box, hooked up to an unoptimized network, not using the recommended fiber input or USB output, not playing files from on-board storage — and yet the Extreme is already far and away the best sounding digital player I’ve ever experienced. Tonal density, clarity, depth, texture, nuance and a breath-taking naturalness are all off the charts. I had to sit down and just let the music wash over me.
To be continued. . .
During the initial set-up, Emile and I traded e-mails — mine in the form of progress reports and questions that occurred along the way, Emile’s in the form of quick replies to my questions and cheerful encouragement as I worked my way through the process of getting everything set up and my music library transferred to the Extreme’s internal storage. Note that included in the purchase of an Extreme is Emile’s services to perform all the setup, transfer of files, and operating system optimization, accomplished by logging into the Extreme via Teamviewer; I opted to do as much as possible myself because I learn and retain information best when I do things myself rather than watching someone else do them for me.
At the end of the process Emile requested I pull together my chronology of set up, the various questions I had and what seems to be working the best for me, and post my experience to the group to give new users and potential customers a feel for what getting the Extreme playing its best involves.
My expertise with the Windows operating system is that of a workplace user and doesn’t involve a lot of diving under the hood or getting into what makes Windows tick. We had an IT department for that. I’ve been a Macintosh user for my personal computing since 1985, but would hardly consider myself a power user on that platform. I’ve been using Roon since it was introduced and love the UI for the richness of the experience, though Roon by itself, while having very good sound quality, is bettered by a few other music players (Stylus EP, Innuos’ “Experimental” Squeezelite mode).
So, bear with me as I walk through my user experience thus far with the Extreme.
First, the ordering process couldn’t have been simpler. Emile and I communicated about my requirements, desired options — inputs and outputs in addition to the standard provided, amount of storage, color of finish — and what equipment I planned to use the Extreme with. We did a wire transfer for payment, and Emile got to work configuring my Extreme. Since my unit was already built, this also required re-configuring the power supply to accept North American standard 115VAC power.
Within a week my Extreme was ready to go. Shipping was super-fast — in two days from acceptance by the shipping company it was delivered to my doorstep from The Netherlands to the western US.
Pictures and specifications didn’t totally prepare me for how beautiful this device is, inside and out. The level of fit and finish, the bead-blasted aluminum, the engraving, the artistic pattern of ventilation holes on the top, the contrasting finish of the various connection panels recessed into the casework on the back panel, the well-protected heat sink fins on the sides — all are to the very highest standard. This isn’t just a high-end audio component, it is a work of industrial art.
Specifications also did not prepare me for just how large and heavy the Extreme actually is. I was able to carry it in from the garage by myself and lift it into place on my Stillpoints ESS rack without damage to the Extreme, anything in the area, or myself, but I wouldn’t want to try this with anything much heavier. It would be prudent to have at least another pair of strong hands available if you have more sense and patience than I possess. I would say the Extreme is at least as heavy as my D’Agostino amplifier and considerably larger in every dimension. However, the width is such that it still fits side-by-side with my dCS Vivaldi Upsampler and DAC on a double-wide Stillpoints ESS rack.
There are a variety of connection options available, standard being a card with open SFP cage, two RJ-45 ethernet ports, and USB. Output to DAC (or in my case, dCS Upsampler) can be either ethernet or USB.
I have both copper ethernet and fiber optic from my office on the other side of the entry foyer under the floor to my equipment rack in the living room. So after inserting an SFP into the open SFP cage, fiber into the SFP, power cable into IEC inlet, and trying to find a USB cable that would reach from the Extreme USB out to dCS Upsampler input — I found I had nothing on hand long enough to go from the right-hand side of the Taiko on the right side of my equipment rack to the left side of the Upsampler on the left side of the rack, I moved to plan B and connected one of the Extreme’s two RJ-45 ethernet ports to the Upsampler ethernet port.
A press of the front panel button and a brief pause to wait for the system to boot up — a beep announces all is ready — and, hmm. I can’t find the Taiko as an endpoint in Roon, nor can I find it as a device on my network. A bit of checking connections and it turns out that the FMC on the head-end of my fiber link has green lights, but the LEDs below the SFP on the Extreme are not lit. More checking connections, plugging things in and out, but no connection at the Extreme. So, first e-mail to Emile.
In the meantime, I decided to work around the lack of fiber connectivity by connecting my copper ethernet run into the Extreme’s other ethernet port. Voila! — there is the Extreme on the network and as an available core in Roon.
After de-authorizing my existing Roon core (Innuos Zenith) and authorizing the Extreme as the new core, then identifying the path to my NAS I let Roon scan the 6000+ albums/75,000+ tracks residing on my NAS and cued up something to stream from Qobuz. I was impatient to hear some music.
Oh my goodness! I had read through every single post on this thread and all the praise and raves for the sound quality of the Taiko, but just as with fit and finish, size and weight, reading about sound quality doesn’t come close to the actual experience of listening to music. Cold out of the box, hooked up to an unoptimized network, not using the recommended fiber input or USB output, not playing files from on-board storage — and yet the Extreme is already far and away the best sounding digital player I’ve ever experienced. Tonal density, clarity, depth, texture, nuance and a breath-taking naturalness are all off the charts. I had to sit down and just let the music wash over me.
To be continued. . .
Last edited:
Part Two:
I spent the remainder of that first day and well into the early hours of the following morning listening to music and reveling in the spectacular sound of old favorites and new discoveries, both streamed and played from my NAS. I finally had to shut everything down and get a little sleep, but not before having one of the most satisfying listening experiences of my life.
Emile's response to my e-mail concerning my inability to get the Extreme playing via fiber was waiting for me later that morning, and after requesting a picture of the switch positions on the Startech FMC, suggested that I change the position of DIP switches 3 and 4, from LFP (OFF) and AUTO, to LFP (ON) and FORCE. This did the trick -- now the green light below the SFP on the Extreme was operating, and I was able to disconnect my LAN copper ethernet feed from the Extreme in favor of the direct fiber connection.
Above photo showing the as-shipped DIP switch positions on the Startech FMC. Switch 3 and 4 need to be changed to 3 ON and 4 FORCE to communicate with the Extreme
As good as playback was with copper ethernet input to the Extreme, fiber directly into the SFP on the Extreme's network card is even better -- there is a clarity and directness to the sound in addition to all the other virtues that makes the 50' of copper ethernet sound almost fuzzy in comparison.
Emile also clarified another issue that occurred during my initial session with the Extreme. In the course of experimenting with Roon's several dCS Upsampler zones, I wasn't able to get the Extreme's Roon/JPlay zone working. This was because Roon/JPlay is only functional with USB and not ethernet output. So my JPlay evaluation would have to wait until I found a USB cable long enough to work.
Rummaging around in my cable box I found an inexpensive Shunyata Research Venom USB cable that looked like it would do the job. Initially retailing for around $250 USD, it is now found discounted as low as $85 USD. It is a competent though not particularly special performer -- it does nothing wrong, but it doesn't possess the magic that better (and usually much more expensive) USB cables possess, including Shunyata's own Alpha and Sigma USB cables. Still, the Venom was long enough to work, and I hooked it up from Extreme to dCS Upsampler. Now I could select the JPlay zone in Roon.
Even with the middle of the road Venom it was quickly apparent JPlay is the superior output option compared to straight Roon. More dimensionality, more solidity of images, more three dimensional space. It reminded me of the sonic improvement I noticed with Innuos' "Experimental" (Squeezelite player) mode relative to straight Roon playback. I did a brief comparison of ethernet output from the Extreme to Upsampler (in normal Roon mode) to USB from Extreme to Upsampler (also in normal Roon mode) and though the sound quality between the two methods was closer, I think I still preferred USB over ethernet. With the addition of JPlay as a USB option, my choice was easy and I disconnected my wired copper ethernet network feed from the Extreme.
I asked Emile about the possibility of bridging the two ethernet ports on the Extreme to allow network pass-through, but he advised against doing so, since the additional network traffic through the Extreme would have a negative effect on sound quality in his experience. Other than simplifying my network feeds behind the equipment rack (for dCS control apps Mosaic and Vivaldi 2.0 to work, the dCS Upsampler needs to be connected to the network), there is no advantage to me for bridging the Extreme ethernet ports and indeed some potential disadvantage, so I am happy enough to avoid bridging.
I also logged into the Extreme's desktop via VNC Viewer, located the Music folder (drive D) and started transferring music files from my NAS to the Extreme on-board storage.
The only other idiosyncracy I noticed using JPlay is that sometimes a track would start playing in Roon but after a few seconds it would stop, Roon's "play" arrow would grey-out and I'd get the message "Nothing is playing. Select some music."
Another e-mail to Emile, who confirmed that this wasn't totally unexpected -- there are settings that can be optimized in JPlay for the specific endpoint device in use, and also, JPlay evidently doesn't play well with other USB zones enabled in Roon. JPlay likes to have exclusive access to the Roon core.
The latter I could easily take care of and did, but optimizing JPlay for the dCS Upsampler wasn't something I felt particularly confident of accomplishing, so we set up a time for Emile to log in remotely using TeamViewer and show me how to set up JPlay.
Once optimized, JPlay has been working like a charm without any unexpected stoppages or other misbehavior.
I continued to enjoy digital music playback from Tidal and Qobuz while my file transfer to the Extreme progressed. Somehow "enjoy" seems like much too mild a descriptor -- it was and continues to be very difficult to tear myself away from listening with the Extreme!
More to follow. . .
I spent the remainder of that first day and well into the early hours of the following morning listening to music and reveling in the spectacular sound of old favorites and new discoveries, both streamed and played from my NAS. I finally had to shut everything down and get a little sleep, but not before having one of the most satisfying listening experiences of my life.
Emile's response to my e-mail concerning my inability to get the Extreme playing via fiber was waiting for me later that morning, and after requesting a picture of the switch positions on the Startech FMC, suggested that I change the position of DIP switches 3 and 4, from LFP (OFF) and AUTO, to LFP (ON) and FORCE. This did the trick -- now the green light below the SFP on the Extreme was operating, and I was able to disconnect my LAN copper ethernet feed from the Extreme in favor of the direct fiber connection.
Above photo showing the as-shipped DIP switch positions on the Startech FMC. Switch 3 and 4 need to be changed to 3 ON and 4 FORCE to communicate with the ExtremeAs good as playback was with copper ethernet input to the Extreme, fiber directly into the SFP on the Extreme's network card is even better -- there is a clarity and directness to the sound in addition to all the other virtues that makes the 50' of copper ethernet sound almost fuzzy in comparison.
Emile also clarified another issue that occurred during my initial session with the Extreme. In the course of experimenting with Roon's several dCS Upsampler zones, I wasn't able to get the Extreme's Roon/JPlay zone working. This was because Roon/JPlay is only functional with USB and not ethernet output. So my JPlay evaluation would have to wait until I found a USB cable long enough to work.
Rummaging around in my cable box I found an inexpensive Shunyata Research Venom USB cable that looked like it would do the job. Initially retailing for around $250 USD, it is now found discounted as low as $85 USD. It is a competent though not particularly special performer -- it does nothing wrong, but it doesn't possess the magic that better (and usually much more expensive) USB cables possess, including Shunyata's own Alpha and Sigma USB cables. Still, the Venom was long enough to work, and I hooked it up from Extreme to dCS Upsampler. Now I could select the JPlay zone in Roon.
Even with the middle of the road Venom it was quickly apparent JPlay is the superior output option compared to straight Roon. More dimensionality, more solidity of images, more three dimensional space. It reminded me of the sonic improvement I noticed with Innuos' "Experimental" (Squeezelite player) mode relative to straight Roon playback. I did a brief comparison of ethernet output from the Extreme to Upsampler (in normal Roon mode) to USB from Extreme to Upsampler (also in normal Roon mode) and though the sound quality between the two methods was closer, I think I still preferred USB over ethernet. With the addition of JPlay as a USB option, my choice was easy and I disconnected my wired copper ethernet network feed from the Extreme.
I asked Emile about the possibility of bridging the two ethernet ports on the Extreme to allow network pass-through, but he advised against doing so, since the additional network traffic through the Extreme would have a negative effect on sound quality in his experience. Other than simplifying my network feeds behind the equipment rack (for dCS control apps Mosaic and Vivaldi 2.0 to work, the dCS Upsampler needs to be connected to the network), there is no advantage to me for bridging the Extreme ethernet ports and indeed some potential disadvantage, so I am happy enough to avoid bridging.
I also logged into the Extreme's desktop via VNC Viewer, located the Music folder (drive D) and started transferring music files from my NAS to the Extreme on-board storage.
The only other idiosyncracy I noticed using JPlay is that sometimes a track would start playing in Roon but after a few seconds it would stop, Roon's "play" arrow would grey-out and I'd get the message "Nothing is playing. Select some music."
Another e-mail to Emile, who confirmed that this wasn't totally unexpected -- there are settings that can be optimized in JPlay for the specific endpoint device in use, and also, JPlay evidently doesn't play well with other USB zones enabled in Roon. JPlay likes to have exclusive access to the Roon core.
The latter I could easily take care of and did, but optimizing JPlay for the dCS Upsampler wasn't something I felt particularly confident of accomplishing, so we set up a time for Emile to log in remotely using TeamViewer and show me how to set up JPlay.
Once optimized, JPlay has been working like a charm without any unexpected stoppages or other misbehavior.
I continued to enjoy digital music playback from Tidal and Qobuz while my file transfer to the Extreme progressed. Somehow "enjoy" seems like much too mild a descriptor -- it was and continues to be very difficult to tear myself away from listening with the Extreme!
More to follow. . .
Last edited:
Part Three:
One of the things Emile and I communicated about even before my Extreme arrived was the optimum configuration for my LAN to get the very best out of the Extreme. Emile confirmed my suspicion that minimizing or eliminating network traffic through the Extreme would be a good thing. So the next experiment I tried was changing from a LAN configuration of:
DSL modem/router (Wifi off) > copper jumper > Synology RT2600ac router (Wifi on) > copper jumper > TLS switch/Uptone LPS-1 p/s > copper jumper > Startech FMC/SFP > fiber > SFP/Extreme
(the above also having my NAS and an AV system Netgear GS108 switch connected to the TLS switch)
To a much simpler configuration:
DSL modem/router (Wifi off) > copper jumper > Startech FMC/SFP > fiber > SFP/Extreme
The Synology RT2600ac and everything downstream still remains intact, but with the completion of transferring all my music files from the NAS to the Extreme, the NAS is powered down and disconnected from the TLS switch except for periodic backups from Extreme to NAS
This resulted in a noticeable improvement in sound quality for music streamed from internet-based sources to the Extreme. It still doesn't equal local file playback from the Extreme's onboard storage, but it is closer and very, very good in its own right. A slight edge that sometimes became apparent with less favored digital transfers from Tidal and Qobuz was tamed to a large extent and more of the sense of space and ambience comes through with streaming media using the direct from modem connection.
I also bumped up that sound quality a little more by removing the OEM SMPS power supply from the head-end Startech FMC and replacing it with a 12 VDC feed from an Uptone Audio JS-2 linear power supply.
However, using the other rail of the JS-2 to power the DSL modem didn't seem to make any significant further improvement, though it certainly hasn't hurt anything.
I tried putting Stillpoints cones and Vibrapods under the DSL modem, FMC and JS-2 power supply but didn't hear any particular benefit to doing so.
Still, it was instructive to hear how responsive the Extreme can be to networking optimization.
I wanted to try out a better USB cable than the decent Shunyata Venom and Mark's new Sablon USB cable had been getting a lot of positive comment here on WBF and other forums, so I put one on order. The price is certainly right, the transit time from UK to US proved to be just as fast as with the Extreme, and Mark's 30-day return policy takes the risk out of buying before trying. But the best part of the whole deal is hearing in person that all the praise is genuinely deserved and not hype at all. As Roy (Romaz) has already posted, the Sablon USB cable is a wonderfully direct, even-handed, and supremely natural sounding cable. As such I find it is the perfect complement to the Extreme's attributes and my own sonic preferences.
I've pretty much put to rest the experimentation for the time being in favor of just plopping down in my favorite chair and listening to all kinds of music. Before the Extreme I'd have said that good vinyl pressings still ruled the day at my house, but now I have to revise that opinion. As things stand it now takes the very best of vinyl to equal or better digital playback via the Extreme. Don't get me wrong -- I"m still spinning LPs and enjoying what I hear, but now the choice is more about the quality and provenance of the music and not so much at all about digital versus analog. And that is a very wonderful thing.
Hats off to Emile and all his team for a superb product!
I hope there was something of value to WBF members in my long user-experience posts.
Steve Z
One of the things Emile and I communicated about even before my Extreme arrived was the optimum configuration for my LAN to get the very best out of the Extreme. Emile confirmed my suspicion that minimizing or eliminating network traffic through the Extreme would be a good thing. So the next experiment I tried was changing from a LAN configuration of:
DSL modem/router (Wifi off) > copper jumper > Synology RT2600ac router (Wifi on) > copper jumper > TLS switch/Uptone LPS-1 p/s > copper jumper > Startech FMC/SFP > fiber > SFP/Extreme
(the above also having my NAS and an AV system Netgear GS108 switch connected to the TLS switch)
To a much simpler configuration:
DSL modem/router (Wifi off) > copper jumper > Startech FMC/SFP > fiber > SFP/Extreme
The Synology RT2600ac and everything downstream still remains intact, but with the completion of transferring all my music files from the NAS to the Extreme, the NAS is powered down and disconnected from the TLS switch except for periodic backups from Extreme to NAS
This resulted in a noticeable improvement in sound quality for music streamed from internet-based sources to the Extreme. It still doesn't equal local file playback from the Extreme's onboard storage, but it is closer and very, very good in its own right. A slight edge that sometimes became apparent with less favored digital transfers from Tidal and Qobuz was tamed to a large extent and more of the sense of space and ambience comes through with streaming media using the direct from modem connection.
I also bumped up that sound quality a little more by removing the OEM SMPS power supply from the head-end Startech FMC and replacing it with a 12 VDC feed from an Uptone Audio JS-2 linear power supply.
However, using the other rail of the JS-2 to power the DSL modem didn't seem to make any significant further improvement, though it certainly hasn't hurt anything.
I tried putting Stillpoints cones and Vibrapods under the DSL modem, FMC and JS-2 power supply but didn't hear any particular benefit to doing so.
Still, it was instructive to hear how responsive the Extreme can be to networking optimization.
I wanted to try out a better USB cable than the decent Shunyata Venom and Mark's new Sablon USB cable had been getting a lot of positive comment here on WBF and other forums, so I put one on order. The price is certainly right, the transit time from UK to US proved to be just as fast as with the Extreme, and Mark's 30-day return policy takes the risk out of buying before trying. But the best part of the whole deal is hearing in person that all the praise is genuinely deserved and not hype at all. As Roy (Romaz) has already posted, the Sablon USB cable is a wonderfully direct, even-handed, and supremely natural sounding cable. As such I find it is the perfect complement to the Extreme's attributes and my own sonic preferences.
I've pretty much put to rest the experimentation for the time being in favor of just plopping down in my favorite chair and listening to all kinds of music. Before the Extreme I'd have said that good vinyl pressings still ruled the day at my house, but now I have to revise that opinion. As things stand it now takes the very best of vinyl to equal or better digital playback via the Extreme. Don't get me wrong -- I"m still spinning LPs and enjoying what I hear, but now the choice is more about the quality and provenance of the music and not so much at all about digital versus analog. And that is a very wonderful thing.
Hats off to Emile and all his team for a superb product!
I hope there was something of value to WBF members in my long user-experience posts.
Steve Z
Fantastic Steve. I know we have a lot of music we like in common that is not audiophile in nature, eg 70s prog rock, and often sounds way better on vinyl. If you're proposing that this music is equally as good via the Extreme or better, that is a bold claim, but I know you wouldn't say this lightly. Hugely impressed.
Thank you Marc. Don't get me wrong -- the Extreme is superb, but it isn't magic. Poorly recorded or indifferently transfered analog to digital doesn't suddenly sound great. But good digital sounds very, very good and can be listened to for hours and hours without fatigue.
I think what the Extreme has done is make my decision-making less about analog vs. digital and more about what's the best sounding version of the particular piece of music. And that now is not automatically vinyl over digital and is more based on provenance, care and skill of producers and mastering engineers, and the overall concern with sound quality that the label brings to bear. Just as it always was in the days when vinyl was the only game in town.
Steve Z
I had the opportunity to hear Steve’s system last month prior to the Extreme’s arrival. It was the best sound I’d ever heard from digital. But then he put on a record and it was quite a leap forward in naturalness and believability. It’s quite a big deal to hear that the Extreme closed that gap.
I have to admit though that I could have very happily lived with Steve’s digital playback prior to the Extreme. When I closed my eyes his room completely disappeared. Opening my eyes again it was jarring to find myself sitting in a space so much smaller than the huge space his system had transported me to. I can’t even imagine what that experience will be like now that he has the Extreme. I’m glad though that I got to hear his system just before the Extreme arrived as that should allow me to better get a handle on what the Extreme brings to the table the next time I hear his system.
Thank you for the kind words, Ken. I appreciate your keen ears, love of music, and your friendship. It is very helpful to me to get the feedback of experienced music-lovers such as yourself to act as a reality check -- I sometimes wonder if I'm on the right track and it really helps to have constructive criticism so I can continue to address weak areas in my system's performance.
I'm hoping in the near future to be able to host you and other area friends for another day of music listening. You'll be able to tell me if I'm being over-the-top in my praise of the Extreme!
Steve Z
I probably won't have it in my system until next week. I'll let you know!
Excellent posts! I really appreciate your explanations behind getting the setup running.
Thank you very much. This thread and all of the folks who so generously shared their experiences were very helpful to me in making the decision to get a Taiko Audio Extreme. So this is my modest effort to give back and perhaps help someone else.
Steve Z
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Thank you for this elaborate report Steve. It sure was an unique experience sitting on the side lines reading your progress reports while you were figuring everything out by yourself!
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