Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,626
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E. England
Ed...you mean you're looking at offering TAS to non-Extreme users?
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Thanks for the additional detail, Emile. A few completely personal additional thoughts, based on your comments above. Part of me would find it ideal to just be able to switch over 100% to the SQ-first software and dump Roon (which I have used since early-pre-Meridian Sooloos days and applaud for moving the music server software game forward a long way). But I definitely feel the bloat--their priority seemingly 'to be all things to all people/preferences/hardware/etc.' So I could give up many of its embellishments in exchange for a SQ prioritized program that met most--or at least the most critical--of my personal needs. That may or may not happen, understandably.

The alternative and my 2nd choice would be to use your SQ-prioritized program primarily when it comes to playing back my own collection, with fewer Roon-like features and less metadata. Then I'd switch over to Roon for some of those other linking and cross-referencing and extended metadata features that tie to Qobuz/Tidal and additional 3rd party services, "Radio' play, and so forth. But I'd prefer this 2nd option to seeing your program trying to become 'all things to all people' (even if those people are limited by folks who share a certain hardware foundation, however that becomes defined).

Thanks.
If you’re an Extreme owner it’s a non issue as both Roon and TAS will be there. Using the remote app that’s soon to be released a simple button activation will turn one server off and a pushing another button will turn the other one on. I believe Emile completely understands how important Roon is for many users when it comes to metadata. Having said that my bet is Emile is going to develop metadata for the TAS that will prove to be as good or better than Roon. The beta version seems to change daily and knowing the brain power of Emile and his team as well as the fact that TAS is being driven by our input not what Roon decides to “Ruin” for us , I say give Emile and his team the chance they deserve. They hear us and are trying to develop TAS based on all the things Roon has Ruined. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
 
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BigAlMc

Well-Known Member
Jun 20, 2020
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Thank you for coming on stage and posting your observations and perspectives over the years.

We very much see this software project as an opportunity to deliver innovation and sound quality uplift not only to Extreme Owners but to other passionate audiophile market segments as well and in particular the DIY Audio community.

Thanks @EuroDriver

Will look forward to reading how things develop and who knows, actually hearing it one day.

Cheers,
Alan
 

QSA-LANEDRI

Industry Expert
Dec 17, 2018
135
295
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Belgium
What we already have in the beta version is:

-Folder based browsing.
-Database based browsing using the ID3 tags of locally stored files.
-Customizable views, which can be useful for classical music, for example browsing composers.
- Qobuz/Tidal favourites, which can be integrated into your main library if so desired (the "add to library" function in Roon adds an album to your Qobuz/Tidal favourites which subsequently get added to your main library). These favourites are therefor also available in TAS. You can also browse just your Qobuz or Tidal favourites.
-A search on Qobuz/Tidal function, for example if you play an album you can search for that album on Qobuz/Tidal, search for all albums by the artist, etc.
-A configurable library rescan, automatic when albums are added, scheduled at a specific time, or manual (this can prevent automated background scanning activity while playing music).

None of this has a negative effect on sound quality.

Audible while actively used, though VERY minimal:
-A more information feature which we can link to an external metadata provider.
-A jukebox function like Roon Radio, this can be tied to an external music suggestion provider.

To explore:
-External metadata providers.
-External music exploration services (suggestions).

Hi Emile,

On external music exploration I would recommend YouTube Music Premium as they do have excellent recommendations due to the long history they accumulated.


Thanks,
Anas
 

ray-dude

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2019
107
364
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Will look forward to reading how things develop and who knows, actually hearing it one day.

All roads lead to Hengelo Al, but the journey has many rewards along the way. Very much looking forward to when things are once again socially civil, and again being able to host audio sessions with fellow travelers.
 

Skanda

Well-Known Member
May 2, 2020
246
292
133
Completely agree with JPowell's post. I also don't care for the embellishments though lyrics are nice. Perhaps the new app could plug into the Genius api or something.

Emile/Taiko Audio, for what it's worth, I have a lot of data engineering and software engineering resources. I'm sure your team is well equipped to take on this build out but if you need any additional help or want to bounce ideas particularly around best practices for data management etc, feel free to dm me.

I am very excited about what's being built here. I feel like every day Emile and the team takes new steps in the name of customer satisfaction which alot of uber priced gear companies can certianly take some pointers from. This is very expensive but I feel like at this point you're paying for a team driven to keep this product one of the best around in this category. Really exceptional stuff and excited to see where this goes.
 

cat6man

Well-Known Member
Feb 6, 2013
913
1,050
1,185
west of NYC, east of SF
We have been working on new product releases which we intended to launch at the now cancelled Munich high-end show. Those are going to be delayed for several months as several of our subcontractors are working at reduced capacity.

A sneak peak of our planned "mini extreme" with some exciting new technology inside:

View attachment 63407

View attachment 63408

Hi Emile,

Have you been able to reset a target timeframe for release of the extreme mini?
 

EuroDriver

Well-Known Member
Sep 16, 2015
927
2,486
450
Monaco
Completely agree with JPowell's post. I also don't care for the embellishments though lyrics are nice. Perhaps the new app could plug into the Genius api or something.

Emile/Taiko Audio, for what it's worth, I have a lot of data engineering and software engineering resources. I'm sure your team is well equipped to take on this build out but if you need any additional help or want to bounce ideas particularly around best practices for data management etc, feel free to dm me.

I am very excited about what's being built here. I feel like every day Emile and the team takes new steps in the name of customer satisfaction which alot of uber priced gear companies can certianly take some pointers from. This is very expensive but I feel like at this point you're paying for a team driven to keep this product one of the best around in this category. Really exceptional stuff and excited to see where this goes.

Hi Skanda,

Sending you a PM

Look foward to our conversation

Best Regards

Ed
 
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RichardA

VIP/Donor
Mar 21, 2017
47
23
273
Calabasas CA
Ive been away from WBF for a few weeks and it looks like things have changed in the Extreme world.
At first glance it looks like I better not update my Roon. Secondly when is the TAS solution going to be available to Extreme users ?
 
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EuroDriver

Well-Known Member
Sep 16, 2015
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Ive been away from WBF for a few weeks and it looks like things have changed in the Extreme world.
At first glance it looks like I better not update my Roon. Secondly when is the TAS solution going to be available to Extreme users ?

The road map is

- Beta tuning was locked down yesterday

-Tuning settings being coded into the build

- Beta will be installed with some testers this week

- iPhone App ready in 2-3 weeks

- after digesting beta tester feedback, pushing out a general release With iPhone App

The iPhone app is needed for faster installation Process and switching between Roon and TAS

The first install will require a TeamViewer session with each and every Extreme Owner, but there are 4 of us to do this, so it will not take too long
 

Taiko Audio

Industry Expert
Feb 10, 2017
4,305
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1,925
The Netherlands
taikoaudio.com
Hi Emile,

Have you been able to reset a target timeframe for release of the extreme mini?

Hi cat6man,

The mini has been struck by Covid-19 induced parts shortages. Global demand on home entertainment electronics has been up while multiple factories have been temporarily shut down and/or working at decreased efficiency. The factory lead time of some of the mini's parts has increased to a staggering 27 weeks. We are now redesigning around different but more readily available parts. I cannot give you an ETA.
 

cat6man

Well-Known Member
Feb 6, 2013
913
1,050
1,185
west of NYC, east of SF
The road map is

- Beta tuning was locked down yesterday

-Tuning settings being coded into the build

- Beta will be installed with some testers this week

- iPhone App ready in 2-3 weeks

- after digesting beta tester feedback, pushing out a general release With iPhone App

The iPhone app is needed for faster installation Process and switching between Roon and TAS

The first install will require a TeamViewer session with each and every Extreme Owner, but there are 4 of us to do this, so it will not take too long

not a short term issue, but this is an apple-free environment here (android app follow-on?)
and windows-free as well (though i'll make an exception for a mini--a single specific usage) :)
 

Johnny Moondog

Well-Known Member
Oct 30, 2014
71
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265
The road map is

- iPhone App ready in 2-3 weeks

The iPhone app is needed for faster installation Process and switching between Roon and TAS

Asking for myself, and I would presume others who may be thinking the same.

Will an iPad version follow at a later stage?

“The iPhone app is needed for faster installation Process...” of TAS on the Extreme?
 
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EuroDriver

Well-Known Member
Sep 16, 2015
927
2,486
450
Monaco
Asking for myself, and I would presume others who may be thinking the same.

Will an iPad version follow at a later stage?

“The iPhone app is needed for faster installation Process...” of TAS on the Extreme?

The App and the Player control interface scales nicely from iPhone to iPad
 
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Johnny Moondog

Well-Known Member
Oct 30, 2014
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Order Has Been Restored To The Streaming Universe :cool:

As most of you are aware , I have had installed on my lap top a pre beta version of TAS and with what I heard with SQ improvement my plans was to follow the best SQ. I just found that over the past few Roon updates the sparkle to what I heard previously was gone. I was uninvolved and sessions were short. Emile gave me the privilege of giving some feedback in this prebeta version and my impression was" thumb's up, way up" It was my thought that the sound I heard from TAS was as good or better than what I heard when I got Roon and my Extreme in October not just by a small amount but by a very large margin. With the soon to be released remote app not available yet to me, Emile had to disable my Roon in order to enable TAS. In the future we will al be able to do this with the remote app. In my install, Emile discovered a few things which would not transfer across during my TAS install. For reasons beyond my pay grade Qobuz transferred perfectly but not so Tidal and there was also an issue with DSD 256 and DSD512 so that became known to Emile and his team and they were working to fix before the beta version is released

Yesterday I was exchanging messages with Emile and he stated that his team was still working day and night to get things smoothed out and it might be a few more days or even weeks. To mitigate my disappointment ;) Emile went on to say that with the knowledge he and his team have learned in the course of the development of the TAS, he has found a way to create a major improvement to Roon which he offered to install on my system. He wanted to get my input as well as tiding me over until the final beta version of TAS is released. How could I refuse, as this, if successful, will provide what most members wanted, to wit better SQ and Roon metadata all in one.

Emile did the install last night and I only had a chance to listen mid morning today. As the saying goes "I was not prepared for this" because what I heard IMHO was as good or almost as good as Emile's TAS. I have said that the things what I consider most important are timbre, tone, dynamics, decay, ambience, all of which brings with (for me at least) the feeling of "presence", or a "you are there" feeling which is lacking if the above attributes are absent. This new version of Roon to my ears is so good that if Emile was to never develop the TAS, we the listener would be forever satiated

When I discussed what I heard with Emile he agreed that this was almost as good as TAS lacking only slightly in detail and transparency !!!!!

The even better news was that as good as Roon is now, it still lacks a bit that TAS has. TAS is only a start for Emile who values everyone's feedback and is determined to continuously deliver to his clients the very best SQ. So my bet is he will continue to make TAS better and better in every way

What i heard today was totally engaging, so much so, that time became a non issue, as this was my longest listening session in many weeksThe dynamics, timbre, decay and tone was all there. So much more detail to hear yet never bloated or colored. Roon for me was back to not only be able to use its metadata and play music without having to use TAS, which is what many Extreme users preferred. So, in summary TAS beta is a little delayed but in the interim Emile has learned from TAS development some tricks to improve Roon and if I'm not mistaken won't be affected in the future by other Roon updates (maybe Ed or Emile can correct me if necessary). Unfortunately I could not do an A/B with TAS as we will in the future but TBH what Emile delivered to my system in Roon is so good that it might be difficult for me to distinguish one from the other in blind testing

The other thing I learned is that this Roon modification made by Emile to my Extreme could be operable to non Extreme but Roon users so stay tuned

AFAIK this Roon upgrade is not only so good but stable that Emile from my understanding will make this available tomorrow to all Extreme users
 

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