Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
I’m waiting to update on Monday. I want more time to evaluate my present iteration (Which is after the first Roon update and Emile’s fixer-upper tweak) before I switch to the new Taiko. For it to be better than what I have now will be pretty nice!!
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Roon’s increasing burden of data transfer activity turns out to have a silver lining for Taiko
If you want to have stellar sound quality with Roon then the Extreme is even more essential to have in your system. Whereas it was easy to criticize the Extreme for being excessively oversized on the hardware front, now this hardware processing and thread management capacity has paid off big time
Many pages ago in this thread, a WBF member opined that the Extreme’s obsolescence cycle would be short. Well I think the developments of the pasts weeks Has shown that Taiko’s ecosystem of Hardware, OS, server and player software and the Emile’s relentless rebuilding of both Roon and TAS operating environments will keep Taiko in the sound quality winners circle for many years to come
It’s like Taiko just had a Mercedes in the Sonic F1 garage for the last 4 years, but now Taiko has Ferrari as well, and there is know how transfer going on between the two
Last night, I had the best night’s sleep since the arrival of 537 LoL
If you want to have stellar sound quality with Roon then the Extreme is even more essential to have in your system. Whereas it was easy to criticize the Extreme for being excessively oversized on the hardware front, now this hardware processing and thread management capacity has paid off big time
Many pages ago in this thread, a WBF member opined that the Extreme’s obsolescence cycle would be short. Well I think the developments of the pasts weeks Has shown that Taiko’s ecosystem of Hardware, OS, server and player software and the Emile’s relentless rebuilding of both Roon and TAS operating environments will keep Taiko in the sound quality winners circle for many years to come
It’s like Taiko just had a Mercedes in the Sonic F1 garage for the last 4 years, but now Taiko has Ferrari as well, and there is know how transfer going on between the two
Last night, I had the best night’s sleep since the arrival of 537 LoL
Yes, CMP should go back to default, a brief summary is sent out to every customer after the upgrade with additional information.
Christoph
Well, my update has just been completed.
I am a relatively new Extreme owner so never had the opportunity to listen to earlier versions of Roon. I think I started on the previous version (555) and am now on 571.
I switched from a low powered NUC running Euphony Stylus.
I must say I was not overwhelmed when I first heard the Extreme in my system. It was better but not mind blowingly.
I put it down to "running-in" so patiently waited for things to improve over the last 4 weeks.
It did improve but only slightly.
There was no WOW moment until now!!
Goosebumps and tingles all 'round.
There's a vibrancy to the presentation i've not heard before.
Very happy! Thanks Emile and co.
I am a relatively new Extreme owner so never had the opportunity to listen to earlier versions of Roon. I think I started on the previous version (555) and am now on 571.
I switched from a low powered NUC running Euphony Stylus.
I must say I was not overwhelmed when I first heard the Extreme in my system. It was better but not mind blowingly.
I put it down to "running-in" so patiently waited for things to improve over the last 4 weeks.
It did improve but only slightly.
There was no WOW moment until now!!
Goosebumps and tingles all 'round.
There's a vibrancy to the presentation i've not heard before.
Very happy! Thanks Emile and co.
I have also tried a few different speaker systems as well as tubes vs SS with the new update. My observation is that whatever a particular system excels at ie, tubes- naturalness, texture/SS - dynamics, speed, the update brings out those qualities and make them very noticeable.
Not that the SS can't have great texture and sound natural or the tubes be dynamic etc, it's that most systems have a character and the update enhances the character that the system already has.
Not that the SS can't have great texture and sound natural or the tubes be dynamic etc, it's that most systems have a character and the update enhances the character that the system already has.
Trying to have the best of the to worlds, tubes and SS, in my setup and I am extremely satisfied so far with my what I hear where the latest update had a major SQ upgrade in my case.
SGM Extreme -->Mscaler/Dave-->BAT VK-53SE (tubes preamp) -->D'Agostino progession stereo amp--> Focal Maestro Utopia Evo
I am so happy with the BAT VK-53SE to the point I am selling it to get the REX III top model.
I still need to upgrade the cables and I am waiting the shipment of the switch jcat telegartner m12 gold.
Happy listening all!
Anas
I never post an opinion on an upgrade or a tweak without a few days listening. However this time I will make an exception to the Extreme software upgrade. Emile just carried it a few hours ago from his office and the difference is clear - more information, but keeping closer to what we listen in real music as there is no artificially exposed detail. Voices in my usual Savall reference recording - Routes de l'Esclavage - are more pronounced and nuanced, even more vibrant, but keeping the proper balance. The always impressive five last minutes of the Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Virgine are more dramatic then ever keeping its expressive diversity.
IMHO a big jump in sound quality using Qobuz, but also some very clear improvements with HiRez music being played from the PCIe drives. Surely a great work of Taiko Audio team.
IMHO a big jump in sound quality using Qobuz, but also some very clear improvements with HiRez music being played from the PCIe drives. Surely a great work of Taiko Audio team.
Christopher has just upgraded my system and I concur other users here that the improvement is very noticeable and to the good side. The presence, the slam and transparency is much better. My system involves the Extreme to a Mac mini for crosstalk cancellation and then a digital crossover system for 4 way speaker design using acourate. The amplifier is class AB solid state.
Ackcheng, you have some very sophisticated DSP running in your system! Bacch crosstalk cancellation in combination with Acourate? You could start a thread that I bet a lot of people would be interested in.
I spent a long time evaluating Bacch and think it's great but found some tradeoffs that ultimately sent me back to stereo, but I do miss what the cross talk cancellation brings. I also looked into Accourate and decided it was, for me, too complex and have rebounded to a very simple system.
Dear all,
thanks for using our appointment system, you have kept us very busy!
There are still many un-updated Extremes in the field, please keep using this link to book your appointment:
https://taiko-audio.appointlet.com/
Thanks
Chris
thanks for using our appointment system, you have kept us very busy!
There are still many un-updated Extremes in the field, please keep using this link to book your appointment:
https://taiko-audio.appointlet.com/
Thanks
Chris
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
As others have noted, this update to the Extreme operating system and network interface cards is no small deal. I spent hours listening to music yesterday after Christoph installed the new settings in my Extreme. It was like the first day I unboxed the Extreme and heard it for the first time -- and then some.
Courtesy of Merriam-Webster's dictionary, I offer the following:
Vivid:
viv·id | \ ?vi-v?d
1 of a color : very strong : very high in chroma
2 : having the appearance of vigorous life or freshness : lively, a vivid sketch
3 : producing a strong or clear impression on the senses : sharp, intense specifically : producing distinct mental images a vivid description
4 : acting clearly and vigorously
Vibrant:
vi·brant | \ ?v?-br?nt
1a(1) : pulsating with life, vigor, or activity : a vibrant personality
Transparent:
trans·par·ent | \ tran(t)s-?per-?nt
1a(1) : having the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering so that bodies lying beyond are seen clearly : pellucid
b : fine or sheer enough to be seen through : diaphanous
2a : free from pretense or deceit : frank
b : easily detected or seen through : obvious
c : readily understood
d : characterized by visibility or accessibility of information
I couldn't have said it any better myself. Bravo Taiko Audio team!
Steve Z
Courtesy of Merriam-Webster's dictionary, I offer the following:
Vivid:
viv·id | \ ?vi-v?d
1 of a color : very strong : very high in chroma
2 : having the appearance of vigorous life or freshness : lively, a vivid sketch
3 : producing a strong or clear impression on the senses : sharp, intense specifically : producing distinct mental images a vivid description
4 : acting clearly and vigorously
Vibrant:
vi·brant | \ ?v?-br?nt
1a(1) : pulsating with life, vigor, or activity : a vibrant personality
Transparent:
trans·par·ent | \ tran(t)s-?per-?nt
1a(1) : having the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering so that bodies lying beyond are seen clearly : pellucid
b : fine or sheer enough to be seen through : diaphanous
2a : free from pretense or deceit : frank
b : easily detected or seen through : obvious
c : readily understood
d : characterized by visibility or accessibility of information
I couldn't have said it any better myself. Bravo Taiko Audio team!
Steve Z
Hi Chris. I think many did you even know there is an update. It just happened that I follow this thread to know about it.
We are contacting every Extreme owner not tracking this thread after rush hour.
Hi Koegz -
Yes, I have implemented an extensive overhaul in my system (actually, I probably went a little overboard and removed "every single wire' within the house). I rewired the entire house with nothing less than 12 AWG, and I ran 4 AWG for my monoblocks. Before running the 4 AWG, I was using 12 AWG (about a 25' run to the main panel), but monitoring my lines on an oscilloscope, I noticed the line impedance was higher than desired, and resulted in some sag/distortion on the sinusoidal waveform. I temporarily ran an 8 AWG, then a 6 AWG and settled on the 4 AWG.
I installed (3) 10', 3/4" copper ground rods as well, and ran a few dedicated lines to my media system: one for the video monitor (noisy); one for digital, one for source analog, and a quad for the 4 AWG amp connections. Over time, I've preferred both monoblocks plugged directly into the dedicated wall socket and a beefy power conditioner in the same, filtering power for the DAC/Transport power bases. Video and linear power supplies (having replaced all switchers) for accessories are on their own dedicated run.
I'm in the process of repeating this for a second system, following your reference from Vince's guidance from that power paper, and going a 'bit' overboard once again with a 25KVA isolation transformer, fed by a 1/0 main feed (a total of about 80 feet) and an isolated new, dedicated audio secondary ground for the equipment. I'll be wrapping up that installation in mid August.
I can say that for the first system, it indeed made a profound difference - more than most equipment exchanges had revealed. As intense as system #2 is, I look forward to the results, hoping for yet more improvements over system #1.
No come-down in sound quality last night while again listening to music with the "new and improved" Extreme settings. If anything, my appreciation has grown for the improvements the tweaked operating system have brought.
Dimensionality, tonal saturation and image density, freedom from grit and glare, timbre and texture — all are improved a significant amount. Based on some of my very familiar test tracks I’m comfortable saying the Extreme today is sounding even better, even more engaging and emotionally involving than it did before Roon sound quality took a turn for the worse.
Streaming sound quality has definitely improved, but interestingly, so has replay of files resident on the Extreme. So while I’m sure the setting changes to the NICs are responsible for part of the overall improvement, the allocations and setting changes made to the core OS also play a part.
A very impressive piece of work which has whetted my appetite for the coming TAS application even more.
Thanks again Emile, Christoph and the rest of the Taiko team!
Steve Z
Dimensionality, tonal saturation and image density, freedom from grit and glare, timbre and texture — all are improved a significant amount. Based on some of my very familiar test tracks I’m comfortable saying the Extreme today is sounding even better, even more engaging and emotionally involving than it did before Roon sound quality took a turn for the worse.
Streaming sound quality has definitely improved, but interestingly, so has replay of files resident on the Extreme. So while I’m sure the setting changes to the NICs are responsible for part of the overall improvement, the allocations and setting changes made to the core OS also play a part.
A very impressive piece of work which has whetted my appetite for the coming TAS application even more.
Thanks again Emile, Christoph and the rest of the Taiko team!
Steve Z
Little PSA for all server owners and digital streamers. Reboot your machines! Due to some roon issues this morning I had to reboot my server and boy it sounds alot better than it was sounding yesterday (about 3 months since my last reboot). The treble was being edgy yesterday and I wasn't sure what was going on...I attributed it to some amp burn in changes since I'm still at less than 1000hours on this amp (though quarantine has helped me rack up the hours). Incredible difference.
