Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
TAS is a Taiko developed option to Roon for Extreme owners. It's all here on this long thread. The search function is your friend.
Plasmod3, thank you for your question, I am sure others are also looking for similar clarification.
Thank others for the interest and support as we are deep inn the coding weeds
Here is our take from 50,000 feet
Roon’s ecosystem seems to have the goals of
- Creating a music discovery platform par excellence
- Operating convenience with volume control and DSP from the remote control
- the ability to run on almost any computer hardware platform
- Multi room functionality
By contrast the TAS ecosystem has the overriding goal of sound quality from both onboard storage and Qobuz streaming at unprecedented levels for resolution, transparency, tonal color, harmonic richness, tonal density, pace, rhythm and timing.
Understanding how PRAT is improved or degraded has been an area of understanding which we have struggled with for many years but now we now we have harnessed some key drivers that make PRAT better or worse and these are implemented in TAS.
The audible negative Delta between SQ from onboard storage and Qobuz streaming in Holland has been pretty much eliminated in latest version of TAS. We have yet to SQ test this on other continents, but we are confident that the streaming SQ uplift will be very audible there as well.
This level of SQ performance means TAS can never be
- optimized for more than a handful of PC motherboards and CPU’s
- Will never have multi room functionality
- Will never have digital volume control
- Will never have DSP
We are planning to have TAS installed in a small number of Alpha testers in less than 4 weeks and will wait for their feedback before rolling out the first Beta version.
The above on Streaming is a pretty remarkable statement. Thumbs up!
[SGM Extreme Episode]
I'm serious insensitive to safety.
So, when I want test HI FI componets, I must order them and 30% was dead. HAHA
Emile always advise me that never remove PC parts before Extreme MB and LPS all LEDs are all off
But I never follow his advise, and my 1st Extreme the worst short was happen~!!!!!!!
About 10 fire balls are springs and Extreme is freezed.
The worst disaster~!!!!!
Emile said he will request Pick-Up Service and repair, but I didn't do that.
Because Emile obvisouly alerted me, this is my duty. My Extreme is the worst situation and he always very busy.
5 hours after Extreme is dead, Extreme is worked. But not booting.
Emile sent BIOS setting manual and I set BIOS.
Extreme boot is worked~!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I check all parts, Only TWO SSD (of Total 12 SSDs) and Lan Card were dead.
My episode is not finished.
I set three services in Services.msc and two SSD and Lan Card were revived~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Huge Amazing~!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a result, after huge short, Extreme damage is ZERO.
This means Emile and Edward's masterpiece is perfectly safe and super quality.
I'm the one who used Extreme for the longest time in the world.
I turned Extreme off in only 2 times.
1. My house movement
2. This disaster
My Extreme storage is 24TB. (like Full Bank that Emile allowed)
No problem.
Very safe~!!!!
Very fantastic sound quality~!!!!!!
DIY users, listen~!!!
Extreme's all parts are optimized perfectly.
You never make Extreme~!!!!!
To use Emile's masterpiece is super lucky~!!!!!!!!
ALERT
When you want to add cards, power off and remove power cable and [[[[[[wait for 45 minutes]]]]]]
I'm serious insensitive to safety.
So, when I want test HI FI componets, I must order them and 30% was dead. HAHA
Emile always advise me that never remove PC parts before Extreme MB and LPS all LEDs are all off
But I never follow his advise, and my 1st Extreme the worst short was happen~!!!!!!!
About 10 fire balls are springs and Extreme is freezed.
The worst disaster~!!!!!
Emile said he will request Pick-Up Service and repair, but I didn't do that.
Because Emile obvisouly alerted me, this is my duty. My Extreme is the worst situation and he always very busy.
5 hours after Extreme is dead, Extreme is worked. But not booting.
Emile sent BIOS setting manual and I set BIOS.
Extreme boot is worked~!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I check all parts, Only TWO SSD (of Total 12 SSDs) and Lan Card were dead.
My episode is not finished.
I set three services in Services.msc and two SSD and Lan Card were revived~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Huge Amazing~!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a result, after huge short, Extreme damage is ZERO.
This means Emile and Edward's masterpiece is perfectly safe and super quality.
I'm the one who used Extreme for the longest time in the world.
I turned Extreme off in only 2 times.
1. My house movement
2. This disaster
My Extreme storage is 24TB. (like Full Bank that Emile allowed)
No problem.
Very safe~!!!!
Very fantastic sound quality~!!!!!!
DIY users, listen~!!!
Extreme's all parts are optimized perfectly.
You never make Extreme~!!!!!
To use Emile's masterpiece is super lucky~!!!!!!!!
ALERT
When you want to add cards, power off and remove power cable and [[[[[[wait for 45 minutes]]]]]]
Definitely power it off before adding or removing components. Glad it survived!
I am not sure if I am allowed to do this, but due to changing circumstances I am selling my Totaldac set up
I have advised Vincent
I am selling the D1 Direct, Server / Reclocker and dual mono drivers.
All are upgraded or new this year boxed like new as you would expect
It is stunning equipment and if it was not for bad personal circumstances I would not be selling.
Berning Quadratures and Gamut RS7i speakers will also follow also
I have advised Vincent
I am selling the D1 Direct, Server / Reclocker and dual mono drivers.
All are upgraded or new this year boxed like new as you would expect
It is stunning equipment and if it was not for bad personal circumstances I would not be selling.
Berning Quadratures and Gamut RS7i speakers will also follow also
I'm wondering if someone can sum up the value of the Taiko Extreme (in brief). I'm currently researching digital solutions for a second system and for the life of me can't understand why someone would invest $25k in a windows box when other solutions can be had for less than $5k. I currently have a windows box running Roon and it sounds great (better than CD) so I'm confused.
I think that argument could probably be used for all our gear...
Seriously though, to me the priorities were 1. SQ 2. Service 3. Storage.
Not many servers out there allow you to store up to 24GB (sorry TB!, thanks Steve) internally ( i did not want to store files on a NAS). In hindsight I am happy with streaming so no. 3 probably wouldn't be so important next time round but SQ and service remain so and in this regard the Extreme excels. How much it is worth is really, like anything we buy, up to your wallet.
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I was thinking the same thing as Howie, why would someone buy $100K speakers if they had a $10K pair of speakers and they "sounded great"? Or any other category, from pre/amp/cables etc.
You might be surprised if you heard an Extreme in your system and compared it to what you are currently using for a server. On the other hand, maybe not.
I would guess that because $25K is a LOT of $$$ for a server and Taiko has sold hundreds of them at this point speaks a lot about why someone would invest this amount of $$$ into a server.
solutions? like checking a box on a form?
streaming does sound good even at entry levels. and if streaming already sounds better than CD's, that does not prove your streaming is optimal. it's a reflection on your CD performance. but there is more performance to find if it's important.
a server is analogous to quality of pressings, or a cartridge. it's the media/source process for digital (as is a transport but improving your transport is relatively limiting to music access). it's trivial and obvious why we want the best pressings and the best cartridges; their performance limits or enables everything else. we can find budget pressings, and budget cartridges for our top level turntables and arms, and pressings and cartridges and multiple price and performance points, but we try and optimize each part.
with servers/files/streaming it's about a 15 year old technology since you commonly found them in hifi; and has been done seriously and commercially for less than 10 years. it's only the last few years that overcoming the data tech limitations has become reality......and the Extreme is head and shoulders above the rest leaving data tech limitations behind, and you can hear how that effects things musically.
are you interested in doing for your digital what you have done for your analog? or not? the Extreme is not for everyone.
my wife has Tidal and Roon (and access to one of my backup/safety mirroring NAS's) on her Sonos players all around our house. she loves the sound and access to music. but her expectations and mine are absolutely different. i'm seeking musical performance that can fit into my over-the-top analog direction in a dedicated room where there is no place to hide, and be completely satisfying. she wants music as a background to her activity as she moves around the house. we are both happy with our 'solutions'.
finally for me i'm listening to over 50% digital, it was more than 70% but lately closer to 50%. yet many don't allocate resources accordingly to listening time. but i think it's worth it to optimize my digital listening.
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Simple. Just read our old discussion with Emile concerning the technical (objective) reasons why the Extreme is different from other severs. I only decided to buy it after I questioned Emile on critical aspects and his complete answers on "bits are bits" explained me I was not just getting a different toy. I wanted it for "today", not for 2025, so I bought it. I always compared my servers - my tweaked Windows server and the Innuous top with the DCS Vivaldi CD/SACD player in the Vivaldi stack, so I have the assurance of permanent reference. As always and particularly in digital, very IMHO.
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I think that argument could probably be used for all our gear...
Seriously though, to me the priorities were 1. SQ 2. Service 3. Storage.
Not many servers out there allow you to store up to 24GB internally ( i did not want to store files on a NAS). In hindsight I am happy with streaming so no. 3 probably wouldn't be so important next time round but SQ and service remain so and in this regard the Extreme excels. How much it is worth is really, like anything we buy, up to your wallet.
actually Howie the storage capacity is 24 TB (not GB)
Ian to me you have entered one of the longest as well as one of the best threads on WBF. The answer is right in front of your nose. I was almost all vinyl and my old CD/DAC that got me by....same as those $5K servers to which you allude. Since I bought the Extreme it has changed completely and forever the way I now listen to music which is now at least 80% digital. In summary, you get what you pay for and you don't get customer service of the like that Emile and his crew provide. It seems to me that you already know the answer but are you looking for any reason not to buy one. The title of this thread sums it all up. It seems you have not heard an Extreme and my best advice (because you're close) is to take a drive to Manhattan and let Bob from Rhapsody light up your ears with his Extreme setup
If you truly believe that your $5K servers provide everything the Extreme offers then stop reading and go buy one of those. Otherwise read this thread and you'll quickly get the feeling that the Extreme is .........well, Extreme and with Emile soon to launch his TAS and remote it is only going to get better as Emile's commitment to all is to provide the very best and to this more than happy user, it was one of the best buys I have made In all of my years in audio.
I have yet to read anything negative about the Extreme nor do I ever expect to
It seems you have not heard an Extreme and my best advice (because you're close) is to take a drive to Manhattan and let Bob from Rhapsody light up your ears with his Extreme setup
Road trip Bring Ack and Peter too
Road trip
Bring Ack and Peter too
Alas, the opus is most definitely not brief, but part 1 of my Extreme review outlined the things that I have found impact digital audio:
https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/revi...the-taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-part-1-of-5-r907/
Extreme hits all these buttons extraordinarily well (to say the least), and way beyond what I'd ever hope to achieve on my own. That by itself was worth the premium to me (and honestly, not that much of a premium once I did the math on what it would take for me to get to try to get to the same level of performance).
Even with all that, the true value for me is that Extreme is not just a product, but it is a platform and a project. By having a common foundation of the absolute highest quality, Emile and team are able to tune and optimize the system with striking quantum steps in SQ improvement, whether in software, operating system, or (hopefully soon) network. The level of refinement and pace of improvement is stunning, and enabled by having an extraordinarily performant and revealing system. It also the same foundational system everywhere, with lots of extremely discerning audiophiles giving constant feedback, and Emile and team applying the same highly discerning ears to listen to the community as they do to listen to their own systems.
The analogy I've used with an audiophile friend is like the experience of playing a Soduku puzzle. At the beginning there are so many interrelated options that the going is slow and messy, with lots of fits and starts, and lots of going backwards when you hit dead ends. As you develop more of the board, all of a sudden things become clear and the pace becomes lightning fast. Extreme is at such an extraordinarily high level that you hear (for good or ill) even the smallest changes. Even with my short time with my Extreme, I've been blown away by the pace and purpose of the convergence on a SQ ideal, and it seems to be getting faster, not slower. I am absolutely delighted to be part of this journey.
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For a second system buy a SGC Sonictransporter for $1500 and be done with it........
