Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
It would really be fascinating to do a shootout on current SOTA server v disc transport.
Ie Taiko Extreme server v MSB Select, Wadax or JMF transports.
Ie Taiko Extreme server v MSB Select, Wadax or JMF transports.
Is such top transports comparison feasible in UK or N Am?
Very difficult to be done in Hong Kong.
They belong to diff dealers and of course they won't take risk orgaaizing such comparison sessions.
In fact most top transports are expensive and very heavy, owners are reluctant to move theirs to gatherings too.
Even more difficult for top servers/streamers to participate.
There are so many settings to adjust and there are so many confounding factors in the CAS/network pathway.
if the server/streamer is not well optimized at the shootout session, the result is meaningless and can be misleading.
Not only Audio Exotics...
My Wadax Atlantis Server/Dac setup.
Sorry for such bad picture...
My Wadax Atlantis Server/Dac setup.
Sorry for such bad picture...
Stereo, has there ever been a direct comparison of the Wadax server v transport? I do believe AE run the totl 3 box setup.
I did visit a Wadax Atlantis combo owner frd last year.
Not meant to be a meticulous shootout session. Wadax Server played files in NAS and streaming.
The Atlantis Transport was still sonically better.
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Hi Spirit.
I never have listened the Wadax Transport.
I’m more than three years without spinning any cd.
I began my digital way with an Aurender N100H and i saw my direction clearly.
Now i have 2K Cd’s plenty of dust.
Anyway, i can tell you the Transport is above the Server but it is oriented to an extreme audiophile people.
I never have listened the Wadax Transport.
I’m more than three years without spinning any cd.
I began my digital way with an Aurender N100H and i saw my direction clearly.
Now i have 2K Cd’s plenty of dust.
Anyway, i can tell you the Transport is above the Server but it is oriented to an extreme audiophile people.
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Don't be too modest.
Wadax Atlantis components are rarely owned by non-extreme/casual audiophiles.
Totally agree with this. I think that network music is the way to go (I sold my CD player and my discs also accumulate dust) but network optimization is very, very important, if you want the best sound quality.
When I recover from the purchase of my DAC I will decide if I am going for a new Server or for a new Preamplifier. In case it comes first, I will ask my dealer to make the tests at my home with my Network, in which I have spent a good amount of optimization money.
By the way, for those interested in this topic, a new Uptone Audio product is coming to market in which I have great hopes. So far all the switches "audiophille" like my Aqvox, were based on commercial switches that were more or less modified to improve them. Uptone has been working for more than a year on a new project that consists of a switch designed totally from the beginning in order to reduce noise as much as possible. It seems that it will be called EtherRegen and it is almost finished.
Don't be too modest.
Wadax Atlantis components are rarely owned by non-extreme/casual audiophiles.
I’m a modest audiophile CK.
From the perspective that digital audio has to be as simple as it could but DAC and Server has to be as good as you can afford.
I like CD and vynil as well but convenience with great SQ are more important to me and from my experience digital audio can sound as well as the others. And we are only at the beginning.
So, i chose digital way years ago and never look back.
The key is to find what is your goal.
Aurender N100H was a great point to begin and i did learn a lot with that little streamer.
• Aurender conductor is very strong and easy to work with. My new server has to have the stronger and easier control software.
I have Roon....No words. Simply stunning.
• I ripped a lot of music and bought Hi-Res music but when Tidal launched his HiFi platform i always listened music from it.
• There are a lot of ripping software but i don’t find a clear winner and they have a lot of confusing parameters, so i’m more than satisfied with Tidal and now with Qobuz because they sound better than my ripped redbook.
• Tidal/Qobuz records from the original master tape and i let them the work. I’m sure they do it better than me because it sounds better a Tidal redbook album than the same ripped by me. I have 2Tb SSD and i never use it.
• Upsampling. I had an Esoteric D02x and i don’t like upsampling. It changes the original signal on a way i don’t like, so i want bit perfect signal on the sound path. The record played from the begining as it was recorded. Redbook, Hi-Res, DSD, etc....
HQ Player and DSP are disabled on my Roon control point.
• Obsolescence. My DAC and Server must have upgrade posibility as the digital research and development improves.
• Power supply.
As with the other components, i only accept LPS.
• Clock.
It has to be integrated on DAC and Server.
From my experience, external clocks are detrimental to sound. It adds noise by different reasons, a marketing solution on my opinion.
• Synergy. We all know what i’m talking about.
I can’t listen all the Dacs and streamers. Every brand has his own sound signature and philosophy on hardware and software applications.
The only way to squeeze the maximum potential of the server is to connect it to a DAC that shares the same technology, sound signature, protocols, etc....
• OS. I don’t care about it. It only has to be optimisied to audio removing all the other functions.
I could continue but it is enough to expose my goal.
There are a lot of streamers and dacs out there but Wadax is the only one that meets all my demands.
Obviously there are stunning Servers out there but for the reasons mentioned, they don’t reach my exigencies.
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Would love to read more about your adventures in digital audio. I made a similar decision over 25 years ago (digital only)...focus all my resources on the best digital front end...and split across multiple formats. not right, not wrong, must my personal choice.
I’m a modest audiophile CK.
From the perspective that digital audio has to be as simple as it could but DAC and Server has to be as good as you can afford.
I like CD and vynil as well but convenience with great SQ are more important to me and from my experience digital audio can sound as well as the others. And we are only at the beginning.
So, i chose digital way years ago and never look back.
The key is to find what is your goal.
Aurender N100H was a great point to begin and i did learn a lot with that little streamer.
• Aurender conductor is very strong and easy to work with. My new server has to have the stronger and easier control software.
I have Roon....No words. Simply stunning.
• I ripped a lot of music and bought Hi-Res music but when Tidal launched his HiFi platform i always listened music from it.
• There are a lot of ripping software but i don’t find a clear winner and they have a lot of confusing parameters, so i’m more than satisfied with Tidal and now with Qobuz because they sound better than my ripped reedbook.
• Tidal/Qobuz records from the original master tape and i let them the work. I’m sure they do it better than me because it sounds better a Tidal redbook album than the same ripped by me. I have 2Tb SSD and i never use it.
• Upsampling. I had an Esoteric D02x and i don’t like upsampling. It changes the original signal on a way i don’t like, so i want bit perfect signal on the sound path. The record played from the begining as it was recorded. Redbook, Hi-Res, DSD, etc....
HQ Player and DSP are disabled on my Roon control point.
• Obsolescence. My DAC and Server should be upgraded as the digital research and development improves.
• Power supply.
As with the other components, i only accept LPS.
• Clock.
It has to be integrated on DAC and Server.
From my experience, external clocks are detrimental to sound. It adds noise by different reasons, a marketing solution on my opinion.
• Synergy. We all now what i’m talking about.
I can’t listen all the Dacs and streamers. Every brand has his own sound signature and philosophy on hardware application.
The only way to squeeze the maximum potential of the server is to connect it to a DAC that shares the same technology, sound signature, protocols, etc....
• OS. I don’t care about it. It only has to be optimisied to audio removing all the other functions.
I could continue but it is enough to expose my goal.
There are a lot of streamers and dacs out there but Wadax is the only one that meets all my demands.
Obviously there are stunning Servers out there but for the reasons mentioned, they don’t reach my exigencies.
For me to date, that has been the Zanden digital front end, with some finetuning in setup, isolation, EMI/RFI, cables, and NOS Tubes...and i have never looked back since. I remain intrigued as digital continues to evolve massively and quickly.
Particularly, i bought the Zanden DAC when no one was looking at servers (back in 2007/08) and people thought i was crazy...looking for a server to go with it. And then in the end, i got the matching transport...and still have not taken the time to search for a SOTA server to run with it...enjoying the music too much!
Highly interesting as we don’t come across many audiophiles preferring Tidal or Qobuz playback over locally stored files. I’m not debating it can sound good as I’m getting very good results myself and in fact use Tidal playback 75% of the time. Would you mind sharing your networking setup? Have you by any chance compared purchased digital downloads versus Tidal/Qobuz?
In fact, Lloyd and I first met around that time and I recall carrying my 60lb modified Esotric X01 around to his place. Unfortunately my SGM weighs around the same, so much for progress lol
The original SGM used one, we did experiment with two but found it too much of a good thing (overly soft and smooth).
Yes we did abandon the idea of external clocks in the Extreme model. We have found a different solution to “the problem”.
