Wow, I just realized. You have exchanged your Acadia for an Atlantic.
Lucky boy!
Congratulations.
Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
Lucky boy!
Congratulations.
I think the country in question is South Korea which according to the World Bank has a GDP (2017 numbers) per capita of about half of the United States. Japan, Hong Kong and western European countries have GDP per capita somewhere in between the US and South Korea. Singapore is about the same as the US. So compared to the US or western Europe, South Korea is relatively poor. However, China is only about 1/3rd the GDP of South Korea.
In terms of audiophilia in South Korea, my experience is with buying used vinyl in London. Several of the dealers that I buy or have bought from have/had very active customers from South Korea. I was in one of the shops a few years ago when a gentleman came in, went immediately to the section of the shop where the most expensive records were located and pulled out a cloth bag. Within about 15 minutes, maybe less, he had selected around 30 records and paid for them and left the shop. I asked the shop owner about him. He said he was a regular customer from South Korea, visiting the shop every few months. He would always do the same thing, usually spending around 5000-10000 British pounds (about US$8000-16000 at that time). He thought he was a dealer there. I regularly visit another fellow in London who is one of the principals of the Electric Recording Company. He has a mail order business selling rare, expensive classical records (excellent selection with many records in the 100 to 1500 pound range and some higher), no brick and mortar shop. He has a small flat in London where he stores his records and I visit him there. We were talking about his best customers. He said most of them were in Asia, with Korea and Japan his biggest customers, although China was increasing. He also told me that most of the customers for the records produced by the Electric Recording Company (limited pressings of reissues of vinyl which sell for 500 pounds and up) are from Asia.
Obviously, the top few percent of the population of these developed countries are the customers for most of the goods we see discussed in WBF.
Larry
In terms of audiophilia in South Korea, my experience is with buying used vinyl in London. Several of the dealers that I buy or have bought from have/had very active customers from South Korea. I was in one of the shops a few years ago when a gentleman came in, went immediately to the section of the shop where the most expensive records were located and pulled out a cloth bag. Within about 15 minutes, maybe less, he had selected around 30 records and paid for them and left the shop. I asked the shop owner about him. He said he was a regular customer from South Korea, visiting the shop every few months. He would always do the same thing, usually spending around 5000-10000 British pounds (about US$8000-16000 at that time). He thought he was a dealer there. I regularly visit another fellow in London who is one of the principals of the Electric Recording Company. He has a mail order business selling rare, expensive classical records (excellent selection with many records in the 100 to 1500 pound range and some higher), no brick and mortar shop. He has a small flat in London where he stores his records and I visit him there. We were talking about his best customers. He said most of them were in Asia, with Korea and Japan his biggest customers, although China was increasing. He also told me that most of the customers for the records produced by the Electric Recording Company (limited pressings of reissues of vinyl which sell for 500 pounds and up) are from Asia.
Obviously, the top few percent of the population of these developed countries are the customers for most of the goods we see discussed in WBF.
Larry
I come from and grew up in a third world country, Ghana, in Africa. Yes, Ghana is a poor country - by any metric, and so is North Korea. No shame there. I will never classify South Korea as a poor country. It's all relative though.
From what I've read, if you compare SKorea after their war in the 50s w the UK at that point, their GDP or wealth per capita wasn't even 5% of ours. It's now more than 70%. I find that frankly amazing and highly impressive.
I'm testing SGM Extreme.
Emile recommends only one Setchi must be used to SGM.
But when I use Setchi USB type and Lan type, sound quality is much better.
I asked Emile about it, and he said Setchi Lan type has different machanism to other Setchi.
When you order SGM Extreme, use Setchi USB and Lan type both~!!
A post from the Hiendy Forum in HK by powerpaul, a very keen audiophile who has the SGM Evo ant 2 days ago heard the extreme
The rough translation is
Today, I went to Sir Ben’s demo room in Tsim Sha Tsui for the New Year. The SGM Extreme is far ahead of SGM Evo. Even though (the Extreme) has not entered the state (of full burn in) in a few days, the EVO can't compare even slightly with it (the Extreme).
Fully stunned, that because of a server, Brother Ben’s listening room is more than 200 feet in size, more than double the size before, with the Volent speakers rising two classes, completely crazy.
I agree with brother CK’s view, it is definitely a new CAS milestone. If SGMS 2015 is Leica M8, Evo is Leica M9, the SGM Extreme is Leica M11, and M10 is completely skipped.
It is a future product and should not be launched today.
The rough translation is
Today, I went to Sir Ben’s demo room in Tsim Sha Tsui for the New Year. The SGM Extreme is far ahead of SGM Evo. Even though (the Extreme) has not entered the state (of full burn in) in a few days, the EVO can't compare even slightly with it (the Extreme).
Fully stunned, that because of a server, Brother Ben’s listening room is more than 200 feet in size, more than double the size before, with the Volent speakers rising two classes, completely crazy.
I agree with brother CK’s view, it is definitely a new CAS milestone. If SGMS 2015 is Leica M8, Evo is Leica M9, the SGM Extreme is Leica M11, and M10 is completely skipped.
It is a future product and should not be launched today.
Thank you for sharing!
For those interested, this EVO is configured to upsample every input format to a fixed 32/384 rate by HQPlayer upsampling (client preference) into a Denafrips Terminator dac. I don’t know what the analogue setup is.
Yeah it's really a person/system dependant preference. I have not auditioned the Terminator dac myself. Member Blue58 has owned one prior to his current Aqua Formula Xhd. Maybe he can chime in on what sort of result to expect from this up sampling rate.
We will have pictures taken as soon as the next batch is ready. All I have here right now is the first original prototype and it has been taken apart/modified so many times it does not look "the part". Apologies, I know you are really interested in its internal looks.
As Emile says above, I had the Terminator for a short while but for the life of me I couldn’t get along with it no matter whether I upsampled in Terminator or HQPlayer. I thought the modded T+A was a more musical DAC but have now settled on the Formula XHD.
Regarding sample rate, it is, as Emile says, system dependent and it’s down to the listener to choose what’s best for their system and ears.
To put this in perspective, I used 28bit 768/708 with my Formula XHD with 32bit sounding too live and a touch strident. However, after installing a Pachanko Pure Reference SaTa cable and an upgraded SSD, and also moving to Sablon’s Bocchino terminated ICs I am now preferring 24bit, all this within HQPlayer settings of course.
So, a little ‘jiggling’ is necessary to find the optimum setting but then it’s set and forget.
I’m not sure how the Extreme is set up so will leave that for Emile to explain when he has time.
Cheers
Blue58
Regarding sample rate, it is, as Emile says, system dependent and it’s down to the listener to choose what’s best for their system and ears.
To put this in perspective, I used 28bit 768/708 with my Formula XHD with 32bit sounding too live and a touch strident. However, after installing a Pachanko Pure Reference SaTa cable and an upgraded SSD, and also moving to Sablon’s Bocchino terminated ICs I am now preferring 24bit, all this within HQPlayer settings of course.
So, a little ‘jiggling’ is necessary to find the optimum setting but then it’s set and forget.
I’m not sure how the Extreme is set up so will leave that for Emile to explain when he has time.
Cheers
Blue58
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That was quick!
To avoid confusion: the movies posted above are about the EVO, not the Extreme.
The Extreme is not using HQPlayer by default, nor any form of upsampling, it’s been designed for “bit perfect” playback. HQPlayer is optionally available for high quality upsampling if so desired.
Since you have the XHD now, would you like to hear what it can do “bit perfect”? If yes drop me a note. It might surprise you
A quick Q here.
The bleeding edge of DACs is now critically all about modularity/upgradability.
So, buy an MSB Reference or Select, or a Wadax Atlantis, etc etc, for serious deep levels of outlay, and you're guaranteed to have a component "for life" as future changes can just be plugged in.
Is this going to stretch to servers? So, buy an SGM Taiko Extreme for €25k delivered in 2019, and when SGM Taiko Even More Extreme is released in a few short years, will the Extreme today easily be taken to the better machine's spec in a modular fashion like MSB?
If not, why not? And if not, will there be any generation of servers in years to come have MSB style future proof-ness?
The bleeding edge of DACs is now critically all about modularity/upgradability.
So, buy an MSB Reference or Select, or a Wadax Atlantis, etc etc, for serious deep levels of outlay, and you're guaranteed to have a component "for life" as future changes can just be plugged in.
Is this going to stretch to servers? So, buy an SGM Taiko Extreme for €25k delivered in 2019, and when SGM Taiko Even More Extreme is released in a few short years, will the Extreme today easily be taken to the better machine's spec in a modular fashion like MSB?
If not, why not? And if not, will there be any generation of servers in years to come have MSB style future proof-ness?
My point is I know a guy build a top music server for less than 5K. LPS, SSD, Roon core and you are good to go. But respect if these servers are making a difference. But are they?
I just think it's offensive to compare the work of folks like Taiko (and Innuos, and many others who put an honest effort in creating a proper solution) to stuff like "I know a guy...". If you don't want to investigate whether their efforts are worth it, that's fine. But don't rank them along this kind of "I know a guy..." stuff, please.
If you have a business that builds websites, this is akin to a client walking up to you and trying to bargain, saying he "has a nephew that'll do it for 50% less".
If you have a business that builds websites, this is akin to a client walking up to you and trying to bargain, saying he "has a nephew that'll do it for 50% less".
Astro, I've heard the SGM for 3 solid years now. It's ability amongst other things to strip noise out of the miasma that digital seems to exist in is a compelling reason why current digital is knocking on the door of the best analog. And I say that as a guy who bored the pants off early CD adopters in the 80s that digital was the spawn of Satan.
Thank you for asking. Indeed very similar.
The original SGM 2015 can be fully upgraded to the current EVO model, in fact at cost.
Naturally we will offer the same support on the Extreme.
It is impossible to upgrade an EVO to Extreme, but we do accept SGM 2015 and SGM EVO trade in’s on the Extreme.
Software updates are provided for free. We even install them for you if desired.
Additional Interfaces, USB, AES/EBU, Ethernet are available on both models. Future interfaces can be easily retrofitted.
The main differences from this perspective between the 2 models are:
EVO:
1 CPU
100W passive cpu cooling system
150W linear powersupply
2 expansion slots
Extreme:
2 CPU’s
240W passive cpu cooling system
400W linear powersupply
7 expansion slots
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Fair enough guys, no offence intended. My point is there are PC kits and LPS's, boards, drives, it is all DIY'able of you fancy doing it. Computer parts are so cheap. The Roon Nucleus is a cheap out of the box solution for 1.5K. I have heard the Aurender W20, was good, but....
If I ever invested this much in a moving target it would have to run Roon for sure.
If I ever invested this much in a moving target it would have to run Roon for sure.
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