Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[Alex G]

Steve Williams is right (and when is he not?) — I switched back to TAS after having used Roon the since the Taiko OS tweaks and new Taiko USB driver roll out. While listening to Roon is much improved since Emile’s last round of upgrades, TAS is notably better sounding. It took me all of 10 seconds of the first track, if that to come to that conclusion and nothing I’ve heard via TAS since then has changed my opinion.

TAS is is just fuller, more dimensional, more present and most importantly, much more emotionally involving.

Man, I can’t wait for XDMS!

Steve W., you’re a genius. But then, most Steves tend to be just a little smarter and better looking than average. . .

Thanks for nudging me in the right direction.



Steve Z

Might have missed this but how do you switch back to TAS? I am not a Steve so, thus, not a genius.

 

[Steve williams]

Might have missed this but how do you switch back to TAS? I am not a Steve so, thus, not a genius.

you need to open the Taiko app and go to controls and close Roon and open TAS . Once TAS is open you need to choose a player as you have serial and batch (gapless) players

 

[Alex G]

you need to open the Taiko app and go to controls and close Roon and open TAS . Once TAS is open you need to choose a player as you have serial and batch (gapless) players

Ha Duh! Thanks Steve for the lightning quick genius bar customer service there!

Weirdly, TAS, while saying it was connected to the Extreme, was saying "SGM controller not available" no matter what I did. Not sure what was going on. Anyway, I restarted everything, including the app/iPad it was on and it reconnected. Apparently, sometimes the question "Is your computer plugged in?" is necessary...

 

[Steve williams]

Ha Duh! Thanks Steve for the lightning quick genius bar customer service there!

Weirdly, TAS, while saying it was connected to the Extreme, was saying "SGM controller not available" no matter what I did. Not sure what was going on. Anyway, I restarted everything, including the app/iPad it was on and it reconnected. Apparently, sometimes the question "Is your computer plugged in?" is necessary...

You might find you like TAS more than Roon and find no need to switch back. The platform leaves a lot to be desired but if its SQ you seek then TAS is the answer as we all eagerly await XDMS

 

[Alex G]

You might find you like TAS more than Roon and find no need to switch back. The platform leaves a lot to be desired but if its SQ you seek then TAS is the answer as we all eagerly await XDMS

Spoke too soon... TAS working fine now but ASIO driver not initializing through TAS. Getting a "Error(0/3) : Can't initialize ASIO device" message. I suspect its related to Chord DAVE specifically.

 

[Steve williams]

That’s above my pay grade. Reach out to Taiko for a Team Viewer

 

[cat6man]

Steve Williams is right (and when is he not?) — I switched back to TAS after having used Roon the since the Taiko OS tweaks and new Taiko USB driver roll out. While listening to Roon is much improved since Emile’s last round of upgrades, TAS is notably better sounding. It took me all of 10 seconds of the first track, if that to come to that conclusion and nothing I’ve heard via TAS since then has changed my opinion.

TAS is is just fuller, more dimensional, more present and most importantly, much more emotionally involving.

Man, I can’t wait for XDMS!

Steve W., you’re a genius. But then, most Steves tend to be just a little smarter and better looking than average. . .

Thanks for nudging me in the right direction.



Steve Z

a question for those who have moved back to TAS (or maybe for @Taiko et al)

my understanding was that the last OS+ updates allowed the buffers to be set smaller than previously, part of the package that got us better sound.

so, when you go back to TAS, is the old buffer setting in the client still optimal for TAS or should it be reduced?
i assume the usb1/3 choices made logging into the Extreme are still active at the usb driver level.........does that supersede
the buffer setting in TAS or must they be set to some joint optimum?

 

[dminches]

a question for those who have moved back to TAS (or maybe for @Taiko et al)

my understanding was that the last OS+ updates allowed the buffers to be set smaller than previously, part of the package that got us better sound.

so, when you go back to TAS, is the old buffer setting in the client still optimal for TAS or should it be reduced?
i assume the usb1/3 choices made logging into the Extreme are still active at the usb driver level.........does that supersede
the buffer setting in TAS or must they be set to some joint optimum?

I believe the buffers are now set to auto for TAS and they are handled in the USB driver.

 

[Christiaan Punter]

This is indeed correct

I believe the buffers are now set to auto for TAS and they are handled in the USB driver.

 

[cat6man]

I believe the buffers are now set to auto for TAS and they are handled in the USB driver.

thanks.
i forgot there was an auto setting for the buffer

is the consensus that the best usb buffer setting is the same for roon and tas?

 

[Christiaan Punter]

thanks.
i forgot there was an auto setting for the buffer

is the consensus that the best usb buffer setting is the same for roon and tas?

Indeed it is

 

[aLLeARS]

I also noticed a lot of people have installed 3rd party software on the Extreme, that WILL degrade sound quality.

Emile,
Thanks for this heads up! It was on my mind that you mentioned this within a day of updating my Extreme.
All I can say is guilty as charged!
After removing several 3rd party software programs from my Extreme as well as half a dozen unused drivers that I had previously installed while testing different DAC's, I can confirm that adding software and or excess drivers to the Extreme has a negative effect on SQ. I rebooted the Extreme and re-set my driver and Roon settings after the excess programs and drivers were deleted. There is a noticeable uptick in SQ after doing this.
Even though the Extreme is a P.C. and adding additional programs may be tempting -
As someone older and wiser than me once said "just because you can, doesn't mean you should".

 

[theaudiogeek]

Day 3 with Extreme... It has transformed completely to a sound quality beast. Never imagined it could get this awesome! The Dynamics and realism is unbelievable. Once again.. thank you Taiko Team for the wonderful product and the fellow Taiko Extreme gang for the knowledge and for the influence on getting this beast...!!!

 

[Tuckia]

Day 3 with Extreme... It has transformed completely to a sound quality beast. Never imagined it could get this awesome! The Dynamics and realism is unbelievable. Once again.. thank you Taiko Team for the wonderful product and the fellow Taiko Extreme gang for the knowledge and for the influence on getting this beast...!!!

Congrats. Can you share what you were using previously?
Mine is still a few weeks out from delivery.

 

[theaudiogeek]

Congrats. Can you share what you were using previously?
Mine is still a few weeks out from delivery.

Thank you! Was using a custom built windows server running Windows LTSC (with AO, Fidelizer Pro and Process Lasso) feeding Luxman D-10X using Shunyata Omega USB and I thought the sound quality was very good up until I heard Taiko. Started looking into a serious music server and that’s when I stumbled up on the Taiko thread. Have been reading Taiko thread for a while; noticed nothing but glowing feedback from the owners. Finally decided to take a plunge and it was the right move and here I am very much satisfied .

 

[geraldc]

Congrats. Can you share what you were using previously?
Mine is still a few weeks out from delivery.

Congrats! You've finally joined the clan.

 

[oldmustang]

Congrats! You've finally joined the clan.

We're going to have to get Taiko tee-shirts. Or maybe special hats (the ones with the propeller on top?)

Steve Z

 

[theaudiogeek]

We're going to have to get Taiko tee-shirts. Or maybe special hats (the ones with the propeller on top?)

Steve Z

I like the idea of a tee-shirt.

 

[John T]

Any experience with NetworkAcoustics Muon USB cable? Anyone? I'm not expecting delivery until end of May, trying to get a good direction as to where I am going and what I will start with. Looking at a custom Furutech all copper connectors, with DPS-4.1 cable. I am going with a dedicated GTX-D Gold Outlet. (Furutech) Any suggestions will be most appreciated...

John

 

[Tuckia]

Congrats! You've finally joined the clan.

Thanks! It appears to be a good time to enter now that everything is figured out . Maybe it will help with my Roon headache.