Christiaan Punter
Well-Known Member
This is in progress... It's the result of using a different streaming aggregator that is more stable and responsive, but requires us to dot some more i's before it's fully functional.
Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
Christiann, I'm glad you brought this up. Reading the recently posted TAS / Roon / XDMS comparisons from the sidelines, a few thoughts come to mind:
- Isn't TAS "static" at this time? If so, how long has it been since development was "fixed?"
- Roon, in contrast, has ongoing updates. I personally find the most recent build (No. 1105) to have moved forward in very good ways. Any chance for comparisons with the latest build?
Thanks.
Ed just "loaded me up" this morning. Initial impressions -
-This is NOT ANYTHING like any update that has happened with Taiko in the past. Not the usb card, not TAS, not anything.
I do not consider it an upgrade at all. My impression is that I went to someone else's house to an amazing room with a system MUCH better than my system vs an upgrade to my system.
- IT"S MIND BLOWING
-The bass seems to go down an octave lower. Each voice or instrument is so present, it's hard to conceive. The textures in voices and instruments are allowed to bloom via the overall presence of the full audio spectrum.
-Every track that you play is a revelation. I will never listen to TAS or Roon again!!!
- I know the interface is not complete. I COULD CARE LESS. I can get to all of my Qobuz and Tidal favorites. I can search. If nothing was ever updated from where I am now, I would sign up right now.
- I love the look and feel of XDMS. I feel that it is very responsive and a pleasure to use.
If I now had to wait another year, without being able to hear XDMS, and I was promised I would have what I have now, I would again sign up. It's that good.
My two cents after an hour of listening. YMMV
-This is NOT ANYTHING like any update that has happened with Taiko in the past. Not the usb card, not TAS, not anything.
I do not consider it an upgrade at all. My impression is that I went to someone else's house to an amazing room with a system MUCH better than my system vs an upgrade to my system.
- IT"S MIND BLOWING
-The bass seems to go down an octave lower. Each voice or instrument is so present, it's hard to conceive. The textures in voices and instruments are allowed to bloom via the overall presence of the full audio spectrum.
-Every track that you play is a revelation. I will never listen to TAS or Roon again!!!
- I know the interface is not complete. I COULD CARE LESS. I can get to all of my Qobuz and Tidal favorites. I can search. If nothing was ever updated from where I am now, I would sign up right now.
- I love the look and feel of XDMS. I feel that it is very responsive and a pleasure to use.
If I now had to wait another year, without being able to hear XDMS, and I was promised I would have what I have now, I would again sign up. It's that good.
My two cents after an hour of listening. YMMV
Last edited:
I actually feel like XDMS is like going from listening to MP3s on a system to a 44.1 CD file. It is that vibrant.
A nice benefit I can listen at a much lower volume. I used to turn up the volume to get small details to become more present. Now even at lower volumes the tiniest details are VERY PRESENT.
A nice benefit I can listen at a much lower volume. I used to turn up the volume to get small details to become more present. Now even at lower volumes the tiniest details are VERY PRESENT.
Last edited:
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Romasz described it perfectly.....with a term I rarely use but IMO very appropriate here....PRaT, and "presence"
The sound is just so explosive and the bass as you say is beyond TAS and Roon plus no one has commented on the midrange which I consider lush and beautiful. As long as I can play music with XDMS I am quite happy to sit and watch further enhancements with coding by Ed and his team
I've put my name in the queue for alpha download. Looking forward to hearing something closer to what compelled me to pull the trigger on the Exreme in Hengelo.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Christiaan Punter
Well-Known Member
Hi Cyrus,
TAS development has indeed halted, so its performance has been consistent for quite some time. On the other hand, Roon has changed many times, each iteration sounding slightly different than the other, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.
Judging from other servers that I have that run Roon, my overall impression over the last few months is that even though there are subtle and sometimes less subtle shifts in sound quality, Roon is always retaining its basic sonic presentation throughout the versions.
The bottom line is that the three systems are just very different.
In any case, as I have already and repeatedly found that XDMS royally outperforms both Roon and TAS, I see no point in re-evaluating this at this point. Honestly, there are far more pressing matters to tend to.
Besides, with the number of XDMS Alpha installations growing each day, I bet it's only a matter of time before you will see more comparisons!
Last edited:
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Best post of the day Christiaan. There is no need to compare. It just isn’t worth the time. Listening to XDMS is an experience. It is completely involving and raises goose bumps and make hair stand up I’m more than all in with XDMS. I find myself saying “ just one more song”. I find it difficult to leave my room. To me it is the SQ which IMHO is the Holy Grail. Taiko is definitely on to something and they promise it will even get better. Can’t ask for anything more than that. Forget about being pissed that this is an alpha version BUT SQ is beyond any digital I’ve ever heard and Emile promises it will be even better over the next few months. Shouldn’t this be enough for now to do what we love most …… to enjoy the music. I’ve never enjoyed mine more. I’ve learned to never underestimate or second guess Emile. There have never been disappointments. Slow downs, yes but the music SQ only gets bettern any case, as I have already and repeatedly found that XDMS royally outperforms both Roon and TAS, I see no point in re-evaluating this at this point. Honestly, there are far more pressing matters to tend to
Agreed Steve. Just listen and enjoy now. Everything else is a waste of time. We have all that we need right now to enjoy the music. More will come when it's done, I don't even care when or what comes now. I'm a 100% happy camper with what I have.
You will never get a consensus from all users on how they want to sort their music. It will be best to make sorting of all the different screens user configurable. That was one of the first lessons I've learned when I was doing software development.
The user feedback is good for configuring the default sorting.
Steve, I disagree.
This isn't about accepting or expecting that XDMS is/will be superior. There's no rational reason for Emile and Team to develop something that isn't.
There is, however, a very strong business case to be made that most (if not all) future purchasers of the Extreme will be coming from predominantly Roon or competitive ecosystems. Ignoring those clients because you happen to be "sold" on this ["no need to compare"] is nearsighted at best (worse is actually easier to justify) and isn't wise business judgement. The competitive options are not standing still, either.
@wil Not picking on you...merely using your post as an example since it applies to many who are posting on sound quality differences....in Christiaan's case it is nearer in time, but still removed in time. [Note: I embrace that everyone is free to do as they wish and should do as they wish ....]
But here's the problem for me: for example, what conclusions can I draw from a comparison between TAS v. Roon if Roon has been fixed in time.
wil: "Maybe this is due to my steadfast refusal to update Roon for the last year or two."
Then there is the very sticky problem of bias once one has written off a competitive option and hammers in said bias by repeatedly bashing the competitive software.
I don't know about others, but I find it harder to accept results and feedback coming from those who aren't open minded nor are pushing against their own notions.
Last edited:
Who cares about TAS and Roon now That XDMS is here? Have you heard XDMS yet? If not, then I understand your questioning, if you have then I definitely do not understand you’re questioning.
XDMS is an inflection point in digital reproduction.
Of course, if one only cares about the user interface, and is not interested in a paradigm shift in sonics, then great, they can use Roon.
Same thoughts here. Apart from the track changes we discussed yesterday, I have some DXD tracks well over 2GB (from the label) with one 33 minutes long.
Wonder if anyone has played DSD256 yet.
Christiaan Punter
Well-Known Member
Most definitely in favor of it being configurable
Has the DSD non-play bug been fixed? I haven't circled back to trying DSD tracks since my first evening when they were not playing.
Steve Z
Been on the waiting list as well. Looking forward to the mighty XDMS...
