Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[MusicFellow]

That is correct. Unless there are underlying issues, the server normally performs best if it always remains on. The "up to 30 minutes" that Ed quoted stem from my experiences and are indeed referring to a soft restart. In this case, the power supply remains charged and therefore the effect is small and relatively short.

Hi Christiaan,

so I just wanted to ask if this includes the case when one switches off the Extreme via the Front Button with NO switching off of the power switch on the back AND longer time-periods of say 1-2 weeks? E.g. because one wants to save power consumption and is away for vacation/work. Is SQ then also restored after about 30 minutes?

Cheers in advance for clarifying!

 

[Christiaan Punter]

If the server is switched off via the front panel and left in a low-power state (but the mains remains connected and the main power switch is left on) then the power supply remains on but the motherboard and the USB card do go to a low-power state.

Update:
I checked with Emile and he confirms, in this case too, the SQ is restored within 30 minutes.

 

[MusicFellow]

If the server is switched off via the front panel and left in a low-power state (but the mains remains connected and the main power switch is left on) then the power supply remains on but the motherboard and the USB card do go to a low-power state.

Update:
I checked with Emile and he confirms, in this case too, the SQ is restored within 30 minutes.

Perfect! That’s sounds great, since I really only need to turn the back switch indirectly off when disconnecting the Shunyata Everest from the wall during summer lighting season. No problems then regarding SQ the during the rest of the year. Happy listening!!

 

[oldmustang]

Just a brief note regarding comparative sound quality. I has a small issue last night after rebooting my Extreme and couldn't get XDMS to function properly again. So after trying everything I could think of, I decided what the heck, I might as well start Roon and get everything updated to Roon v2.0 and listen to some music.

Roon certainly does not sound bad. Quite good as a matter of fact. But it does lack the magic of XDMS, particularly in terms of the "draw you in" emotional involvement I've come to expect since the introduction of XDMS.

Ed fixed my small Alpha problem and I was up and listening via XDMS again after my brief Roon detour. I can probably skip checking on Roon now until they get to v3.0.

Steve Z

 

[tubes59]

Perfect! That’s sounds great, since I really only need to turn the back switch indirectly off when disconnecting the Shunyata Everest from the wall during summer lighting season. No problems then regarding SQ the during the rest of the year. Happy listening!!

I'm concerned about periodic lightning storms in my area as well. Seems that unplugging the Everest (with the Extreme still plugged in) or a power outage to the unit for any reason should have the same SQ effect as switching the rear power switch off.

 

[RUIN*ish]

In the last couple months my house has been hit by lightning and gone through a hurricane....
The lightning did render many items in the house useless... During the hurricane every plug was pulled...
I think if it weren't for having the hifi on it's own transformer and ground, the lightning would have caused me to replace many bits..
During the Summer months the lightning here can be extremely scary...
List of trashed items upon request...
Marc

 

[Christiaan Punter]

I'm concerned about periodic lightning storms in my area as well. Seems that unplugging the Everest (with the Extreme still plugged in) or a power outage to the unit for any reason should have the same SQ effect as switching the rear power switch off.

Indeed, that would have the same effect. But please do make sure to power off the Extreme first, before powering off the power conditioner or distributor.

 

[Malcng]

I find VNC viewer to be the most convenient way of re-booting or soft powering off. It’s quick and easy and saves wear and tear on the front panel button. It is particularly handy as I have always found that I need to reboot Roon on a regular basis, whatever make of music server being used, and I can do it from anywhere in the house. I have never found any computer device that did not benefit from a regular re-boot detox and memory flush.

Regarding Roon, I have studiously avoided applying the latest FW update but found last night upon opening the control app that I did not get the usual flag that a new version was available. I checked in settings which showed ‘latest version installed’. How? I definitely did not authorise this and can only suspect that this update was installed upon a re-boot of the Extreme - this has happened before and that’s the only thing I can put it down to. Is there any way of preventing this? I have no interest whatsoever in ARC and expect that we will see a flurry of updates over the coming weeks as ARC beds in.

 

[Christiaan Punter]

I find VNC viewer to be the most convenient way of re-booting or soft powering off. It’s quick and easy and saves wear and tear on the front panel button. It is particularly handy as I have always found that I need to reboot Roon on a regular basis, whatever make of music server being used, and I can do it from anywhere in the house. I have never found any computer device that did not benefit from a regular re-boot detox and memory flush.

Regarding Roon, I have studiously avoided applying the latest FW update but found last night upon opening the control app that I did not get the usual flag that a new version was available. I checked in settings which showed ‘latest version installed’. How? I definitely did not authorise this and can only suspect that this update was installed upon a re-boot of the Extreme - this has happened before and that’s the only thing I can put it down to. Is there any way of preventing this? I have no interest whatsoever in ARC and expect that we will see a flurry of updates over the coming weeks as ARC beds in.

Alas, you can delay it for some time by not installing the already downloaded update but upon reboot, it is indeed automatically installed. I know of no method to avoid the auto-install of a new version.

 

[pleroma]

Nice progress on 2.1. I really like the look and feel of the UI (I use the Windows version). Thanks Taiko.

 

[cat6man]

I find VNC viewer to be the most convenient way of re-booting or soft powering off. It’s quick and easy and saves wear and tear on the front panel button. It is particularly handy as I have always found that I need to reboot Roon on a regular basis, whatever make of music server being used, and I can do it from anywhere in the house. I have never found any computer device that did not benefit from a regular re-boot detox and memory flush.

Regarding Roon, I have studiously avoided applying the latest FW update but found last night upon opening the control app that I did not get the usual flag that a new version was available. I checked in settings which showed ‘latest version installed’. How? I definitely did not authorise this and can only suspect that this update was installed upon a re-boot of the Extreme - this has happened before and that’s the only thing I can put it down to. Is there any way of preventing this? I have no interest whatsoever in ARC and expect that we will see a flurry of updates over the coming weeks as ARC beds in.

It looks like this will be possible from the xdms control app in the future, as a button to do just this is in the UI (but not yet functional in the alpha)

 

[wil]

Roon certainly does not sound bad. Quite good as a matter of fact. But it does lack the magic of XDMS, particularly in terms of the "draw you in" emotional involvement I've come to expect since the introduction of XDMS.



Steve Z

I haven't gone back to listen to Roon (or TAS) since getting XDMS, so all I can really say is music is sounding great! No desire to go back for comparison. Much thanks to everyone at Taiko!

 

[steve williams]

Does everyone have XDMS 2.1. Ed installed mine in under 10 minutes a few days ago . The SQ seems to be the same as previous versions. What I love about these periodic updates is watching the development of the platform. Each new update brings with a few more things where the buttons function. It’s almost as if we are all in a cocoon watching the metamorphosis of XDMS come to life

indeed, you Taiko team rock. Nothing even comes close

 

[Zeotrope]

On the subject of Grounding:
I have ordered the new Shunyata ALTAIRA Signal grounding hub with an Omega cable to connect to the ground screw on the rear of the Extreme, next to the AC plug. The ground cable will be connected to the Denali, which is powering the Extreme.
I will report on what I hear.

 

[Nils]

On the subject of Grounding:
I have ordered the new Shunyata ALTAIRA Signal grounding hub with an Omega cable to connect to the ground screw on the rear of the Extreme, next to the AC plug. The ground cable will be connected to the Denali, which is powering the Extreme.
I will report on what I hear.

I am waiting for a grounding event at my dealer - we will there do A/B:
- Everest with the new grounding cables to it's grounding posts
- Everest + Altaira (one for Chassis and one for Signal-ground) + New grounding cables

Same here - will update with impressions.

With Extreme + XDMS the noise floor is very low -> new aspects come into play wrt SQ-impact -> worth while to explore even more refined grounding solution.

The journey continues...

 

[nonesup]

Does everyone have XDMS 2.1?. Ed installed mine in under 10 minutes a few days ago . The SQ seems to be the same as previous versions. What I love about these periodic updates is watching the development of the platform. Each new update brings with a few more things where the buttons function. It’s almost as if we are all in a cocoon watching the metamorphosis of XDMS come to life

indeed, you Taiko team rock. Nothing even comes close

Not all. I have applied twice but so far without success.

 

[nonesup]

On the subject of Grounding:
I have ordered the new Shunyata ALTAIRA Signal grounding hub with an Omega cable to connect to the ground screw on the rear of the Extreme, next to the AC plug. The ground cable will be connected to the Denali, which is powering the Extreme.
I will report on what I hear.

On the subject of Grounding:
I have ordered the new Shunyata ALTAIRA Signal grounding hub with an Omega cable to connect to the ground screw on the rear of the Extreme, next to the AC plug. The ground cable will be connected to the Denali, which is powering the Extreme.
I will report on what I hear.

If you are going to connect the Extreme chassis screw to an Altaira, the most logical thing is that it is a Altaira Chassis Ground and not Signal Ground.

 

[Zeotrope]

If you are going to connect the Extreme chassis screw to an Altaira, the most logical thing is that it is a Altaira Chassis Ground and not Signal Ground.

Actually no. Agree it’s confusing. Took me a while to sort it out.
The Signal Hub is best for source or “signal” components, especially digital. The Chassis hub is best for amps, or as one unit for everything. It has nothing to do with how you connect the ground, but what you are grounding.
In my case I’m not grounding my amp, so I have no need for the Chassis hub. Shunyata has verified my setup.

 

[Christiaan Punter]

Not all. I have applied twice but so far without success.

Hi all, please note that the 2.1 version to which Steve is referring was only meant for a small inner group. It does not provide enough to warrant a wider distribution. The next version to release to the entire Alpha test group will contain a lot of fixes and improvements. I am running tests as we speak and everything is going in the right direction!

 

[2ndLiner]

Hi all, please note that the 2.1 version to which Steve is referring was only meant for a small inner group. It does not provide enough to warrant a wider distribution. The next version to release to the entire Alpha test group will contain a lot of fixes and improvements. I am running tests as we speak and everything is going in the right direction!

Thanks for this info, Christiaan! I think most of us understand that there are Extreme owners (SIG = small inner group) who are more instrumental in helping the development of upgrades to XDMS, etc., proceed at a more comprehensive and rapid pace. Initial hurt feelings may be there but clarity like you provided really helps and serves to chill out feelings of FOMO. I remain grateful to be a part of this incredible sonic ride!