Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[SwissTom]

If you change to the internal BPS it would power the motherboard, usb, and network card separately and would probably still have 3 or so outputs for external devices.

@Taiko Audio That's brilliant!

Having a Battery Power Supply inside the Extreme that is able to power the external switch as well is really neat.

I suspect that this option will be appealing to many Extreme owners

Having only two boxes (Extreme + Switch) is nice!!

 

[Taiko Audio]

Does this mean that there will be 2 power supply upgrade options, one that is battery powered and one that is not?

It’s something we could do if there’s a demand for it. The most Extreme thing we’ve ever build was a 3 box 530lbs prototype, it would’ve been in the 100K+ retail range, but in all honesty the BPS is better, cheaper and IMHO simply a much smarter approach.

A lot of people have an adversity to battery supplies as they can have a characteristic slow and unfavourably coloured sound, but I’m very confident that that does not apply at all to what we designed here.

 

[Taiko Audio]

@Taiko Audio That's brilliant!

Having a Battery Power Supply inside the Extreme that is able to power the external switch as well is really neat.

I suspect that this option will be appealing to many Extreme owners

Having only two boxes (Extreme + Switch) is nice!!

There is a downside to this being that that single box would weigh in at 180-200lbs. The exact weight is not known exactly yet as we want to get away from having to anodise, as we want to manufacture 100% in house, which may lead to a different material choice then the usual Aluminium.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Emile, can you provide the amperage draw information, too? I'd like to understand if my on-hand LPS's might work with the unit or not. Thanks!

Around 500mA @ 12V.

 

[dminches]

Around 500mA @ 12V.

Nice light load!

 

[EuroDriver]

The switch is very different to other switches. The first switch we designed which had only positives, it did not provide a cleaner sound at the expense of density, it did not compress dynamics, it did not just sound more pleasing and/or "fuller" by rolling off the top end, IMHO it was truly "neutral", it only lowered "noise", but the most remarkable about it was that everything just sounded better with it connected rather then disconnected. This was around halfway into 2021, if I recall correctly both @EuroDriver and @nenon reported on it in this thread. We could have stopped there and just release it, it provided a good uptick in sound quality, and I'm sure everybody who would've bought one would've been pleased with it, but it did not actually solve anything, in stead it gave us some interesting insights. Which led to more discoveries, some of those led to the software update we released early this year which provided a similar uptick in sound quality as that switch on its own btw. What we have designed meanwhile and since then is truly different, and it operates and functions on a whole different level. It also scales with your system outlay. For example on the Alsyvox Raffaellos, with its huge sfa dual bass ribbons, it's almost like there's a +6dB boost at 20Hz while at the same time a mayor increase in transparency and detail in that range (yes there's detail in sub bass), it makes for a rather shocking difference, it produces shockwave like bass, but it's not just that, the midrange energy and drive is on a whole different level too, like if you went from an underpowered amplifier to something with power to spare. On the Magico A5s you don't get any of that, but still the bass is much more controlled and has more energy, grip and dynamic punch, the lowered distortion over the entire frequency range is very obvious, the midrange is more colourful and engaging. Removing the switch leaves me with a suddenly rather disappointing sound, grey and lackluster. I have a lot of switches here, but none of them do anything like this, this is more fundamental, it alters your musical experience. There goes "I'm not one to boast about sonic qualities" out the window, I'll rephrase to I hope you'll all agree with me in an attempt to keep up a degree of appearance of modesty. You are welcome to visit us in Oldenzaal and hear the difference.

So does this switch improve the sound of other servers, yes it does, but not to the same extend, and there's a good reason for that, as you need the network card, and a specific software configuration for the full monty. The network card on its own is an OK upgrade, the switch on it's own is a larger upgrade and IMHO a substantial one, the combination however is "magical".

But you will have to check in your smartphone at the door, no pictures allowed

 

[cat6man]

In depth detail following, but it doesn’t really matter what you have / use now.

Is there any SQ reason to put the switch near the extreme, or can I put it in the basement with 50' of cat6 cable to the new network card?

 

[cat6man]

Maybe an alloy of unobtainium?

SteveZ

Hey Steve
Watch Emile while he pulls a rabbit out of his hat.
Oops. It's a router

 

[Steve Williams]

Is there any SQ reason to put the router near the extreme, or can I put it in the basement with 50' of cat6 cable to the new network card?

My router is downstairs but I don’t hard wite from the router. I stream wirelessly to a satellite in my sound room from which I use a short run of Ethernet to the Extreme. Works just fine

 

[SwissTom]

There is a downside to this being that that single box would weigh in at 180-200lbs. The exact weight is not known exactly yet as we want to get away from having to anodise, as we want to manufacture 100% in house, which may lead to a different material choice then the usual Aluminium.

@Taiko Audio , oh but that's a shame!

The Extreme matches so nicely with my electronics.

Isn't there a way of getting the same enclosure?

 

[cat6man]

My router is downstairs but I don’t hard wite from the router. I stream wirelessly to a satellite in my sound room from which I use a short run of Ethernet to the Extreme. Works just fine

steveW: since the new switch/network card combination is the key here, with settings designed to optimize the flow control between the switch and the network card, i have a concern (possibly) that conversion to wifi (and possible re-packetization?) between the switch and network card *could* impact the optimized flow control of the switch/network card combo. perhaps emile can chime in here and correct me if i'm off base.

Router==>new switch==> new network card (has MOJO)

Router ==> new switch ==>wifi ==> new network card (MOJO?)

 

[marty]

Can someone please clarify:

1) I currently use an Extreme w a JL Audio USB Board and an external switch (Nordost). Will the new switch be external? Hard to imagine that an internal switch on a board would weigh 30 lbs so I am assuming the switch will be an external stand alone product. No?

2) What will the new network card replace? Does it replace a network card that is currently in my Extreme, or is it an external device as well?

3) Will my JL Audio USB board require an update or replacement in order to work with the new network card and switch?

Thanks
Marty

 

[Steve Williams]

steveW: since the new router/network card combination is the key here, with settings designed to optimize the flow control between the router and the network card, i have a concern (possibly) that conversion to wifi (and possible re-packetization?) between the router and network card *could* impact the optimized flow control of the router/network card combo. perhaps emile can chime in here and correct me if i'm off base.

new router ==> new network card (has MOJO)
new router ==> wifi ==> new network card (MOJO?)

I hope this remains so....Emile knows my system very well and I asked him if there would be any issues because of going wifi as you said. Emile didn't seem to think there would be an issue but it would be reassuring to here affirmation to the question once again

 

[cat6man]

a quick report from the (b)leading edge of alpha-land

the sun king meets mean mr. mustard who meets polythene pam who quickly goes in the bathroom window

or put another way:

TAS: china==>make an espresso==>rider
early xdms alpha: china==>small gap==>rider
latest xdms alpha: china==>rider

we have achieved (almost) gapless playback!
kudos to team Taiko

(aka time to smile smile smile)

edit: ed tells me it is not completely gapless, but i didn't hear it

 

[adyc]

a quick report from the (b)leading edge of alpha-land

the sun king meets mean mr. mustard who meets polythene pam who quickly goes in the bathroom window

or put another way:

TAS: china==>make an espresso==>rider
early xdms alpha: china==>small gap==>rider
latest xdms alpha: china==>rider

we have achieved (almost) gapless playback!
kudos to team Taiko

(aka time to smile smile smile)

edit: ed tells me it is not completely gapless, but i didn't hear it

Easy way to test whether truly gapless is opera.

 

[dminches]

Can someone please clarify:

1) I currently use an Extreme w a JL Audio USB Board and an external switch (Nordost). Will the new switch be external? Hard to imagine that an internal switch on a board would weigh 30 lbs so I am assuming the switch will be an external stand alone product. No?

2) What will the new network card replace? Does it replace a network card that is currently in my Extreme, or is it an external device as well?

3) Will my JL Audio USB board require an update or replacement in order to work with the new network card and switch?

Thanks
Marty

1) External switch

2) Existing fiber card. The Extreme ethernet is currently from the motherboard.

3) Unrelated. I assume you are talking about the Horizon usb board?

 

[seatrope]

@Taiko Audio Emile, welcome back! Very exciting news.


I have one question. Is this a router or a switch? Is it capable of Layer 3 functions?

 

[dminches]

@Taiko Audio Emile, welcome back! Very exciting news.


I have one question. Is this a router or a switch? Is it capable of Layer 3 functions?

It is not a router.

 

[seatrope]

It is not a router.

Great. Don’t want to have to deal with double NAT if I don’t have to.

 

[oldmustang]

a quick report from the (b)leading edge of alpha-land

the sun king meets mean mr. mustard who meets polythene pam who quickly goes in the bathroom window

or put another way:

TAS: china==>make an espresso==>rider
early xdms alpha: china==>small gap==>rider
latest xdms alpha: china==>rider

we have achieved (almost) gapless playback!
kudos to team Taiko

(aka time to smile smile smile)

edit: ed tells me it is not completely gapless, but i didn't hear it

I like the Grateful Dead reference.

Steve Z