Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[Steve williams]

Agreed. I definitely don't want to go down the mutiple router path.

I can only base my comments on conversations with Taiko, so until I'm told otherwise, I will follow instructions. I had the same concerns as everyone and told Emile that I have an Orbi network which works flawlessly and did not want to change. he told me it won't be necessary. Surely there is something we either don't understand or there is speculation which is adding to the chaos. I would surmise that the majority of users here are in the same boat and not anxious to make changes to their network. I suggest questions be directed towards Taiko with the hope for more understanding

 

[Blue58]

After saying I wouldn’t consider XDMS until at least a Beta version was released I succumbed to temptation and asked Edward to install Alpha this morning. Why oh why was I holding out? Already the interface is intuitive, albeit the lack of album tile graphics puts me in a tizz, easy enough to jump from album to album and select favourite tracks or albums to the queue. No ticks or pops between sample rate changes too.

As for sound quality, it’s freakin’ awesome. High resolution without sterility, a continuous flow, tonally correct and lifelike. 4 hours in and Flamenco sketches from Kind of Blue from Highdeftapetransfers DSD256 is unlike any other version you’ve heard. And when Bill Evans plays his solo the world disappears and I’m in another place.

Wow! Thank you Edward, Emile, the team and everyone at WBF.

Blue58

 

[microstrip]

(...) 4 hours in and Flamenco sketches from Kind of Blue from Highdeftapetransfers DSD256 is unlike any other version you’ve heard. And when Bill Evans plays his solo the world disappears and I’m in another place. (...)

Great to know your move to XDMS - do you have details on the origin of the tapes and conversion process used by Highdeftapetransfers?

 

[Steve williams]

After saying I wouldn’t consider XDMS until at least a Beta version was released I succumbed to temptation and asked Edward to install Alpha this morning. Why oh why was I holding out? Already the interface is intuitive, albeit the lack of album tile graphics puts me in a tizz, easy enough to jump from album to album and select favourite tracks or albums to the queue. No ticks or pops between sample rate changes too.

As for sound quality, it’s freakin’ awesome. High resolution without sterility, a continuous flow, tonally correct and lifelike. 4 hours in and Flamenco sketches from Kind of Blue from Highdeftapetransfers DSD256 is unlike any other version you’ve heard. And when Bill Evans plays his solo the world disappears and I’m in another place.

Wow! Thank you Edward, Emile, the team and everyone at WBF.

Blue58

welcome to the club. One cannot truly understand how good XDMS is until they hear it in their own system

Do you have all current back end and control app versions as Album tiles are readily visible

 

[nonesup]

That’s the only thing that makes sense to me- how else is the router supposed to be powered by the BPS? Surely very very few people have their main router near enough to the extreme to be powered by the BPS, but for a second router that’s possible

Seems like I'm a lucky boy

 

[Taiko Audio]

Apologies for the lack of updates. We‘ve been absolutely flooded with enquiries the past few days. Replies to e-mails may come with a 24-48 hour delay but we hope to be able to fully catch up over the weekend. @Christiaan Punter is putting information packages together to be published soon.

I understand it may all look very complicated.

1) The switch + network card package turns a very noisy rj45 interface into a very quiet SFP interface. This combination also offloads some network processing from the server to the switch reducing internal processing noise. This alone improves Roon playback performance to above what you‘ve been reading as feedback from the 100 or so XDMS alpha testers. Naturally XDMS benefits too and remains the current Taiko SQ SOTA.

2) The router allows full control over the datastream being delivered to the Switch/Extreme. It can define all networking parameters and controls the actual amount and flow of data present on the network. It also allows controlling a wi-fi accesspoint to control wireless networking parameters. Whether or not you replace your internet modem is actually not that important, it will achieve what we want to do regardless. However less is more, it supports a lot and if it can replace your ISP provided device, why not. It has 5 network ports and can therefor create 5 separated networks.

In short:

1) The Switch / network card combo reduces noise by offloading (moving) processing from the Extreme to the Switch.
2) The Router reduces noise by controlling the actual DATA on the network leading to another significant lowering of noise.

 

[dminches]

In short:

1) The Switch / network card combo reduces noise by offloading (moving) processing from the Extreme to the Switch.
2) The Router reduces noise by controlling the actual DATA on the network leading to another significant lowering of noise.

So the Extreme sees the switch and says “you do this instead of me” or does the switch just do it before the Extreme can? Or, it is way more complicated than that??

 

[Cyrus]

@Christiaan Punter is putting information packages together to be published soon.

Great!!!

 

[Taiko Audio]

So the Extreme sees the switch and says “you do this instead of me” or does the switch just do it before the Extreme can? Or, it is way more complicated than that??

It’s not performed by the Extreme when the SFP port on the network card is used with the DAC copper cable.

 

[oldmustang]

Great to know your move to XDMS - do you have details on the origin of the tapes and conversion process used by Highdeftapetransfers?

HDTT includes information about the provenance of the tape used for the transfer on each releases' webpage. It takes some digging on their website but in the past they have explained the equipment they are using for conversions to digital.

Steve Z

 

[Levitator]

Apologies for the lack of updates. We‘ve been absolutely flooded with enquiries the past few days. Replies to e-mails may come with a 24-48 hour delay but we hope to be able to fully catch up over the weekend. @Christiaan Punter is putting information packages together to be published soon.

I understand it may all look very complicated.

1) The switch + network card package turns a very noisy rj45 interface into a very quiet SFP interface. This combination also offloads some network processing from the server to the switch reducing internal processing noise. This alone improves Roon playback performance to above what you‘ve been reading as feedback from the 100 or so XDMS alpha testers. Naturally XDMS benefits too and remains the current Taiko SQ SOTA.

2) The router allows full control over the datastream being delivered to the Switch/Extreme. It can define all networking parameters and controls the actual amount and flow of data present on the network. It also allows controlling a wi-fi accesspoint to control wireless networking parameters. Whether or not you replace your internet modem is actually not that important, it will achieve what we want to do regardless. However less is more, it supports a lot and if it can replace your ISP provided device, why not. It has 5 network ports and can therefor create 5 separated networks.

In short:

1) The Switch / network card combo reduces noise by offloading (moving) processing from the Extreme to the Switch.
2) The Router reduces noise by controlling the actual DATA on the network leading to another significant lowering of noise.

Thanks for this info Emile @Taiko Audio - obviously many of us are currently using audiophile switches like Melco, SOtM, M12 etc. and will need to replace these. I’m sure you guys did a huge amount of testing in the design of the switch so are you able to share what your findings have been in comparison to these switches (all of which are different) and why the Taiko switch will result in higher SQ?

Thanks again for your persistence in pushing the audio boundaries and looking ‘outside the box’!

 

[M27HF]

Apologies for the lack of updates. We‘ve been absolutely flooded with enquiries the past few days. Replies to e-mails may come with a 24-48 hour delay but we hope to be able to fully catch up over the weekend. @Christiaan Punter is putting information packages together to be published soon.

I understand it may all look very complicated.

1) The switch + network card package turns a very noisy rj45 interface into a very quiet SFP interface. This combination also offloads some network processing from the server to the switch reducing internal processing noise. This alone improves Roon playback performance to above what you‘ve been reading as feedback from the 100 or so XDMS alpha testers. Naturally XDMS benefits too and remains the current Taiko SQ SOTA.

2) The router allows full control over the datastream being delivered to the Switch/Extreme. It can define all networking parameters and controls the actual amount and flow of data present on the network. It also allows controlling a wi-fi accesspoint to control wireless networking parameters. Whether or not you replace your internet modem is actually not that important, it will achieve what we want to do regardless. However less is more, it supports a lot and if it can replace your ISP provided device, why not. It has 5 network ports and can therefor create 5 separated networks.

In short:

1) The Switch / network card combo reduces noise by offloading (moving) processing from the Extreme to the Switch.
2) The Router reduces noise by controlling the actual DATA on the network leading to another significant lowering of noise.

Hi Emile
For those of us who have local internet supplied with F type coaxial connection to our modems what choices do we have to connect to new Taiko router ?

 

[dminches]

Hi Emile
For those of us who have local internet supplied with F type coaxial connection to our modems what choices do we have to connect to new Taiko router ?

Is your modem and router separate?

 

[M27HF]

Is your modem and router separate?

Yes

 

[dminches]

Yes

If I understand your initial question, it sounds like your modem is fed with a coaxial cable. How is the router connected to the modem? Ethernet?

 

[M27HF]

Yes ethernet

 

[dminches]

Yes ethernet

If you are able to replace your ISP-provide router you will connect the Taiko router to the modem via Ethernet just like you are doing now.

 

[M27HF]

If you are able to replace your ISP-provide router you will connect the Taiko router to the modem via Ethernet just like you are doing now.

I'd actually want to remove my modem and have our internet wire feed directly to Taiko router but it doesn't have F type connection port

 

[dminches]

I'd actually want to remove my modem and have our internet wire feed directly to Taiko router but it doesn't have F type connection port

I don’t think you can do that.

Who is your ISP.

 

[M27HF]

I don’t think you can do that.

Who is your ISP.

Spectrum