Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[oldmustang]

It's so easy and quick to install that he could have done it during a game commercial

You are not allowing time to drop the retaining screw, find my flashlight, hunt around inside the Extreme to find the screw, more time to find my magnet out in the garage with no luck, look for my pair of forceps, failing that try to find my tweezers, give up on any of those devices and grab a pair of chopsticks, whittle down the ends of the chopsticks slightly, retrieve the retaining screw -- and finally get everything fastened down snugly and connected back up.

Other than that, easy right?

In retrospect I should have just pulled the Extreme out of the rack, flipped it upside-down and shaken it.

Playing fine so far on first power up without any connectivity issues, but I don't have an hour yet on the new installation. I'll feel more confident about putting the cover back on the Extreme later today if no issues crop up.

Steve Z

 

[steve williams]

You are not allowing time to drop the retaining screw, find my flashlight, hunt around inside the Extreme to find the screw, more time to find my magnet out in the garage with no luck, look for my pair of forceps, failing that try to find my tweezers, give up on any of those devices and grab a pair of chopsticks, whittle down the ends of the chopsticks slightly, retrieve the retaining screw -- and finally get everything fastened down snugly and connected back up.

Other than that, easy right?

In retrospect I should have just pulled the Extreme out of the rack, flipped it upside-down and shaken it.

Playing fine so far on first power up without any connectivity issues, but I don't have an hour yet on the new installation. I'll feel more confident about putting the cover back on the Extreme later today if no issues crop up.

Steve Z

fat fingers and those microscopic screws does sometimes result in dropping the screw into the heap. Happened to me once. I carefully removed the screw with needle nose pliers

 

[marty]

In retrospect I should have just pulled the Extreme out of the rack, flipped it upside-down and shaken it.

I don't know what you do for a living, but if you can do that, you're in the wrong business. The Paris Olympics in 2024 isn't that far away so it's not too early to begin training, although using an Extreme for that purpose would truly be a novel approach.

 

[oldmustang]

I don't know what you do for a living, but if you can do that, you're in the wrong business. The Paris Olympics in 2024 isn't that far away so it's not too early to begin training, although using an Extreme for that purpose would truly be a novel approach.

I'm an old retired guy, Marty. Ex-military and government. I do still work out and lift though but most of my workouts involve fast ballistics and slow grinds with kettlebells now, along with rucking, rowing and bicycle riding.

Steve Z

 

[John T]

They all shipped at the same time.

I don't mean to be a PITA: "They all shipped at the same time" Does that mean everyone who has ordered the switch/network card? Or just brackets?

 

[Taiko Audio]

I don't mean to be a PITA: "They all shipped at the same time" Does that mean everyone who has ordered the switch/network card? Or just brackets?

Everyone who has ordered the switch/networkcard.

 

[theaudiogeek]

Those using the Switch+Network card, any opinion on the DAC cable? Are you still using the stock cable that came with the combo? Is there any recommendation/suggestion for a DAC cable or is it too early to talk about the DAC cable swap?

 

[Rhapsody]

Those using the Switch+Network card, any opinion on the DAC cable? Are you still using the stock cable that came with the combo? Is there any recommendation/suggestion for a DAC cable or is it too early to talk about the DAC cable swap?

I don't know about others, but once I heard the Switch/card, the last thing that I was thinking about was changing anything.....other than adding the Router/BPS etc

 

[oldmustang]

Those using the Switch+Network card, any opinion on the DAC cable? Are you still using the stock cable that came with the combo? Is there any recommendation/suggestion for a DAC cable or is it too early to talk about the DAC cable swap?

I'm not sure you are going to find a passive DAC cable (yet) with audiophile pretensions. DAC cables are a staple of data centers and while there are a variety of manufacturers to choose from, they all feature the same twin-axial construction, and mostly the same materials and wire gauge. While there may be very slight sonic differences between manufacturers it's nothing something I personally choose to obsess over.

Steve Z

 

[nenon]

FWIW, I have been given a special DAC cable to try. First impressions were very positive but without a bracket on my NIC I did not want to swap out cables and do A/B comparisons. That will change next week when I receive the new bracket. Will report back on that DAC cable.

I did try multiple LAN cables between the router and my switch and found that all so called audiophile ethernet cables added some color to the sound. I settled on a basic CAT6 ethernet cable here.

But I agree with Bob and Steve - when you add the switch and NIC to your system, the thought about changing cables is the last thing on your mind.

BTW, the burn-in is real. I noticed an improvement in about 10 days here. That was a pleasant surprise.

 

[theaudiogeek]

FWIW, I have been given a special DAC cable to try. First impressions were very positive but without a bracket on my NIC I did not want to swap out cables and do A/B comparisons. That will change next week when I receive the new bracket. Will report back on that DAC cable.

I did try multiple LAN cables between the router and my switch and found that all so called audiophile ethernet cables added some color to the sound. I settled on a basic CAT6 ethernet cable here.

But I agree with Bob and Steve - when you add the switch and NIC to your system, the thought about changing cables is the last thing on your mind.

BTW, the burn-in is real. I noticed an improvement in about 10 days here. That was a pleasant surprise.

Yes.. agree with you. It will be interesting to know the results between the stock and the special cable once you get a chance.

 

[jbrrp1]

My Switch and Card have both worked fine form the get-go, and I have 8 days of burn in on them. They have elevated further for me, as well. with that time. Now I'll have to try swapping out the SMPS for a decent LPS tomorrow.

 

[Malcng]

My Switch and Card have both worked fine form the get-go, and I have 8 days of burn in on them. They have elevated further for me, as well. with that time. Now I'll have to try swapping out the SMPS for a decent LPS tomorrow.

My switch/card has 10 days on it and it seemed to take 5-6 days to settle in fully. A couple of days ago, I dug out an Sbooster Ultra LPS that I bought 7 years ago but haven’t used at all in recent years. Fortunately, I kept it and found it was a good fit with the Taiko switch both physically and voltage wise and, whilst I wasn’t really expecting much, I tried it and it has made a worthwhile improvement to the sound over the stock supply.

The biggest surprise to me with these things since getting the Extreme is that the improvements are not limited to the USB direct output from the Extreme, but can also be heard all around the house. I have a Weiss DAC 501 4CH which I run as a Roon Ready headphone station via an Ethernet connection and can hear the improvements quite clearly. This surprises me because the output from Extreme is passing all the way around my network to various endpoints and I just didn’t expect sound quality improvements to be carried through to that extent. Definitely a welcome bonus.

 

[Zeotrope]

Yes, all brackets shipped with Fedex Priority. You should receive an e-mail from Fedex.

I was told mine was shipped with a replacement part for my Switch. It wasn’t… and no other tracking # for the bracket…

 

[Zeotrope]

Whoa! Eight Teddy Pardo units! That's a real vote of confidence. Thanks for your reply, I’ll have a look at Teddy Pardo.

Indeed, the oldest units are over 10 years old. Left on 24x7, no issues. I don’t want to get too deep in the rabbit hole of LPS comparisons, so I just replace my switching supplies with these. They are fairly inexpensive at ~$500 each.

 

[John T]

I was told mine was shipped with a replacement part for my Switch. It wasn’t… and no other tracking # for the bracket…

May I ask WHAT REPLACEMENT part for the switch????

 

[Zeotrope]

Simone the type is "Allen Wrench" non metric is 1/8th". You can buy a set that folds up with all the various sizes...

No, it’s definitely metric. I believe M5 but I will double check…

 

[theaudiogeek]

I was told mine was shipped with a replacement part for my Switch. It wasn’t… and no other tracking # for the bracket…

I guessing that my replacement bracket may be delivered by middle of this week. I think Fedex is taking their sweet time to move the shipments.

 

[Zeotrope]

May I ask WHAT REPLACEMENT part for the switch????

I had one foot broken during shipping, and it damaged the threads on the Switch base plate.
Taiko sent a new set of feet and a new case base plate. The new switch bracket was supposed to be included but was not… hopefully it will arrive tomorrow but don’t have a tracking #. Although here in Toronto we should get them faster than LA, for example…

I recommended that Taiko ship the Switches with the 3 feet removed and let the customer screw them on.

 

[Taiko Audio]

I had one foot broken during shipping, and it damaged the threads on the Switch base plate.
Taiko sent a new set of feet and a new case base plate. The new switch bracket was supposed to be included but was not… hopefully it will arrive tomorrow but don’t have a tracking #. Although here in Toronto we should get them faster than LA, for example…

I recommended that Taiko ship the Switches with the 3 feet removed and let the customer screw them on.

We shipped your damaged part replacement Friday the 10th, the new brackets were manufactured the weekend of the 11th and 12th and shipped last week. If that didn’t arrive yet it’s still in transit.