Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[cat6man]

i recall when i first got my MSB Select II that we did some testing with HQ Player and by far the best set-up with my SGM 2015 was basically turning it off.....no up-sampling. and going bit-perfect.

that matches my experience, though not with an extreme.
with my totaldac, i found hqplayer to sound best with no upsampling or dither, just bit-perfect.
however, i found that doing this with hqplayer, just bitperfect, sounded better than without hqplayer.
this has been with various versions of Rendu serving as the NAA, as well as running the NAA inside the totaldac streamer.

and let me second the praise for Jussi, who is one of the most knowledgable folks i've met in this field.

 

[Stereophonic]

It might be good to realise there is a very distinct difference between the various offerings of music servers / streamers.

The first foremost and largest difference can be found in processing power.

The highest current processing power offerings that I'm aware of are:
-The Taiko Audio SGM Extreme with 2*10 core Intel Xeon CPUs
-The Pink Faun 2.16 with 1*8 core AMD Ryzen CPU
-The Laufer Memory Player with 1* AMD Threadripper CPU, depending on the model between 8 and 32 cores.

You forgot Wadax Atlantis Server.
Even Robert Koda kneels in front of such magnificent electronic....

 

[Taiko Audio]

You forgot Wadax Atlantis Server.

This one? :
https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/new-wadax-atlantis-line.23204/post-532228

I’m not entirely sure what’s in there, it looks like an Intel NUC.

 

[Kingsrule]

Like I said

Great. Now we wait for u to get the MSB S II....and that next day you will be the forum expert on that.....LOL

 

[steve williams]

I guess I should have asked you

 

[Kingsrule]

I guess I should have asked you

LMAO....

 

[microstrip]

IMHO (and I am biased) when you compare servers on the market, there is the Taiko Extreme on one side and all others on the other side. There is no comparison.

People who have not experienced the Extreme will probably find your comment hyperbolic, as you recognized. However there is something true in the sound reproduction of the Extreme using an adequate DAC that separates it from all my experiences with computer audio. I have carried several modest experiences using a PC server and software such a JRiver and Roon and DCS dedicated players. Every time I added a new feature ( better power supplies, optimization of operating system, JCat cards, better cables) there was an improvement, but always the same type of sound, a kind of artificiality and vestige of glare that was easily noticed when I compared it with the DCS Vivaldi transport remained. I borrowed the Innuous Statement and it was a clear improvement - the sound was more analog-like, more rounded and easier to listen, less defects, but still in a reality different from the physical media. The Extreme played from PCIe managed to close this gap - still different, but not in fundamental aspects- the difference is on level with what we typically get changing digital cables. Basically there is no more the residual smearing during decays and attacks, the fabulous "black" background is even less grainy.

Having owned an Extreme now for a few months I marvel at it daily at what it does, how it does it and how it does it so quickly without even a hiccup.

For some time I have intended to borrow a DCS Network bridge to try the Kondo KSL DAC with the Extreme - an experience try with the Berkeley Alpha USB converter was not successful. Today I suddenly remembered that I could use the SPDIF output of the Vivaldi upsampler to connect it! I have been listening to both DACs with the Etxreme using the GAT2-ART's. My first conclusion is that the Kondo DAC sounds much better than I imagined - and I have used it mainly with the Metronome Kalypso CD player. Used with the Extreme playing HiRez it sounds solid, but neither solid state dry nor with tube warmth. The Kondo is more instrument in room, the Vivaldi more room with an instrument. I will need more time to evaluate it. Curiously there is now a similarity in the solid image, no listening fatigue and freedom from artifacts that I also attribute to the Extreme. On instrumental music if I leave the room and enter a few minutes later I can´t recognize without some effort which DAC is playing, something that was very clear with other feeds until now.

It has been difficult for me to get back to playing vinyl and tape since the Extreme is in my system

You are really brave to admit it. It also happened to me, but I am a mainly a digital listener since long ... BTW, one nice thing of the Extreme is that it shares what I call the "being right" of the AirForce One - but surely sounds different.

 

[steve williams]

Totally agree micro but be careful Kingsrule doesn’t proclaim you rather than me to be the expert on the Extreme

it is difficult to avoid hyperbole wrt the Extreme but at least you have had similar feelings as my own.

like you I used CA with my MBP and Jriver into my DAC and I continued to love analog. But then this changed things up for me. It’s so simple, so powerful and so quick that I continue to marvel at its efficacy But the reality is the sound quality is getting closer to vinyl and that’s a sobering statement and again if that seems hyperbolic I apologize

 

[CKKeung]

You forgot Wadax Atlantis Server.
Even Robert Koda kneels in front of such magnificent electronic....

Sorry, I have listened to most top CAS servers in the market, including the Wadax Atlantis.

To me, they can be divided into 2 categories/leagues :
1. The Extreme.
2. The non-Extremes.

It's that simple!

 

[Audioking87]

Hi guys,

I'm new here and have to ask, is there any particular reason why there is 48gb of RAM needed here? I hope there is no AI processing going on in the music server hehe.

Is it possible to order with less ram? Seems a bit overkill and I know that that ram is definitely not cheap.

Thanks

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Hi guys,

I'm new here and have to ask, is there any particular reason why there is 48gb of RAM needed here? I hope there is no AI processing going on in the music server hehe.

Is it possible to order with less ram? Seems a bit overkill and I know that that ram is definitely not cheap.

Thanks

overkill (headroom) seems to be the new 'just enough'.

headroom in all aspects of music reproduction always triumphs in my personal experience.

 

[howiebrou]

Sorry, I have listened to most top CAS servers in the market, including the Wadax Atlantis.

To me, they can be divided into 2 categories/leagues :
1. The Extreme.
2. The non-Extremes.

It's that simple!

What about the Total Dac Server CK?

 

[marty]

interesting comparison between Innuous Statement, SGM Extreme and Memory player.
*video in Mandarin

Forgive me but why would anyone think you can get anything out of a video like that? Yet I see folks do this all the time. Sorry but this seems highly unproductive to me if one's expectations are to be able to assess any sonic comparisons. I guess I just don't get it.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Hi guys,

I'm new here and have to ask, is there any particular reason why there is 48gb of RAM needed here? I hope there is no AI processing going on in the music server hehe.

Is it possible to order with less ram? Seems a bit overkill and I know that that ram is definitely not cheap.

Thanks

Welcome to the forum Audioking87.

There is 48Gb to occupy all 12 available memory channels (maximum bandwidth) and 4Gb is the smallest module we can have made in this quality.

 

[CKKeung]

What about the Total Dac Server CK?

Not bad, but if you strike for excellence, the Extreme is the first choice.

I heard that Emile will launch a lower price model in 2020, which is upgradable to Extreme later on.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Forgive me but why would anyone think you can get anything out of a video like that? Yet I see folks do this all the time. Sorry but this seems highly unproductive to me if one's expectations are to be able to assess any sonic comparisons. I guess I just don't get it.

Hi Marty,

Although I do agree videos are not a reliable medium to do product comparisons, they are still valuable to me as proof these have really been performed. The context is missing here but I have seen this video before where it was posted along with written commentary on sound quality differences if I remember correctly.

 

[Taiko Audio]

On instrumental music if I leave the room and enter a few minutes later I can´t recognize without some effort which DAC is playing, something that was very clear with other feeds until now.

That is a very interesting observation, you’re not the first to notice that.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Not bad, but if you strike for excellence, the Extreme is the first choice.

I heard that Emile will launch a lower price model in 2020, which is upgradable to Extreme later on.

We are indeed working on exactly that.

 

[CKKeung]

We are indeed working on exactly that.

Emile :
You are so secretive.
A lot of audiophiles are waiting for your announcement.

 

[vhs]

We are indeed working on exactly that.

I'm really looking forward to it.