Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[oldmustang]

Much appreciated

I didn't forget about my promise to listen to Qobuz streaming via dCS' Mosaic, Roon and XDMS. Some things came up night before last but yesterday evening I had some time to do some listening.

Cutting right to the chase, my preference for overall sound quality and emotional involvement is XDMS, then Roon and then Mosaic. Mosaic isn't bad at all, but compared to XDMS via the Extreme Mosaic sounds a little more distant and not as tonally saturated. Mosaic can also sound somewhat congested and flattens out as music becomes more complex and rises in volume compared to both Roon and XDMS via the Extreme.

Roon falls between XDMS and Mosaic, though I would say Roon is closer to XDMS than the latter. Close enough in fact that whether one prefers Roon or XDMS would come down to how important getting the absolute last nth degree of sound quality is versus one's need for features not (yet) in XDMS, such as Roon Radio, large file and gapless playback among others.

I hope this helps.

Steve Z

 

[adamaley]

Thanks for the excellent news! Patience and faith are not my strong audiophile attributes ...

There's a waiting list currently for access to XDMS.

 

[EuroDriver]

We are starting to clear the waiting list for XDMS Alpha

email support@taikoaudio.com for when would be convenient in the coming days

The important pre-requisits for a smooth install of XDMS are

- TeamViewer or TeamViewer Quick Support on a laptop ot Desktop. In the case of a MAC, Screen Recording and Accessibility have been enabled for Team Viewer

- VNC Viewer is installed on the laptop

Shortly before the installation, we will send you a TestFLight invitation and a Discord Alpha Testers Group invitation

If this seems a bit too challenging or stressful, note that installation of a Taiko Switch and NIC have dramatically improved the SQ of Roon to a level only slightly behind XDMS, but extremely enjoyable none the less

 

[joet]

Hi Arthur,

Thank you for reporting in. Out of curiosity, which slots are the 2 network cards in? I would expect slot 2 to be the best solution for connecting to the upstream network, for connecting to your merging I would expect slot 5 (which normally holds the USB card) to be superior. I'd also be curious how adding the switch between Extreme network card and Merging or between Extreme and upstream network impact things relatively. If you would be able to test that it would be very nice to know.

Hi Emile, Tomorrow I will be receiving a second network card and an RJ45 SFP module in order to connect my Merging NADAC to the Extreme. I will be installing the card in slot 5, replacing the Taiko USB card currently residing there. I will test both switch configurations and let you know what I find. However, when I receive the router will placing the switch between the network card and the Merging still be an option?

 

[Steve Williams]

We are starting to clear the waiting list for XDMS Alpha

email support@taikoaudio.com for when would be convenient in the coming days

The important pre-requisits for a smooth install of XDMS are

- TeamViewer or TeamViewer Quick Support on a laptop ot Desktop. In the case of a MAC, Screen Recording and Accessibility have been enabled for Team Viewer

- VNC Viewer is installed on the laptop

Shortly before the installation, we will send you a TestFLight invitation and a Discord Alpha Testers Group invitation

If this seems a bit too challenging or stressful, note that installation of a Taiko Switch and NIC have dramatically improved the SQ of Roon to a level only slightly behind XDMS, but extremely enjoyable none the less

For all you non users of XDMS Alpha I would suggest you be all over this. XDMS is really something that needs to be experienced

 

[kyoya78]

We are starting to clear the waiting list for XDMS Alpha

email support@taikoaudio.com for when would be convenient in the coming days

The important pre-requisits for a smooth install of XDMS are

- TeamViewer or TeamViewer Quick Support on a laptop ot Desktop. In the case of a MAC, Screen Recording and Accessibility have been enabled for Team Viewer

- VNC Viewer is installed on the laptop

Shortly before the installation, we will send you a TestFLight invitation and a Discord Alpha Testers Group invitation

If this seems a bit too challenging or stressful, note that installation of a Taiko Switch and NIC have dramatically improved the SQ of Roon to a level only slightly behind XDMS, but extremely enjoyable none the less

Hi EuroDriver,

I use an iPad and a Desktop PC.
Do I always need a laptop with VNC Viewer installed for various XDMS-related support?
If a laptop is needed, I will provide one next time.

 

[oldmustang]

Hi EuroDriver,

I use an iPad and a Desktop PC.
Do I always need a laptop with VNC Viewer installed for various XDMS-related support?
If a laptop is needed, I will provide one next time.

I'm not Ed but a PC with VNC Viewer will work just fine. There is also a version of VNC Viewer that will run on an iPad but without a keyboard or a mouse to right-click it is a little more cumbersome to use.

Steve Z

 

[EuroDriver]

Hi EuroDriver,

I use an iPad and a Desktop PC.
Do I always need a laptop with VNC Viewer installed for various XDMS-related support?
If a laptop is needed, I will provide one next time.

I just finished a XDMS install in ASIA that was needed ASAP.

A recent Extreme Owner with a WASAPI only WADAX Atlantis has a MSB Select in for demo and wanted to use XDMS and ASIO to the MSB. It was a Sunday, and he did not have any laptop or Descktop, only his iPad

Well after the software installation, a WhatsApp Video call showing him my iPad going through the UI got him up and running in about 5 min.

Needless to say he was bowled over by the sound of XDMS to the MSB

BTW, many XDMS installations have been done via Telegram Chat with Yandex translate in the Chat Group doing very quick and useable translation to and from a non-english language

 

[EuroDriver]

Hi EuroDriver,

I use an iPad and a Desktop PC.
Do I always need a laptop with VNC Viewer installed for various XDMS-related support?
If a laptop is needed, I will provide one next time.

Desktop PC with VNC in another room is fine, as long as it's on the same Network

 

[Azjya]

Desktop PC with VNC in another room is fine, as long as it's on the same Network

Hi Ed - is it now the case that we can easily switch between Roon and XDMS using the app?

 

[Ackcheng]

May I ask if the mini switch sill on the agenda? I wonder if it can used as a media format converter and better than the currently available ones on market.

 

[joet]

I was just watching Emile’s WBF interview on YouTube. I really enjoyed it. When the Taiko bps was discussed it reminded me of a question. I’ve seen StromTank products in a lot of the Munich High End show videos. How will the Taiko bps improve on existing bps products like StromTank? Is StromTank an effective choice for a Taiko front end?

 

[EuroDriver]

Hi Ed - is it now the case that we can easily switch between Roon and XDMS using the app?

Yes, you can switch back and forth between having XDMS runiing or Roon running from the XDMS App

 

[kyoya78]

I'm not Ed but a PC with VNC Viewer will work just fine. There is also a version of VNC Viewer that will run on an iPad but without a keyboard or a mouse to right-click it is a little more cumbersome to use.

Steve Z

Thanks for your advice. Indeed, the VNC Viewer that works on the iPad has a unique way of right-clicking.

I just finished a XDMS install in ASIA that was needed ASAP.

A recent Extreme Owner with a WASAPI only WADAX Atlantis has a MSB Select in for demo and wanted to use XDMS and ASIO to the MSB. It was a Sunday, and he did not have any laptop or Descktop, only his iPad

Well after the software installation, a WhatsApp Video call showing him my iPad going through the UI got him up and running in about 5 min.

Needless to say he was bowled over by the sound of XDMS to the MSB

BTW, many XDMS installations have been done via Telegram Chat with Yandex translate in the Chat Group doing very quick and useable translation to and from a non-english language

Desktop PC with VNC in another room is fine, as long as it's on the same Network

The sound of XDMS and TAIKO ASIO is overwhelming!
Telegram Chat and Yandex translate is very useful.
Direct support from TAIKO Team is very helpful, especially since many audio stores in Japan are unfamiliar with PCs.

 

[Christiaan Punter]

If I'm not mistaken, Aries Cerat does reclocking on AES/EBU and SPDIF inputs

Indeed and this is conveniently switchable (on or off) with a different sonic presentation. Reclocked sounds tighter and more articulate (and arguably less free-flowing) while not reclocked sounds fluid and free-flowing but arguably less precise.

 

[Christiaan Punter]

I am also considering joining the XDMS group, but I am still in doubt. How many hours of work are foreseen to an user to install and start using it fluently? The idea that there is no pdf manual scares me!

We started making a manual but it's not doable to keep it up to date since the goalposts keep moving. That said, XDMS is not difficult to use at all. Issues may arise but we are here to help solve them.

 

[Christiaan Punter]

How about dual bnc?

Not considered at the moment. However, if there is enough demand, it *could* perhaps be considered. The PCI card's modular build does make adding alternative daughter boards relatively simple.

Please see the updated TACDA & TACDD Summary Doc below for all the available info on this new product.

All documentation can be found on the Downloads page on the Taiko Audio website: https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/taiko-audio-downloads

 

[Christiaan Punter]

A lifetime alpha release?

The point is that, as far as I see, they are not carrying improvements to the standard software - common users of the Extreme are not benefiting from their current expertise.

XDMS is intended to move on to Beta, and eventually to a full "finished" version, to co-exist alongside Roon, for users to switch between. For Extreme users, the software will be included. A single Roon/XDMS switch has recently been added to the XDMS app, making switching between the two utterly painless.

 

[DW101]

Not considered at the moment. However, if there is enough demand, it *could* perhaps be considered. The PCI card's modular build does make adding alternative daughter boards relatively simple.

Please see the updated TACDA & TACDD Summary Doc below for all the available info on this new product.

All documentation can be found on the Downloads page on the Taiko Audio website: https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/taiko-audio-downloads

I'm +1 for a dual BNC interface for Chord DAVE

 

[onlychild]

Hello Taiko, any update on when the black switches will be shipping out?