Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[engadin]

This is a gorgeous rack, indeed.

But I think I remember that wooden support under the copper housing Taiko switch (and presumably the other copper housing items) was a less than ideal approach.

Taiko's Router/Switch/Power Distributer will have a comfortable final resting place! Been working on this Network Rack. No wonder I have 2 new knees! This Red Oak is north of 125 years old. Lots of plaining/joining and cutting. Nice when you have a friend with a proper wood working shop. His radial arm saw had a frigging laser! I am pleasantly surprised I was able to rejuvenate this Oak to this extent. The pic doesn't show how pretty the grain is. I still have to finish the wood. Most likely a natural finish to go with the ebony frame...

 

[Levitator]

In case you’re wondering how things are going inside Taiko HQ, here’s my take on it from a recent visit…

I was fortunate enough to spend some more time at Taiko HQ over the past 2 weeks and see what Emile has been up to, just to make sure that the baker is still working on his secret recipes to keep us audiophiles waiting with baited breath!

The easiest way to describe things at Taiko is like being in a science lab, but for big kid audiophiles. Pallets of solid copper, CNC and laser machines alongside world class amplifiers, DAC’s and the fabulous Raffaello Alsyvox speakers for testing new Taiko ideas - not to mention the increasing presence of all things Taiko.

What I got to hear was, shall we say, mind blowing! And I say that having recently been to Munich hearing a number of these things in the Alsyvox room and also having visited Emile back in May just before Munich when I heard the switch, NIC, router and new power distributor which were very, very good.

I’ve got to be honest and say, I’ve never heard anything quite like I heard in the past 2 weeks - the musical engagement was just at a whole new level. Bigger soundstage, much greater presence, increase in dynamics and the bass, man, the bass!! Even Emile turned to look at me with a stunned face and said “I’ve never heard some of that before” - geez, I wish I got that on video!

So what was different - well, fortunately I’m not an engineer and had difficulty working out exactly what Emile was doing (and if I did, I might not be writing this!) but in simple terms the addition of the new BPS which is still evolving and let’s just say, an enhanced version of the Extreme on steroids along with the new DAC module, in partnership with where most of us are soon to be at with the router, switch, power distributor, and XDMS (but not NSM). All I can say is, give Emile some time because what is coming is just a whole new ball game!!

Once again, kudos to Emile and his talented team of people - you are changing the game, for the better!

 

[John T]

This is a gorgeous rack, indeed.

But I think I remember that wooden support under the copper housing Taiko switch (and presumably the other copper housing items) was a less than ideal approach.

Thank You, after staining it really looks good. I think we over analyze many aspects. (which isn't a bad thing) I can assure you a properly constructed rack albeit made from wood, with additional isolation under the component, will be fine...

 

[Steve Williams]

Update on the router:

The new PCBs with integrated Wi-Fi have arrived, we also used the opportunity to install our latest generation of GaN fet regulators which no longer need bulk electrolytic capacitors which increases longevity and replaced an input filter capacitor with a Duelund which interestingly performs very well at high frequencies despite the higher lead out inductance over SMD.

View attachment 113727

View attachment 113728

Now we're just waiting for cases to return from the surface finish company. We also found a new surface finish company with a much shorter turn-around and a higher working capacity which should also be able to provide the long sought after anodised silver finish!

Meanwhile we're experimenting with different antennas with some interesting results:

View attachment 113729

Where conventional audiophile "wisdom" would have you think a smaller antenna is better, that is in fact not necessarily true, as what happens is that a smaller antenna may need more transmitter power which in turn increases noise. The same really goes for 2.4G vs 5G Wi-Fi, 5G needs more transmitter power due to it's shorter range which is most likely the actual cause of the notion that 5G is bad for SQ. Evidence currently points towards SQ being mainly impacted by a combination of antenna to device connection quality and the transmitter power this requires. We're going to optimize this for optimal in room performance.

welcome back Emile. My breakfast coffee and cereal is once again tasting good and thanks for the next pearl

 

[gereric]

Any guidelines regarding vibration-control weights to put on top of the Extreme? Also, will vibration be lower once a BPS is in use, reducing any upside on such a tweak?

I have had success with Mapleshade brass heavy hats on other gear, but am not sure if because of air circulation that isn’t a good idea. I have a fan underneath the Extreme and also will be putting it on 3” tall Mapleshade brass footers in the next few days, so it gets above average circulation already.

 

[Kingsrule]

Tried a fan on Extreme, I find it sounds better without
Been on and off with a VPI Magic Brick on top, no difference
FYI my Extreme sits on a Herzan TS140 stable table...

 

[cat6man]

Update on the router:

The new PCBs with integrated Wi-Fi have arrived, we also used the opportunity to install our latest generation of GaN fet regulators which no longer need bulk electrolytic capacitors which increases longevity and replaced an input filter capacitor with a Duelund which interestingly performs very well at high frequencies despite the higher lead out inductance over SMD.

View attachment 113727

View attachment 113728

Now we're just waiting for cases to return from the surface finish company. We also found a new surface finish company with a much shorter turn-around and a higher working capacity which should also be able to provide the long sought after anodised silver finish!

Meanwhile we're experimenting with different antennas with some interesting results:

View attachment 113729

Where conventional audiophile "wisdom" would have you think a smaller antenna is better, that is in fact not necessarily true, as what happens is that a smaller antenna may need more transmitter power which in turn increases noise. The same really goes for 2.4G vs 5G Wi-Fi, 5G needs more transmitter power due to it's shorter range which is most likely the actual cause of the notion that 5G is bad for SQ. Evidence currently points towards SQ being mainly impacted by a combination of antenna to device connection quality and the transmitter power this requires. We're going to optimize this for optimal in room performance.

Thanks for the update Emile.

A while ago, you posted a rank ordering of your then consensus of the improvements including xdms, switch, router.

Could you please give us an updated view of the relative benefits of plain vanilla xdms versus the
switch,
router,
xdms-nms,
Battery power in extreme
Battery/lps/distributor vs. wall warts

(i.e. from largest gain on downward to the lowest-still-blow-your-mind feature)


Cheers

 

[cat6man]

In case you’re wondering how things are going inside Taiko HQ, here’s my take on it from a recent visit…

I was fortunate enough to spend some more time at Taiko HQ over the past 2 weeks and see what Emile has been up to, just to make sure that the baker is still working on his secret recipes to keep us audiophiles waiting with baited breath!

The easiest way to describe things at Taiko is like being in a science lab, but for big kid audiophiles. Pallets of solid copper, CNC and laser machines alongside world class amplifiers, DAC’s and the fabulous Raffaello Alsyvox speakers for testing new Taiko ideas - not to mention the increasing presence of all things Taiko.

What I got to hear was, shall we say, mind blowing! And I say that having recently been to Munich hearing a number of these things in the Alsyvox room and also having visited Emile back in May just before Munich when I heard the switch, NIC, router and new power distributor which were very, very good.

I’ve got to be honest and say, I’ve never heard anything quite like I heard in the past 2 weeks - the musical engagement was just at a whole new level. Bigger soundstage, much greater presence, increase in dynamics and the bass, man, the bass!! Even Emile turned to look at me with a stunned face and said “I’ve never heard some of that before” - geez, I wish I got that on video!

So what was different - well, fortunately I’m not an engineer and had difficulty working out exactly what Emile was doing (and if I did, I might not be writing this!) but in simple terms the addition of the new BPS which is still evolving and let’s just say, an enhanced version of the Extreme on steroids along with the new DAC module, in partnership with where most of us are soon to be at with the router, switch, power distributor, and XDMS (but not NSM). All I can say is, give Emile some time because what is coming is just a whole new ball game!!

Once again, kudos to Emile and his talented team of people - you are changing the game, for the better!

@Levitator
Thanks for the wonderful summary.
Did you get a chance to listen to any other dac units in addition to the new internal one?

 

[Levitator]

@Levitator
Thanks for the wonderful summary.
Did you get a chance to listen to any other dac units in addition to the new internal one?

Yes, but not quite under the same conditions. I also heard the Lampi Horizon whilst there which also sounded fabulous - given I didn’t hear them both on the same day with the same ‘recipe’, it’s hard to really compare the two although I can say that the new internal DAC, whilst not offering that element of tube magic the Lampi brings, really surprised me how good it was - smoothness was probably the most obvious strength. I also suspect Emile has a few more tricks up his sleeve before the DAC is finalised

 

[Taiko Audio]

Any guidelines regarding vibration-control weights to put on top of the Extreme? Also, will vibration be lower once a BPS is in use, reducing any upside on such a tweak?

I have had success with Mapleshade brass heavy hats on other gear, but am not sure if because of air circulation that isn’t a good idea. I have a fan underneath the Extreme and also will be putting it on 3” tall Mapleshade brass footers in the next few days, so it gets above average circulation already.

The BPS does reduce sensitivity to vibration to a degree but does not make it immune.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Thanks for the update Emile.

A while ago, you posted a rank ordering of your then consensus of the improvements including xdms, switch, router.

Could you please give us an updated view of the relative benefits of plain vanilla xdms versus the
switch,
router,
xdms-nms,
Battery power in extreme
Battery/lps/distributor vs. wall warts

(i.e. from largest gain on downward to the lowest-still-blow-your-mind feature)


Cheers

I'm struggling to rank those now, they're all pretty significant.

 

[Christiaan Punter]

Any guidelines regarding vibration-control weights to put on top of the Extreme? Also, will vibration be lower once a BPS is in use, reducing any upside on such a tweak?

I have had success with Mapleshade brass heavy hats on other gear, but am not sure if because of air circulation that isn’t a good idea. I have a fan underneath the Extreme and also will be putting it on 3” tall Mapleshade brass footers in the next few days, so it gets above average circulation already.

My personal experience with dampers on top of audio components so far is that this is usually most effective with lightweight components or ones with thin or ringy lids. For the Extreme, I have not seen a need for this yet. That said, I am currently doing a review of a HRS EXR Rack and along with it a range of HRS footers and damping plates, and I will make sure to relay some of my experiences on this on this forum.

Sneak Peek: the Extreme sounds superb on top of the rack! Especially so when using the HRS Vortex footers.

 

[Steve Williams]

Totally agree about the Extreme being on the top shelf. Mine has occupied that prized position since the day I got it. I could never put such a beautiful piece of equipment on the bottom shelf. My CMS racks, platforms and Center Stage footers are rock solid and do not move. Access is also much easier

 

[VPN]

My personal experience with dampers on top of audio components so far is that this is usually most effective with lightweight components or ones with thin or ringy lids. For the Extreme, I have not seen a need for this yet. That said, I am currently doing a review of a HRS EXR Rack and along with it a range of HRS footers and damping plates, and I will make sure to relay some of my experiences on this on this forum.

Sneak Peek: the Extreme sounds superb on top of the rack! Especially so when using the HRS Vortex footers.

View attachment 113780

View attachment 113778

My experience with dampers on top of equipment (I tried several, on top of each equipment) is that in 99% of the cases the sound is not as open when using a damper. Given that I like an open top end, I am currently not using any damper.

 

[Steve Williams]

My experience with dampers on top of equipment (I tried several, on top of each equipment) is that in 99% of the cases the sound is not as open when using a damper. Given that I like an open top end, I am currently not using any damper.

I agree. I don't feel dampers are necessary

 

[gereric]

My experience with dampers on top of equipment (I tried several, on top of each equipment) is that in 99% of the cases the sound is not as open when using a damper. Given that I like an open top end, I am currently not using any damper.

That’s been my experience if there is too much damping. In my setup, one or two brass triple point heavy hats that each weigh 23.8 oz. sounds a bit better, but YMMV. Three seems too many, but I am still experimenting. I was mainly asking if reduced air circulation could be a concern, but with the fan I don’t think it’s a concern.

 

[gereric]

Tried a fan on Extreme, I find it sounds better without
Been on and off with a VPI Magic Brick on top, no difference
FYI my Extreme sits on a Herzan TS140 stable table...

I started using a fan in connection with posts 16,289 and 16,302. It is not coming in contact with the Extreme, is 2 1/2” below it on a wood platform, and plugged into a non-audio outlet. Haven’t experimented with and without yet, only with.

 

[Kingsrule]

My fan wasn't in contact with my Extreme....

 

[joet]

Totally agree about the Extreme being on the top shelf. Mine has occupied that prized position since the day I got it. I could never put such a beautiful piece of equipment on the bottom shelf. My CMS racks, platforms and Center Stage footers are rock solid and do not move. Access is also much easier

For what it’s worth, Emile suggested i put the Extreme on the bottom shelf or the floor due to rack sway, which isn’t helped by footers and platforms.

 

[Steve Williams]

For what it’s worth, Emile suggested i put the Extreme on the bottom shelf or the floor due to rack sway, which isn’t helped by footers and platforms.

My rack is rock solid and doesn’t sway. Weighs well over 500 lbs. Top shelf is where mine will stay. If i were concerned about sway I’d have it on the bottom. But I’m not and I don’t.I also have footers under my Extreme as well.