This would be an excellent executive decision for many reasons, and tariff-free!
Introducing Olympus & Olympus I/O - A new perspective on modern music playback
- Thread starter Taiko Audio
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This would be an excellent executive decision for many reasons, and tariff-free!
I have no ties to Taiko but from a rational perspective, I truly don’t understand the gripes a few customers have with Taiko’s communication. In all respects they are upfront, responsive, and reply to emails and queries within hours. They have an open communication and are honest with the challenges that they face and solution provided, both on technical and product fronts. The only limitation I can think of is responses on the WTB forum not issued always within the hour, but as the team is busy it is fully understandable, and maybe just best sending out an email if any doubt arise. There is a little bit of the feel “no matter what you do is never good enough”. Lead time have gone through the roof, but since Covid supply chains have entered a new pattern and will sadly not go back to the pre-covid times that we all got accustomed to. For such a complex manufacturing challenge and supply chain it is somewhat expected that long delay emerge, as it brings machining, a novel battery management system, vibration control, compute architecture, and firmware/software, that require extensive testing of each unit. In the current times it is refreshing to see values of transparencies, trust, and community building pushed at the forefront, those are in rare supply at the moment.
Also adding to this that supporting such values doesn’t mean being biased towards Taiko, most or us can recognize merit where due.
A Quick Note on my Olympus-I/O XDMI Analog Card Experience
TIMELINE
11.12.24
Received/Installed O-I/O (USB to External DAC)
The effect of the O-I/O was immediate. It was clear that O-I/O brought a definite improvement over the Extreme.
12.13.24
Installed Analog Card
The effect of the analog card was also dramatically clear from the very first note.
01.26.25 to 01.29.25
Speaker Whisperer (SW) sets up system
This was the fourth time SW had visited system. So he had plenty of listening experience with the system.
The original intent was to optimize the system setup for the analog card. Then go back to compare to my current external DAC via USB. Then decide which option was preferred.
However, after only a few minutes of listening, it was clear to SW that there was no need to to test the USB/external DAC option. There was simply no doubt to him that the O-I/O XDMI analog out configuration would be superior.
To my ears, the system, even before setup, was sounding superior to everything I’d heard in my room before. I knew I was in a different realm, I was truly in heaven. But little did I know how much better it could perform under the hands of the SW.
The setup involves disassembling the system. Then reconfiguring it by optimizing the vibration control, gain structure and more importantly, the speaker placement. Unless you’ve seen the setup process in person, it’s incredible to see how even minute changes in speaker positioning (on the scale of even a few millimeters) can have a dramatic change in the system performance.
I’ll have more to say about that process in a later post.
But what is clear, is that, at least in my case, we truly don’t know, what we don’t know. And in this instance, we don’t know how much better a system performance can get after being convinced that a system can’t possibly sound any better.
And in terms of the Olympus-I/O XMDI Analog out, the improvement of the system after the SW finished setting up the system after four days, was jaw dropping - it was by no means an incremental improvement - the mantra of decreasing marginal returns did not apply here in any way.
Suffice it to say, that accompanying the SW was an experienced audiophile and a manufacturer of a well regarded turntable who is also very familiar with previous iterations of my system. His system is also very similar to mine, and he wanted to hear the O-I/O for himself. Lets just say that that he left slack jawed, unable to process what he’d heard. Toward the end of the digital setup, he also set up my turntable and I’ll have more to say about that at a later time.
03.29.25
Current Observations
After eight weeks of the system settling in after SW optimized the system, the sound has stabilized to what I can only described as a purity of sound with a heretofore unparalleled level of emotional engagement. As the byline of someone here on WBF states: I'm not interested in knowing where the musicians are, I want to know why they're here. The musical intent of the musicians is now clearer than ever and raises the musical enjoyment to an even higher level that approximates that of a live event.
For those of you who are waiting the arrival of your system, or have already received your system and have not hired a preeminent setup wizard, or feel you can do the set up yourself, I strongly recommend you hire one…..you may think it can’t possibly sound any better…but there is still likely a lot of performance left under the hood. For a price that is likely less than one of your less expensive components, the return on your investment/enjoyment will be well worth it.
Again KUDOS to the Emile and Taiko Team. I know that there have been trials and tribulations on the production side, but their technological advances in the digital realm truly deserve acknowledgment and recognition.
TIMELINE
11.12.24
Received/Installed O-I/O (USB to External DAC)
The effect of the O-I/O was immediate. It was clear that O-I/O brought a definite improvement over the Extreme.
12.13.24
Installed Analog Card
The effect of the analog card was also dramatically clear from the very first note.
01.26.25 to 01.29.25
Speaker Whisperer (SW) sets up system
This was the fourth time SW had visited system. So he had plenty of listening experience with the system.
The original intent was to optimize the system setup for the analog card. Then go back to compare to my current external DAC via USB. Then decide which option was preferred.
However, after only a few minutes of listening, it was clear to SW that there was no need to to test the USB/external DAC option. There was simply no doubt to him that the O-I/O XDMI analog out configuration would be superior.
To my ears, the system, even before setup, was sounding superior to everything I’d heard in my room before. I knew I was in a different realm, I was truly in heaven. But little did I know how much better it could perform under the hands of the SW.
The setup involves disassembling the system. Then reconfiguring it by optimizing the vibration control, gain structure and more importantly, the speaker placement. Unless you’ve seen the setup process in person, it’s incredible to see how even minute changes in speaker positioning (on the scale of even a few millimeters) can have a dramatic change in the system performance.
I’ll have more to say about that process in a later post.
But what is clear, is that, at least in my case, we truly don’t know, what we don’t know. And in this instance, we don’t know how much better a system performance can get after being convinced that a system can’t possibly sound any better.
And in terms of the Olympus-I/O XMDI Analog out, the improvement of the system after the SW finished setting up the system after four days, was jaw dropping - it was by no means an incremental improvement - the mantra of decreasing marginal returns did not apply here in any way.
Suffice it to say, that accompanying the SW was an experienced audiophile and a manufacturer of a well regarded turntable who is also very familiar with previous iterations of my system. His system is also very similar to mine, and he wanted to hear the O-I/O for himself. Lets just say that that he left slack jawed, unable to process what he’d heard. Toward the end of the digital setup, he also set up my turntable and I’ll have more to say about that at a later time.
03.29.25
Current Observations
After eight weeks of the system settling in after SW optimized the system, the sound has stabilized to what I can only described as a purity of sound with a heretofore unparalleled level of emotional engagement. As the byline of someone here on WBF states: I'm not interested in knowing where the musicians are, I want to know why they're here. The musical intent of the musicians is now clearer than ever and raises the musical enjoyment to an even higher level that approximates that of a live event.
For those of you who are waiting the arrival of your system, or have already received your system and have not hired a preeminent setup wizard, or feel you can do the set up yourself, I strongly recommend you hire one…..you may think it can’t possibly sound any better…but there is still likely a lot of performance left under the hood. For a price that is likely less than one of your less expensive components, the return on your investment/enjoyment will be well worth it.
Again KUDOS to the Emile and Taiko Team. I know that there have been trials and tribulations on the production side, but their technological advances in the digital realm truly deserve acknowledgment and recognition.
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Hi, great post. However, I don't understand what software you had to reconfigure?
You mean it's not our very own Steve Williams 
That reminds me, I need to respond to his White Lotus thread...
That reminds me, I need to respond to his White Lotus thread...
Agreed! I recently had a fellow here Chris Embers who helped me with a cartridge setup. He also helped me with speaker tweak. BTW I really "thought" I knew what I was doing setting up speakers. After he finished I realized I don't know S--T! I heard the uptick with Roon's latest update before the speaker tweak. After I was blown away! I agree with @RUIN*ish this update is more open, and detailed...
...whatever side of the Roon-update-coin one lands upon, it feels like time travel to me: I thought we were immunized against Roon sonic viruses with the Taiko vaccine protocols. Are we really back there again? Ugh.
I have the Extreme without the router...Not sure what side of the coin, I know what I hear...Or think I know what I hear...
My finger was practically poised above the iPad update button, when, to my horror, I read Kingsrule’s post that the update sound quality went straight to Heck.
Is this Roon Derangement Syndrome or am I just fundamentally Audio Anxious??
Btw, I am suspicious and superstitious about being blown away — as I feel in my bones that whatever blows away will inevitably blow back.
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Perhaps I should be more specific when I describe things. The speaker readjustment made me BLOWN AWAY. I thought the Roon update was a nice subtle improvement from other versions...
Must be system dependent, I have tried the latest Roon update on several sets of speakers/systems and all sound REALLY GOOD.
Speaker Whisperer (SW) is the setup master extraordinaire Stirling Trayle. Great guy. Highly recommended. Extraordinary skills. May want to email him. He lost his phone while traveling and it may be a few days before he gets it back.
Stirling Trayle
Audio Systems Optimized
stirling.trayle@gmail.com
+1 707 494-5482
www.audiosystemsoptimized.com
Sorry for the confusion. There is no software that had to be reconfigured. If you’re referring to the initials “SW”, I was using it to refer to the Speaker Whisperer” who set up my system - not the term software.
Thanks for the great feedback! Can you comment on sound with aes/ebu to the external dac?
The only real time comparison occurred on the day when I switched from the XDMI AES/EBU-External DAC to the XDMI Analog-out. At that point, the AES/EBU had been breaking in for about thirty days. While the Analog out (and new RCA cable) was stone cold.
Even stone cold, with everything else the same, it was immediately clear, from the first notes that the XDMI Analog-out had significantly more bass and dynamics than the AES/EBU connection.
He's clearly just seeing it through his lens
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