I do understand your query. In the section MUSIC I think he attempts to highlight the prowess the Olympus exhibits. Audio adjectives can be very much like explaining wine characteristics. Allusive at best. Emotionally captivating is often not easy to explain in verbiage, whether it's art, music, or anything that stirs the soul...
Introducing Olympus & Olympus I/O - A new perspective on modern music playback
- Thread starter Taiko Audio
- Start date
John. You're right that describing audio experiences is challenging. However, I feel reviews should go beyond technical specs that are already on the manufacturer's website. A good review should attempt to convey those listening impressions, even if it's difficult to put into words. A more balanced approach would combines technical assessment with authentic listening experiences that would provide value to the reader, rather than simply restating what's already available on the manufacturer's website.
...and stir the soul it does. A couple of articles came into my inbox recently from a local audio pal regarding Roy DuNann.
2002 Stereophile article, if interested:
www.stereophile.com
I did not know his work by name, but I did know some of the pieces he worked on, including Sonny Rollins' "Way Out West," as a reference.
I did a dive into DuNann's work on the Contemporary jazz label, with perhaps a dozen or more albums that are on Qobuz.
Holy Mackerel! The recordings are terrific, and you can skim around in the article about that, or for a Marianas-Trench-depth dive at:
www.8481melrose.com
But wow, the sound from the Olympus on these sides is a knock-out. And not just a TKO, but a 10-count carry you off the canvas event.
Sweetie is away on science business, so it's me and the dog, and I must have gotten up three times to make sure no one was trying to break in the house. The drums and over-all sound is real, palpable, visceral.
I finally intellectualized that I could relax, because the dog upstairs would know if something evil was happening, and would sound the canine intruder alarm.
I imagine these recordings sound great on many systems, but man they really burst forth here with the Olympus. The sound is lively...and alive.
2002 Stereophile article, if interested:
The Search for Roy DuNann | Stereophile.com
I don't remember the year, but I remember the moment when I first became intensely curious about Roy DuNann. It must have been about 1975, right after I moved to Seattle. I bought a Sonny Rollins LP called Way Out West, took it home, cued it up on my Thorens turntable, dropped the tonearm, and...
I did not know his work by name, but I did know some of the pieces he worked on, including Sonny Rollins' "Way Out West," as a reference.
I did a dive into DuNann's work on the Contemporary jazz label, with perhaps a dozen or more albums that are on Qobuz.
Holy Mackerel! The recordings are terrific, and you can skim around in the article about that, or for a Marianas-Trench-depth dive at:
8481 Melrose: The Contemporary Records Vinyl Encyclopedia
A deep-dive research site dedicated to cataloging the history of west coast jazz label Contemporary Records.
www.8481melrose.com
But wow, the sound from the Olympus on these sides is a knock-out. And not just a TKO, but a 10-count carry you off the canvas event.
Sweetie is away on science business, so it's me and the dog, and I must have gotten up three times to make sure no one was trying to break in the house. The drums and over-all sound is real, palpable, visceral.
I finally intellectualized that I could relax, because the dog upstairs would know if something evil was happening, and would sound the canine intruder alarm.
I imagine these recordings sound great on many systems, but man they really burst forth here with the Olympus. The sound is lively...and alive.
Valid point...More explanation regarding musical involvement....
Mark thank you for sharing this. Wow!! Lots to digest in 8481 Melrose, sill taking it in! Good Stuff......and stir the soul it does. A couple of articles came into my inbox recently from a local audio pal regarding Roy DuNann.
2002 Stereophile article, if interested:
The Search for Roy DuNann | Stereophile.com
I don't remember the year, but I remember the moment when I first became intensely curious about Roy DuNann. It must have been about 1975, right after I moved to Seattle. I bought a Sonny Rollins LP called Way Out West, took it home, cued it up on my Thorens turntable, dropped the tonearm, and...
I did not know his work by name, but I did know some of the pieces he worked on, including Sonny Rollins' "Way Out West," as a reference.
I did a dive into DuNann's work on the Contemporary jazz label, with perhaps a dozen or more albums that are on Qobuz.
Holy Mackerel! The recordings are terrific, and you can skim around in the article about that, or for a Marianas-Trench-depth dive at:
8481 Melrose: The Contemporary Records Vinyl Encyclopedia
A deep-dive research site dedicated to cataloging the history of west coast jazz label Contemporary Records.
But wow, the sound from the Olympus on these sides is a knock-out. And not just a TKO, but a 10-count carry you off the canvas event.
Sweetie is away on science business, so it's me and the dog, and I must have gotten up three times to make sure no one was trying to break in the house. The drums and over-all sound is real, palpable, visceral.
I finally intellectualized that I could relax, because the dog upstairs would know if something evil was happening, and would sound the canine intruder alarm.
I imagine these recordings sound great on many systems, but man they really burst forth here with the Olympus. The sound is lively...and alive.
...this won't be perfect, but will help get to some titles I liked. The list is from the Melrose site. If you search the titles on Qobuz, the result set will get you there, or close. I pulled a few things into a play list and shot pics for y'all. Maybe this will help too. A couple of the Previn sides were not my flavor, but overall, lots of good (to me) stuff that sounds great.
Agreed, it is a difficult thing to do without shared reference, but I think it is important to capture subjective emotional impressions and share them the best you can (if you search for "Extended Listening Impressions" about 1/2 down this page, you'll see mine)
Reality Quest: Review of the Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server (Part 2 of 2)
Audio: Listen to this article. In Part 1 of this review, I covered what has changed in the Taiko ecosystem in the past four years, dug into the hardware design and more unique aspects of the new Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server, and shared some curious first impressions. In this Part 2, I dig int...
audiophilestyle.com
Disagree. Ben never bothered to apologize after putting me through an unconscionably long two-month wait (Oct 2 - Nov 21, 2019) to release my fully prepaid PLiXir BDC because I decided not to buy his optional 1.0m PLiXir Statement DC cables worth just US$130. Reported his abhorrent behavior to the Better Business Bureau equivalent in Hong Kong but was advised to pursue a case via the small claims courts. Exasperated, I applied pressure through James Soh, the boss of PLiXiR, and our very own dear CKKeung, before he finally relented. Sorry, I'm not on a campaign to name and shame, but this was absolutely the worst experience in 45 years as an audiophile! The fallout was that Ben/Volent was dropped as a dealer for PLiXiR, so good to know that karma catches up sooner or later.
Last edited:
I'll move from XDMS back to Roon when I get my Olympus later this year. Sounds like they never developed the capability for an administrator to control the application of updates? IIRC, Pink Faun has this capability with their version (again IIRC, a customized UI around a Linux-based Roon Core).
Set to:
Ask before downloading any updates
With this option, Roon will not automatically download any updates. When a new update is available we will display a notification that will allow you to update if you so choose.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
I think 1528 is a solid upgrade
More alive, specific imaging, dynamics, depth, body
I'm guessing 1528 has reduced all the background noise Roon has been running
More alive, specific imaging, dynamics, depth, body
I'm guessing 1528 has reduced all the background noise Roon has been running
Just for clarity it is recommended to always do the Roon Updates whether it's with the Olympus or Extreme...Correct?
Christiaan Punter
Well-Known Member
Yes, we recommend staying up to date. And if you do decide to skip an update, avoid skipping too many, as this may lead to issues when transitioning from an old version to the current version, when Roon has made significant changes.
Let me say that Vassil is doing an excellent job responding to individual inquiries! It's so nice to have this quality of responsiveness to questions.
He sure is! Vassil has been amazing and is an enormous asset to Taiko.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
1528 sounds like a smidgeon of reverb has been added to everything imo.
Definitely sounds airier than many of my CD rips but is it ‘right’ ?
More testing later in the week.
Definitely sounds airier than many of my CD rips but is it ‘right’ ?
More testing later in the week.
"Ask before ..." is standard. I was thinking more of a corporate environment, where nothing is pushed out until the domain administrator checks it out.
Similar threads
- Sticky
 | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator |  | Ron Resnick Site Owner | Administrator |  | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |