Introducing Olympus & Olympus I/O - A new perspective on modern music playback

For those who just started reading up on Olympus, Olympus I/O, and XDMI, please note that all information in this thread has been summarized in a single PDF document that can be downloaded from the Taiko Website.

https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/taiko-audio-downloads

The document is frequently updated.

Scroll down to the 'XDMI, Olympus Music Server, Olympus I/O' section and click 'XDMI, Olympus, Olympus I/O Product Introduction & FAQ' to download the latest version.

Good morning WBF!​

We are introducing the culmination of close to 4 years of research and development. As a bona fide IT/tech nerd with a passion for music, I have always been intrigued by the potential of leveraging the most modern of technologies in order to create a better music playback experience. This, amongst others, led to the creation of our popular, perhaps even revolutionary, Extreme music server 5 years ago, which we have been steadily improving and updating with new technologies throughout its life cycle. Today I feel we can safely claim it's holding its ground against the onslaught of new server releases from other companies, and we are committed to keep improving it for years to come.

We are introducing a new server model called the Olympus. Hierarchically, it positions itself above the Extreme. It does provide quite a different music experience than the Extreme, or any other server I've heard, for that matter. Conventional audiophile descriptions such as sound staging, dynamics, color palette, etc, fall short to describe this difference. It does not sound digital or analog, I would be inclined to describe it as coming closer to the intended (or unintended) performance of the recording engineer.

Committed to keeping the Extreme as current as possible, we are introducing a second product called the Olympus I/O. This is an external upgrade to the Extreme containing a significant part of the Olympus technology, allowing it to come near, though not entirely at, Olympus performance levels. The Olympus I/O can even be added to the Olympus itself to elevate its performance even further, though not as dramatic an uplift as adding it to the Extreme. Consider it the proverbial "cherry on top".

 

LED Status:
Olympus set to auto charge, left LED:
Normally during auto charge slow blink for approx 5hours 22 minutes every day
OCCASIONALLY during auto charge fast blink for the same amount of time. Is this normal? I don't see this described in LED Status section

I'm not sure what that indicates. We have someone in the team who is not on WBF but is an expert in this field. Can you contact us via support@taikoaudio.com so we can troubleshoot?

 

May we know totally how many Olympus will be at Munich Show and in which rooms？
Thanks！

 

May we know totally how many Olympus will be at Munich Show and in which rooms？
Thanks！

Taiko Audio is not participating in an official capacity, nor have we organized anything for the show. Instead, we maintain focus on the production of Olympus products and getting these delivered to our customers as soon as possible.

Our European distributor DreamAudio will demo with Taiko Audio Olympus + I/O and Lampizator Horizon.
They are in the Lorenzo Audio Labs room, A4.2 F206.

 

I'm not sure what that indicates. We have someone in the team who is not on WBF but is an expert in this field. Can you contact us via support@taikoaudio.com so we can troubleshoot?

Contacted support and sent requested info to Christiaan...

 

Well, Roon is looking to update, yet again. This time its Roon 2.51, build 1534 (I'm presently on 2.50, build 1528). Any takers yet? Is it safe?

 

Well, Roon is looking to update, yet again. This time its Roon 2.51, build 1534 (I'm presently on 2.50, build 1528). Any takers yet? Is it safe?

I upgraded yesterday and found a huge uptick in sound quality. However, I am also breaking in the analog DAC card so this was far from a controlled experiment. However, if the upgrade sucked I don’t think I would be hearing what I am.

 

I upgraded yesterday too and did a careful A/B before and after the upgrade and did not hear any audible difference - at least not in my system with the track I used.

 

I upgraded yesterday and found a huge uptick in sound quality. However, I am also breaking in the analog DAC card so this was far from a controlled experiment. However, if the upgrade sucked I don’t think I would be hearing what I am.

Thanks for the reassuring report. I've got ~1,200 hours on the analog card in an Olympus + I/O and I can understand the SQ uplift ride you're experiencing. Better every day, and for some time!

 

@Emile
Can the IO be stacked on top of the Olympus?
Heat dissipation and damping are my two immediate thoughts.
Why?
Future upgrades will need access to IO and this cowboy ain't pitching bails of hay no more.

Eventually, an upgrade to support will separate boxes.. For now, and for the next year, I'm limited.

Marc

 

@Emile
Can the IO be stacked on top of the Olympus?
Heat dissipation and damping are my two immediate thoughts.
Why?
Future upgrades will need access to IO and this cowboy ain't pitching bails of hay no more.

Eventually, an upgrade to support will separate boxes.. For now, and for the next year, I'm limited.

Marc

For the best heat dissipation, it's best to stack the server on top of the I/O. This is how they are designed.

 

Hi @Armsan ,

We completed this update some time ago.

However, since launching it will undoubtedly require substantial initial support, we’ve decided to postpone the launch—alongside several other updates and releases.

Our top priority, and where we must focus our full effort, is serving those who are still waiting for their Olympus.

@Taiko Audio Emile, is the SQ of a hard drive plugged into the Extreme Router's USB port the same as or very similar to the SQ of a NAS (used in tandem with the Router)? It would be great if we don't need to invest in or use a NAS.

 

@Taiko Audio Emile, is the SQ of a hard drive plugged into the Extreme Router's USB port the same as or very similar to the SQ of a NAS (used in tandem with the Router)? It would be great if we don't need to invest in or use a NAS.

I am not Emile but maybe this recent post by Taiko hints in a certain direction?
Ethernet - USB - SATA = not the same.

File transfer from local drives is inferior to TCP/IP transfer on the Olympus when combined with the router.

 

A while back before I received my Olympus @Taiko Audio was asking for feedback about the output level of the XDMI DAC card. I don’t know what the actual voltage output is but I think it is a little low. When I played my Horizon (via XDMI) my preamp was set to 10-12 or so which is about halfway open. With the DAC card it is closer to 23-24 which is getting close to the max output level. If I had my choice I would like to see the output increased a bit.

 

A while back before I received my Olympus @Taiko Audio was asking for feedback about the output level of the XDMI DAC card. I don’t know what the actual voltage output is but I think it is a little low. When I played my Horizon (via XDMI) my preamp was set to 10-12 or so which is about halfway open. With the DAC card it is closer to 23-24 which is getting close to the max output level. If I had my choice I would like to see the output increased a bit.

May I ask what preamp you are using?

 

May I ask what preamp you are using?

Doshi Audio Evo Line Stage

 

A while back before I received my Olympus @Taiko Audio was asking for feedback about the output level of the XDMI DAC card. I don’t know what the actual voltage output is but I think it is a little low. When I played my Horizon (via XDMI) my preamp was set to 10-12 or so which is about halfway open. With the DAC card it is closer to 23-24 which is getting close to the max output level. If I had my choice I would like to see the output increased a bit.

Not here. With a VAC Master Pre, the volume knob is normally set at 9-10 o’clock. 11 o’clock with classical music.

 

Not long ago, Emile said the XDMI analog card is actually set to 2.8v. When I had my Horizon, I measured 3.5 v out with the tubes I was using. (0db cut on a 1k test tone) Output is highly dependent on the tube set.

That said, burning in the analog dac card for almost 3 weeks now, it has seemed that output dipped at times. Right channel, left channel, sometimes both. Did not measure. Didn’t know what to make of it at the time.

Currently listening at 8 of 54 with my passive VC. Never go over 20. Still plenty of voltage gain.

 

The Taiko DAC card is definitely lower in output vs. my Lampi H1. On my CH Precision L10 I need to move its "decibel" read out up ~6 dB to get the same loudness level. I've still got some gas left in my volume range, but I can see how that could be an issue in the total gain structure of some systems.

 

Not here. With a VAC Master Pre, the volume knob is normally set at 9-10 o’clock. 11 o’clock with classical music.

My Areis Cerat Ageto has 26 steps. I’m typically set between 12 and 15 which seems to be a comfortable place.

 

A while back before I received my Olympus @Taiko Audio was asking for feedback about the output level of the XDMI DAC card. I don’t know what the actual voltage output is but I think it is a little low. When I played my Horizon (via XDMI) my preamp was set to 10-12 or so which is about halfway open. With the DAC card it is closer to 23-24 which is getting close to the max output level. If I had my choice I would like to see the output increased a bit.

Curious, I remember awhile back you mentioning you couldn't run the H at 63. Did you find when running XDMI with the H you could bump the volume higher on the H?