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

[dminches]

After about 50 to 60 hours of break-in. Wow!

I found that it took 3+ weeks before the changes with the analog card slowed down. Thus, you have a lot more improvement to come.

 

[Tuckia]

Been using the Olympus with analog out for 5 months now. Many report that the sound isn't too good on first start up and concur that it takes 3 weeks minimum to have an idea what it will become. IMO these initial assessments shouldn't carry much weight.

At 3 weeks I plugged in our Lampi Baltic 4 with $$$ tubes via USB. I was surprised how much better the Lampi sounded, especially up top. Analog out sounded like a weak AD1865 chip implementation - no resolution. The Rohm chip used in analog out is high res delta-sigma from 2021, not the 1990's.

I repeated this compare at two months. Analog out was now much better - refined and 3D. The Lampi was now flat, lifeless, and unrefined.

Wish I had my old Horizon to compare, but this is all I have to report on.

Anyone who says analog out is bright or shrill is peddling BS. Definitely not voiced that way. Think organic flow.

For whatever reasons, the Olympus with analog out takes 2-3 months to come on song, possibly more. It's an interesting ride.

 

[RUIN*ish]

Been using the Olympus with analog out for 5 months now. Many report that the sound isn't too good on first start up and concur that it takes 3 weeks minimum to have an idea what it will become. IMO these initial assessments shouldn't carry much weight.

At 3 weeks I plugged in our Lampi Baltic 4 with $$$ tubes via USB. I was surprised how much better the Lampi sounded, especially up top. Analog out sounded like a weak AD1865 chip implementation - no resolution. The Rohm chip used in analog out is high res delta-sigma from 2021, not the 1990's.

I repeated this compare at two months. Analog out was now much better - refined and 3D. The Lampi was now flat, lifeless, and unrefined.

Wish I had my old Horizon to compare, but this is all I have to report on.

Anyone who says analog out is bright or shrill is peddling BS. Definitely not voiced that way. Think organic flow.

For whatever reasons, the Olympus with analog out takes 2-3 months to come on song, possibly more. It's an interesting ride.

If its bright or shrill:
improve mains or use
footers for T router or dampen T case with a bit of mass. Must have rubber feet or a damping material between mass and case.

I have a Ansuz T3/lan Sortz coming in a week or so.
A Signature lan version should be here Friday...

Use a Signature version/rca on another system in the house and it does everything advertised.

XDMI Analog... definitely 3 months, if not more...

Like Tuckia said, its bs if someone says the O is the issue.

Ymmv

 

[Tuckia]

If its bright or shrill:
improve mains or use
footers for T router or dampen T case with a bit of mass. Must have rubber feet or a damping material between mass and case.

I have a Ansuz T3/lan Sortz coming in a week or so.
A Signature lan version should be here Friday...

Use a Signature version/rca on another system in the house and it does everything advertised.

XDMI Analog... definitely 3 months, if not more...

Like Tuckia said, its bs if someone says the O is the issue.

Ymmv

Yes, now more than ever I can hear what the network side is doing, or not doing well. Power, network improvements, and vibration isolation on the front end are more important than downstream upgrades, for what I've heard so far.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

I was informed that my Black Olympus #141 is heading to DG, I hope it reaches me in 2 - 3 weeks before end of October. Thanks @nenon and @Christiaan Punter for keeping me informed.

 

[joet]

I was informed that my Black Olympus #141 is heading to DG, I hope it reaches me in 2 - 3 weeks before end of October. Thanks @nenon and @Christiaan Punter for keeping me informed.

If it's possible, see if the Taiko folks can put your tax ID or SSN on the import document, to preempt FedEx asking you to fill out the customs ID document. That could possibly save you a bunch of time.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

If it's possible, see if the Taiko folks can put your tax ID or SSN on the import document, to preempt FedEx asking you to fill out the customs ID document. That could possibly save you a bunch of time.

Thanks for the tip, I will relay it to them.

 

[joet]

Thanks for the tip, I will relay it to them.

Having to fill out the form and deal with FedEx internal processes cost me a week. I hope including that info on the initial form will obviate the need to work with FedEx. I don't know 100% it will, but it's supposed to.

 

[RUIN*ish]

I was informed that my Black Olympus #141 is heading to DG, I hope it reaches me in 2 - 3 weeks before end of October. Thanks @nenon and @Christiaan Punter for keeping me informed.

Is your black O powder coated or anodized?

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

Is your black O powder coated or anodized?

Powder coated black, I am not picky about the color or the finish, so chose whatever was the fastest to arrive.

 

[Lobster]

The exact distance is 380 mm (about 14.96 in) between the center points (screw holes) of the footers.
The footers themselves are 50mm (about (1.97 in) in) diagonally.

@Christiaan Punter what is the thread size for the footers, in case I want to screw in after market footers?

 

[Opabin]

@Christiaan Punter what is the thread size for the footers, in case I want to screw in after market footers?

Answer:
This thread, post #1,361.

 

[Taiko Audio]

I know Emile now says the Daiza is less ideal for the composition of the Olympus but curious to see what your results are.

Hi @seatrope,

Just to clarify:

The Daiza was originally designed as an upgrade for the Extreme (and other aluminium-based equipment) to specifically address resonance issues inherent to aluminium. We first gained deeper insight into this from work on the Tana (a modified Table Stable active vibration isolation platform).

A big factor here is micro-oscillations between connected surfaces, which impart an audible sonic signature (usually perceived as negative) and can be tracked with measurable performance counters. These oscillations occur even between bolted surfaces, which means they’re present in most audiophile chassis. For example, the Table Stable’s correction circuitry can actually underperform, or even malfunction, if such oscillations aren’t controlled, which is why it requires a solid cast base with adequate elastomer damping between connecting surfaces.

One of the design goals of the Olympus was to eliminate these problems by machining the chassis from a solid block, removing the majority of micro-oscillations altogether. For the few places they could still arise, we implemented internal countermeasures.

So, in short:

• The Extreme predates the Tana, which predates the Daiza, and all of these predate the Olympus.
• The engineering lessons from those earlier developments are already built into the Olympus.
• As a result, the Daiza is no longer a “guaranteed performance upgrade” for the Olympus, but more of a personal-preference tuning option: you may find it enhances things to your taste, or you may not.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Hi Emile, first of all, thank you for the detailed responses to my queries. I, for one, recognize the effort and care the team is putting into finishing the backlog and want to thank you all. Reading between the lines of your comment about infrequent positive feedback, it's true, these days a large number of posts are from users voicing frustration. To some degree, I have been guilty of that in the past, as well. It must be very difficult absorbing that negativity. I'm sorry for any role I've played in that. While it's hard to blame customers for feeling the way they do, I believe the vast majority simultaneously believe that you're doing everything you can to finish the backlog and retain the esthetic and aural qualities that make the products so fantastic. When you read frustrated posts recognize they're a byproduct of how wonderful the Olympus is, and how well you treat customers. Otherwise people would have bailed. They stick around because they believe in you. I don't have any data to back this up, but my intuition tells me the Olympus backlog makes it one of the most successful, if not the most successful, audio products at this large price point. That should speak loudest. My Olympus is held up with customs in Indiana and FedEx is slow to respond. However, when it's released and received, I promise to offer detailed feedback that, in all likelihood, will express my love of what you've built. Thank you and the team for your work and dedication. For one, I have endured the wait due to how well you've treated me/customers in the past, and how much I believe in your talents and products.

Hi @joet,

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. Indeed, as an industry insider, and from feedback across the industry, I can confidently say this has been an unprecedented sales volume for a high-value flagship product.

That said, the very complexity that makes it special has also made it difficult to scale production. In fact, we’ve even faced down-ramps at times due to unforeseen hurdles (chassis finishing challenges, parts shortages, production equipment failures, staffing issues, etc.).

The good news is that we’re now nearing the end of the backlog. If things continue as they are, the Olympus could even become a “ship-from-stock” product toward the end of the year (at least for black). And in the end, despite the harsh journey getting here, this has truly been an incredible success.

 

[Taiko Audio]

If that's the case, it would be "interesting." At least I decided to invest in Olympus because Emile said it wasn't possible to implement it in Extreme

Hi @nonesup,

This must be a misinterpretation. It’s not impossible at all, it’s coming, and my hope is sooner rather than later. While it won’t be possible to reach quite the same absolute level as with the Olympus, it will still be a very impressive performer in its own right.

 

[Taiko Audio]

can you please tell us where the extreme is on this xdmi roadmap?

Hi @cat6man ,

at 0.5) , aka on top

 

[Taiko Audio]

Thank you very much, Emile, for your technical explanations. I enjoy learning from you and I have a question about latency.

When I use the default setting in the USB driver, it's usually 256 sample packets. This can be used to calculate the latency. Using the example of a CD data format:

44,100 samples = 1,000 ms
256 samples = 5.8 ms (1000*256/44,100)

If I reduce the packet to 52 samples, it increases the workload for the CPU because more packets have to be sent in the same period of time. In return, the latency is reduced as follows:

52 samples = 1.18 ms (1000*52/44,100)

You wrote that smaller blocks “increase” the latency overhead. Where is my mistake in thinking?

Hi @StreamFidelity ,

You're welcome! By overhead I mean a (much) higher CPU (and overall system) load to process the same amount of data.

 

[Taiko Audio]

@nenon. Olympus sounds better than Extreme because of the hardware not because of Roon. XDMS on Extreme was clearly superior sonically to Roon. I infer from your answer that Taiko have dropped development of XDMS for Olympus. Apparently it costs many manhours for development but brings no profit at present . Pity...i liked it a lot despite its several bugs

Hi @an.vamv,

We most certainly have not dropped development of XDMS for the Olympus. It’s simply a lower priority compared to moving the release to beta (and possibly stable) on the Extreme.

That said, things play out a bit differently on the Olympus. On the current Extreme, different Roon releases are often described as sounding “dirtier” or “cleaner.” On the Olympus, those same differences present more as tonal shifts: “dirtier” comes across as slightly darker, while “cleaner” leans slightly brighter. In other words, the changes aren’t really “better” or “worse”, just very subtle tonal variations. Most of the time, you won’t even notice them.

Therefore, when the time comes, it’s better to set expectations around functional differences rather than expecting an absolute upgrade. That said, I do reserve the right to change my mind once we get there.

 

[RUIN*ish]

Hi @seatrope,

Just to clarify:

The Daiza was originally designed as an upgrade for the Extreme (and other aluminium-based equipment) to specifically address resonance issues inherent to aluminium. We first gained deeper insight into this from work on the Tana (a modified Table Stable active vibration isolation platform).

A big factor here is micro-oscillations between connected surfaces, which impart an audible sonic signature (usually perceived as negative) and can be tracked with measurable performance counters. These oscillations occur even between bolted surfaces, which means they’re present in most audiophile chassis. For example, the Table Stable’s correction circuitry can actually underperform, or even malfunction, if such oscillations aren’t controlled, which is why it requires a solid cast base with adequate elastomer damping between connecting surfaces.

One of the design goals of the Olympus was to eliminate these problems by machining the chassis from a solid block, removing the majority of micro-oscillations altogether. For the few places they could still arise, we implemented internal countermeasures.

So, in short:

• The Extreme predates the Tana, which predates the Daiza, and all of these predate the Olympus.
• The engineering lessons from those earlier developments are already built into the Olympus.
• As a result, the Daiza is no longer a “guaranteed performance upgrade” for the Olympus, but more of a personal-preference tuning option: you may find it enhances things to your taste, or you may not.

A few days ago I did some VERY rudimentary unscientific tries at using AI to determine resonance frequencies for the router case.
Ran braced plate and solid billet parameters.. Used dimensions and a guess on type of copper, finished thickness, and purity of metal.
The end results were that a connected plate type had a fundamental at 170hz and the solid billet came in at 1245hz.
I've been working for a few weeks to find that balance in damping and decoupling... Not done yet..

 

[Taiko Audio]

It's been 3 days since I figured out that one needs to turn on the Olympus to get it to work. While it's much too soon for substantive evaluations, I enjoyed others' early reviews. So here are some initial impressions (despite being later to the party than others).
1) The IO is beautiful, easy to set-up and use (unless you don't turn it on), incredibly well designed, and satisfying to receive. Many manufacturers treat audiophiles like suckers, selling poorly packaged and designed products at premium prices. All the while, giving us attitude when we contact them. Not the case with Taiko. Despite the price, I feel as if I received something of great value.

2) Despite knowing both the Olympus and analogue card require break-in, on first listen there was concern, even regret. This happens with every audio product I buy. But within a day those concerns turned to wonder and excitement. Harshness and uneveness turned to effortlessness and coherence. While it's still getting there, I can tell this is something special. So much so, I think it might drive changes to room treatments and other components that, apparently, compensated for previous flaws.

3) The analogue card is impressive, although, perhaps, still evolving. I expect it to improve with additonal use. On one 96/24 track I did hear the "rippling" that Ray Dude described in his great review. (Im not sure that's the exact term he used.) Unlike Ray Dude, I still hear a benefit from hi-res vs Redbook, and I don't always hear the "rippling" on hi res files. Perhaps the difference I'm hearing is mastering, not resolution. I really look forward to V2 of the analogue card, but anticipate I might eventually use an XDMI compatible DAC.
4) For this slightly OCD user, the concept of batteries takes some getting used to. I'm always (unnecessarily) worried about drain and manually recharging the batteries that don't go to 100% overnight. This is admittedly illogical. The BPS app is very easy to use, but the Bluetooth range is limited. The range is likely more a function of Bluetooth tech than Taiko.

Overall, Emile and team have done an impressive job. It is gratifying to be in the fold, and while the wait is frustrating, the product appears well worth it. Color me excited.

Thank you for the nice feedback @joet, glad to hear the wait hasn’t left you disappointed

A few clarifications that may help scratch the audiophile OCD itch that often comes with this hobby:

1) Battery charging
The batteries will always reach 100% within the configured charge window, but the time to recharge depends on what they’re powering, since drain is linked to consumption.

For example, if you set the charging window from 1–8 AM:

• The BPS powering the Network card might finish recharging and hit 100% at 4 AM, at which point charging stops.
• Meanwhile, the BPS powering XDMI with the analog module might only reach 100% at 6 AM.

So if you check levels at 7 AM, the Network BPS has already been discharging for 3 hours, while the XDMI BPS has only been discharging for 1 hour. This means they will neither both be at 100% at the same time, nor will they ever sit at exactly the same charge level, unless you start tweaking charge windows, which serves no functional purpose… unless, of course, you’re dealing with a particularly bad case of OCD .

2) Bluetooth range
The Bluetooth transmission power is deliberately kept low, and we also avoid mounting external antennas (even though we could). The reason is simple: the app is usually only used once for configuration, so it’s not an issue if you need to be within a few meters. This way the Bluetooth signal cannot couple into the Olympus or any of your other gear, avoiding both audible and measurable artifacts.