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".

 

Absolutely not. It number is in the high 40s the one in my system is high20s new still on skid

I waited 11 months,

 

WTF?!? Sounds like you are encouraging queue jumping, or is this already a "used" one?

My pique comes from having waited over 14 months for silver and finally reluctantly changing to black so I could at least get one.

WTF?!? Sounds like you are encouraging queue jumping, or is this already a "used" one?

My pique comes from having waited over 14 months for silver and finally reluctantly changing to black so I could at least get one.

No line jumping.It’s number is the late 40s and new on skid, my other one is in the high 20s. Waiited 11 months

 

Ah. Well, you see, as "Rhapsody" you're a dealer for Taiko Audio, as I understand it. Which means you're dealing a silver unit while folks are salivating in the queue. I must be missing something here, right?

 

Jerry ( @J117 ) is going through some rough times and is selling his personal Olympus.

 

very sorry to hear that. and understand there are always circumstances out of our control

just would like an explanation of what happened to all the units that were stated under construction here in this thread on January 29th from Taiko. no update since, nor an explanation as we all just to try and anticipate finances, deliveries etc. numerous people in this batch including myself have raised this and asked about this in the interim. we all feel bad to even raise the question. like petulant fools, despite month after month after month of lack of reliable delivery timeframes

i also think that taiko should have a policy in place to offer such units entering used market to those in the queue at appropriate discount

 

just speaking for myself, as a long time ardent supporter of taiko (5 years), purchaser of all their products to date, and getting zero communication of true order status at this point after weeks of inquiries… and over a year of deposits, (in contrast to other audio manufacturers I am currently working with) I am pretty tapped out. if anything, taiko needs to stop pointing the finger, sending long narratives about manufacturing troubles and email every individual owner/order (it’s not that many) with an explanation and keep them apprised of their specific timeline and provide options and compensation for anyone looking to off-ramp and not be financially handcuffed indefinitely. it no longer feels like that euphoric ride we were all on entrusting taiko above all else.

 

I see the issue on both sides. On one hand, a premium product, as promised.

On the other hand, money laid down for said product, not yet delivered...

I also see, "the real world", where chit happens. Good things come to those who wait. This thread is not the only example given, over the years. If you have an issue with the timelines? Contact them privately. No harm in that, no?

Tom

 

very sorry to hear that. and understand there are always circumstances out of our control

just would like an explanation of what happened to all the units that were stated under construction here in this thread on January 29th from Taiko. no update since, nor an explanation as we all just to try and anticipate finances, deliveries etc. numerous people in this batch including myself have raised this and asked about this in the interim. we all feel bad to even raise the question. like petulant fools, despite month after month after month of lack of reliable delivery timeframes

i also think that taiko should have a policy in place to offer such units entering used market to those in the queue at appropriate discount

Good question. I wonder the same thing.

The 12 number given were nonsequential which mean that Taiko Audio should have these 12 chassis on the 29th January (some silver for lower number and black chassis for higher number) so that an update with nonsequential number can be given. #70 to 73 were not there, they were probably silver or units with I/O that chassis were not ready.
So what happened to this batch?

 

Sleep mode is actually shut down, @Christiaan Punter , can you change that?

Yes please send in a report, we still “only” have 5 registered cases with differing playback issues which doesn’t help much in pinning it down.

This has now been amended in the Olympus manual.

 

I see the issue on both sides. On one hand, a premium product, as promised.

On the other hand, money laid down for said product, not yet delivered...

I also see, "the real world", where chit happens. Good things come to those who wait. This thread is not the only example given, over the years. If you have an issue with the timelines? Contact them privately. No harm in that, no?

Tom

This is indeed an accurate reflection of the current situation. We were excited to share the next batch as soon as it arrived, but during assembly, we discovered that the chassis did not meet our strict quality standards. As a result, we had to partially re-coat and re-anodize them. Maintaining exceptional quality is our top priority, as it should be for a product of this caliber and price.

On a positive note, we are seeing steady improvements in our processes, even though we rely on third-party suppliers for the chassis finish. We’re now more than halfway through the queue, and production speed continues to improve. Our new anodizing and coating partners fully understand the importance of this project and are committed to delivering the highest quality as efficiently as possible.

That said, these processes take time, and reworking faulty parts does add some delays. However, we’re confident that with these new partnerships in place, we’re finally accelerating the process and will be able to fulfill orders at a significantly faster pace.


Yesterdays email update is meant to keep everyone in the queue informed about the current status of Taiko and how we’re working to process the high volume of orders as efficiently as possible. Individual updates will be sent from me personally in the near future.

I’m working almost around the proverbial clock to ensure you stay up to date on everything related to the Olympus orders and that your units reach you in the shortest possible timeframe. As mentioned, I haven’t been here long, but I’m fully committed to improving communication, streamlining processes, and collaborating with new partners to make this happen.

For anyone who didn’t receive yesterday’s email, a second update will be sent out shortly. If you weren’t included in that mailing (and haven’t already reached out), please feel free to send me a private message with your order number and email address. I’ll make sure you receive the latest updates, either through your dealer or directly from me.

 

Actually the entire Olympus manual is written from the perspective of knowledge rather than from a new user.
It could use a complete re-due....and that is long overdue

Writing a simplified manual is on the to do list. Meanwhile, we have the Quick Start Guide that covers the basics on a single A4 to get one started, with QR links on the other side linking to further information.

 

This is indeed an accurate reflection of the current situation. We were excited to share the next batch as soon as it arrived, but during assembly, we discovered that the chassis did not meet our strict quality standards. As a result, we had to partially re-coat and re-anodize them.

Julien, I think this paragraph perfectly explains Taiko's (hopefully, so far) incorrect communication policy. First, they communicate that they have received some chassis and are working on them, and give the numbers, then they discover that they have faults and need to be re-anodized, BUT THERE IS NO INFORMATION ABOUT THIS, and here comes the problem.

 

I recall posts describing that sound quality on the Extreme depended on what control (iPad, Android tablet, laptop, etc.) was being used ... are there sonic differences on what device is used to control Roon on the the Olympus? Is there a preference/recommendation?

 

I see the issue on both sides. On one hand, a premium product, as promised.

On the other hand, money laid down for said product, not yet delivered...

I also see, "the real world", where chit happens. Good things come to those who wait. This thread is not the only example given, over the years. If you have an issue with the timelines? Contact them privately. No harm in that, no?

Tom

I can absolutely assure you that people are finally piping up here on this thread only after many private communication attempts with Taiko that have proven almost pointless. Everyone that signed on 14 months or so ago were all-in with trust and good will with Taiko, but the rather poor change in customer service approach since late spring/summer 2024 has soured that with time.

I spent my life in manufacturing and know well that "chit" happens. And that's when you need to communicate even more with your customers, not less; otherwise, you jeopardize the trust you've spent years building. This frustration is real, it's not new, and these are not the first communications of it.

 

Writing a simplified manual is on the to do list. Meanwhile, we have the Quick Start Guide that covers the basics on a single A4 to get one started, with QR links on the other side linking to further information.

Doesn't need to be simplified, just needs to be clear to a new user. I think most of us would prefer as much detail as possible that can be understood without a engineering/designer/Taiko employee background.
An example, look how the status of the 3 LED is currently described (Section 9.1)......

 

Julien, I think this paragraph perfectly explains Taiko's (hopefully, so far) incorrect communication policy. First, they communicate that they have received some chassis and are working on them, and give the numbers, then they discover that they have faults and need to be re-anodized, BUT THERE IS NO INFORMATION ABOUT THIS, and here comes the problem.

As most of you already know I sold my Taiko Extreme because of SQ problems in the software updates - and yes there were many unanswered support emails. I got frustrated and left the Taiko family taking a huge loss on my Extreme which was less than a year old. So, I have no reason to say anything positive about Taiko.

This was some time ago, but to be fair to Taiko, I remember they only gave “estimates” of the time new units would be available and there is no way they could have anticipated the chassis finish problems, etc. I give Taiko credit for attempting to correct these problems and not releasing products that have a less than superior finish, etc. I think Taiko really believes and strives for quality and just wasn’t fully ready for present influx of business. Though I’m fully satisfied at present, maybe one day Taiko will get the SQ correct ‘to my liking’ and I will be back.

 

Good answer. In my post I comment on how, in my opinion, the problem is an inadequate information policy and you argue that Taiko could not have known the problems that the anodizing would have. Something like: good morning, could you tell me what time it is, of course 25 degrees Celsius and raining.
And very funny that the delivery times were an estimate, when there are people waiting 14 months.

 

I recall posts describing that sound quality on the Extreme depended on what control (iPad, Android tablet, laptop, etc.) was being used ... are there sonic differences on what device is used to control Roon on the the Olympus? Is there a preference/recommendation?

There is a pretty small but dectable if you carefully listen SQ advantage for various Samsung Galaxy Tablets I have tested over various iPads. For me personally, I am happy to have the better iPad OS experience and not worry about the SQ Delta

 

This is indeed an accurate reflection of the current situation. We were excited to share the next batch as soon as it arrived, but during assembly, we discovered that the chassis did not meet our strict quality standards. As a result, we had to partially re-coat and re-anodize them. Maintaining exceptional quality is our top priority, as it should be for a product of this caliber and price.

On a positive note, we are seeing steady improvements in our processes, even though we rely on third-party suppliers for the chassis finish. We’re now more than halfway through the queue, and production speed continues to improve. Our new anodizing and coating partners fully understand the importance of this project and are committed to delivering the highest quality as efficiently as possible.

That said, these processes take time, and reworking faulty parts does add some delays. However, we’re confident that with these new partnerships in place, we’re finally accelerating the process and will be able to fulfill orders at a significantly faster pace.


Yesterdays email update is meant to keep everyone in the queue informed about the current status of Taiko and how we’re working to process the high volume of orders as efficiently as possible. Individual updates will be sent from me personally in the near future.

I’m working almost around the proverbial clock to ensure you stay up to date on everything related to the Olympus orders and that your units reach you in the shortest possible timeframe. As mentioned, I haven’t been here long, but I’m fully committed to improving communication, streamlining processes, and collaborating with new partners to make this happen.

For anyone who didn’t receive yesterday’s email, a second update will be sent out shortly. If you weren’t included in that mailing (and haven’t already reached out), please feel free to send me a private message with your order number and email address. I’ll make sure you receive the latest updates, either through your dealer or directly from me.

Hi Julien, Emile/Taiko,
I pre-ordered Olympus & Olympus I/O and have not yet received any update email from you or Taiko. I will tell you my email again by WBF pm. Thanks.

BTW my order number is >100 so I don't expect to get mine very soon.

However I know that there are more than 15 pre-orders of Olympus from Hong Kong and for some of them the order numbers are quite early.
Up till today, only ONE Hong Kong customer has received his Olympus. All the others are still waiting.
This is very very disappointing & frustrating.

What can be done?

 

Hi Julien, Emile/Taiko,
I pre-ordered Olympus & Olympus I/O and have not yet received any update email from you or Taiko. I will tell you my email again by WBF pm. Thanks.

BTW my order number is >100 so I don't expect to get mine very soon.

However I know that there are more than 15 pre-orders of Olympus from Hong Kong and for some of them the order numbers are quite early.
Up till today, only ONE Hong Kong customer has received his Olympus. All the others are still waiting.
This is very very disappointing & frustrating.

What can be done?

Hi there!

I have added you to the mailing list and sent you a direct message as well (as a reply to yours). I think everyone is in the list now, if I missed anyone then please let me know in a private message and I will make sure you get added.