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

[dminches]

@Taiko Audio @nenon

Your last 3 posts along with Nenon's great explanations have really once and for made this all understandable by me. I get now the benefit of the XDMI analogue ...

Those posts to me were the pearls of the past few weeks. Kudos Gentlemen. I finally get it

Emile ....you. have a brilliant mind. So one last question ....how many tubes can you get onto an XDMI analogue card or can you find some toxin to inject me with to overcome the loss of a well sought after desired sound by myself, and achieveable IMHO only by the Lampi Horizon and the infinite possibilities of tube rolling. That for my ears would be so difficult to achieve without tubes.If you can figure out how to do that with your XDMI Analog..............just saying

Just get one of these.

Analog Bridge - ModWright Instruments

The Analog Bridge was designed to fill a niche left by our custom tube modifications for digital source equipment. Due to the rapidly changing world of modern digital, we wanted a product that could be used with a variety of digital and analog SS sources. The Analog Bridge will not be replaced...

www.modwright.com

 

[Steve Williams]

Just get one of these.

Analog Bridge - ModWright Instruments

The Analog Bridge was designed to fill a niche left by our custom tube modifications for digital source equipment. Due to the rapidly changing world of modern digital, we wanted a product that could be used with a variety of digital and analog SS sources. The Analog Bridge will not be replaced...

www.modwright.com

Im going to wait. It is my hope that Lukasz will finds a solution

 

[kevn]

Emile, with the twin analogue outputs of the Olympus and I/O fully optimising all benefit of the XDMI interface, and AES\EBU only achieving ‘significant’ benefit, do you believe a bypass of my DAC to connect the Olympus directly to my preamp with RCA cabling might result in greater sound quality? I fully understand this question is so system dependent, but for how potent it appears XDMI is, I wondered if removing any DAC across the board (and by default, another interface in the signal path) might actually have global benefit regardless of DAC type or setup.

im not very technically adept, so please forgive me if the question is a dumb one, system dependency being so much more vital than XDMI gains.

Thank you! - kevin

 

[wil]

A knob that varies the amount of second order harmonic distortion, maybe. . .

And another knob to vary the amount of negative feedback.

Steve Z

Or go xdmi analog output to a tube rolling vehicle like the Poseidon pre amp ( or other tube based pre), as Nenon mentioned.

 

[ctydwn]

Or go xdmi analog output to a tube rolling vehicle like the Poseidon pre amp ( or other tube based pre), as Nenon mentioned.

Definitely an option but potentially painful (in the audiophile sense of pain, or is this the exquisite kind of pain that pulls us in deeper). After rolling tubes for 18 months, spending an ungodly sum on them, in addition to the Horizon, which is sounding absolutely incredible and dialed in now with ideal tube combo (for my ears) with Taiko router, switch and power distributor... can Olympus XDMI analogue out best this? The implications of that alone are mind blowing to my little mind. Or could a future Horizon XDMI development/handshake surpass? Or any DAC manufacturer like MSB? Or maybe more importantly, are Horizon analog inputs best?

Very interesting how things may unfold, how higher end DAC manufacturers may respond and implications for the future of external DACs generally. sorry if stating the obvious. digesting here

Sounds like the listening tests down at Taiko HQ could give us some insights, but an outstanding question if I understand correctly (which i totally might not). I also run Horizon direct to the Heisenbergs which I don't know if would even be an option from the Olympus...

First world problems to have deciding what to do next in this rarified digital air. Perhaps we’ll look back on this month as when digital changed forever. I get the sense Emile and Team Taiko maybe already know.

And thanks again to all here for their invaluable questions, answers and shared experience

 

[wil]

Definitely an option but potentially painful (in the audiophile sense of pain). After rolling tubes for 18 months, spending an ungodly sum on them, in addition to the Horizon, which is sounding absolutely incredible and dialed in now ideal tube combo (for my ears) with Taiko router, switch and power distributor... can Olympus XDMI analogue out best this? Sounds like the listening tests down at Taiko HQ could give us some insights. I also run Horizon direct to the Heisenbergs which I don't know if would even be an option from the Olympus...

Great problems to have deciding what to do next in this rarified digital air. And thanks again to all here for their invaluable questions, answers and shared experience

I feel your Audiophile pain!

 

[howiebrou]

Emile, will you make a Dual Mono 4 box Olympus?

I have the perfect name for it.

Olympus Mons.

 

[matthias]

Hi Emile,

will it be possible to listen to Olympus XDMI analog out at High End Munich 2024?

Thanks

 

[nonesup]

Well, regarding the project of placing an XDMI interface card in the DAC, Emile has already indicated the problems that arise: First of all, a size problem. The XDMI card is quite large and will be difficult to fit into a DAC not designed to accommodate it. Secondly, the power supply noise from the DAC, which needs to be at nanovolt level (that's why it's not installed in the Extreme) and does the DAC have that power supply noise? And third, added, economical because the price of a second XDMI card would be really expensive. Therefore, at the moment the solution of a second XDMI card in DAC does not seem easy to implement, except probably for MSB.

 

[Malcng]

Definitely an option but potentially painful (in the audiophile sense of pain, or is this the exquisite kind of pain that pulls us in deeper). After rolling tubes for 18 months, spending an ungodly sum on them, in addition to the Horizon, which is sounding absolutely incredible and dialed in now with ideal tube combo (for my ears) with Taiko router, switch and power distributor... can Olympus XDMI analogue out best this? The implications of that alone are mind blowing to my little mind. Or could a future Horizon XDMI development/handshake surpass?

Very interesting how things may unfold, how higher end DAC manufacturers may respond and implications for the future of external DACs generally. sorry if stating the obvious. digesting here

Sounds like the listening tests down at Taiko HQ could give us some insights, but an outstanding question if I understand correctly (which i totally might not). I also run Horizon direct to the Heisenbergs which I don't know if would even be an option from the Olympus...

First world problems to have deciding what to do next in this rarified digital air. Perhaps we’ll look back on this month as when digital changed forever. I get the sense Emile and Team Taiko maybe already know.

And thanks again to all here for their invaluable questions, answers and shared experience

This is why I felt a ‘cake and eat it’ solution was ideal, namely USB, XDMI Analogue and XDMI Digital. You could have all 3 and use whichever works best for your mood, music and output choice - speakers or headphones etc. You can always run XDMI analogue output into your carefully dialled in Horizon anyway for further flavour. Having spent many years chasing my ‘perfect system’, I have come to enjoy different options and flavours, especially with headphones but also sometimes with speakers.

 

[Kris]

Is anyone aware what clocking is used in that XDMI DAC board?
There is no clock on the board so I believe it it build in the chip ?

 

[Taiko Audio]

Is anyone aware what clocking is used in that XDMI DAC board?
There is no clock on the board so I believe it it build in the chip ?

There’s no clock on the DAC board.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Hi Emile,

will it be possible to listen to Olympus XDMI analog out at High End Munich 2024?

Thanks

For sure.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Emile, will you make a Dual Mono 4 box Olympus?

I have the perfect name for it.

Olympus Mons.

Would be tempting to do just to be able to use that name

 

[Kris]

There’s no clock on the DAC board.

So it is build to Rhom chip or existent on XDMI motherboard ?
STS ? Secret Taiko Solution ?

 

[Taiko Audio]

So it is build to Rhom chip or existent on XDMI motherboard ?
STS ? Secret Taiko Solution ?

There's a "STS" master clock on the XDMI baseboard

 

[Tonari]

I do not own an Extreme. Still I found this thread fascinating. It is like visiting the future
I am a believer that server/streamer/dac should belong to the same box and have been waiting for this moment to arrive with Taiko before thinking about investing on an Extreme (or Olympus like is named now)

 

[Taiko Audio]

Well, regarding the project of placing an XDMI interface card in the DAC, Emile has already indicated the problems that arise: First of all, a size problem. The XDMI card is quite large and will be difficult to fit into a DAC not designed to accommodate it. Secondly, the power supply noise from the DAC, which needs to be at nanovolt level (that's why it's not installed in the Extreme) and does the DAC have that power supply noise? And third, added, economical because the price of a second XDMI card would be really expensive. Therefore, at the moment the solution of a second XDMI card in DAC does not seem easy to implement, except probably for MSB.

Yes correct with the exception of needing 2 complete XDMI solutions. XDMI can be completely relocated to an external chassis. On the source/server side you then only need this interface card:

 

[John T]

Yes correct with the exception of needing 2 complete XDMI solutions. XDMI can be completely relocated to an external chassis. On the source/server side you then only need this interface card:

View attachment 121971

Lately each morning as I sip my Costa Rican coffee. I feel like I'm involved with space exploration and communicating with Ground Control! Fascinating "stuff"...

 

[Taiko Audio]

Emile, with the twin analogue outputs of the Olympus and I/O fully optimising all benefit of the XDMI interface, and AES\EBU only achieving ‘significant’ benefit, do you believe a bypass of my DAC to connect the Olympus directly to my preamp with RCA cabling might result in greater sound quality? I fully understand this question is so system dependent, but for how potent it appears XDMI is, I wondered if removing any DAC across the board (and by default, another interface in the signal path) might actually have global benefit regardless of DAC type or setup.

im not very technically adept, so please forgive me if the question is a dumb one, system dependency being so much more vital than XDMI gains.

Thank you! - kevin

All I can really say is give it a listen. I completely understand it's something you'd like to know before purchasing but the problem is your taste may not match mine, your system is not the same as mine, your room is not the same as mine. You may have tuned your system to your taste using your current source sound signature. You may have picked a specific brand of cable with a specific sound signature, you may have applied a certain amount of room damping / room tuning devices. There are just so many variables which is why there are also so many brands and models of equipment available.

All I can say that IMHO XDMI analogue out is at the very minimum competitive to anything I've heard. If you like it better then your current DAC however is just not something I can accurately predict. I'm very interested in people's experiences with it which is the main reason to supply both analogue and digital output modules in addition to the introduction discount.

This is something we've always been dependant on, real customer experience/feedback. It's the main driver for progress.