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

[2ndLiner]

Nothing strange about that

In Europe, summer's the holiday season, so everything tends to slow down a bit. Which I personally think is a good thing.

Still, I've no doubt that production is ticking along nicely despite the quieter period.

I'm also pretty sure development is carrying on. Emile and his team surely have some great things in the pipeline.

Wishing you all a chance to enjoy the summer. Life's short!

Here's a photo from a couple of weeks ago, I took a friend on a lovely ridge climb in the Mont Blanc Massif. Her first ridge climb at that altitude.

(that's me on the pic btw)
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The first photo of you on that "sliver" of an out cropping is hard to stop looking at, truly spellbinding! Heights with minimal support is definitely not my thing I once repelled off a 200 foot high cliff with friends and while I had a major PRB (post repelling buzz) for days that was it for me...

 

[oldmustang]

So you are saying you were repelled by rappelling, Michael?

Steve Z

 

[SwissTom]

I once repelled off a 200 foot high cliff with friends and while I had a major PRB (post repelling buzz) for days that was it for me...

That little bit of discomfort when it comes to heights really is a peculiar feeling. For me, the higher I am, the less it seems to bother me.

Weirdly enough, sleeping on a ledge with an 800 metres drop right next to me is less stressful than climbing indoors.

The real challenge? Getting up in the middle of the night for a wee, without peeing all over yourself or the sleeping bag!

 

[Taiko Audio]

Does anyone find it weird that Emile has been basically gone from posting?

Still around! Like a lot of others, I’ve just had to be patient while we wrap up shipping the rest of this massive order—once that’s done, we can finally get back to the fun stuff.

I’ve been pretty busy sourcing components for the last 40 or so Olympus servers. It’s been a bigger challenge than expected, but we now have virtually everything in place.

We’re still looking for a few capable new team members, but finding the right people has been tough. Several have come and gone, and we’ve lost some original team members who weren’t comfortable with the scale-up. On top of that, trade issues—shipping delays, tariffs, and component shortages—have been consuming an incredible amount of time.

We’re exploring AI to improve efficiency, which looks promising, though it’s definitely not a substitute for hands-on work.

Anodising remains a challenge. We’ve been testing different alloys and anodisers, but haven’t seen major improvements yet. Currently, we anodise chassis and coat the ones that are rejected—rejection rates are still high, which is why black-coated units are much further along. Still, we’re getting close to the finish line, and we’re all looking forward to that.

R&D is moving slowly but hasn’t stalled. A lot is nearing completion. Personally, I have to split my time between R&D and operations just to stay sane. One highlight: we’ve developed a linear power supply capable of 20A current that sounds just as good—if not better—than 1A supplies. It’s versatile enough to power an entire network stack, NAS included, and will be a core part of the upcoming Extreme upgrades.

I’ll check Monday morning why the update didn’t go out.

 

[Kingsrule]

Good to hear from you Emile and thanks for the update.
It's good to be around!

 

[nonesup]

Hi Emile.
Please don't forget the completion of the XDMI daughterboard development for the Aries Cerat. While the sound with the DAC is good, I definitely feel like I'm missing something with my Kassandra, which definitely adds to the equation.
On the other hand, for those who aren't sure if the powder coating is good enough, I can say that for me it's magnificent.

 

[John T]

That little bit of discomfort when it comes to heights really is a peculiar feeling. For me, the higher I am, the less it seems to bother me.

Weirdly enough, sleeping on a ledge with an 800 metres drop right next to me is less stressful than climbing indoors.

The real challenge? Getting up in the middle of the night for a wee, without peeing all over yourself or the sleeping bag!

Altitude sickness (HAI) is one bad "hombre" cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, not good. Fortunately I never got it. Raw garlic, natural blood thinner. I have seen it happen with others. Even at lower altitudes. Summitting Mt Kenya German Fellow had to descend and that is not crazy high,17050'. The north face Batian is the most difficult route.
I found in Nepal even in altitudes over 21K acclimation over time is key. But even then no guarantee that it won't happen...

 

[2ndLiner]

So you are saying you were repelled by rappelling, Michael?

Steve Z

Steve, I looked up the correct spelling and still got it wrong but your excellent use of wit makes me glad I did

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...misspelling rappelling comedically compelling.

 

[2ndLiner]

That little bit of discomfort when it comes to heights really is a peculiar feeling. For me, the higher I am, the less it seems to bother me.

Weirdly enough, sleeping on a ledge with an 800 metres drop right next to me is less stressful than climbing indoors.

The real challenge? Getting up in the middle of the night for a wee, without peeing all over yourself or the sleeping bag!

In "compromised" situations such as you describe I wonder how is nature's call answered. I assumed you would be catheterized I appreciate and salute your nerve, Swiss Tom!

 

[2ndLiner]

...misspelling rappelling comedically compelling

You're on fire, man!

 

[Steve Williams]

The first photo of you on that "sliver" of an out cropping is hard to stop looking at, truly spellbinding! Heights with minimal support is definitely not my thing I once repelled off a 200 foot high cliff with friends and while I had a major PRB (post repelling buzz) for days that was it for me...

Sliver aint the word for it. Mind boggling crazy. My biggest frear is heights. When my wife and I travel she gsts the window and I get the aisle. Looking at that photo makes me dizzy. Beautiful photograph and I commend you.. To me the only thing crazier is parachuting and even worse sky diving. And sleeping off a cliff worrying about peeing ....to me it would be about sleep walking and/or crapping my pants.I commend you Tom. How high was that . Anything over 20 feet would give me a nose bleed

Welcome back Emile. You've been missed and looks as if you're beginning to see the end of the tunnel

 

[Elberoth]

Anodising remains a challenge. We’ve been testing different alloys and anodisers, but haven’t seen major improvements yet. Currently, we anodise chassis and coat the ones that are rejected—rejection rates are still high, which is why black-coated units are much further along. Still, we’re getting close to the finish line, and we’re all looking forward to that.

Emille,

Did you try Rumen Artarski from Bulgaria (of Thrax fame)?

I have been in his factory and he does anodizing for all his products (obviously), but also many other European hi-end brands like Vitus Audio etc. He also has a modern CNC shop, so can deliver a complete product.

Adam

 

[pleroma]

R&D is moving slowly but hasn’t stalled. A lot is nearing completion. Personally, I have to split my time between R&D and operations just to stay sane. One highlight: we’ve developed a linear power supply capable of 20A current that sounds just as good—if not better—than 1A supplies. It’s versatile enough to power an entire network stack, NAS included, and will be a core part of the upcoming Extreme upgrades.

Looking forward to that new thread on the Extreme updates

 

[Scatterbrain99]

It has been reported that removing the hard drive from Olympus yields only a 2–3% gain; in my system, the improvement was a solid 5–7%—on par with the jump from adding the Taiko switch. Don’t walk—run. Remove that hard drive.

 

[nonesup]

I, heeding those who claimed this, ordered my Olympus without internal storage. Keep in mind that this also introduces new variables into the equation:
1.- Does the network cable that connects the NAS to the router matter?…..YES
2.- Does the power supply that powers the NAS matter ?……YES

 

[Slainte]

I've been waiting 15 months for a black, so color isn't the reason more recent orders were prioritized over mine.

Maybe you should demand your money back and buy this one. You'll definitely get it faster.

https://www.audio-markt.de/market/taiko-audio-olympus-xdmi-6941714361

 

[joet]

Maybe you should demand your money back and buy this one. You'll definitely get it faster.

https://www.audio-markt.de/market/taiko-audio-olympus-xdmi-6941714361

Thanks for the info. I'm going to stick it out for now.

 

[John T]

Before I take out a 9MM can anyone give me some suggestions to get the BMS APP to work. It was fine now all of a sudden I cannot get it to PAIR...

 

[seatrope]

Before I take out a 9MM can anyone give me some suggestions to get the BMS APP to work. It was fine now all of a sudden I cannot get it to PAIR...

Make sure you're pretty close to the units. It takes a bit for it to show up. Maybe turn bluetooth off and on again, and shut down your phone and restart - those are just general things i do if something does not work.