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

[wil]

After 3 weeks FedEx and customs clearance saga, the Olympus showed up on my driveway without any warning!

A 20-year-old kid/girl showed up in a truck without a fork-lift, before I got to her, she tried to flag down a truck and ask for help unloading. When I got to her, she asked me (to my horror) if it will be ok to just drop the pallet to the ground from the truck because it was heavy and she cannot lift it.

I have a bad back, so my chivalrous days are long gone! So, I offered to help load the pallet on to a dolly if she can grab the handles one side. But the pallet got twisted in the process and moved to the side of the flight case instead of bottom. We got it to the garage where before I can react, she just let the flight case slide off the dolly and let it drop a couple of inches to the floor! (my heart stopped). She had also assumed it was a 68lb package and I had to tell her it was 68kg.

I cannot really fault the kid for this; she has not much experience, FedEX really messed it up and things could have gone horribly wrong if I were not home (since the tracking did not work once it was released from customs). I plan to load it on to my rack later today with help from couple of men I have lined up, and I hope there is no real damage.

The last three weeks of waiting was tough, and @nenon helped calm my nerves a bit. Now I look forward to setting it up and hearing for myself what all the fuss about the O is
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How did it slide off the pallet wasn’t it securely ratchet scraped down? It shouldn’t be moving a millimeter!

And how was your shipment for close to 200 pound pallet not put on a liftgate truck?

As far as FedEx goes, they are a shameless, poorly run company by my estimation. Customer satisfaction is not even on their list of priorities.

 

[Ron Resnick]

A big SHOUTOUT to @nenon (Vassil) who assisted me with setup for my newly arrived Olympus (stunning in black!). Though setup was pretty much a breeze, he took time to make sure everything was dialed in correctly and patiently answered my questions in detail. Anyone who has had the good fortune to connect with Vassil knows what a fantastic asset he is to our audio community and Taiko is most fortunate to have him as their North American representative!

Vassil is the best!

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

How did it slide off the pallet wasn’t it securely ratchet scraped down? It shouldn’t be moving a millimeter!

And how was your shipment for close to 200 pound pallet not put on a liftgate truck?

As far as FedEx goes, they are a shameless, poorly run company by my estimation. Customer satisfaction is not even on their list of priorities.

It had come loose; it slid off quite easily when we tried to lift it and load it on to the dolly!

I am thinking someone misread 68kg as 68lb, the kid sure thought so!

And all this after the previous day the FedEx agent said it is a fright and will have a forklift and will come on a truck! but at that point they just did not know where the package was except, they were waiting for it!

Even more ridiculous was how hard it was to get them to sign off on my customs release (below is what I had sent @nenon a week or so back)
[1:39 PM, 10/31/2025] So the person it was first assigned to went on leave, then they transferred to the next case agent Tatiyana
[1:40 PM, 10/31/2025] The next agent did not respond, so they escalated to the team lead
[1:40 PM, 10/31/2025] The Team lead did not respond they escalated to manager
[1:40 PM, 10/31/2025] I wonder it will go all the way to CEO ??

I have been calling Fedex like clockwork every day for the past 21 days.

PS: My frustration is mainly with FedEX and customs, none of this is directed at Taiko (though a friend of mine at UPS says they do this much better )

 

[Bobvin]

Glad to see you finally got your Olympus. I’ve been absolutely stunned, amazed, gobsmacked at what I’ve been hearing. Had a few audio buddies over last night to listen (i have maybe a few hundred hours in the analog card) and everyone was similarly astonished what they were hearing from a streaming source.

Bravo Team Taiko.

(My prior DAC has been kicked to the curb with a steel toed boot. Its just laying there, licking its wounds, whimpering!)

 

[wil]

It had come loose; it slid off quite easily when we tried to lift it and load it on to the dolly!

Heavy freight like this needs to be strapped down immovably tight! It should be kept in mind that the average fork lift drivers at the various stops from Europe to the final destination will be abusing your precious freight in ways we can scarcely imagine.

 

[wil]

Glad to see you finally got your Olympus. I’ve been absolutely stunned, amazed, gobsmacked at what I’ve been hearing. Had a few audio buddies over last night to listen (i have maybe a few hundred hours in the analog card) and everyone was similarly astonished what they were hearing from a streaming source.

Bravo Team Taiko.

(My prior DAC has been kicked to the curb with a steel toed boot. Its just laying there, licking its wounds, whimpering!)

What is your prior dac?

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

Glad to see you finally got your Olympus. I’ve been absolutely stunned, amazed, gobsmacked at what I’ve been hearing. Had a few audio buddies over last night to listen (i have maybe a few hundred hours in the analog card) and everyone was similarly astonished what they were hearing from a streaming source.

Bravo Team Taiko.

(My prior DAC has been kicked to the curb with a steel toed boot. Its just laying there, licking its wounds, whimpering!)

I am traveling for couple of weeks; I am glad it showed up today and not any later, it will allow the analog card to burn-in for two weeks nonstop (300+ hours)

 

[John T]

Heavy freight like this needs to be strapped down immovably tight! It should be kept in mind that the average fork lift drivers at the various stops from Europe to the final destination will be abusing your precious freight in ways we can scarcely imagine.

The problem is when it gets to customs and they remove the straps, it seems they are either too stupid or don't bother to strap it back down. As I shared I didn't even have a pallet.

 

[joet]

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I had a similar FedEx customs experience. If I wasn't a squeaky wheel I don't know how much longer it would have taken. The described delivery is completely unacceptable and if there is damage (I hope not. The flight cases are solid.) they certainly didn't exercise proper duty of care. You'll have a strong case. While the actual delivery to my house was very good, they screwed up the harmonization designation. FedEx decided this wasn't a computer but, instead, auto parts. Resulting in a 25% tariff. Strangely, they delivered the unit before charging me the tariff. I could have fought them without paying it, but was frightened to get on the wrong side of CBP in the current environment. So I'm challenging the designation (along with quite a few other Olympus customers, I'm told.) The expected timeframe for an answer has gone from 5 days to 6 months. I don't know what has happened to FedEx, but they're failing at every step of the process.

 

[jeremya]

I think the thinking was the egg-crate pallet will be strong enough to cushion the three-foot drop!, just slide it off the truck and hope for the best! reminded me of the science experiments my kids did, they were to let eggs drop 20 feet or so without cracking by providing the right cushioning and air resistance.

But also... those were eggs.

 

[jeremya]

...thereby creating internet proof that Taiko is responsible for shipping two units per order to ensure that one delivers acceptably.

Hey, so long as at least one of those units gets sent to my house as a backup address (just in case anything goes wrong with that other address) I'm here for it.

 

[John T]

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I had a similar FedEx customs experience. If I wasn't a squeaky wheel I don't know how much longer it would have taken. The described delivery is completely unacceptable and if there is damage (I hope not. The flight cases are solid.) they certainly didn't exercise proper duty of care. You'll have a strong case. While the actual delivery to my house was very good, they screwed up the harmonization designation. FedEx decided this wasn't a computer but, instead, auto parts. Resulting in a 25% tariff. Strangely, they delivered the unit before charging me the tariff. I could have fought them without paying it, but was frightened to get on the wrong side of CBP in the current environment. So I'm challenging the designation (along with quite a few other Olympus customers, I'm told.) The expected timeframe for an answer has gone from 5 days to 6 months. I don't know what has happened to FedEx, but they're failing at every step of the process.

Do you realize why the harmonization was designated as auto parts? Their is a Taiko Auto that sells parts, race car stuff I think. I imagine CBP just uses a drop down menu and this is where the confusion starts...Brutal

 

[Bobvin]

What is your prior dac?

Name redacted to protect the innocent. In reality many, many DACs will face the same fate once the Olympus enters the ring.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I had a similar FedEx customs experience. If I wasn't a squeaky wheel I don't know how much longer it would have taken. The described delivery is completely unacceptable and if there is damage (I hope not. The flight cases are solid.) they certainly didn't exercise proper duty of care. You'll have a strong case. While the actual delivery to my house was very good, they screwed up the harmonization designation. FedEx decided this wasn't a computer but, instead, auto parts. Resulting in a 25% tariff. Strangely, they delivered the unit before charging me the tariff. I could have fought them without paying it, but was frightened to get on the wrong side of CBP in the current environment. So I'm challenging the designation (along with quite a few other Olympus customers, I'm told.) The expected timeframe for an answer has gone from 5 days to 6 months. I don't know what has happened to FedEx, but they're failing at every step of the process.

At least, in my case I think they got the harmonization part right, except they asked me to self-declare for hazardous material. They first asked what it was made of, and I made of the mistake of saying it was made of aluminum and copper. I could hear the wheels turning in the other persons head, and they said aluminum import had different rules and tariff. I immediately stopped them and said, it is just a computer but runs on batteries like laptops, just a lot bigger and heavier, and does not have a screen or keyboard!

I was advised to remove my payment information from FedEx so that they don't just charge me some exorbitant tariff that I have to fight later. Interestingly they did not send me a bill for tariff if any (yet).

It looks like it is a complete crap shoot, and each person's experience is their own!

 

[John T]

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I had a similar FedEx customs experience. If I wasn't a squeaky wheel I don't know how much longer it would have taken. The described delivery is completely unacceptable and if there is damage (I hope not. The flight cases are solid.) they certainly didn't exercise proper duty of care. You'll have a strong case. While the actual delivery to my house was very good, they screwed up the harmonization designation. FedEx decided this wasn't a computer but, instead, auto parts. Resulting in a 25% tariff. Strangely, they delivered the unit before charging me the tariff. I could have fought them without paying it, but was frightened to get on the wrong side of CBP in the current environment. So I'm challenging the designation (along with quite a few other Olympus customers, I'm told.) The expected timeframe for an answer has gone from 5 days to 6 months. I don't know what has happened to FedEx, but they're failing at every step of the process.

When you plead your case you may want to point this out to the people who are handing your dispute...

 

[Iamrael]

Glad to see you finally got your Olympus. I’ve been absolutely stunned, amazed, gobsmacked at what I’ve been hearing. Had a few audio buddies over last night to listen (i have maybe a few hundred hours in the analog card) and everyone was similarly astonished what they were hearing from a streaming source.

Bravo Team Taiko.

(My prior DAC has been kicked to the curb with a steel toed boot. Its just laying there, licking its wounds, whimpering!)

Bob,
Are you still a showcase dealer for Bob/Rhapsody?

 

[Bobvin]

Bob,
Are you still a showcase dealer for Bob/Rhapsody?

Yep, per my signature below.

 

[nonesup]

Glad to see you finally got your Olympus. I’ve been absolutely stunned, amazed, gobsmacked at what I’ve been hearing. Had a few audio buddies over last night to listen (i have maybe a few hundred hours in the analog card) and everyone was similarly astonished what they were hearing from a streaming source.

Bravo Team Taiko.

(My prior DAC has been kicked to the curb with a steel toed boot. Its just laying there, licking its wounds, whimpering!)

It seems I'm one of the few who, while acknowledging the qualities of the DAC card (thanks to XDMI technology), isn't entirely convinced it's significantly superior to my DAC, with the excellent USB connection of the Olympus. They are different, both have their strengths, and I hope the ultimate goal is an XDMI daughter card for my DAC.

 

[Bobvin]

It seems I'm one of the few who, while acknowledging the qualities of the DAC card (thanks to XDMI technology), isn't entirely convinced it's significantly superior to my DAC, with the excellent USB connection of the Olympus. They are different, both have their strengths, and I hope the ultimate goal is an XDMI daughter card for my DAC.

Your DAC I’m sure is better than what I had, and if Team Taiko & Aries Cerat collaboration gets an XDMI interface worked out, I’m sure your digital will take another step up vs the USB connection you’re running with now.

I’m just stunned, really, that this v1 analog card offers what it does. And while maybe not significantly superior to your (excellent!) DAC (and rest of your system), the fact it is competing at that level makes me (and I’m sure many others) eager for the next iteration.

Having said that – PLEASE everyone don’t go pinging Team Taiko for an update on the next version! Their hands are full at the moment, and I am confident when the dust settles the event horizon will come into focus.

 

[John T]

I have no doubt that the V1 analog card is fantastic. I haven't listened to it yet. The 360 with the Olympus is also a very fine listening experience...