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".

 

After a few seconds the middle light turns off. The exact amount of time varies a bit with your Roon database size, with a small database 2-3 seconds.

Thank u Emile, this is exactly the kind of detail I was asking for..even more detail regarding database size vs. seconds would be great. Never occurred to me it was related to database size.
As u know, my database is 12.8 Tb and truthfully the press needed is all over the place.
Short press, long press still very confusing

 

Thank u Emile, this is exactly the kind of detail I was asking for..even more detail regarding database size vs. seconds would be great. Never occurred to me it was related to database size.
As u know, my database is 12.8 Tb and truthfully the press needed is all over the place.
Short press, long press still very confusing

A short (momentary) press and wait till the center light turns off is the correct way.

A short press signals the operating system (OS) to shut down the system safely. The time this takes varies depending on the system state (what Roon is doing mostly).

A long press forces the system to power off without allowing the OS to shut down properly. This should only be used if the OS has crashed and is unresponsive—a rare situation most users will never encounter.

This behavior isn’t unique to the Olympus; it applies to virtually all computers.

 

...thanks Emile. The Roon variable is the confusing bit for me, as it triggers me to wonder: did I press it long enough? Deep enough? Should I press again. So, it's helpful that it may be somewhat different from time to time...and patience is required. Admittedly, not my long-suit. Cheers.

 

...thanks Emile. The Roon variable is the confusing bit for me, as it triggers me to wonder: did I press it long enough? Deep enough? Should I press again. So, it's helpful that it may be somewhat different from time to time...and patience is required. Admittedly, not my long-suit. Cheers.

If you press it your Roon remote should lose connection pretty quick, the system is then shutting down, the time this takes varies on how long it takes for the system to shutdown applications running, which is just the various Roon components.

The duration of the press should be less than 5 seconds, as 5 seconds or longer will bypass the OS and force a power off.

 

...OK, that 5-second value is very good info, Emile. Sorry if that is already in the manual and I am just not recalling it. But in any case, quantifying it is terrific. Thanks.

 

...OK, that 5-second value is very good info, Emile. Sorry if that is already in the manual and I am just not recalling it. But in any case, quantifying it is terrific. Thanks.

as Emile would say RTFM

 

...yeah, I do, but there are areas that could use a little "bolstering" let's just call it.

 

...yeah, I do, but there are areas that could use a little "bolstering" let's just call it.

Im yanking your chain as I am likely the biggest offender . In fact when Emile called me on on it somewhere in this thread I had to look up the meaning of RTFM

 

Im yanking your chain as I am likely the biggest offender . In fact when Emile called me on on it somewhere in this thread I had to look up the meaning of RTFM

That made my day!

 

Apparently the reviewer liked what he heard

Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server And I/O Review – M & S | Ultimate High-Fidelity

www.monoandstereo.com

 

...thanks for posting ^^^^

 

Here's an attempt at making the Olympus I/O configuration as clear as possible using photos:

On the left side we have a Switch, then a BPS which powers the Olympus "I" module, this is then connected to our new PCIe interface card by means of a QFSP cable, this card is then plugged into the Extreme replacing the internal network card.

On the right side we have an Olympus "O" module containing the XDMI interface with an analogue output module fitted, this connects to another PCIE interface card by means of another QFSP cable, this card is plugged into the Extreme replacing the USB card:

View attachment 121609

Olympus "I" module, you can see the QFSP DAC cable being substantially "beefier" then the SFP DAC cable:

View attachment 121611

View attachment 121614

And the Olympus "O" module with XDMI interface:

View attachment 121612

View attachment 121613

The Interface cards:

View attachment 121615

What QSFP DAC cable is used here? It’s a specific brand and model or a generic one?

 

What QSFP DAC cable is used here? It’s a specific brand and model or a generic one?

800Gbps QSFP-DD Passive Direct Attach Copper Cable.

 

Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server And I/O Review – M & S | Ultimate High-Fidelity

www.monoandstereo.com

 

Two Olympus have arrived at Volent Audio, the official HK dealer of Taiko just now.

The powder-coating black may be the best Matt black colour finishing I have ever seen on audio components.

 

I know whose Olympus that is!

 

I know whose Olympus that is!

Three anodized silver Olympus will arrive at Volent Audio within the next 2 weeks too.
Is one of them yours？

 

The black powdered Olympus should be mine - Volent will deliver it to my home on Monday!
I must say Ben at Volent has the best customer service. He helped me reconfigure my rig and helped me with some (actual) heavy lifting. Really looking forward to getting back into audio with the Olympus (my system has been turned off for months now...)

 

The black powdered Olympus should be mine - Volent will deliver it to my home on Monday!
I must say Ben at Volent has the best customer service. He helped me reconfigure my rig and helped me with some (actual) heavy lifting. Really looking forward to getting back into audio with the Olympus (my system has been turned off for months now...)

Completely agree with you.
We are lucky to have Ben Lau/Volent Audio as the official dealer of Taiko in Hong Kong.
He is fabulous!

 

Apparently the reviewer liked what he heard

Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server And I/O Review – M & S | Ultimate High-Fidelity

www.monoandstereo.com

The Olympus review from Mono&Stereo seems overly impressed with the technical specs but doesn't really tell us how the music actually feels. I want to know how the Olympus compares emotionally, and organically to other music servers - does it actually make your favorite songs sound better or more moving?