Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[MarkusBarkus]

...this feels so de-ja-four-years-ago with Loony Roon changes, which stimulated more TAS dev...to get control of the audio ecosystem. A lot has changed, but there is still a little ripple in the force. We need that NSM sauce! Help me Emile-wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.

 

[dminches]

No, but there is a lingering effect over a period of time after Roon has run.

Does rebooting eliminate the lingering effect ( while potentially creating a new one)?

 

[Taiko Audio]

Does rebooting eliminate the lingering effect ( while potentially creating a new one)?

Yes, if you don’t have roon on automatic startup at boot

 

[steve williams]

No, but there is a lingering effect over a period of time after Roon has run.

I love that lingering effect

 

[oldmustang]

Question for Emile, Christiaan and/or Ed:

Question: Do think it is possible when Roon instituted intensive data reporting and logging in their v1353 build they also instituted it across their entire ecosystem? That is, increased the reporting and data logging for previous Roon builds as well?

The reason I ask is because all my devices as well as my Extreme are still on the previous Roon build 1311 YET I heard a marked decrease in Roon sound quality several days ago with no other changes in my system. I did not post anything then because the Roon build 1353 installation package problem was being reported here and I didn't want to confuse the issue.

For me, Roon SQ got much worse that it had been with the new Taiko router.

After getting the Taiko router I thought Roon SQ had improved quite a bit and was neck and neck with XDMS, being somewhat different in the nuances and presentation by by no means bad. In fact I thought the new Taiko router made Roon sound the best I've ever heard.


Now however, it sounds flat, grey and grainy with a harsh top end and much worse than XDMS again. And this is still with Roon build 1311.

Thanks in advance,

Steve Z

 

[John T]

Question for Emile, Christiaan and/or Ed:

Question: Do think it is possible when Roon instituted intensive data reporting and logging in their v1153 build they also instituted it across their entire ecosystem? That is, increased the reporting and data logging for previous Roon builds as well?

The reason I ask is because all my devices as well as my Extreme are still on the previous Roon build 1131 YET I heard a marked decrease in Roon sound quality several days ago with no other changes in my system. I did not post anything then because the Roon build 1153 installation package problem was being reported here and I didn't want to confuse the issue.

For me, Roon SQ got much worse that it had been with the new Taiko router.

After getting the Taiko router I thought Roon SQ had improved quite a bit and was neck and neck with XDMS, being somewhat different in the nuances and presentation by by no means bad. In fact I thought the new Taiko router made Roon sound the best I've ever heard.


Now however, it sounds flat, grey and grainy with a harsh top end and much worse than XDMS again. And this is still with Roon build 1131.

Thanks in advance,

Steve Z

Steve you meant 1353, not 1153. But you've come up with an interesting observation. As you know I installed the new Torus WM unit last Monday. Right out of the gate it sounded great, I was only using Roon. First 2-3 days everything sounded great. Then I noticed a diminished SQ. So I'm attributing this to break in on the Torus. I was scratching my head as to why it started off sounding so well and then not. Again I figured its something with break in. Then when I did the update Saturday Roon sounded terrible. Which wasn't just the new build but other factors too. I switched to XDMS and the system was back to sounding great again. Around Wednesday, Thursday, last week (before the update) is when I noticed Roon wasn't sounding the same as in previous weeks. Just kind of strange we both noticed this...

 

[ctydwn]

FWIW for perhaps occasional or regular browsers/potential buyers on this thread….

Been running the switch/router/power distributor for the past 2.5 weeks using XDMS - local and streaming. (haven’t had any desire to try roon in 2-3 years)

Zero dropouts (have reconnected a few dozen times while rolling tubes without any issue). absolutely rock solid. no hiccups, no headaches.

and sound quality is such that i cannot peel myself away from my listening couch. sublime. even upgraded my last power cords to the heisenbergs from Odin 1 to Odin 2 and by far the larger upgrade was adding the router and power distributor into the system. incredible. all the info here is no doubt useful for many, but know it also can be quite simple and euphoric w only using taiko’s secret sauce, and ever-improving, xdms. i have no taiko or other affiliations

 

[onlychild]

I also love Roon. It’s probably the greatest music discovery application there is. Its interface is 2nd to none, but for local file playback, XDMS allows me to run the Taiko router with no live internet connection, and every single time, XDMS beats Roon for my scenario. Not even close.

XDMS also sounds better to me when I do have a live internet connection to the router vs Roon, though the gap isn’t as big.

 

[oldmustang]

Steve you meant 1353, not 1153. But you've come up with an interesting observation. As you know I installed the new Torus WM unit last Monday. Right out of the gate it sounded great, I was only using Roon. First 2-3 days everything sounded great. Then I noticed a diminished SQ. So I'm attributing this to break in on the Torus. I was scratching my head as to why it started off sounding so well and then not. Again I figured its something with break in. Then when I did the update Saturday Roon sounded terrible. Which wasn't just the new build but other factors too. I switched to XDMS and the system was back to sounding great again. Around Wednesday, Thursday, last week (before the update) is when I noticed Roon wasn't sounding the same as in previous weeks. Just kind of strange we both noticed this...

Hi John,

Thanks for the input. I appreciate you taking the time. However, in my post relating to my specific observation, I do actually mean Roon build 1311 (the build before all the hell broke loose with Roon's change to the way they furnish update packages).

In my case I did not update Roon from build 1311 to build 1353. I have automatically install updates for Roon turned off.

Yet, I did notice a significant decrease in Roon SQ relative to XDMS several days ago.

Where before with the Taiko router and DCD I thought Roon had improved greatly and rivaled XDMS, now without changing anything I think Roon SQ has markedly decreased.

Steve Z

 

[Taiko Audio]

@oldmustang , interesting observation, for sure there are changes to the backend. I just read this on the Roon forums, apparently you need a dual reboot (?) for what appears to be a speed fix issue:

 

[dminches]

Is any of this necessary if one has not upgraded to the new version? I know @oldmustang experienced a decrease in sound quality without upgrading but I did not. Weirdness.

 

[John T]

Is any of this necessary if one has not upgraded to the new version? I know @oldmustang experienced a decrease in sound quality without upgrading but I did not. Weirdness.

That is what I was attempting to get at. 1311 was sounding very good, but as I was trying to explain I noticed a diminished SQ before the 1353...Yes weirdness...

 

[oldmustang]

Quick question for Christiaan -- the procedure you outlined is for Roon build 1353, correct?

So this is the procedure to follow for upgrading Roon builds now (until Roon changes their packages again)?

Given that Emile said Roon build 1353 has the potential to sound much better than previous versions once they are done with their data logging and reporting, there will be significant advantage to updating Roon going forward.

Steve Z

 

[dminches]

Quick question for Christiaan -- the procedure you outlined is for Roon build 1153, correct?

So this is the procedure to follow for upgrading Roon builds now (until Roon changes their packages again)?

Given that Emile said Roon build 1153 has the potential to sound much better than previous versions once they are done with their data logging and reporting, there will be significant advantage to updating Roon going forward.

Steve Z

Steve, where are you getting your build numbers? I am running 1311 (and have been for a while). The new build is 1353.

 

[oldmustang]

Steve, where are you getting your build numbers? I am running 1311 (and have been for a while). The new build is 1353.

Argh! I pulled them out of my a. . . er, head David. Thanks for the correction.

I meant 1311 and the new Roon build is of course 1353.

Do I get partial credit for at least using the right digits even if they're in the wrong order?

I'll go back to hiding under my rock now.

(Edited my previous posts to correct the Roon build numbers I screwed up)

Steve Z

 

[Taiko Audio]

If anybody else noticed a degradation prior to actually upgrading to 1353 please report in.

Unfortunately I have missed this myself due to a constantly changing environment here working on our next releases. To add to the misery this invalidates some of last week’s work meaning I may need to rerun some experiments

Meanwhile we’re digging deeper into what’s changed in 1353, I’ve already alerted the homefront we may need to cancel our weekend trip

Rest assured we’re doing everything in our power for an as fast as possible solution.

What narrows the search window is the degradation appears to apply to the Grimm MU-1, Roon Nucleus and Innuos servers which means it’s not just happening on windows based servers.

 

[Kingsrule]

Absolutely no sonic degradation prior to installing 1353 here.

 

[dminches]

Same here. No degradation.

 

[steve williams]

I had no degradation either when I listened yesterday

 

[kswanson27]

I had no degradation either when I listened yesterday

FWIW I noticed no degradation before or after installing 1353 with my Nucleus clone.