Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[Taiko Audio]

thank you; does this mean i would have 2 Roon cores? one on the Extreme, and one on Crazy Horse? or just one on Crazy Horse?

do you happen to know whether i have to buy Roon again?

Yes then you’d have 2 cores with the convenience the Crazy Horse core would always be running, even if you switched to TAS on your Extreme. If you have 1 license, Roon will prompt you to deauthorize the other core when you connect, no big deal, I do it all the time having more Roon cores then licenses in the building as you can imagine.

Who knows once active Pam may like to use Roon more, though in our home, the Tidal app rules supreme, we use Track / Artist Radio all the time.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

many thanks Emile. looks like technology is way ahead of my needs in this case. and i have the tools already on hand. neat when things work that way.

 

[Johnny Moondog]

I use a nas to store the music as a second copy but the whole point of an extreme is to cut down and out the nas which has seperate noise issues introduced into the system. All i do is get an asus m2 pci card like Emile advised and get m.2 cards. the 8tb m2 cards are not affordable affordable but you cant beat them for storage density. 32tb in 1 pci card essentially.

Thanks for the feedback. I went ahead and purchased a Lacie d2 Pro 16TB USB drive, and am transferring the 9TB music library off of the NAS. I'll step forward with that solution and bookmark the ASUS m2 PCI card for the future.

I was inspired by Emile's description of using Qobuz favorites to free up the Extreme's internal storage. So I will adopt that idea as I curate music from the external library and add it to the existing Extreme library. ( Emile's Post )

-Gerry

 

[Taiko Audio]

@cmarin , as @EuroDriver already hinted at, indeed it’s daily discoveries here right now, we have considerable further improvements coming up, just waiting for implementation. Happy you like the USB driver and it’s doing it’s thing for Totaldac aswell.

@Steve Williams , @Blue58 , @2ndLiner thank you for that assessment, that is indeed exactly where we are at. We’ll do the most important bugfixes, but in the end the server section / interface will simply need a full, from the ground up redesign. However, first priority is sound quality and more specifically, eliminating external influence variations, like the need for “audiophile” quality networking or the inferiority of remote streams over local files.

@Bogan88 Not beyond what we’ve shared in this thread already.

 

[dminches]

question about the Roon core resident on the Extreme server. right now not using it and thrilled with my Beta TAS performance......in my 2 channel room in my barn.

i've recently done some serious Home Theater upgrades. gone from 7.1.4 speaker set-up to 9.3.6 speaker set-up, and added a new Processor, the Trinnov Altitude 16. which works as a Roon end point. i'm told with already having a Roon core (with a lifetime license) on my home LAN i can basically plug and play multi-channel streaming and all my music from my NAS or in the Extreme to my Home Theater room. i am curious how my improved multi-channel Home Theater room in my main house might do multi-channel music from Roon.

anyone doing this with an Extreme?

the issue is if i have Roon active on my Extreme so i can use it, will that compromise my TAS listening? i won't be doing both at the same time and unlikely my wife would use it as she uses her Sonos with my NAS and Tidal in the house. do i need to switch Roon on and off somehow so it does not restrict TAS 2-channel performance? i guess i can somehow toggle Roon (on and off) on my network if i'm in the Home Theater room?

should i buy a second Roon core? should i transfer it somehow? can i do that?

as a hard core analog signal path guy, i am curious about how dsp can make my life better .......or not.

Mike,

I would run Roon core on a different box since having it run simultaneous with TAS on the Extreme will certainly compromise the audio quality of TAS. Also, for practical reasons, getting a Roon core box isn't expensive unless you are talking about the most critical listening which doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[cmarin]

@cmarin , as @EuroDriver already hinted at, indeed it’s daily discoveries here right now, we have considerable further improvements coming up, just waiting for implementation. Happy you like the USB driver and it’s doing it’s thing for Totaldac aswell.

@Steve Williams , @Blue58 , @2ndLiner thank you for that assessment, that is indeed exactly where we are at. We’ll do the most important bugfixes, but in the end the server section / interface will simply need a full, from the ground up redesign. However, first priority is sound quality and more specifically, eliminating external influence variations, like the need for “audiophile” quality networking or the inferiority of remote streams over local files.

@Bogan88 Not beyond what we’ve shared in this thread already.

Hi Emile,

“However, first priority is sound quality and more specifically, eliminating external influence variations, like the need for “audiophile” quality networking or the inferiority of remote streams over local files.”

SQ is most assuredly my first priority and as evidenced by other responses, the first priority of many here. And personally am so very pleased it is the Taiko Team’s as well.

The proof is in the audio pudding. Just amazing performance even at the beta and test versions. And especially commendable how quickly the advances keep coming and the incomparable customer service that comes with them.

Worrying about cup holders in a high performance race car? Or a tv in the honeymoon suite? They’d be nice...but

Onward through the audiophile noise fog! Let’s move slow and steady ahead because we’re in a hurry!

 

[wil]

While it's true the TAS interface is primitive compared to Roon, I'm finding value in limited choices and simplicity. Instead of surfing constantly to new musical frontier's through Roon Radio, I've decided to take a sabbatical for the next year or so and go back and methodically revisit the 379 albums I've so far collected in my Qobuz library. After that foundation, I'll then forge ahead to new explorations! I don't need anything else other than continually pushing ahead to better and better sound quality.

 

[jbrrp1]

Like so many others, I have to give kudos to the TAS team! Ed and Wilson jumped on my Extreme this morning and sorted out a snafu that was keeping Qobuz from operating in TAS, and now I seem to be enjoying a never-ending stream of music. And I am very pleased with how beautifully streaming plays, even through my far-from-optimized network system.

It seems the Amanero USB in my Lampi Pacific was creating the problem, but Wilson had a work around to address this. Try to get this kind of help from virtually any other server provider. So, now the compelling case to get that JL Sounds USB upgrade in my DAC builds even further - - functionality, plus it sounds like another non-trivial leap in SQ await!

 

[jbrrp1]

On the function side, I still really would like to see a Pause, Rew, FF capability. I typically listen all the way through albums, but damned if my family doesn't sometimes come knocking on the sound room door for an interaction, now and then. I hate that I either have to Mute the sound and simply miss whatever length of a piece, or I have to Stop and then start an entire movement all over again. In such situations, my ideal is to be able to Rew a little and re-thread into the piece where I was.

And I really, really, really would like a function that allows me to select for my Queue to pause after the completion of a track. It's great to listen totally relaxed, knowing that you don't have to man the Stop button if you should wish to talk with your listening companion between tracks (a frequent habit that we share in this household). [Of course, the "load" time in TAS does give me more pause than Roon did so I can react...]

 

[cat6man]

On the function side, I still really would like to see a Pause, Rew, FF capability. I typically listen all the way through albums, but damned if my family doesn't sometimes come knocking on the sound room door for an interaction, now and then. I hate that I either have to Mute the sound and simply miss whatever length of a piece, or I have to Stop and then start an entire movement all over again. In such situations, my ideal is to be able to Rew a little and re-thread into the piece where I was.

And I really, really, really would like a function that allows me to select for my Queue to pause after the completion of a track. It's great to listen totally relaxed, knowing that you don't have to man the Stop button if you should wish to talk with your listening companion between tracks (a frequent habit that we share in this household). [Of course, the "load" time in TAS does give me more pause than Roon did so I can react...]

Gapless -- absolutely essential (i'm finding that gapless has longer gaps than single track) with more batch tracks permitted
Pause - high priority
FF/RW - another option for that, that would be my preference, is to allow clicking on the timeline and moving to any spot in the track - nice to have but neither is a top of the list priority

and just wondering, are there any features (other than SQ) that will benefit from, or depend on, the new USB card?

 

[dminches]

Gapless -- absolutely essential (i'm finding that gapless has longer gaps than single track) with more batch tracks permitted
Pause - high priority
FF/RW - another option for that, that would be my preference, is to allow clicking on the timeline and moving to any spot in the track - nice to have but neither is a top of the list priority

and just wondering, are there any features (other than SQ) that will benefit from, or depend on, the new USB card?

This is pretty much my list. Given that half of my digital library is live concerts with songs which segway from one to another, gapless is on the only way to enjoy that music.

 

[oldmustang]

Hi Steve,

Tidal is fully functioning in TAS for me. As a long time user of Tidal, I had issues with Qobuz probably having more to do with my unfamiliarity with Qobuz. So I followed the instructions in the TAS manual for integrating Tidal and it worked like a charm the first time out of the gate.

I've now got Tidal working with TAS (after following the directions Bob so kindly gave me). Qobuz has been working well in TAS with no issues for some weeks now.

Ed had asked me if I can detect any sound quality differences between Qobuz and Tidal, so I queued up a selection of Redbook standard music that I'm familiar with. I stuck with Redbook resolution to avoid confounding the trials with MQA remasterings and high resolution Qobuz tracks of unknown provenance. I took it as probable though not 100% certain that if the track lengths were exactly the same with Redbook that the masterings were probably the same too.

Long story a little shorter -- so close that I don't think I could reliably tell Tidal from Qobuz at Redbook resolution. With higher resolutions my results were all over the place. A fair number of MQA masterings sound a little off to me, but there are enough exceptions to this that I can't condemn MQA outright on sound quality grounds.

I do note that in this version of TAS beta it is difficult to determine what resolution "high-resolution" Qobuz or Tidal tracks are actually streaming at.

Steve Z

 

[oldmustang]

Is anyone using a NAS with their Extreme, for playback or backup? I have a Synology DS1815+ which no longer mounts successfully on the Extreme. Since that model is from 2015, I am considering the Synology DS1621+ which is their latest design. But would be curious to know of other NAS models that work.

I'm using several NAS in back up only mode. The rest of the time they sit deenergized and unplugged. I can report equivalent good results with an older Thecus N5000, N5550 and a Western Digital EX4100. Any NAS or drive on your network should work just fine. Synology builds fine NAS.

Steve Z

 

[oldmustang]

Gapless -- absolutely essential (i'm finding that gapless has longer gaps than single track) with more batch tracks permitted
Pause - high priority
FF/RW - another option for that, that would be my preference, is to allow clicking on the timeline and moving to any spot in the track - nice to have but neither is a top of the list priority

and just wondering, are there any features (other than SQ) that will benefit from, or depend on, the new USB card?

Definitely true gapless -- I'm finding more and more of my music that is truly gapless as recorded with the embedded track markers provided as a convenience. Even the very short break between tracks of "gapless" as it is implemented in TAS is jarring. I'm sure the Taiko team will get to it; until then I'll just content myself with side 2 of Abbey Road being kinda jumpy. . .

Steve Z

 

[Blue58]

Emile popped the new TAS USB driver for the Aqua Formula onto the Extreme this morning and of course it’s another step up in sound quality with an extra little verve to proceedings. And just to prove it’s got that swing, here’s Louis & The Duke.

 

[Sablon Audio]

Ah Blue beat me to posting here, as Ed did the first xHD driver install on my server earlier this morning. The initial impression is of a more energetic presentation with sharper leading edges. The strings plucked on Shape of my Heart has a real bite to them. Looking forward to the new usb driver card guys

 

[Sablon Audio]

Hi Marty

I felt the same way initially but then the siren sound of tas drew me in more and more where i am just using tas now most of the time. It's like transitioning from a merc to a porsche , the former has all the tech toys and glamour but the latter true to its roots rather than a technological marvel that gets replaced again and again. Having driven a porsche, i certainly wont go back into a merc.

Perhaps it is just me .... but i have never truly found a turntable that has beat my digital setup yet. Thats not to say never of course And i am sure i havent heard the top end tt setup out there as yet but until then - digital is it for me

Ian, I too have used a car analogy about TAS. In my view, it's rather like a race/track ECU setting for when you want everything to be focused. Roon otoh is the equivalent of a comfort mode for daily driving, in this case casual listening and discovery. The ability in TAS to be able to switch so seamlessly between the two is a valuable feature and I would much sooner development was focused on sound quality. Roon has had millions spent on R&D and can't easily be replicated, so better to play to one's strengths.

 

[jbrrp1]

So, is there some means of compiling and saving a Playlist of files in My Music (not Qobuz) in the TAS Beta? I see a Save Queue function, but I don't see where I would locate that saved list for later play. I feel I must be missing something, and the Manual doesn't seem to help in this regard, only lists stuff for Qobuz (which is no longer working on my Extreme/Pacific combo again....sigh).

 

[oldmustang]

Build a queue from Tidal, Qobuz (when working for you) and your library in or accessed by the Extreme by clicking on "Append To Queue" from the three vertical dots next to a track (or album). When you have the queue built in TAS, click on the floppy disk icon at the top of the TAS window to save the queue as a playlist. Name the list and click on "Save".

To find the playlist go to the home window (in TAS' "Queue" view), click on "My Music". The last item on the list is "Playlists". Your new playlist will be there (along with any existing playlists from Qobuz and Tidal).

Hope this helps,

Steve Z

 

[howiebrou]

So, is there some means of compiling and saving a Playlist of files in My Music (not Qobuz) in the TAS Beta? I see a Save Queue function, but I don't see where I would locate that saved list for later play. I feel I must be missing something, and the Manual doesn't seem to help in this regard, only lists stuff for Qobuz (which is no longer working on my Extreme/Pacific combo again....sigh).

May be create the playlist in Roon and play in TAS for now?

Edit: see previous post from someone who knows what he is talking about...