Good advice, but in Audiophilia sometimes you don't know there's a problem until it's gone. But I'm not getting out my wire cutters just yet!
Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
It is very easy. All you have to do is put a small piece of tape over the power connectors in the USB plug. It took me 2 minutes when I did. I ended up with a USB cable which passed power but my Lampizator doesn’t need it so I cut it off.
Did it make a difference? I really don’t know since the cable wasn’t broken in at the time I did it. I just felt there was no need to pass power if it wasn’t needed.
Just be aware that some DACs, or should I say USB chip sets, are looking for that power present during hand-shaking and won't successfully connect without it.
Steve Z
Steve Z
Is this related specifically only to the Network card (and not the switch and router)?
It was already answered here .
Just put very narrow tape on the pins inside plug A to cover them .
But if your DAC needs power from USB bus it will not work.
Only self powered DACs will work.
It is worth to try as in my case it is totally different, much better experience.
From worst to best
A1, A2, B1, B2
JL sounds has much better ( newer ) chip then the one in reclocker and Taiko Team confirmed it here before.
Thanks for the namecheck @Kris.
By way of background, for several years I have been offering a simplified version of my usb cables without a power line / vbus after discovering that my T+A DSD Dac 8 didn’t need one for server recognition aka handshake. I did however find that a ground line was needed for operational stability without droppages, however in this configuration it would happily churn out DSD512 from my SGM 2015 server day in, day out.
Back then, the Amanero input card was widely used by T+A and Lampizator and this configuration of cable had quite a wide audience. More recently though, the market (and these two brands) has moved over to xmos based usb input cards and, whilst the JL Sounds card can operate without vbus, I did find that the implementation in my Baltic dac would drop signal fairly regularly when configured that way.
My default recommendation to people is to take the regular vbus format of cable and then experiment with isolating the vbus contact / pin 1 of the dac input with a small piece of tape like @Kris has done to see what works best for you. This approach will give you more flexibility for future system changes.
nb the vbus line is frequently needed for server handshake purposes rather than power supply as most dacs have their usb cards powered internally. Only a handful of brands are able to operate without vbus, typically Amanero and JL Sounds. Although Chord Dave uses Amanero input, it is configured to need a vbus for recognition.
By way of background, for several years I have been offering a simplified version of my usb cables without a power line / vbus after discovering that my T+A DSD Dac 8 didn’t need one for server recognition aka handshake. I did however find that a ground line was needed for operational stability without droppages, however in this configuration it would happily churn out DSD512 from my SGM 2015 server day in, day out.
Back then, the Amanero input card was widely used by T+A and Lampizator and this configuration of cable had quite a wide audience. More recently though, the market (and these two brands) has moved over to xmos based usb input cards and, whilst the JL Sounds card can operate without vbus, I did find that the implementation in my Baltic dac would drop signal fairly regularly when configured that way.
My default recommendation to people is to take the regular vbus format of cable and then experiment with isolating the vbus contact / pin 1 of the dac input with a small piece of tape like @Kris has done to see what works best for you. This approach will give you more flexibility for future system changes.
nb the vbus line is frequently needed for server handshake purposes rather than power supply as most dacs have their usb cards powered internally. Only a handful of brands are able to operate without vbus, typically Amanero and JL Sounds. Although Chord Dave uses Amanero input, it is configured to need a vbus for recognition.
Interesting. A few years ago, I was running a SOtM tX-USB Ultra into a Chord BluDave. The Ultra unit had switchable power for the USB output and I found a slight but noticeable improvement in SQ by switching the power off. USB power is necessary for the handshake as you say but, once connection had been made, I found switching it off to be beneficial.
Maybe you could produce a cable with a switch?
Yes, but the Chord products did, hence why the switch on the Ultra was handy. The Ultra could not connect to the Chord units without power being switched on but once connection was established, the devices could communicate happily with USB power switched off on the Ultra for days on end.
My suggestion of a switch on the cable was intended as humorous anyway but maybe missed the mark.
Last edited:
I have been reading this thread and keep thinking about the above. In my audiophile life I have rarely, if ever, read a bolder statement on a single component's sonic ability.
Would this statement be representative of the majority of Taiko Extreme owners here?
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I love my Extreme/Horizon combination. It is the best digital playback I have ever had in my system and it allows me to enjoy digital music like never before. However, I would not choose it over my reel to reel or turntable if I had to pick one format.
First, I still prefer the sound of analog music over digital. Second, and even more important, the masterings of analog music still beats that of digital music for the vast majority of titles that I listen to. Of course, Taiko Audio has no control over that but it is reality. More time and effort has been spent on mastering analog recordings than digital. I wish that wasn’t the case.
That's probably the case.
I mainly listen to classical music and I'm very sensitive to the way tracks are recorded and mastered.
All modern takes are recorded in DXD or DSD (for some) the mastering is always made in DXD before being downsampled for distribution.
Some labels, like 2L , The Spirit of Turtle or Channel Classics even offer the original master in DXD.
I may be wrong, but I believe that in such a context analogue doesn't make sense anymore.
A good source like the Taiko Extreme is the natural choice.
Last edited:
Thanks. That is very consistent with my preference for the USB=>aes/ebu (dx-usbHD) converter after the extreme, going into my totaldac reclocker.
Synergy is all!
And for anyone who doesn't have exactly the same setup as Kris or me, YMMV!
Last edited:
Actually, I think I misread the post if 15ips means reel to reel. As phenomenal as the Extreme is in conjunction with my Lampi Pacific, good (or better) reel to reel is a notch above the best in digital...
I can't speak for anyone else John -- in my experience the Taiko Extreme and a good DAC make the choice more about the provenance of the format being played than digital vs. analog.
Which is to say that I don't listen to a digital selection and automatically say to myself, "I wish I had an LP or a tape of this, it would be so much better". Really good digital sounds great and in fact there are now just as many examples in my so-called music library where digital is the preferred format over vinyl, as the reverse.
When I think now of the selection of truly top tier sound quality recordings I have access to there are just as many digital as analog, and surprisingly, almost as many CD rips or 16/44.1 downloads as there are higher resolution digital recordings. And streamed music is so close or equal to locally stored digital as to be a total non-issue. The care and attention taken to every phase of the recording chain, be it analog or digital really, really matters.
I would not have been able to say any of the above (except the bit about recording and mastering) prior to having the Taiko Extreme in my system.
But don't get me wrong, I'm not selling my turntable and my record collection. There are still too many examples of indifferently transferred digital music, just one example being progressive rock from the 60s and 70s where something like a pink Island or swirl Vertigo or green label Chrysalis still sounds much better in their original (analog) format. That genre and a lot of early rock just hasn't been well served by the labels in their rush to pump out product as cheaply as possible. To that end, I bought a good ADC to do my own transfers from vinyl to digital -- but that's a topic for another thread!
Steve Z
As an owner of Extreme I have to say that if I had to buy it again now I would do it for sure, I think it's a great Server. Having said that, I have to say that sometimes I read comments about Extreme, which I find frankly exaggerated.
Wanted to add to Francisco comment that current Extreme performance will change dramatically in the near future.
There is so much more to come that will work in synergy with Taiko Extreme. XdMS, switch, network card, router, softwrre twicks, BPS ....
So looking back it was a wise decision 3 years ago to buy it .
It is even much better decision buy it today.
There is so much more to come that will work in synergy with Taiko Extreme. XdMS, switch, network card, router, softwrre twicks, BPS ....
So looking back it was a wise decision 3 years ago to buy it .
It is even much better decision buy it today.
If my house caught on fire, once I made sure my wife, dog and cats were out safely, the next thing I'd be clutching in my arms would be my Taiko Extreme. That being said, I do think forums and audiophiles in general, tend to over-hype everything.
 | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator |  | Ron Resnick Site Co-Owner | Administrator |  | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |