Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème

[Taiko Audio]

Question for the early arrival commenters: are you hearing these SQ improvements on both streaming and local file playback?

Yes.

 

[John T]

I have only used streaming Qobuz/Tidal. Have not tried files yet.

Bob, are you using a plane Jane Cat 6a UTP from router to switch or shielded?

 

[oldmustang]

One area of the sonics that I did not notice until playing for several more hours with only the Switch/card is the MIDRANGE.

Voices especially have an uncanny realism to them. It makes previous listening to voices appear that there was a restriction or an outline of a voice. In real performance there is no restriction to voice when signing. It seems that previously when hearing the restriction around the edges of the voices it made things seemed maybe focused.

NOW, hearing voices is a surreal experience with zero restriction and an openness that I've personally never experience prior. Beguiling!!!

I always suspected you were hearing voices, Bob. Now we know for sure.

Seriously, I noted the same phenomenon -- voices sound so much more realistic and present it is uncanny. That was the first thing my wife mentioned when she sat down to listen for a while. She also said the stereo sounded better than it ever has and what did I change? All that without prompting, coming from someone whose feelings about stereo equipment (and me) can be summed up as mild bemusement.

Steve Z

 

[John T]

I always suspected you were hearing voices, Bob. Now we know for sure.

Seriously, I noted the same phenomenon -- voices sound so much more realistic and present it is uncanny. That was the first thing my wife mentioned when she sat down to listen for a while. She also said the stereo sounded better than it ever has and what did I change? All that without prompting, coming from someone whose feelings about stereo equipment (and me) can be summed up as mild bemusement.

Steve Z

Steve which Ethernet cable are you using from router to switch? UTP or shielded?

 

[Rhapsody]

Bob, are you using a plane Jane Cat 6a UTP from router to switch or shielded?

I'm using a JCAT Sig Gold cable from the wall to the Switch. I have 15 year old cable coming from the router through the walls to the RJ45 wall receptacle.

 

[Rhapsody]

I always suspected you were hearing voices, Bob. Now we know for sure.

Seriously, I noted the same phenomenon -- voices sound so much more realistic and present it is uncanny. That was the first thing my wife mentioned when she sat down to listen for a while. She also said the stereo sounded better than it ever has and what did I change? All that without prompting, coming from someone whose feelings about stereo equipment (and me) can be summed up as mild bemusement.

Steve Z

Steve, It's beyond hearing the voices, I'm seeing the people from where the voice emanate

 

[John T]

I'm using a JCAT Sig Gold cable from the wall to the Switch. I have 15 year old cable coming from the router through the walls to the RJ45 wall receptacle.

I thought about modifying my JCAT SIG Gold to utilize. Id have re- terminate one end to RJ-45, thanks...

 

[oldmustang]

Question for the early arrival commenters: are you hearing these SQ improvements on both streaming and local file playback?

Too early to tell. The vast majority of what I've played so far has been streaming. And streaming, even 16/44.1 tracks are sounding better than high-res local tracks did pre-Taiko switch/NIC.

Steve Z

 

[theaudiogeek]

Question for the early arrival commenters: are you hearing these SQ improvements on both streaming and local file playback?

I strictly use local file playback and I hear big difference in SQ.

 

[Zeotrope]

2.5

I recently learned that there are two lengths for DC barrel connectors. “Long” is 11mm and “Short” is 9mm. I just tried my Short 2.5mm and it seems to fit well enough; but I didn’t power it on yet.

 

[oldmustang]

Steve which Ethernet cable are you using from router to switch? UTP or shielded?

Plain UTP CAT6. A good, certified grade of commercial cable from https://www.cablewholesale.com/. Nothing fancy or audiophile. Molded plastic ends.

Steve

 

[oldmustang]

Steve, It's beyond hearing the voices, I'm seeing the people from where the voice emanate

I know, I know -- it's like having flashbacks to my mis-spent youth.

In a good way, of course!

Steve Z

 

[cat6man]

Looks like they found the one that fell off the truck

 

[dminches]

Listening to “Tanya” from Dexter Gordon’s “One Flight Up.” Such depth to the music and to hear the bass strings vibrate is amazing.

Really enjoying the sound that the new switch and card are producing.

 

[theaudiogeek]

Listening to “Tanya” from Dexter Gordon’s “One Flight Up.” Such depth to the music and to hear the bass strings vibrate is amazing.

Really enjoying the sound that the new switch and card are producing.

Thank you for introducing that album. Its an instant love with that album. Would you recommend the original or the remastered version?

 

[dminches]

I have so many copies including an original RVG but I really can’t say one is better than other. On vinyl I would recommend the Tone Poet release. For digital I would go with the 24/192 download.

 

[Nils]

So - Taiko Switch and Network card installed - kind of...

Network card has some form of mechanical issue, either the copper-plate or the width (?) of the card which is leading to poor connectivity with PCIe bus causing intermittent disconnects. Have been working extensively with adjusting the copper-plate so that it does not affect the position of the card's seating into the mother-board but have failed addressing it fully.

Symptom is that Extreme loose it's connection to the network and becomes inaccessible from VNC as well as from control-app.

I cleansed the cards connection-part (the part that goes into the motherboard) with paper and that improved things - suspect that there may have been some kind of foreign material there.

How tight the copper-plate's screw is fastened had an impact on the SQ - have also tried removing the fastening screw completely -> the network card's interaction with rest of Extreme via the PCIe bus is the issue as far as I understand.

Now the positive side - the few times I could get the Network card to interact with Extreme the SQ is mind-blowingly good! The improvement is there both for streaming via Qobuz and local files so the offloading of some process from Extreme to the Switch does positively impact local file playback.

Now awaiting an updated HW/part - meanwhile being forced back to using old switch and old network card...

 

[Taiko Audio]

Send us your direct address at support@taikoaudio.com and we’ll ship you a replacement bracket. It appears a few are misaligned. Meanwhile you could remove the bracket entirely and use it that way till the replacement arrives.

 

[Nils]

Send us your direct address at support@taikoaudio.com and we’ll ship you a replacement bracket. It appears a few are misaligned. Meanwhile you could remove the bracket entirely and use it that way till the replacement arrives.

I'll try removing the bracket altogether as short-term solution, I have submitted my address via email for new bracket.

 

[dminches]

I'll try removing the bracket altogether as short-term solution, I have submitted my address via email for new bracket.

This is what I did and the combo has been playing flawlessly for hours and hours. I just made sure that the DAC cable was somehow anchored so the card wouldn’t move.