Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Crème de la Crème
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
Think StromTank providing power on and off the grid - it uses a dual inverter going from AC to DC then conversion from DC back to AC using ONE power cable at the Tanks 15 amp input and audio grade cables make little to no difference to the component where I have zero concern about not using them leading to a way of offsetting the cost while addressing power.
Believe it or not, footers do make a difference, it was demonstrated before a group all in agreement of their benefit.
Footers always make a difference when there is AC involved. It may not always be for the better, but they do
I have to say I am very impressed by the ambition taken by the Taiko team. Given the increasing complications on the power grid, a BMS is going to be the one project that all will jump on in 5 year times, it’s an absolute certainty, and not just in audio. It takes vision and guts to push forward early such large projects where R&D goes into the hundreds of thousands. It seems to me that eventually the only need you’ll need is an Extreme and speakers, all problems such as power conditioners, power cables, power supplies, gone. A new era !
And here I was thinking Emile was catering to the yacht and luxury caravan set. Silly me.I have to say I am very impressed by the ambition taken by the Taiko team. Given the increasing complications on the power grid, a BMS is going to be the one project that all will jump on in 5 year times, it’s an absolute certainty, and not just in audio. It takes vision and guts to push forward early such large projects where R&D goes into the hundreds of thousands. It seems to me that eventually the only need you’ll need is an Extreme and speakers, all problems such as power conditioners, power cables, power supplies, gone. A new era !
Steve Z
I'm also of the impression that the BPS is the "next big thing". Emile, could you give some more insights on topology? It will be one battery dedicated to all outputs, correct? I suppose battery voltage is always the same and one of the DC-DC converters employed on the new DC-ATX is used to convert to target voltage per rail? What DC master voltage are you planning for? And will DC-DC converters be available for any (common) voltage? Considering power reserve, did you already do any tests w/ power amps? Any idea on size of the final device, of course rough and preliminary?
Cheers,
Markus
Cheers,
Markus
I have to say I am very impressed by the ambition taken by the Taiko team. Given the increasing complications on the power grid, a BMS is going to be the one project that all will jump on in 5 year times, it’s an absolute certainty, and not just in audio. It takes vision and guts to push forward early such large projects where R&D goes into the hundreds of thousands. It seems to me that eventually the only need you’ll need is an Extreme and speakers, all problems such as power conditioners, power cables, power supplies, gone. A new era !
I do indeed consider this to be inevitable. Our environment is getting more hostile to good sound year by year. We actually have a near “ideal” situation here with a transformer utility box spaced 7 meters / 20 feet away dedicated to our building. I’ve dedicated 1 125A phase from it for audio, wiring is AWG O to the systems, there’s just a single blade fuse, and then I use a PS Audio P20 as it allows me to set a steady voltage, I prefer 232V, but it fluctuates between 228 and 236 and all the gear I have here sounds very different at different voltages, even a 1V difference is quite audible. Now I actually have some issues with the P20‘s sound signature, but it’s easy to accept that for a more stable performance which is absolutely mandatory for me. Try to perform dozens of listening tests on variable AC power… I have been using a battery powered Extreme as a reference for a very long time already and I dare to say both the PS Audio P20 and the battery powered Extreme have been mandatory components in our development for the last software update, the network card and switch and even the USB card.
As for the development, it‘s become a huge project, with some real innovation, it can reach a 99+% efficiency, and the life expectancy of the whole solution exceeds 30 years, all parts included. We have now even received government innovation grands for investigating implementation of our inventions in Data Centers and Homes as it is both significantly more efficient and more durable then other solutions, but I cannot share more details on that yet.
From my personal perspective, it‘s indeed a matter of when in stead of if before all our home appliances are running on battery power.
Am I correct that this will not be a particularly large and heavy unit? Is this an essentially different tech from say the StromTank (which is indeed large and heavy)?Up to 12kVA according to Emile, that should be enough to power the Extreme plus a power amp
Matt
Indeed different tech, incomparable in efficiency. We could fit it into the existing Extreme if we had to but it would only be able to power it for 6 hours or so, you may think that’s enough but it will annoy you very fast when you run into the limitations surrounding that, so the best solution is an external box which can power it for around a day with an automated 2-3 hour recharge during your sleep. We can scale that too btw, you can recharge it to work for 24 hours in 10 minutes even, but then it would need noisy cooling fans. It currently recharges fanless.
A 24 hour supply for the Extreme in an external box, with PCBs, charger, etc, has about a 16*16“ footprint.
Are passive Power Conditioners which filter high frequency grid noise rendered obsolete by this tech?
And does the battery conversion create it's own noise which could benefit from filtration?
Those passive Power Conditioners will indeed be obsolete, even if you were to use them they would increase noise as their self generated noise most like exceeds the BPS noise which tops out at about 200nV (yes that is nanoVolt).
Even though an SGM Extreme isn't in my future, I enjoy reading this thread. When Taiko Audio raises the bar, other manufacturers will have to compete within their own frameworks. That potentially benefits a much larger audience and is appreciated. Thank you.
Selfishly, I hope the battery powered technology becomes available for those without Taiko Audio equipment. Likewise, I can also dream that their new control software gets licensed. While I'm very happy with Roon + Qobuz as a music discovery engine, improved sound quality is always welcome.
Selfishly, I hope the battery powered technology becomes available for those without Taiko Audio equipment. Likewise, I can also dream that their new control software gets licensed. While I'm very happy with Roon + Qobuz as a music discovery engine, improved sound quality is always welcome.
I'm not clear on the relationship of the BPS and the component's power supply?
Am I right that the BPS will replace the Extreme's PSU? And that the PSU will actually be disconnected and removed from the Extreme chassis?
What about a DAC or Amps dedicated power supply?
Am I right that the BPS will replace the Extreme's PSU? And that the PSU will actually be disconnected and removed from the Extreme chassis?
What about a DAC or Amps dedicated power supply?
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