Article: Reality Quest: Going to Extremes with the Taiko Audio SGM Extreme (Part 1 of 5)

[ray-dude]

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[The Computer Audiophile]

Thanks for all the hard work Ray. I can't wait to publish parts 2, 3, 4,  and 5.

[AudioDoctor]

I am looking forward to reading all of your review!

[ray-dude]

I figure I’ll owe anyone who makes it through all 5 parts a beer (or three

[isquirrel]

Excellent work, looking forward to the follow up parts. Thank you 

[Blackmorec]

Hi Ray, 

Great read! Looking forward to the next in the series. 

I even managed to decipher the logic of your network configuration thanks to the easy to read diagram. 

I’m not an Extreme user as I’m pursuing different avenues towards audio perfection but that doesn’t mean i don't find the whole story fascinating. I completely agree with the ‘elements’ you identified as ‘critical’ in obtaining good sound.

Finally i really appreciated the comprehensive list of albums, performances and tracks you provided, quite a lot of which i haven’t heard before. I’ll spend the next couple of days in my ‘Corona Exile’ updating my Qobuz favourites😉

[Blake]

Ray- wow, excellent work and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.  I love the attention to detail!

 

[austinpop]

Extremely intrigued to read the whole series. Congrats on the new 100 lb. “baby!”

[onlychild]

Awesome work Ray!!!  Can't wait to read the rest!

[Danny Kaey]

PhD level review. #wow 😳😵😮

[DuckToller]

2 hours ago, Blackmorec said:

Finally i really appreciated the comprehensive list of albums, performances and tracks you provided, quite a lot of which i haven’t heard before. I’ll spend the next couple of days in my ‘Corona Exile’ updating my Qobuz favourites😉

Hi all, hi @Blackmorec

 

if you're interested, you may want to use the collaborative playlist " Extreme playlist - Reality Quest" I have created this morning: https://play.qobuz.com/playlist/3240595  where I have put together anything I could find on Qobuz.
Sad fact, most of  MA,Chesky, Linn and some Blue Coast are missing.
Cheers, Tom

 

EDIT: great first part ... @ray-dude

[ray-dude]

Just now, DuckToller said:

Hi all, hi @Blackmorec

 

if you're interested, you may want to use the collaborative playlist " Extreme playlist - Reality Quest" I have created this morning:
https://play.qobuz.com/playlist/3240595 where I have put together anything I could find on Qobuz.
Sad fact, most of Chesky, Linn and some Blue Coast are missing.
Cheers, Tom

 

Terribly sorry about this guys!  I love it when folks like Rajiv post their review playlists, and I realized as I was writing this that I couldn't do the same.  It may be time to make a "Streaming Demo" playlist for future reviews and give up these old favorites.

 

(And thank you @DuckToller for putting this together!)

[austinpop]

Thanks to @DuckToller for the playlist. BTW - the Miles Davis song was apparently only visible in Europe, so I added a US-accessible version to the end of the list. I can't reorder it, but maybe you can, Duck.

[DuckToller]

I did not order it at all, yet ...
I'll try my best, then  😉

[all300b]

$24,000 Euros for the base unit and they still upcharge an extra $220 for 4 TB storage.

 

Does anyone know what this means:

 

"All data and software storage is non SSD, and utilizes non SATA, non volatile solid state storage modules."

 

 

[ray-dude]

If you're OK waiting until tomorrow, I go into great detail on storage strategies (and the why's) in Part 2.  Basically storage is direct PCIe connected storage (for OS and Music), which is consistent with a lot of findings here and elsewhere that this sort of storage results in better sound quality (presumably by giving CPUs more direct access to storage)

[kennyb123]

Really nice way to kick off this 5 part series, @ray-dude.  I found what I've quoted below to be tremendously insightful.  I very much look forward to reading your thoughts on how the Extreme helps to get you there (which I assume it does).

 

"For me, the key issue isn't so much latency, as it is reducing the variation in latency. By way of example, playback that has a latency of 1 second +- 0.00000000001 second would be preferable to a latency of 0.001 sec +- 0.0001 sec."

[coot]

Mostly over my head. Only thinggy I clearly understood was the pile-o-dollar signs...

[digitaldufferme]

I appreciate the effort and dedication taken to build this system and the generosity to share your time to let us participate in your joy. This series is about the "extreme" and it's going to be a fun read. I do hope it will be possible for you at some point to do an addendum which is the average Joe's guide to best bang for the buck list of things to do, items to purchase in stages so that we can get some way over time to your summit-fi but in more $ manageable steps and benefiting from your own personal learning journey. You've obviously learned a lot along the way, taken detours/made mistakes etc. and it would be great to read your view on the order of things to do to get the best bang for the buck. Eagerly awaiting the next episodes!

[ray-dude]

I  I certainly hope to do precisely this@digitaldufferme (I think you’ve been reading my proposal to Chris :)

 

 

[digitaldufferme]

1 minute ago, ray-dude said:

I  I certainly hope to do precisely this@digitaldufferme (I think you’ve been reading my proposal to Chris

 

 

My spies are everywhere🤣

[BigAlMc]

Dude! Ray! Ray-Dude!

 

What a read and you haven't switched the fecking thing on yet 😅 Bravo!

[ted_b]

Ray-dude,

I love your writing style, the story sounds very interesting so far, and I love that you are listening to Todd Garfinkle recordings as part of your eval!!  Todd's stuff is so wonderfully done, and usually mesmerizing..something world music can be proud of.  I'm hooked to read part 2. 

[ray-dude]

5 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

Dude! Ray! Ray-Dude!

 

What a read and you haven't switched the fecking thing on yet 😅 Bravo!

 

Spielberg could go an hour into a movie before showing the Shark...I'm definitely not at that level!  I promise, there are a lot of glamor shots start in part 2

[BigAlMc]

2 minutes ago, ray-dude said:

 

Spielberg could go an hour into a movie before showing the Shark...I'm definitely not at that level!  I promise, there are a lot of glamor shots start in part 2

 

Shush please, I'm reading part 2 😉