Article: Reality Quest: Going to Extremes with the Taiko Audio SGM Extreme (Part 3 of 5)

[matthias]

@ray-dude

Very nice review 🙂

 

Maybe I missed it, but anyway:

 

Did you compare directly bit-perfect (no upsampling) with vs. without HQPlayer with the Extreme as a single-box solution (not as endpoint)?

 

Thanks

 

Matt

[matthias]

43 minutes ago, bbosler said:

In my mind, the use of USB is for when you have to, not the first choice when you do have choices. Eager to get your  and anyone else's take on it.

 

Please have a look at Mike Moffats post here:

 

Matt

[matthias]

3 hours ago, ray-dude said:

 

Very much so!  HQPlayer does all the good things that we love about HQPlayer. At least for my prefered settings (detailed in the HQPlayer section), Extreme barely breaks a sweat.  My demands on HQP are pretty modest though

 

I asked because the Extreme has been designed particularly for bitperfect playback and not primarily for use with HQPlayer.

 

Matt

[matthias]

16 minutes ago, bbosler said:

 

 

 

"Who said it had to be about USB issues?!"

 

 

to put it very simply, since the sole job of the server is to deliver packets of data to the DAC over USB, and these servers deliver the same data yet sound different, how can it be about anything but USB ? If, as you say, USB has no issues, then all USB servers running the same bit perfect software must sound the same.

 

Perhaps we are talking past each other so I will try to clarify my point. First a few givens or at least what I believe to be givens after reading the review to this point. 

 

1. the method of delivering data to the DAC has not changed (USB)
2. the DAC and speakers have not changed
3. As far as we know the new server is not changing the data in any way i.e. the packets of data coming from the new server are the same as the packets of data from previous servers. I say this because Ray says one of his goals is bit perfect and he is using the same software.

 

so if all of that is true, and this Extreme server sounds significantly different than previous servers, the only thing that could have possibly changed is how this new server delivers these packets to the DAC. Therefore, USB must have some inherent issues that this server deals with differently than the previous servers. I am open to the possibility I am missing something, but I see no other possibility.

 

which brings me full circle to how I got started on this. If different USB servers sound different, how would the DAVE sound via the spdif inputs from the Extreme compared to the USB? This far into the game why not try an obvious, at least to me, possible way to improve things by trying spdif.

 

I do agree on the suggestion for DSP. I worked with Mitch Barnett who configured some Audiolense filters for me that I use inside Roon to great effect.

 

 

 

 

There is a post from Taiko Audio about this topic::

 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-114#post-617806

 

Matt

[matthias]

2 minutes ago, bbosler said:

thanks for the link. I'm not going to read all 200 or so pages of it, but the page you linked points directly to what I am saying. from Taiko who apparently agree with my point i.e. USB is not simply USB, different implementations yield different results.

 

Welcome,

BTW, when you read the thread completely you get a lot of useful info about digital audio.

 

Agree, it is all about implementation, every detail matters and because of that the Extreme is superior.

 

Now it seems to be that USB is getting ahead of SPDIF or AES. Even Mike Moffat from Schiit Audio who so far did not like USB now prefers the SQ of USB over the other interfaces. Go figure!

 

Matt