The Extreme Router works together with the Extreme Switch and Extreme Network Card to minimize internal processing noise and interface noise to achieve significantly enhanced sound quality. When combined with the Extreme DC Power Distributor, the Router and Switch receive cleaned power to achieve even higher sound quality

A selection of the positive feedback in the Taiko Audio Server Thread on What’s Best Forum

My router just arrived, and I’m happy to report a super-positive set up and first listening experience.  Very early sound impressions are promising with improvements in ‘clarity’, easily hearing into details of the performance as never before in every track, the soundstage, music is around me in the room to a significantly greater extent, and in tracks I’ve never especially noticed that from, and bass ‘focus’ & texture. Plus, an immediate desire to turn up the volume compared to what I was listening at pre-router. If this is the sound quality ‘direction of travel’ to expect with BPS, TACDD, XDMS NSM, etc. I can’t wait! The overall improvement with the Switch+NIC, Router, and DCD in my system has been phenomenal, and one week+ into Router & DCD you’d have to pry any one of the 3 from my ‘cold dead hands’ (to borrow a phrase).

DW101, 10-10-2023

Listening with the new Taiko router, Switch, and Extreme server, using the Taiko DC Distributor is quite an experience even without significant burn-in. Last night, I listened to music via Roon for the first time since early June. Tonight, the longer I listened the more I realized how much better everything sounds with the Taiko router providing a music-only sub-LAN. First impressions — this is by far the best I have ever heard Roon sound. Denser tonal saturation, truer timbre, better dynamics, much more depth and dimensionality. There is another whole layer of fine detail, subtle nuance and enhanced texture I’ve never heard before from very familiar music.  I am very, very impressed by the Taiko router.

oldmustang, 12-10-2023

Amazingly outstanding Customer Service and Amazingly outstanding Sound! Two weeks ago, I received my router and distributor to go with my previously installed Taiko switch and NIC. Managed to connect them. Got music. But lost the connection to the extreme shortly thereafter and was unable to regain it. Over the next few days, Ted Leer @Taiko Audio support worked diligently to help debug the problem. It’s been a week now running XDMS and the router and distributor (still connected to the default outputs of the distributor) are pretty well burned in and ….Oh my….an utter lack of artifacts to distract from the emotional engagement of the music. Unprecedented sound quality for me in my room! Thank you and Bravo Taiko support and Audio development team. Outstanding in every way!

Cmarin, 20-10-2023

The Taiko Router and DC Distributor have arrived. Setup was done without problems, to my considerable surprise. There are a few things in my life I am good at, things digital certainly NOT among them. I did succeed:) Initial impressions were nice, a very relaxed presentation, very likable. 12 hours later things had changed. Quite a lot. Impact, thrust, vigour, excitement are back, big time. Now some 24 hours more. Deep bass reproduction had been raved about by others here before. They all are bloody well right. Deep bass instruments are reproduced with vigour, intensity and a depth now I haven’t had ever before. But there is more to it. Fine textural details, a naturalness, which really did impress me. But most of all, fine small scale dynamic variations which make the musicians’ expression, their intent in interpretation, the meaning in their music – they are here to a degree I didn’t think possible with bloody digital. In deep bass and … elsewhere! I am in this hobby more than fourty years. A few components had made me truly enthusiastic. The gold coil Hul Grasshopper prototype, one of three, in my turntable. The Apogee Scintillas. This is in the same league. Astonishingly, it does keep getting better and better. Thank you!

Engadin, 31-12-2023

I have only spent about 48 hours with my router and DCD, but I really like what I am hearing. I listened to it the first day when I received it, that was Monday evening. And then I gave it to a friend to try. During the rest of the week, I could not unhear what I heard on Monday night… it would take more than a week to forget that sound and get adjusted. I kept trying to listen to music while the router was out but it was not the same, and I found better things to do. I kept missing that Monday night sound. I got the router and DCD back yesterday and the sound from Monday was back. Didn’t want to comment before I spend enough time with it, but I knew what was missing from my system, and it was very difficult to go back to listening without the router/DCD. Even after only spending 48 hours, I can make the following statement: For those of you with a Taiko Extreme, Taiko NIC and Taiko Switch wondering whether the Taiko Router is worth the price tag – you will get it sooner or later and you won’t regret that decision. It’s an essential piece of the Taiko ecosystem that you can’t skip.

Nenon, 21-10-2023

I got a chance to borrow’s Nenon’s Taiko router (TR) for a few days and was able to do several A-B comparisons against a Ubiquity router it replaced. Within the first few notes, the first thing that blew me away was the soundstage. The stage is completely 3D with increases on all planes. There is so much space between instruments with this big stage. Such a joy to listen to. I also noticed an increase in speed/flow/tempo of the music. Almost like adding a good clock to your system. This was something I was not expecting. Had my toes tapping and fingers snapping. The sound is more coherent yet you can make out individual instruments more clearly. Different instruments just jive together that much better. The bass also was more rhythmic without sounding tight (and lean). Seems as if the sub bass has better rhythm to it. I really was not planning on getting the router since I don’t stream and I thought I had a very optimized network already for local playback. In my opinion, the router is a must have if you have the switch already. Overall, the router is bringing totally different improvements than the Taiko switch did. What the router does is something I cannot do without anymore. That “you are there” experience is like nothing I’ve heard before from my system.

Onlychild, 27-10-2023

I’ve struggled a long time the past two years with my purchase of the Robert Koda k10 preamp. With my 300b monos, they were too much of a good thing in terms of colouring the sound, but technically I could tell they were a cut above everything else I had. Turns out, the DCD (using the alt1 outputs) is the answer for me. This combination counters the overly musical nature of my 300b monos/ Robert Koda combination so effectively, without losing any technical performance, that I’m stunned. I’ve been looking for this answer for two years, and I think I’ve found it. It sounds perfect to my ears.

Jelt, 14-10-2023

The effect of the router and DCD in my system (even with local files) is very significant…and I’m only a few days into break-in and on default outputs.

Kingsrule, 19-10-2023

I am not a Roon user but with the Router and Power Distributor in place, I found the sound of Roon using the default/default DCD outputs to be the best I ever heard Roon perform. However, it’s the sonic signature of XDMS that I prefer and I truly love what I hear now after almost 4 days of burn in on the DCD’s alt2 output. I find that I am so much more drawn to the music with XDMS even though Roon sounds the best I’ve ever heard.

Steve Williams, 12-10-2023

The moment sound played with the router and power distributor in place, Dominique Fils, Jack Johnson, Tracy Chapman all stepped forward 1 to 2 feet toward me into the room, which is like 20% closer. The instruments were easily discernible back into the sound stage. every song I played had this beautiful instrument imaging and soundstage, intoxicating. due to my setup limitations I have always struggled w soundstage depth. the speakers now are gone. every tonal attribute seems to have benefitted. I cannot imagine the effect with a system that has the fully adequate room to breathe. I am smitten after the last 3 hours of listening. Headed back for some more and truly excited to see how the sound develops further, not to mention the other filters, etc. etc. Again, thanks to this thread for all the advice and to Team Taiko. Wow!

ctydwn, 03-11-2023

Now that I’ve got 500 or more hours on my Taiko router and DC Distributor, I thought I’d check back in with a progress report. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that break-in has been occurring this entire time. Though not dramatic and thankfully free of up and down swings that sometimes happen with some cables or equipment, it’s been a steady cumulative process. I can honestly say every time I’ve sat down in front of the stereo since day one with the new Taiko router and DCD it has sounded better and better. The router/DCD combination has passed both halves of the “can I listen lower than normal/can I turn it up higher than normal?” test. At this point, I had planned on removing the Taiko router and DCD just to do a credibility check on myself and maybe quantify a little the magnitude of the improvement the router/DCD combo is making. But music sounds so good I’m finding hard to disrupt things.

Oldmustang, 05-11-2023

whew. coming off another couple hour Taiko high. Have close to 4.5 days on the Router and Power Distributor running through ‘default’ (and only XDMS). I have noticed maybe an incremental improvement since that initial euphoric evening, but I’d say 90% was already there out of the box. Not a drop from Taiko Wi-Fi since first connection. What has amazed me most is that I thought with the Router and DPD… Ok, we’ll get a lower noise floor and hear more detail (another finger movement across the guitar strings or voice in the crowd)… but that has not been the main effect (maybe a touch of that). I fully suspect there is a lower noise floor but the audible signs are in the tonal density, saturation, imaging, soundstage (especially in my case the depth), confident delivery and lack of fatigue…. and not necessarily further nuanced detail. This is actually a much more desirable result to me. I dare say the full network ‘bundle’ (switch, router and PD) is as transformative as the Extreme itself. But of course, one would not be possible without the other.

Ctydwn, 07-11-2023

Today, Taiko Support got me running with my new Router and DCD. Thanks, again, for the truly bespoke customer service of this Taiko team! It’s hard to overstate what that means in the world of digital music systems. I’ve just gotten an ear on things this evening, but it is very, very clear that something special has happened to SQ! I’m hearing greater tonal density, fleshier sound sources, and much more sculpted 3D realization of everything going on. The bass has greater differentiation and tunefulness, the power range feels more fleshed out, and the overall presentation coheres wonderfully, musically – – so much to like! Can’t wait for burn-in and filter selection optimization. Right out of the gate, “Bravo!” team Taiko!

Jbrrp1, 09-11-2023

This afternoon, my DCD arrived from Taiko HQ. The DCD is said to improve with time. But it is really sweet right off the truck. It sounds to me like a little more holographic air (I have no idea what that means to others) has been added in the presentation. Sweet. A bit more bass presence too, I would add. Very satisfying. Dynamic. Open, flowing sound. I suppose most folks think, and I’ll run with those dogs, their system sounds great. My system sounds great. My power is good. My network is good. So, I’m not expecting my head to explode when I add a power filter…but this is very nice indeed. And that’s on the default output. Out of the box. I know tech honchos have described other good things the Taiko Router is doing to improve SQ even when playing local, but I wanted to try adding the DCD to my Taiko Switch first. So, a big Markus Barkus Okie-Dokie for the DCD in an alternative use case model. Looking forward to trying the other filters when I get sorted out and settled in as it is. Happy Listening.

MarkusBarkus, 04-12-2023

I am fascinated by the option to “tune” one’s sound depending on the filter chosen. This is actually a huge change from the typical mindset that many of us have had in the past where we assume that what we want from any piece of gear is something more akin to “a straight wire with gain” approach. Never mind that virtually every piece of media we play, whether it is LP or digital files, has had its sonic signature optimized by the folks who engineer and produce these products according to their taste. Since there are 2 cables (Router and Switch) each with 4 possible DCD outputs (bypass, default, Alt 1, Alt 2) there are 2^4 (16) possible combinations to sort through, so this will keep me busy for a while! (I haven’t had this much fun since since I changed virtually every plug and outlet metal in the system a while back. That took months! Fortunately, this should be a far easier and quicker exercise!) Fun times!

Marty, 24-12-2023