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Author Topic: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review  (Read 6404 times)

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Byrnie

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AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« on: July 23, 2014, 02:47:47 PM »
So some of you have seen my other thread, I'm currently looking for a great all around amp upgrade to my Asgard 2.  I decided to loan the the Taurus MKII from The Cable Co (here's the link in case anyone wants to see what else they have/sell http://www.thecableco.com/Product/category.aspx?cid=401).  So here's my first impressions:

I used the current setup last night but I might switch to some other cans later in the week.
PC -> Monoprice Premium USB cable -> Bifrost Uber USb -> Monoprice Premium RCA cable -> Asgard 2 -> TH900

First impressions:
 
I was let down by this amp at first because I didn't notice much difference but the more I am listening the more I'm hearing the increase in detail and something that I want to call articulation.  I feel like the sounds are more articulate if that makes any sense?  I also noticed that anything that echos/reverberates sounds so much better than my Asgard 2 (the A2 is a wonderful amp tho don't get me wrong).  I'm still not completely sold on this amp though given it costs practically $1900 and I was hoping for more noticeable differences.  I realize it won't be drastic differences but I was hoping for more.  I feel there's also something missing in the mids or somewhere close by but I haven't been able to put my finger on it yet as I've only listened to this amp for a few hours last night.  Keep in mind this may just be my imagination as I haven't done much A/B'ing between this and the Asgard.  Also I think it's important to note that this is my first time listening to a high end amp.  I read some other people on this forum describe the treble as etchy but I haven't noticed this as of yet.

I'll post some more impressions after some more listening.

**Update** I am currently loaning this amp again and I'm really enjoying it much more than the first time.  I think my main problem on my first go-around was that I was always doing other things while listening to it (browsing the net, playing PC games, etc.).  I now notice the increase in detail too.  For this amp is just what I'm looking for and it's sucking me into the music.
« Last Edit: October 30, 2014, 05:35:51 PM by Byrnie »
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Headphones: TH900, HE-560, HD700, SRH1540, X2, HD590, AH-D600, X10, Bridge MS500
Amp/Sources: Schiit Modi, Schiit Bifrost Uber USB, Schiit Asgard 2, Emotiva XDA-2, Sansa Fuze 8GB, Samsung Note 3

Marvey

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Re: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2014, 08:51:15 PM »
Byrnie, thanks for doing this.

I have a simple question: Does the Taurus suck you into the music more than your Asgard 2? Does it make you not want to put down your headphones and listen into the wee hours of the night?

That more than anything else determines sound quality.
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Byrnie

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Re: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2014, 10:05:16 PM »
Quote from: marvey on July 23, 2014, 08:51:15 PM
Byrnie, thanks for doing this.

I have a simple question: Does the Taurus suck you into the music more than your Asgard 2? Does it make you not want to put down your headphones and listen into the wee hours of the night?

That more than anything else determines sound quality.

So far I would yes but only on certain tracks so far.  I still need to put in a lot more to properly solidfy my opinion.  Thanks for the tip!
« Last Edit: July 23, 2014, 10:14:27 PM by Byrnie »
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Headphones: TH900, HE-560, HD700, SRH1540, X2, HD590, AH-D600, X10, Bridge MS500
Amp/Sources: Schiit Modi, Schiit Bifrost Uber USB, Schiit Asgard 2, Emotiva XDA-2, Sansa Fuze 8GB, Samsung Note 3

chengka7

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Re: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2014, 02:44:04 AM »
Hey byrnie, so you are only using TH900 on Taurus? I tried Taurus before and I think it is a very good and neutral amp. Maybe it is because TH900 is not that good in terms of the scalability. I tried th900 directly through my laptop jack and WA22 before, what I remembered is that there was not so much difference. So I think it might be the selection of your headphones.
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Byrnie

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Re: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2014, 02:44:53 PM »
Quote from: chengka7 on July 24, 2014, 02:44:04 AM
Hey byrnie, so you are only using TH900 on Taurus? I tried Taurus before and I think it is a very good and neutral amp. Maybe it is because TH900 is not that good in terms of the scalability. I tried th900 directly through my laptop jack and WA22 before, what I remembered is that there was not so much difference. So I think it might be the selection of your headphones.
Yes but I plan to switch to the HD650 tonight.  You're probably right about the TH900s.  I am enjoying the amp now and the music is starting draw me in more.
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Headphones: TH900, HE-560, HD700, SRH1540, X2, HD590, AH-D600, X10, Bridge MS500
Amp/Sources: Schiit Modi, Schiit Bifrost Uber USB, Schiit Asgard 2, Emotiva XDA-2, Sansa Fuze 8GB, Samsung Note 3

Byrnie

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Re: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« Reply #5 on: July 28, 2014, 01:49:16 PM »
Quote from: Byrnie on July 24, 2014, 02:44:53 PM
Quote from: chengka7 on July 24, 2014, 02:44:04 AM
Hey byrnie, so you are only using TH900 on Taurus? I tried Taurus before and I think it is a very good and neutral amp. Maybe it is because TH900 is not that good in terms of the scalability. I tried th900 directly through my laptop jack and WA22 before, what I remembered is that there was not so much difference. So I think it might be the selection of your headphones.
Yes but I plan to switch to the HD650 tonight.  You're probably right about the TH900s.  I am enjoying the amp now and the music is starting draw me in more.

When comparing the Asgard 2 to the Taurus, the Taurus has much better instrument separation and timbre that I'm starting to rethink my stance on the Taurus.  As I try more tube and solid state amps, I'll probably get a better picture of what I'm looking for in my next amp.  I'm going to play a lot of bass oriented music tonight to see if it's my imagination about the bass impact or if it's just that the Asgard 2 leans more toward the low-end.  It could easily be that the Taurus is just more neutral in the low end area but I'm not sure about that yet.
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Headphones: TH900, HE-560, HD700, SRH1540, X2, HD590, AH-D600, X10, Bridge MS500
Amp/Sources: Schiit Modi, Schiit Bifrost Uber USB, Schiit Asgard 2, Emotiva XDA-2, Sansa Fuze 8GB, Samsung Note 3

Marvey

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Re: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« Reply #6 on: July 28, 2014, 05:35:37 PM »
Or it could be that the Taurus is on the leaner / bright / limp-dick end of amps. The Asgard 2 seems to be the middle of the road in terms of the amp universe.

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Byrnie

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Re: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2014, 02:09:48 PM »
Quote from: marvey on July 28, 2014, 05:35:37 PM
Or it could be that the Taurus is on the leaner / bright / limp-dick end of amps. The Asgard 2 seems to be the middle of the road in terms of the amp universe.
I'm a dumbass!  I didn't have the amps volume matched very well before and from what I can tell now the bass impact is the same.  After listening to the AURALiC for roughly 3 days straight then going back to the Asgard, the soundstage is so much smaller and a lot of the details are gone.  The Taurus is a great amp and I'm not 100% set on it given how much more I enjoyed the WA7tp at CanMania but it's still on my list but I need to get more high end amp experience to verify it's what I'm looking for for an end-game solution.

*FYI I did all of my listening via the SE connections as I don't own any balanced headphones.
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Headphones: TH900, HE-560, HD700, SRH1540, X2, HD590, AH-D600, X10, Bridge MS500
Amp/Sources: Schiit Modi, Schiit Bifrost Uber USB, Schiit Asgard 2, Emotiva XDA-2, Sansa Fuze 8GB, Samsung Note 3

Marvey

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Re: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2014, 06:07:25 PM »
The WA7 you heard was with the external cube power supply?
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zerodeefex

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Re: AURALiC Taurus MKII Impressions/Review
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2014, 06:24:13 PM »
WA7tp = tube power supply
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