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Burson Conductor - DAC/amp successor to the HA-160D
Dec 18, 2013 at 9:49 PM Post #1,307 of 1,995
ardilla said:
Nice rig, Norway=)

Actually, The Taurus mki betters the Mjolnir by quite a bit. But it is also twice the price. I really like the Taurus, it has some of that tube like 3D and crisp but liquid highs.
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Glad to see you chip in. Then we have two opposing views as far as Mjolnir VS Taurus MKI is concerned. As you know, I too like MKI and I was the reason why you got it (*bragging rights!!*), just like you were the reason I got WA2 and lots of other stuff! Haha!
 
However, keep in mind that we're talking in relative terms compared to Burson here. Taurus MKI is very good, but it is both edgy and brighter (than Conductor and itself in single ended mode) when in balanced mode. In single ended mode I agree with you, it's a great machine. Shame they changed it to be brighter in MKII.
 
Dec 18, 2013 at 10:06 PM Post #1,310 of 1,995
ardilla said:
Not opposing views, just saying Taurus is better than Mjolnir, but similarly tuned, similar sound signature. Haven't heard the Burson.
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Yes, there are two opposing views.
 
ardilla said:
Actually, The Taurus mki betters the Mjolnir by quite a bit. But it is also twice the price.
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This stands in sharp contrast to what the guy I was referring to said about Taurus MKI vs Mjolnir. He wrote (in a thread we both were active in, in the Norwegian head-fi forums) that they were very similar, that the Taurus was only better by a hair and that it was not worth the money to upgrade. He bought Mjolnir new and Taurus used for about what Mjolnir retails for new, and then choose to sell Mjolnir and keep MKI for his LCD-3's.
 
Dec 18, 2013 at 10:11 PM Post #1,311 of 1,995
norway said:
 
ardilla said:
Nice rig, Norway=)

Actually, The Taurus mki betters the Mjolnir by quite a bit. But it is also twice the price. I really like the Taurus, it has some of that tube like 3D and crisp but liquid highs.
Click to expand...

 
Glad to see you chip in. Then we have two opposing views as far as Mjolnir VS Taurus MKI is concerned. As you know, I too like MKI and I was the reason why you got it (*bragging rights!!*), just like you were the reason I got WA2 and lots of other stuff! Haha!
 
However, keep in mind that we're talking in relative terms compared to Burson here. Taurus MKI is very good, but it is both edgy and brighter (than Conductor and itself in single ended mode) when in balanced mode. In single ended mode I agree with you, it's a great machine. Shame they changed it to be brighter in MKII.
Click to expand...

I used to own Conductor for about a month and it was quite brighter with edgier treble than Headamp GS-1 with Dynalo+.
I got rid of Conductor before getting Taurus MKII to run head to head comparison, but Taurus MKII undoubtedly sounds  LESS bright/edgy and much more more analogue and laid back than GS-1.
So on brightness/edgy/digital sounding scale from best to worst it would be:
Taurus MKII > GS-1 (Dynalo+) > GS-1 (Stock modules) > Conductor/Solist
 
Sorry, never heard MKI to comment if MKII is indeed brighter or not. What DAC did you use for comparison?
 
You can also check Asr's review of Soloist as he provides some feedback on how it compares to GS-1
http://www.head-fi.org/products/burson-audio-soloist-amp/reviews/9959
 
Dec 18, 2013 at 10:16 PM Post #1,312 of 1,995
^^ Well, Taurus slightly better than Mjolnir or Taurus quite a bit better than Mjolnir. I can't see any sharp contrast there. Just a matter of degrees. But we are of topic. Do you prefer the Burson to how you remember the Taurus ( or have you got another Taurus already? =9 )

^ I agree with Andrew that the Taurus isn't bright and edgy. Not lush, but surprisingly close to my WA22 in many ways.
 
Dec 18, 2013 at 10:19 PM Post #1,313 of 1,995
andrew_wot said:
  I used to own Conductor for about a month and it was quite brighter with edgier treble than Headamp GS-1 with Dynalo+.
I got rid of Conductor before getting Taurus MKII to run head to head comparison, but it Taurus MKII sound  LESS bright/edgy and much more more analogue than GS-1.
Sorry, never heard MKI to comment if MKII is indeed brighter or not. What DAC did you use for comparison?
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I started the Auralic owners unite thread, and as you can see from all the images in the first post, I used AURALiC ARK MX+. Also tried Elektrocompaniet PD-1, Grace Design m903, Asus Xonar Essence One with various opamps, Mytek 192 STEREO DSD DAC. Believe that just about covers it. Conductor strikes me as less bright than MKI and brighter than Vioelectric V200. Conductor also has CM6631A USB Module, which may be a factor. Not saying Taurus is bright, just saying it is brighter to my ears, but we're all sensitive to different frequencies so who knows? :)
 
Dec 18, 2013 at 10:27 PM Post #1,314 of 1,995
ardilla said:
^^ Well, Taurus slightly better than Mjolnir or Taurus quite a bit better than Mjolnir. I can't see any sharp contrast there. Just a matter of degrees. But we are of topic. Do you prefer the Burson to how you remember the Taurus ( or have you got another Taurus already? =9 )

^ I agree with Andrew that the Taurus isn't bright and edgy. Not lush, but surprisingly close to my WA22 in many ways.
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The sharp contrast is that he does not think that Taurus is worth double the price, whereas you do. That's the sharp contrast. It's not a matter of degrees, when we're talking about 100 % more. But as you say, we're off topic and let us bicker like this over email like we usually do, rather than boring everyone else with it.
 
Oh, I spent a lot of time with Taurus and remember it very well. I've not spent enough time with Conductor to say yet, but as far as the number of inputs, the internal DAC and gain switches it is a lot more functional. Taurus MKI does not leave a lot of wiggle room for very sensitive cans, but I just lowered the volume on the computer to battle that. That might be a concern for people with very sensitive cans and ears who doesn't have the option on their preferred source.
 
Dec 18, 2013 at 10:33 PM Post #1,315 of 1,995
norway said:
 
andrew_wot said:
  I used to own Conductor for about a month and it was quite brighter with edgier treble than Headamp GS-1 with Dynalo+.
I got rid of Conductor before getting Taurus MKII to run head to head comparison, but it Taurus MKII sound  LESS bright/edgy and much more more analogue than GS-1.
Sorry, never heard MKI to comment if MKII is indeed brighter or not. What DAC did you use for comparison?
Click to expand...

 
I started the Auralic owners unite thread, and as you can see from all the images in the first post, I used AURALiC ARK MX+. Also tried Elektrocompaniet PD-1, Grace Design m903, Asus Xonar Essence One with various opamps, Mytek 192 STEREO DSD DAC. Believe that just about covers it. Conductor strikes me as less bright than MKI and brighter than Vioelectric V200. Conductor also has CM6631A USB Module, which may be a factor. Not saying Taurus is bright, just saying it is brighter to my ears, but we're all sensitive to different frequencies so who knows? :)
Click to expand...

You might be on something here.
I personally wanted to sell Conductor the day I took it out of the box and listened first time, the whole DAC/Amp combo was just plain wrong to my ears, literally the edgiest and the most digitally sounding setup I've owned, but I had to live with it for a month before someone picked it up.
But I have a feeling if was mostly internal DAC fault as Asr in his review commented that Soloist treble IS rolled off comparing to GS-X.
 
 The Soloist also had less treble quantity with some minor audible roll-off & subtraction, which made it sound inaccurate compared to the GS-X MK2's higher treble quantity and corresponding sonic precision—that is to say, if the GS-X MK2 was the sonic equivalent of a laser-sharpened knife, the Soloist was the sonic equivalent of a manually-sharpened knife.
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So I guess in this context better treble extension is not necessarily a bad thing as long as it doesn't sound edgy and offensive to one's ears. 
smile.gif
 
 
Dec 18, 2013 at 11:25 PM Post #1,316 of 1,995
andrew_wot said:
  You might be on something here.
I personally wanted to sell Conductor the day I took it out of the box and listened first time, the whole DAC/Amp combo was just plain wrong to my ears, literally the edgiest and the most digitally sounding setup I've owned, but I had to live with it for a month before someone picked it up.
But I have a feeling if was mostly internal DAC fault as Asr in his review commented that Soloist treble IS rolled off comparing to GS-X.
 
So I guess in this context better treble extension is not necessarily a bad thing as long as it doesn't sound edgy and offensive to one's ears. 
smile.gif
 
Click to expand...

 
I'll try using Conductor as a DAC for Mytek (it has an analog input) and vice versa to see if it's the USB module that rolls off the treble in Conductor or the amp itself. As stated earlier, when listening to WA2 with Conductor as DAC it seemed more rolled off than with other DAC's, so that made me suspicious. Will try more and report back to base, haha.
 
I'm very sensitive to hot treble, but Taurus MKI has great hf extension without being sibilant – absolutely. When I say brighter, I do not mean sibilant and harsh, it is just a relative reference to the lad who wanted my opinion. Also, the SE mode in MKI seems smoother, whereas BAL is clearer and faster. I preferred BAL for electronic music, and SE for (most) other types of music. Ironically, If you read the first pages of the Auralic owner's unite thread, you'll see ardilla stating that Taurus is bright, and me defending against it, haha.
 
Dec 19, 2013 at 12:59 AM Post #1,317 of 1,995
Apparently, there are 2 types of USB module upgrades for the Conductor:  Pin type and cable type. - http://bursonaudio.com/6631USB_PCB.htm
 
But when I ordered mine there was no choice offered and I was not asked what type I had.
 
It installed and works fine but does anyone know what the difference is?
 
Dec 19, 2013 at 11:05 AM Post #1,318 of 1,995
norway said:
I'll try using Conductor as a DAC for Mytek (it has an analog input) and vice versa to see if it's the USB module that rolls off the treble in Conductor or the amp itself. As stated earlier, when listening to WA2 with Conductor as DAC it seemed more rolled off than with other DAC's, so that made me suspicious. Will try more and report back to base, haha.

I'm very sensitive to hot treble, but Taurus MKI has great hf extension without being sibilant – absolutely. When I say brighter, I do not mean sibilant and harsh, it is just a relative reference to the lad who wanted my opinion. Also, the SE mode in MKI seems smoother, whereas BAL is clearer and faster. I preferred BAL for electronic music, and SE for (most) other types of music. Ironically, If you read the first pages of the Auralic owner's unite thread, you'll see ardilla stating that Taurus is bright, and me defending against it, haha.
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Thanks Norway. You should make one of your video reviews for the Conductor :)
 
Dec 24, 2013 at 11:38 AM Post #1,319 of 1,995
Hi guys I listen the conductor with a  Imac >Hiface2/coax,HE500  buy upgrade usb burson (CM 6631A) may be a good alternative for an upgrade of the sound?
Better than Hiface?
Thanks
Merry Christmas
 
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