[Drrizzt]

I just got a Mjolnir V1 and i got a big channel imbalance with the lcd untill i reach the 3/4 of the volume knob, quite annoying.
 
With that said, it's a match made in heaven, what an upgrade from a Lake People G109, i'm in awe.

 

[Benny-x]

I have ordered the M9, so I am itching to try it with my LCD3. I will give the M9 a good burn in first though, with music playing 24 hours a day. I assume a week /175 should suffice?

The LCD3 sounds amazing with the Auralic. I expect the Master 9 will be even better or at least equal.
Need to make my mind up as I will feel guilty owning both. But I suspect I will keep the master 9 as it is even more powerful than the Auralic when driving the LCD3 in balanced mode. And I do like great dynamics, plenty of headroom for maximum realism.

So, what ever happened here? I'm looking at buying the Taurus MkII for an office setup, but it's still going to run me about $1000USD here and that's a high enough number that it's worth me looking into how well money well spent the Taurus MkII will be.
 
So, I'd love to here your feedback vs. the M9

 

[HeadphoneMAN1]

The Taurus MkII is a good head amp, but it has been superseded by the equal sounding Cayin iHA-6 Balanced Headphone Amp, which is half the price ($999). 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-headphone-amplifiers#cI86mmhX31EKWp0L.97 
 
For a transistor based head amp i still prefer my Audio-GD Master9 over any other transistor based head amp. It is also a great pre-amp.
To my ears it is unbeatable for sound quality, power and neutrality, yet only costs $1430.
 
It sounds as good as, if not better than the $3500 Simaudio MOON Neo 430HA, yet is less than half the price.
The only disadvantages of the M9 are it runs very hot due to pure class A operating mode, and is large and heavy.
The Cayin iHA-6 is lower cost, smaller, lighter, and runs cooler; yet sounds very good.
 
As for the ultimate head amp, for me it would be the $8400 tube based Lampizator Big 7 Head DAC. 
http://lampizator.eu/Fikus/HEAD_DAC.html
http://lampizator.eu/Fikus/PRICE_LIST.html
 
As for headphones, i now use Focal Utopias, with balanced pure silver cable, to my M9.
I also bought a Stax 007mk2 with KGSSHV Carbon electrostatic amp from  http://www.mjolnir-audio.com/ 

 

[montanari]

The Taurus MkII is a good head amp, but it has been superseded by the equal sounding Cayin iHA-6 Balanced Headphone Amp, which is half the price ($999). 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-headphone-amplifiers#cI86mmhX31EKWp0L.97 

For a transistor based head amp i still prefer my Audio-GD Master9 over any other transistor based head amp. It is also a great pre-amp.
To my ears it is unbeatable for sound quality, power and neutrality, yet only costs $1430.

It sounds as good as, if not better than the $3500 Simaudio MOON Neo 430HA, yet is less than half the price.
The only disadvantages of the M9 are it runs very hot due to pure class A operating mode, and is large and heavy.
The Cayin iHA-6 is lower cost, smaller, lighter, and runs cooler; yet sounds very good.

As for the ultimate head amp, for me it would be the $8400 tube based Lampizator Big 7 Head DAC. 
http://lampizator.eu/Fikus/HEAD_DAC.html
http://lampizator.eu/Fikus/PRICE_LIST.html

As for headphones, i now use Focal Utopias, with balanced pure silver cable, to my M9.
I also bought a Stax 007mk2 with KGSSHV Carbon electrostatic amp from  http://www.mjolnir-audio.com/ 

Well if we want to speak about the top of the top no doubt it's the viva egoista
Amazing best sound ever heard from lcd3
It doesn't sound mellow at all and you can recognize so many different layers and walls of sound !
Fantastico made in Italy

I like the Taurus too

 

[Benny-x]

Well if we want to speak about the top of the top no doubt it's the viva egoista
Amazing best sound ever heard from lcd3
It doesn't sound mellow at all and you can recognize so many different layers and walls of sound !
Fantastico made in Italy

I like the Taurus too

If we're going to be unmasking layers, why not move away from the LCD-3 all together and listen with a monster like the HE-6? It's got bass for days and crystal clarity :~)
 
The LCD-3 is lush and magical, though. I hope I can grab a pair later this year. What about versions, though? I've still got a soft spot for the LCD-3 pre-fazor. I was never much a fan of the fazors, I felt they moved the LCD-3 away from what it's core competency was. That's kind of what I liked about the Taurus MkII until now, it was so involving, but didn't shift any of the headphones I used with it away from what the headphones were already good at.
 
Thoughts?
 
P.S., I contacted Auralic and they confirmed global stock levels and pricing of the Taurus MkII have been reduced, likely indicating the coming of the Taurus MkIII.

 

[montanari]

In fact I just sold lcd3 for he1000 (from the speaker taps of a luxman -like I used to amplify the lcd3 lately
To stay in the budget would look to a fast amp 2watt on 100ohm , I like class a
Mjioir was too metallic even with the lcd3
I asked for a built one to a good artisan in my country and I enjoyed a couple of years
Before I had burson violectric schiit . Borrowed a Taurus and others
Never listened to m9. It's a bit too on a big size for my taste . Don't know if it's fast and hit hard (the burson didn't very much for example)

 

[montanari]

i didnt like the lcd3 with pathos at all
mids all over

 

[Benny-x]

In fact I just sold lcd3 for he1000 (from the speaker taps of a luxman -like I used to amplify the lcd3 lately
To stay in the budget would look to a fast amp 2watt on 100ohm , I like class a
Mjioir was too metallic even with the lcd3
I asked for a built one to a good artisan in my country and I enjoyed a couple of years
Before I had burson violectric schiit . Borrowed a Taurus and others
Never listened to m9. It's a bit too on a big size for my taste . Don't know if it's fast and hit hard (the burson didn't very much for example)

That's interesting news that you dropped the LCD-3 in favour of the HEK. Is it an HEKv1 or HEKv2?
 
I also run my HEKv1 off the speaker taps of speaker amp. I used it with 3-4 3-8W into 64ohm headphone amps and could literally feel the sluggish'ness of the HEK drivers, so I went out and tested them with a bunch of class A speaker amps. I ended up with a 60 or 80W class A solid state speaker amp and couldn't be happier with the pairing. It's a beautiful match and now I try all my headphones off speaker taps.
 
The Taurus MkII and maybe LCD-3PF are for the office, as I don't have the space and I doubt my desk could support a 55kg speaker amp
 
Anyway, thanks for the heads up, good to know.

 

[montanari]

V2

 

[jpscool4u]

Reviving this thread a year later....

I am looking to buy an amp for my new LCD-3F, and right now am sitting with a couple of options, both for the same price (about $1,000 used)

Auralic Taurus mkII
Audio-GD Master 9

I have found a review or two online that compare these two in passing, and even some comments in this thread, but I can't find any direct comparisons, nor anything conclusive of which one is a better amp, and specifically for the LCD-3. If they are very comparable and just different in sound signature, I would really appreciate any details! I think what I'm looking for is a comfy, musical, deep, detailed listening experienced. Not looking for anything too cold or analytical.

Can I run an unbalanced source through these amps, and still use the balanced output? Will they sound okay? I will be listening to a lot of vinyl (Jolida JD9 phono) but also have an Audio-GD DAC-19 for digital. This is an unbalanced DAC - but offers 'ACSS' proprietary connection into the Master 9, if I go that route.

My other option is a Little Dot mkVI+ - which sells new for $850 (a bit less than the other options) - but from what I understand, it will only really beat those SS amps after applying mods and adding better tubes. I have no experience modding a headphone amp so I'm not sure I can manage this option.

Thank you very much for the help!!

 

[montanari]

TAurus and master9 both very good
The Taurus is. Bit more neutral less warm in comparison to the audiogd so I would choose that for the lcd3 but with both you don't go wrong .
Better if you can connect a balanced source but of course you can exit with xlr plug
I don't like tubes with the Audeze
You could check even a speaker amplifier and connect the headphone to the speaker taps

 

[Wildcatsare1]

A bargain amp, which with the right tube (KenRad VT-231, Sylvania ”bad boy”) punches way above its price point, is the Schiit Lyr 3.

 

[montanari]

But The lyr2 and nos tube was orribile with the lcd3

 

[jpscool4u]

Thanks for the responses. I seem to have one more option on the table now, and this one I can't find any reviews comparing it to other amps.
It's the Bakoon HPA-21 - someone is selling it locally for $1,500 (and hopefully might be a bit negotiable on price)

It's a current-based amplifier. It's all single-ended. It's well reviewed. Just hard to know if it's well above the Auralic Taurus or not! Maybe I can go hear it in person...

 

[PLGA]

I replaced my krell krc-hr with an audio-gd master1 when the krell volume control motor went nuts and
it took several weeks and about $500 to get the parts to fix it. After fixing it the krell was permanently
retired because the master1 blows it away in across the board. Yes its a big and heavy monster, I leave
it on all the time and it gets fairly hot. The krell fpb600 has since been replaced by a pair of master2
power amps. The pile of retired krell now in the basement exceeds $50k.

I have the schematics on all the audio-gd stuff, and it mirrors my current design thoughts on a lot
of what I have been thinking about lately. But lets face it, I cannot even buy the parts or raw material
to build this stuff for the prices kingwa is selling this gear for. Really high quality for a goofy low price.

although I have not heard it, knowing the design concepts of the master8 I expect it to sound outstanding
regardless of price.

I have not heard the bakoon amp either.

but all this stuff is current conveyor based, as is the ayre stuff and some of the other new high end stuff.
its the only way to do ultra low distortion designs with no global feedback.

I may still buy the d'agostino preamp and a pair of his power amps next year. They get very high ratings.
Maybe I have not learned my lesson yet.

The GSX2 is still my favorite medium powered dynamic headphone amp. By a fair amount.
My supersymmetry balanced dynahi is my favorite high powered dynamic amp for ultra low efficiency headphones like he6.

Hello Kevin,
Thank you for sharing your information.

Today I have an Audio-GD R2R-2 DAC and I like it very much, so I trust Audio-GD products, but your post help me decide to buy their Master 1 preamp.

I'm just curious about two things:

1. In what fields you felt the Master 1 better than the Krell krc-hr? Soundstage, bass, lack of noise, tone, wich one?

2. Have you compared the Master 1 to another good or famous preamp?

Thank you!