[project86]

Taurus mkII + HD800 on the Way.

Anyone tried TH900 With Auralic gear ?

 
I haven't yet, but the TH900 (and TH600) are on the way to me right now. 
 
Based on my experience thus far, Taurus can handle just about every headphone out there. Sensitive IEMs are not the best just due to the higher gain, but that's about it. 

 

[Moonhead]

Thanks Project86

I Will be looking forward for your impression on fostex.
Guess i will purchase th900 sooner or later

 

[project86]

Thanks Project86

I Will be looking forward for your impression on fostex.
Guess i will purchase th900 sooner or later

 
I'm covering the TH900 as part of a series at Part Time Audiophile. I wanted to focus on the good sealed headphones out there, because a lot of them aren't so great. The first part should be posting in the next week or so - it covers more affordable models like the M100, Focal Spirit Pro, Mad Dogs, etc. Basically under $400. The next part will take a bit longer and it will be Alpha Dogs, TH600, TH900, and LCD-XC. 
 
The Taurus seems to drive them all really well. I'm still waiting on some of the flagship models to arrive, but I don't anticipate any problems. 

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Taurus mkII + HD800 on the Way.

Anyone tried TH900 With Auralic gear ?

Shouldn't be a problem, driving TH600 just fine. Of course it doesn't sound as great as balanced HD800 but this is hardly because of the amp 

 

[Andrew_WOT]

 

  The only question is chosen wi-fi standard - 802.11ac, really not looking forward to upgrading my laptop and router just for that.

 
 
I'd like to think they have at some fallback built in - at least 802.11n if not 802.11g. No doubt they promote the newest tech, which makes sense. When you see a nice new 802.11ac router advertised, you can bet it still has the older standards on board. Surely AURALiC knows the market saturation for 802.11ac is limited at this point. 

And that's right.
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/auralic-aries-digital-analogue-converter-double-direct-stream-digital-over-wi-fi-18798/index3.html#post285930

802.11ac is the latest WiFi standard that offering 1300Mbps speed, ARIES is also compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n. However, only 802.11ac has been proved that be able to offer smooth playback of super high resolution audio such as DSD128 and DXD without glitch at home environment.

 

[project86]

  And that's right.
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/auralic-aries-digital-analogue-converter-double-direct-stream-digital-over-wi-fi-18798/index3.html#post285930

 
Thanks for that - I figured as much. Wirless N, which is almost ubiquitous by now, should be fine for most situations. I've even streamed DSD64 reliably on my N network. The bitrate on DSD128 and especially DXD is through the roof so I can see where that might be a problem. 

 

[azureaura]

Is this amp no good for a fostex th900 due to it being 25ohm impedance? Would there be hissing, and is there a lo gain mode on the amp?
 
If so, is a shame as this amp looks amazing on paper.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

  Is this amp no good for a fostex th900 due to it being 25ohm impedance? Would there be hissing, and is there a lo gain mode on the amp?
 
If so, is a shame as this amp looks amazing on paper.

???
It can drive anything from pin to bulldozer, why does it need low/high switch for that. Pitch black silent even with the lowest impedance phones.

 

[project86]

  ???
It can drive anything from pin to bulldozer, why does it need low/high switch for that. Pitch black silent even with the lowest impedance phones.

 
Yes, assuming your power situation is good. This thing is particularly sensitive to cables (RF interference etc), ground loop hums, and that kind of thing. You might not know you have a problem until you try something like the Taurus mkII with a high input impedance. 

 

[Andrew_WOT]

 

  ???
It can drive anything from pin to bulldozer, why does it need low/high switch for that. Pitch black silent even with the lowest impedance phones.

 
Yes, assuming your power situation is good. This thing is particularly sensitive to cables (RF interference etc), ground loop hums, and that kind of thing. You might not know you have a problem until you try something like the Taurus mkII with a high input impedance. 

I have never experienced any sort of hum or noise in my home system but seems like you are right on the money with that.
From Taurus MKII Manual Troubleshooting section:
 

 Noise/Hum
 Check the input cables between TAURUS MKII and associated components, making
sure all connections are good and sound.
 Make sure the input cables between the TAURUS MKII and sources component are
not routed near AC cables, power transformers, or other EMI inducing devices.
 Try to use high quality interconnect cable with full ground shield.
 Try to plug TAURUS MKII and associated components with different AC main socket
to avoid ground loop induced hum noise.

 
But as far as any audio equipment goes, this is really not unique.

 

[azureaura]

good to hear, this thing definately has bags of power which should mean tighter sound at normal listening levels.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

  good to hear, this thing definately has bags of power which should mean tighter sound at normal listening levels.

Just to give you some reference, I've just tested it with ATH-CM700Ti, 16Ohm earbuds, not sure if I have anything more sensitive than that.
Comfortable listening level is at 8 o'clock. The volume pot on Taurus is extremely sensitive, butter smooth, and tracks very well, even in that range 6 - 8 o'clock I had absolutely no problems making very fine adjustments, that could have been a problem with DACT attenuators and single gain setting but not with ALPS pot. One more thing, with volume cranked up 100% I couldn't hear any hiss, hum, buzz, or peep out of them, zilch, nada, dead silent.

 

[santacore]

Has anyone heard the Taurus Pre, not the headphone amp? I love my Vega and have yet to find a pre that works well with in my 2 channel rig. I know the headphone version can be used as a pre, but I already have a headphone amp I'm stoked with.

 

[project86]

  Has anyone heard the Taurus Pre, not the headphone amp? I love my Vega and have yet to find a pre that works well with in my 2 channel rig. I know the headphone version can be used as a pre, but I already have a headphone amp I'm stoked with.

 
 
I don't think we've heard much from Taurus Pre users. Seems like a no brainer for running a speaker based setup and using the Vega DAC. You get a bonus headphone section if you didn't already have that (many serious speaker people do not). 

 

[santacore]

I hear ya. Although I don't need another headphone amp, it couldn't hurt.

 
What I really need though is a great preamp that matches well with the Vega and my NCore amps. The Vega direct to amps sounds great, I just don't have enough volume control, unless I go below 60, which is said to loose quality. Unfortunately no other preamp I have tried, including and expensive Audio Research sounds better then the direct signal. I can't help think that the Taurus Pre should be the perfect match, although it's a very expensive gamble.