[DarKu]

   
hi. any suggestions on balanced aftermarket cable for hd650 + taurus mkii?

There are tons of aftermarket cables for HD650, few years ago I owned HD650 too and at that time I have used Cardas cables and Zu Mobius MK2 (I believe this one is out of production now, not sure).
If you want good quality for a reasonable price, go for Norne cables: http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/
Shoot Trevor an email, he is a nice guy.
I prefer pure copper wires for my headphones (PC-OCC), but for HD650 pure silver wires should work better, HD650 already has great bass and mid bloom, it needs a little bit of air, some sparkle on top and some punch&speed that pure silver provides.

 

[santacore]

   
hi. any suggestions on balanced aftermarket cable for hd650 + taurus mkii?

I really love the WyWires cables, and if they make one for the HD650, it would be a fantastic match.

 

[sandab]

Hi guys... I'm planning to audition the Taurus mk2 with my LCD-3F and Yulong D18 DAC.  I currently have a Silver Dragon V3 single-ended cable for the LCD-3's and like the slight brightening and clarity it brings.  The Auralic dealer is also a Nordost dealer, so I'll audition headphone cables and interconnects while at it.  Is there anything I should be aware of, or pay special attention to when it comes to pairing?  Any particular must-try special combinations?
 
Is there a significant difference between the Taurus HP amp and the pre amp used as a HP amp?

 

[project86]

Taurus Pre is very much more focused on the preamp side of things, with the headphone amp being something of an added value. Which is sort of the opposite of the Taurus mkII. I haven't heard the Pre but since they are similar in price I'd definitely go for the regular Taurus mkII if headphones were the priority. 

 

[ardilla]

Auralic was quoted somewhere that the PRE is a bit brighter. This is because it is meant to perform optimally as a pre-amplifier for speakers, and since speakers are situated further from the ear ( with the following loss of high frequencies when the sound travels those extra meters to the ear) that is the way it should be. So the PRE is for people who prioritize speakers and/or want a brighter amp[size=12.8000001907349px]. I haven't heard the PRE , though. Haven't tried out the Taurus as a pre either.[/size] But I feel the Taurus doesn't need to be much brighter as a headphone amp. 
 
One thing the PRE has got (in addition to a remote and added inputs) is the ability to mute the pre-out or headphones with a switch. With the Taurus, all outputs play all the time, so you have to switch off your power amp and/or unplug your headphones
 

 

[sandab]

Good info... Sounds like the pre isn't as interesting to me. 

 

[TonyNewman]

There are a number of articles out on the web of folks using headphone amps as pre-amps for floorstanding speakers with excellent results. A mild attenuation in the treble is a sound that might appeal to many - depends on what you like.
 
I am currently using my WA5 headphone amp to drive my floorstanders and I like the sound very much. If there is any attenuation in the treble I can't hear it when A/B testing against my LCD-X driven by the Taurus Mk2.
 
If I ever step up to a power amp to drive beefier/better floorstanders I will be using my Taurus Mk2 headphone amp as the pre-amp.
 
There is a review out there of someone doing exactly this with the Auralic Merak monobloc power amps, with a Taurus Mk2 headphone amp as the pre-amp - and loving it. If I can find it I will post a link.

 

[project86]

Yeah I'd probably sooner use my Taurus mkII as a preamp then go the other way around with the Taurus Pre as a headphone amp. I'm sure it's pretty decent but realistically if headphones are the priority go with the dedicated headphone amp.

 

[Lavakugel]

Just bought a used Auralic Taurus MKII. It will replace my mjolnir. I hope it will match with the gugnir for a while before I can buy the vega

 

[Lavakugel]

Listening to my new setup. Auralic Taurus MKII with Schiit Gungnir. Listened for a year with the mjolnir and i'm thinking the auralic is quite an upgrade over the mojo. It's more realaxing, better separated and really clear sounding. The mojo was to offensive for my taste but still a "really" good amp for its price.

 

[Byrnie]

  Listening to my new setup. Auralic Taurus MKII with Schiit Gungnir. Listened for a year with the mjolnir and i'm thinking the auralic is quite an upgrade over the mojo. It's more realaxing, better separated and really clear sounding. The mojo was to offensive for my taste but still a "really" good amp for its price.

Great to hear!  I'm currently saving up for the same setup.

 

[Lavakugel]

I read so many reviews and I think it's end game for me because I don't want to spend more money or wait 12 months (gsx-mkii). First I tought about schiit ragnarok and yaggi but they are too big for me.

 

[Byrnie]

I read so many reviews and I think it's end game for me because I don't want to spend more money or wait 12 months (gsx-mkii). First I tought about schiit ragnarok and yaggi but they are too big for me.

Yea I was considering the GS-X, Rag, and Master 9 at one point. I did like the GS-X but I enjoyed the Taurus more. I had the Taurus on loan for a couple weeks and loved it while hooked up to my Bifrost Uber. I haven't heard the Rag but I did hear that the balanced mode on it is far better than SE so that knocked it off my list given I don't have any balanced cans currently. The instrument detail/articulation and separation, on the Taurus, were very appealing to my ears.

 

[TonyNewman]

Yea I was considering the GS-X, Rag, and Master 9 at one point. I did like the GS-X but I enjoyed the Taurus more. I had the Taurus on loan for a couple weeks and loved it while hooked up to my Bifrost Uber. I haven't heard the Rag but I did hear that the balanced mode on it is far better than SE so that knocked it off my list given I don't have any balanced cans currently. The instrument detail/articulation and separation, on the Taurus, were very appealing to my ears.

 
I like the mild warmth it gives. Very subtle and not intrusive to the music, but it is there.
 
It took mine quite a long burn in to settle down (150+ hours), but now I am really enjoying it paired with the Vega. Great amp for the money.
 
Interesting that you prefer the Taurus over the GS-X, given that the GS-X is about a grand more. Is there anything specific in the sound that you remember that pushed you towards the Taurus?

 

[Byrnie]

Interesting that you prefer the Taurus over the GS-X, given that the GS-X is about a grand more. Is there anything specific in the sound that you remember that pushed you towards the Taurus?

I felt the Taurus was a tad livelier.