The Conductor vs. Auralic Taurus
Beyerdynamic T1 Playing Portishead’s It Could Be So Sweet using the Beyerdynamic T1, I find the Taurus to give a more precise and detailed presentation than the Conductor, with more air between instruments, sharper imaging, generally tighter and more controlled. However, it sometimes feels almost too sharp, and this combo never was my favorite, even though it can be spectacular on some records. The Conductor do have a slightly fuller and rounder sound, which have some appeal, however.
Playing some Mahler, the Taurus is digging out significantly more detail. With male singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl, the Conductor feels slightly muted in direct comparison. On Olga Konkova’s “It could be so sweet” (jazz percussion and female vocals) makes the hint of extra warmth that the Conductor offers nice, but still it is a trade off between that extra little hint of smoothness at the cost of the sheer clarity of the Taurus. I find neither of these amps ideal for the T1, but the Conductor cannot match Taurus’s clarity, and offers too little to compensate. I also find the Conductor strangely giving the impression of having to go to its limits driving the 600 ohm load – I had to almost max the volume on the Mahler symphony recording.
Taurus > Conductor
HE500 is one of my favorite cans for the Taurus, and sure enough, moving from the T1 to the HE500 with Taurus is a delicious experience. To my surprise, the Conductor isn’t that far away, quite enjoyable and not different in over-all sound signature. Initially I felt the Conductor was making the HE500 sound a bit strange, but after getting used to it, it felt totally fine. But the the Taurus has the edge – on the edges, so to say. More alive up in the highs, digging deeper in the bass, faster and more intense. Both offers good punch, but the Taurus’ deep end grunt is not matched.
Playing some experimental rock (“Fire!” with Jim O`Rourke) the Taurus again demonstrates its superb authority and clarity, punch and just the right dose of warmth for the HE500. The Conductor is no slouch and is not too far behind, but the difference is significant. With the Emerson String Quartet, the Taurus is sharper, faster and clearer and more lively, but here the Conductor adds some smoothness that has quite some appeal. Still – this round is consistently in favor of the Taurus.
Taurus >> Conductor
HD650 Starting with some strings (Alban Berg Quartet) Taurus is the more lively and clear sounding ampplifier also here. But now the Conductors slight smoothness is quite appealing, making the HD650 more like the “smooth operator” I like it to be. The jazz saxophones of BMX is equally enjoyable, for the same reasons. On the Portishead track, however, the Taurus just is so much clearer without getting dry and edgy, that the Conductor sound slightly less resolved in comparison. Still, the HD650 is a great phone for the Conductor.
Taurus > Conductor
LCD3 A slow jazz track from “The Splendor” reveals that the Taurus is significantly more open and transparent sounding. The Conductor is good, but I remember reading over at 6moons that the Taurus has got a special “dry warmth” – and here it is really obvious how good a description that is. Playing some Smashing Pumpkins, the Conductor is smoother and slower sounding, the Taurus sounds tighter, more aggressive and with better separation. On the noisy and jazzy track from “Fire!” I don’t find the difference that big, actually for some reason enjoying the Conductors presentation more, it has a bit more meaty sound to it. I feel the same way with the Emerson String Quartet – the Conductor is fuller sounding without loosing much on detail and imaging.
Taurus > Conductor
Concluding, the Taurus is more lively and dynamic. It is is more resolved, has more grunt, is faster, and sharper without getting edgy (unless the recording is so, I guess). However, the Conductor is not that far behind, and its slightly smoother nature is often very appealing and sometimes preferable to the Taurus’ rawer sound.
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