Rello,
You can tell the difference by looking at the male contacts on the original Taipan. The more recent version has the silver/rhodium plated blades, while the older version has just brass contacts on the male end.
The more recent iteration uses a much higher grade copper for its conductors as well, which accounted for the more neutral, less forward presentation. I highly recommend the more recent of the two cords, as the original had more of an overt "forward" signature due to the silver plated copper conductors.
Sorry, I forgot to mention my affiliation in my prior post.
Rgds,
Grant Samuelsen
Mktg/Sales Director
Shunyata Research