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zida said:

I'm hoping here that I might be able to get Skylab to once again weigh in on the D100's ability to drive some tougher cans. This time the HE-6? If I were to buy the HE-6 (and like them) it would probably be my rig for a long while. I wouldn't really be interested in upgrading my amp, otherwise I'd more likely be putting my money towards a stax rig.

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The D100 is not up to the task of driving the HE-6 to anywhere near their full potential.

Well that settles that, then. Thanks for the brutal honesty! You probably saved me some disappointment in testing out (purchasing) the HE-6. So I guess they really do need a speaker amp then, eh?

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project86 said:

Regarding the K240DF: I really enjoy the sound it gives and I find it to be a great value, but it certainly isn't for everyone. There isn't enough clarity and impact in the bass department for it to be completely lifelike, and for some people it won't be very enjoyable because of that. But I guess that is similar to the K701. Also with the DF there isn't a huge expansive soundstage or pinpoint imaging like a high end headphone can give you. Lastly, I've had some friends find it uncomfortable (for me it is fine). Personally I'd place it just one notch below the K702 and the HD600. Which still makes it a great buy since it can be found cheap.
 
I have yet to hear any of the German Maestro products. I used to have some of the mid-priced older MB Quart stuff and found them good for the price, with a unique sound signature, so I'd love to try the GMP stuff one of these days.

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You pointed there very critical things for me: bass resolution, spacial resolution, confort/fit issues.
You didn't get to comment on the synergy between the Yulong D100 and the K240 DF... well if the D100 drives reasonably well the K701, it also drives the K240 DF, right?
 
The German Maestro GMP 450 Pro is probably going to be my choice to pair with my Yulong D100. I may even get to buy the AKG K240 DF after the GMP 450 Pro, if I find it cheap enough!
But, right now, nothing will deter me from getting the German Maestro... for 180 Euros (in my country), it's already a good value, for the accurate sound it is said to deliver.
 
Hope you get to review some GMP cans some time, those definitely seem to be really good and worthy of being a subject of your reviews.
 
Thanks a lot for your attention, project86!
 

Quote:

zida said:

Well that settles that, then. Thanks for the brutal honesty! You probably saved me some disappointment in testing out (purchasing) the HE-6. So I guess they really do need a speaker amp then, eh?

Click to expand...

They need more than what the D100 can deliver.  The D100 is a very good DAC, but the headphone out is only so-so, IMO.

They don't really need a speaker amp, just a headphone amp that delivers enough current.
 
Quote:

zida said:

Well that settles that, then. Thanks for the brutal honesty! You probably saved me some disappointment in testing out (purchasing) the HE-6. So I guess they really do need a speaker amp then, eh?

Click to expand...

Thanks you guys. I normally like to read through threads to find answers for myself rather than ask common questions, but now and again when I find a pair of headphones available locally I get tempted and grab some very quick info on them.
 
I know I have friends with old hifi receivers sitting around. I'm going to try looking them up to see if they should be decent quality and maybe then I'll get to "try out" the HE-6 

can't wait to see the review of Yulong A100, i decided on getting the D100 and now just have to see how the A100 compares to matrix m-stage.

Hey y'all,
 
In need of a good DAC and after reading the glowing reviews in this thread, I recently purchased a D100 from eBay seller wsz0304. I received the unit a few days ago.
 
For the most part, I am very happy with the purchase. I am using it with the USB connection on my laptop to feed a Matrix M-Stage into HD580 and K701 phones right now. I have been running it often since I received it and I have a few impressions and questions.
 
The DAC section is pretty impressive. I think it is noticeably better than my iBasso D4. Of course, I have been playing 24/96 recordings as well as the usual Redbook Audio stuff. It is a very clean sounding DAC when heard through the M-Stage. The difference is when I listen through the on-board amp in the D100. The D100 amp section (through both phone ports) is slightly grainier and noticeably thinner sounding than the M-Stage. I would say the amp section is still fairly decent but not as "meaty" or full-sounding as my Matrix amp. This differs from some others' impressions in this thread regarding the close similarities of the sound between the D100 amp section and the M-Stage. I should mention that I have the OPA627AP with Class A biasing mod installed in my M-Stage which may account for the differences as well.
 
Also, I noticed when I received the package that I could hear a distinct rattle inside the case of my D100. At first, I thought a capacitor or transistor had broken off or come loose during shipping and wondered if this might be the cause of the sonic "thinness." Today, I found my allen key set and opened the cover to investigate. The rattle was there but I could not spot any visible loose pieces inside the case. Instead, by sound and feel of the rattle, I believe I've localized it to the small plastic enclosure inside the case where the power cord attaches.
 
My question is: do you think whatever is causing the rattle is affecting the performance of my unit? The unit performs admirably as a DAC which was my primary reason for getting it but I would be bummed if the amp section is less than what it could be. Also, is the rattle something I should be worried about in terms of future reliability? I don't relish the thought of dealing with returning and international shipping (especially if there is nothing substantially wrong with the unit) but I don't want to end up with a failing bricked box a few months from now.
 
Anyway, I love the DAC a lot and I am having a blast listening to 24/96 rips of vinyl recordings through it. I can't wait for my Woo Audio 2 to arrive so I can hear that through the D100. In fact, I am loving the high res recordings so much that I just ordered an Audinst HUD-mx1 to replace my iBasso D4 so I can listen to 24/96 on the go with my portable setup.

Quote:

igotnojob said:

Hey y'all,
 
In need of a good DAC and after reading the glowing reviews in this thread, I recently purchased a D100 from eBay seller wsz0304. I received the unit a few days ago.
 
For the most part, I am very happy with the purchase. I am using it with the USB connection on my laptop to feed a Matrix M-Stage into HD580 and K701 phones right now. I have been running it often since I received it and I have a few impressions and questions.
 
The DAC section is pretty impressive. I think it is noticeably better than my iBasso D4. Of course, I have been playing 24/96 recordings as well as the usual Redbook Audio stuff. It is a very clean sounding DAC when heard through the M-Stage. The difference is when I listen through the on-board amp in the D100. The D100 amp section (through both phone ports) is slightly grainier and noticeably thinner sounding than the M-Stage. I would say the amp section is still fairly decent but not as "meaty" or full-sounding as my Matrix amp. This differs from some others' impressions in this thread regarding the close similarities of the sound between the D100 amp section and the M-Stage. I should mention that I have the OPA627AP with Class A biasing mod installed in my M-Stage which may account for the differences as well.
 
Also, I noticed when I received the package that I could hear a distinct rattle inside the case of my D100. At first, I thought a capacitor or transistor had broken off or come loose during shipping and wondered if this might be the cause of the sonic "thinness." Today, I found my allen key set and opened the cover to investigate. The rattle was there but I could not spot any visible loose pieces inside the case. Instead, by sound and feel of the rattle, I believe I've localized it to the small plastic enclosure inside the case where the power cord attaches.
 
My question is: do you think whatever is causing the rattle is affecting the performance of my unit? The unit performs admirably as a DAC which was my primary reason for getting it but I would be bummed if the amp section is less than what it could be. Also, is the rattle something I should be worried about in terms of future reliability? I don't relish the thought of dealing with returning and international shipping (especially if there is nothing substantially wrong with the unit) but I don't want to end up with a failing bricked box a few months from now.
 
Anyway, I love the DAC a lot and I am having a blast listening to 24/96 rips of vinyl recordings through it. I can't wait for my Woo Audio 2 to arrive so I can hear that through the D100. In fact, I am loving the high res recordings so much that I just ordered an Audinst HUD-mx1 to replace my iBasso D4 so I can listen to 24/96 on the go with my portable setup.

Click to expand...

Can you clarify a little? Is it possible it is a wire that is rattling against the side of the enclosure or something like that? Or is it comming from inside that little plastic piece?
 

It is not a wire from inside the case. The rattle persists even when the cover is off. The rattle sounds like it is coming from inside the little plastic enclosure attached to the inside of the case area where the power cord attaches. It does not sound like a loose wire but more like a small loose pebble instead. It only makes the sound when I turn the unit upside down. I haven't tried shaking it vigorously.
 
I just noticed that on page 14 of the owner's manual it reads (under part #14):
"Fused Power socket. There is a spare fuse in it that can be used when necessary"
 
Do you think it might be the spare fuse that is rolling around in there? Does your unit make a rattling noise when you turn it end for end?

Nice review project86. I'm thinking about setting up a headphone rig over the next couple months and thus begins the research. The source is where I'm going to start and the D100 looks like a good place to start.
 
I do have a question about the amplifier performance. It seems that with the harder to drive headphones the D100 isn't quite as good. When using something such as your DT990 how much of a difference would  you say is the internal amp compared to your Matrix M-Stage? I think I'll end up with a DT880/600 and then probably some easy to drive headphones and a Grado of some kind. Am I correct in assuming that those easier to drive headphone can reach a much higher potential of the headphone than say your DT990/600?
 
Just curious but from your estimate how much would one have to spend on an amp to get a good enough difference when compared to the internal amp.

Quote:

igotnojob said:

It is not a wire from inside the case. The rattle persists even when the cover is off. The rattle sounds like it is coming from inside the little plastic enclosure attached to the inside of the case area where the power cord attaches. It does not sound like a loose wire but more like a small loose pebble instead. It only makes the sound when I turn the unit upside down. I haven't tried shaking it vigorously.
 
I just noticed that on page 14 of the owner's manual it reads (under part #14):
"Fused Power socket. There is a spare fuse in it that can be used when necessary"
 
Do you think it might be the spare fuse that is rolling around in there? Does your unit make a rattling noise when you turn it end for end?

Click to expand...

I should have thought of that.... I bet that's what it is. I'll check mine when I get home later and see if it does the same thing. I assume there must be a way of opening it to access the spare fuse, so you might try taking that out and see if the problem persists.
 
 


Quote:

rawrster said:

Nice review project86. I'm thinking about setting up a headphone rig over the next couple months and thus begins the research. The source is where I'm going to start and the D100 looks like a good place to start.
 
I do have a question about the amplifier performance. It seems that with the harder to drive headphones the D100 isn't quite as good. When using something such as your DT990 how much of a difference would  you say is the internal amp compared to your Matrix M-Stage? I think I'll end up with a DT880/600 and then probably some easy to drive headphones and a Grado of some kind. Am I correct in assuming that those easier to drive headphone can reach a much higher potential of the headphone than say your DT990/600?
 
Just curious but from your estimate how much would one have to spend on an amp to get a good enough difference when compared to the internal amp.

Click to expand...

Hi Rawster, thanks for the comments. The D100 is an excellent piece to build a system around. As far as the built in amp: it is difficult to say how much better the M-Stage is, because it varies when using different headphones. The D100 amp does really well with my Grados, Kenwood K1000, AT W5000, Fischer FA-003, and IEMs in general. Finding a difference there is a matter of carefully examining some of my best recordings. With others like the HD800 or DT990/600 the M-Stage starts pulling ahead pretty clearly.
 
I'd estimate you have to spend at least $250 to find a decent improvement over the internal amp, but again it depends on your headphones. That would be an M-Stage, or maybe a Gilmore Lite. To add more confusion, Yulong has their own "matching"  amp called the A100. It matches in appearance but is single ended only so doesn't completely match in function. Still I'm really enjoying it and finding it to be an improvement over my stock M-Stage. Plus I love the exterior design:
 

 

Quote:

igotnojob said:

My question is: do you think whatever is causing the rattle is affecting the performance of my unit? The unit performs admirably as a DAC which was my primary reason for getting it but I would be bummed if the amp section is less than what it could be. Also, is the rattle something I should be worried about in terms of future reliability? I don't relish the thought of dealing with returning and international shipping (especially if there is nothing substantially wrong with the unit) but I don't want to end up with a failing bricked box a few months from now.
 
 

Click to expand...

My Yulong D100 makes the same rattling noise near the power cord attachment but has been working without fault... I'm on the same dilemma.
By the sound I can tell that it's a metalic object that's somewhat loose inside there and making the noise...
I'm not really into opening my unit yet but I want to believe that it's the spare fure...
 
A minor complain that I have with my unit is the volume pot:
It doesn't feel smooth when I turn it. Instead it feels rough on most areas across it's range where I barely feel the clicks. It's noisy to...
It feels and sounds as if it's dragging through a rough surface.
With my IEMs the low volume channel imbalance in the first three clicks turns into a channel balanced output of medium low volume at the fourth click... I can't hear music at my low volume sweet spot. That's the only real issue i have with my unit.
I don't know if this is normal since this is my first Dac/Amp...
 
I bought mine from Audiophilechina.

Thanks for the reply project86. I think in a couple of months I'll be ready to invest in a headphone rig and then I'll get the D100 and then work on getting a separate amp if I ever decide that I want one. I'd rather have an all in one unit that a separate dac and amp unit.

Quote:

project86 said:

Quote:

igotnojob said:

It is not a wire from inside the case. The rattle persists even when the cover is off. The rattle sounds like it is coming from inside the little plastic enclosure attached to the inside of the case area where the power cord attaches. It does not sound like a loose wire but more like a small loose pebble instead. It only makes the sound when I turn the unit upside down. I haven't tried shaking it vigorously.
 
I just noticed that on page 14 of the owner's manual it reads (under part #14):
"Fused Power socket. There is a spare fuse in it that can be used when necessary"
 
Do you think it might be the spare fuse that is rolling around in there? Does your unit make a rattling noise when you turn it end for end?

Click to expand...

I should have thought of that.... I bet that's what it is. I'll check mine when I get home later and see if it does the same thing. I assume there must be a way of opening it to access the spare fuse, so you might try taking that out and see if the problem persists.

Click to expand...

Thanks, project86. I'm gonna trust that it's the spare fuse for now and try not to worry about it anymore. Besides, the unit seems fully functional even though the amp does sound thinner compared to my modded M-Stage through my setup. And thanks for your excellent and detailed reviews and taking your time to answer follow-up questions. It's hard for some of us to shell out $500 for a piece of kit from another continent that we can't listen to first-hand prior to ordering. The level of detail and the helpful comparisons in your reviews have been an enormous help in gauging whether the component will meet expectations. I am very happy with my D100 thus far and, based on another one of your reviews, I determined that the Audinst HUD-mx1 would be perfect to decode 96/24 recordings for my on-the-go setup. I am patiently waiting for that one now. Count me in as one more who is eagerly anticipating your full impressions of the A100 amp and U100 DAC.
 
Quote:

kkl10 said:

My Yulong D100 makes the same rattling noise near the power cord attachment but has been working without fault... I'm on the same dilemma.
By the sound I can tell that it's a metalic object that's somewhat loose inside there and making the noise...
I'm not really into opening my unit yet but I want to believe that it's the spare fure...
 
A minor complain that I have with my unit is the volume pot:
It doesn't feel smooth when I turn it. Instead it feels rough on most areas across it's range where I barely feel the clicks. It's noisy to...
It feels and sounds as if it's dragging through a rough surface.
With my IEMs the low volume channel imbalance in the first three clicks turns into a channel balanced output of medium low volume at the fourth click... I can't hear music at my low volume sweet spot. That's the only real issue i have with my unit.
I don't know if this is normal since this is my first Dac/Amp...
 
I bought mine from Audiophilechina.

Click to expand...

I haven't checked the onboard D100 amp yet for channel imbalance with my sensitive IEMs yet but that is something that bothers me in some amps. I do a lot of low-volume listening and I hate that I can't get a balanced signal unless I crank up the volume pot. For example, with my Hifi-Man EF2A DAC/Amp, I can't get a balanced signal until the volume is past normal listening volume (but I think the EF2A gain is just too high regardless). I mainly use my Matrix amp connected to the D100 and low-channel imbalance hasn't been a terrible problem for me but I will check the D100 amp.
 
I have the exact same issue as you regarding the volume pot on the D100. Turning it feels rough as if metal is rubbing against metal. The roughness is worse at the ends of the volume settings than at the middle as if the pot isn't perfectly aligned. Also, the detentes are not a positive click step but, instead, feel a bit mushy. So far, I haven't found this rough tactile feeling to affect the sound but I wish the pot action was smoother. I feel like squirting a few drops of Breakfree in there to see if I can smooth it out but I don't want to damage anything.