Review: Yulong A100 headphone amp - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShiroKen 

Just a few questions if I may.

 

I'm trying to quantify the quality gain with the A100 over the D100's own amp.  I know it's hard to put it into words accurately, so I want to ask if the quality gain from D100 to A100 is more noticable than the change in sound quality using the different sound modes on the D100.  That is, I consider the change in sound quality/tone using sound mode 1 and 2 on the D100 to be slight.  Is the change in sound between using the D100 on sound mode 1 and the A100 more prominent than the previous example (I'll be using K701)?  Hope I'm making sense.

 

I was just listening to that combo yesterday:

In my opinion, the different sound mode selections are not really noticable. Sound mode 2 only drops -3 dB at 15kHz and above. There really isn't much musical information up there.

In contrast, using the A100 over the built in amp in the D100 is a much more noticable upgrade. I'm not claiming night and day differences with all music on all headphones.... but the K701 is certainly capable of showing the improvement when listening to well recorded stuff. I was listening to the 24/96 version of Kent Poon's Audiophile Jazz Prologue and switching back and forth between all 4 inputs. The A100 simply had more realism, clarity, and evenness of tone (if that is even a word). The D100 sounded good enough, until switching over to A100. Then going back to D100 sounded a bit muddy and flat.

I tried it with some generic CDs I keep on hand for such tests (Jazz and classical compilations from various labels, low budget releases with mediocre sound quality at best.... good for background music) and the difference was less clear. The A100 excells at capturing the life and space in the recording, and it won't artificially insert something that isn't already there. So depending on what you primarily listen to, the A100 may or may not matter so much.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkl10 

 

project86,

 

Will the Yulong A100 High impedance jack drive the HD600, the K701 or the DT990 to much higher volume than the Yulong D100 relative jack or just slightly higher?

The same holds true for the low impedance jacks?

 

My Yulong D100 is not able to drive my GMP 450 Pro (300 Ohms with almost 600 Ohms peak) to a higher volume than I can tolerate and I'm not sure about the voltage swing of the D100 headphone jacks... I don't think it's a very high value... and I feel the GMP 450 Pro a bit underpowered... not sure...

 

From what I can understand, the Yulong D100 has 20V voltage swing at 300 Ohms correct?

 

Thanks!

I'd have to check more but off the top of my head I'd call it maybe 30% louder at the same settings of the volume dial. More importantly it seems to have more "oomph" at higher volume levels, while the D100 amp can sometimes run out of steam.

I have a new custom Ortho using a Yamaha YH1 driver with crazy damping. This thing is super inefficient, probably in the low 80s. It is also 150 ohm so it doesn't draw out power from most amps in the way a 50 ohm HE-6 would (for example). The D100 can max out and still not give me as much volume as I'd like. The A100 delivers more than enough, and I don't pass 1 or 2 o'clock on the dial.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syan25 

Awesome. I just bought the D100. Now this makes me wanna buy the A100...hmm...decisions - decisions. I also have a pair of Beyer DT-880 (600 ohms) - I haven't even tried to plug them in since I would have thought the amp on the D100 couldn't take it...

I'd try them in the D100 for sure, just to get an idea of what you like and what you don't like from the resulting sound.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShiroKen 

Thanks for the info project86.  I ended up ordering it.  Can't wait.

 

Any suggestions for phono cable?  I don't have any decent ones at all, and I don't want the sound quality to be impaired.  May I ask what you used in your tests?

Cool, definitely let us know what you think.

I'm not a cable believer. Without starting an argument, I've been down that road and wasted a bunch of money on cables, and now just use sensible stuff. I like these:

Impact Acoustics Sonicwave: http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp? cat_id=2004&sku=45427#

Luminous Audio Lynx II: http://www.luminousaudio.com/zcart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1

Monoprice: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021803&p_id=5346&seq=1&format=2

You can also search eBay, Audiogon, and this forum for used cables. Often times you can snag a good 1m brand name interconnect for under $30. All this assumes that you think the way I do and won't feel like you've short changed yourself by not having a fancy $100+ cable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roachbro 

Thanks project86 for this awesome review. I've read a couple of your reviews, and your Yulong D100 was what sparked me to get one, and from the same ebay seller as well. 

 

I'm fairly new to all this I've recently purchased both the Nuforce HDP and the Yulong D100 for office and home listening. I've listened to both sources using my MD5000s and Shures SE530 and I prefer the Yulong way more than the HDP. I would say the HDP is treble is too much for me to handle although this could be due to my MD5000s not being fully burnt in. However, with my Shures iem, the HDP was really giving my ears a lot of faitgue while with the Yulong D100, I can listen hours on end. I would say the Yulong feels more intimate to me.

 

My next move was to get a portable amp. I was waiting on the L3 from Triad Audio. I figured if I had a portable amp, that would a better solution since I can transport it between home and work. That said, the L3 is expensive, I reckon it is going to cost the same or probably more than the current Lisa 3's price, which is 600 bucks. And this is excluding a power adapter. I chose the L3 after reading Skylab's reviews, the warmer signature suits me better over the stepdance.

 

All that said, I'd like to humbly ask you for some advice.

 

1. Would you consider the U100's amp better than the HDP's amp? Considering how I prefer the Yulong D100 to the HDP.

 

2. I'm not sure if you have heard the Lisa 3. Would you consider it a better amp than the A100 when paired with the D100?

 

I am considering selling my HDP and getting the U100 because it is way too bright for me to handle.Although I'm kind of on the fence now, I really like the D100 and who knows I might get another one just for work..

 

Thanks again. 

 

Thanks for the kind words. It's always nice to hear that people agree with me, and I'm not crazy when I find a product to be really nice. Not that everyone needs to agree, since we all hear things differently..... but still.

To answer your questions:

1) The U100 amp is kind of a different animal than the D100 or A100. It's pretty warm and thick, almost more like a tube amp type sound. I haven't heard the HDP but obviously if you found it too bright, you might prefer the U100. It just depends on how much warmth is too much. But if you already own the D100, why do you want the U100? For a seperate location/setup maybe?
 

2) I haven't head the LISA 3 either, but if it is a warmer sound that you are looking for, that might be a better fit for you than the A100. As I said in my review, the A100 has a very flat reference type sound, which does not do any favors for music. It just presents it the way it is recorded, with no added warmth or help whatsoever. This ends up being great for most music, but in a few cases might seem a little dry. The A100 is very similar to the Concerto, and thus might share similarities with the Stepdance as well.

Your idea of getting a portable amp for home and work seems reasonable. I don't have a ton of experience with portables like Skylab does, but my favorite so far is the little known Leckerton UHA-6S. I liked it better than the iBasso D10, and so did several other experienced posters. At $240 it is a great deal, or $220 for the USB only version with no toslink. I couldn't say how well it compares to the LISA though... Skylab has probably heard them both.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegr8brian 

Has anyone had a chance to compare the Yulong A100 to a Burson HA-160. I currently have the Yulong D100 and some HD650's. My goal is to find an amp with trueness and clarity so I'm looking for some feedback between these two for a future purchase. I would also consider the Meier Concerto but it seems as though they are out of production now, so harder to find.

Not a lot of people seem to have the A100, or maybe they just don't post about it.

I've heard the Burson, and liked it a lot, but it is a very different animal compared to the A100. Much warmer and more bass oriented. If you had been considering the Concerto, the A100 is by far closer to that sound than the Burson. All good units though.

When you say you want "trueness and clarity", that to me fits more with the A100 and Concerto type sound. If you had said "warm, smooth, dynamic, maybe analog sounding" I would have recommended the Burson instead.