Yulong Sabre D18 thread: reviews, impressions, discussion (full review added 2/5) - Page 45

 

Mine was losing connection with a Aqvox.

My D18 arrived on friday in perfect condition. I ordered it during last weekend, so that's an amazingly fast delivery (it comes from hong kong).

 

The very first impression was very similar with my Essence STX. I have the same OpAmp's (AD8620BR) in my STX, as the D18. So i knew it will fit my taste. And it really does :) it has now roughly 18 to 20 hours of use. it's already a different beast than the STX. i'm looking forward the the 100 hour mark, should be astonishing then. it now is already...

 

One thing more to say. I ordered my D18 at GrantFidelity. I got an outstanding customer service, prompt reaction and some nice conversations with Rachel. Again to mention that blazing fast delivery with NO shipping costs from Hon Kong to Switzerland. That's what i call a truely great customer experience.

 

So i highly recommend GrantFidelity to all of you, you won't be disappointed!

Edited by Houbi - 12/15/12 at 6:35am

I dont need to create new thread, How good will Yulong Sabre A18 amp, Yulong Sabre D18 Dac combo with Hifiman HE -500? maybe someone have this rig ? 

Project 86 or anyone else:

 

I'm looking to pull the trigger on the D18 and A18 soon.  What type of XLR cables are you using, or would you recommend, to connect the D18 to the A18?  (Under $100 please)

...for those looking for a good USB/SPDIF Converter for the Yulong D18, take a closer look to the SOtM Products!

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/556029/sotm-dx-usb-hd-asynchronous-usb-to-s-pdif-converter/15#post_8976067

Answered my own question with a thread search.  Sorry for the clutter.

Is this praise on computeraudiophile.com by any chance? I think sotm sponsor that forum. I would avoid their pci usb controller though as Ii found it added midbass bloom and reduced focus and soundstage, others I have spoken to who have tried the card alone have found similar results. Maybe it performs better on the Aurailiti but I don't have one to compare. I have not tried their ddc, but pay attention to who is reviewing it and where/what against.

I would avoid the vaunix, it uses a switching regulator and doesn't specify how much ripple it produces. Make sure to look at computer power settings in control panel - advanced settings and turn all power saving features off esp usb power off, hard drive power off etc. sorry if you have already tried this.
Edited by drez - 12/20/12 at 12:57pm

 

Are you talking about the tX-USBexp?  If so, isn't this the card Chris is suggesting to use in the C.A.P.S v3? 

 

 

Yes thats the one, Im not a fan of it. Maybe it sounds better on the auraliti and CAPS v3 but i don't have either of those to be able to compare.

How did you narrow it down to the card?

When I had the USB card installed, I plugged my transport into the TX-USB, and then compared to the motherboard onboard USB ports.  Motherboard USB ports sounded better.  I tried external power supply but this did not fix the problem.  IRQ of USB ports cannot be changed in Windows 7/8 so that's about all you can do.  Of course you can try one if you really want to but I wouldn't go the the expense

OK gotcha

i cannot say anything about their USB Card. but for me, the DDC and it's PSU were worth every penny. i hate to say it, but the difference is much more than the Yulong DAC made. it's not a tonal change, the sound get's so perfectly timed, it has a perfect flow. the stage get's bigger, there is more 3-dimensional effect. it get's much towards "real" sound. the yound the Yulong produces with the SOtM DDC/PSU get's really "magic"!

 

no praise on computeraudiophile.com here, don't worry.

Edited by Houbi - 12/21/12 at 4:29am

I have had my Yulong Sabre D18 for going on two months now and while I love the rich detail and authority of the sound, I cannot get used to the muffled upper midrange.  There is no air in the sound.  Admittedly, XLR out is a bit better than RCA, but honestly it's as if Yulong tried to drive all the air out of the upper registers. The treble extension is there, but it is muffled, recessed.  Very frustrating.  It is beginning to depress me.  I've started looking for brighter-sounding speaker cables.  Yes, I know this is a forum for headphone users, but nowhere on the Internet is the D18 discussed as thoroughly as in this thread. Does anyone have any advice?  My amp is a Marantz PM 7004 and my speakers are Mordaunt-Short Mezzo 6.  My current cables are Van Den Hul CS-122, which are kinder to the upper registers than some other Van Den Huls.