keanex
Keeper of The All-New Headphone Buyer's Guide
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- Feb 17, 2010
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Pros: Great clarity, channel separation is fantastic, punchy bass and clean throughout, ability to use the D200 as a DAC only or as a pre-amp, balanced and RCA output, built very well, lightweight and low heat output.
Cons: Limited max power output.
Cost at Time of Review: $700
Reviewing Process
I spent approximately 40 hours with the D200 before commenting on its sound and used a variety of headphones with it. I feel that I am capable of commenting on its sound but I always encourage others to demo products when possible and check other reviews otherwise.Headphones used: Sennheiser HD800, Sennheiser HD600, Audio Technica A900, Audio Technica A900x, Skullcandy Aviator and Audio Technica Ad2000.
Build Quality & Features
BuildThe D200 is built sturdily with a two toned metal chasis surrounding the innards that feels light in the hand and only puts out a mild amount of heat. On the front the potentiometer is a stepped attenuator moving in 1dB increments until 20dB when it switches to 0.5dB increment, no static is heard when adjusting the knob. The front LED screen comes off a bit sluggish and looks cheap when compared side-by-side to the Oppo HA-1’s screen, though I can’t think of another amplifier or DAC unit with a screen as fluid as the Oppo’s. All in all the D200 feels like it’s built well from front to back, at the very least nothing feels loose or looks shoddy immediately.
The D200 features XLR or RCA out which allows the unit to function solely as a DAC. The unit also features a Filter and Jitter button, but I haven’t heard an audible difference when toggled.
Sound Quality
Preface
I used the D200 with a variety of headphones from the Audio Technica A900x to the Sennheiser HD800. The unit is capable of powering the HD800 to louder than necessary levels, though I think that it would struggle with some very inefficient planars. There’s slight noise when listening through sensitive low impedance headphones, but it’s very subtle and doesn’t distract from the listening experience.
Sound Quality
I’ve had the D200 for a bit over a month and during this time thrown a lot of headphones its way and over that time I’ve come to a few conclusions. The D200 adds slight coloration in the lows and highs, coming off just slightly v-shaped. The nature of coloration adds liveliness to a track and brings life to a dull sounding headphone, though simultaneously it can push an almost sibilant headphone into mild sibilance. The coloration isn’t huge, but I find that it adds to the overall liveliness of the music leaving the D200. Outside of the coloration I find that the D200 offers a high-end experience otherwise. No signs of sluggishness, distortion or channel imbalance that I can hear in any headphone. What I get is a mildly v-shaped clean signal from the D200 and I appreciate that. I find myself very happy with the D200 with all of my headphones in terms of output power and sound quality.
When compared to the Oppo HA-1 I feel that they both lean a tad bright, while the HA-1 sounds linear in the bass reproduction and the D200 adds slight umph to the lower end. After I felt properly acquainted to the sound of both units I did some sighted AB testing with a variety of headphones. As I went back and forth I kept coming to the conclusion that the D200 sounded more refined, more spacious and more energetic. I had never noticed grain through the HA-1 until I did a side by side comparison with the D200, I admit that I was surprised at this conclusion as well. The HA-1 sounds more neutral than the D200, but that’s the only thing I can find in favor of the HA-1 when comparing the sound alone.
Conclusion
The Yulong D200 is a compact amplifier & DAC unit that provides a lively, clean and spacious sound that works well with high and low impedance headphones alike. In addition to the enjoyable sound quality of the D200 I enjoy the compact size, modern aesthetics and low heat output that it provides. The D200 isn’t perfect, I would love to see an updated version with more power and a more responsive screen, but at $700 I feel that it is a better value than the Oppo HA-1.Should you buy the D200? Well if you're looking for an amplifier with a high power output then probably not and if you prefer a completely neutral sound then this may not be your cup of tea. You should look to the D200 if you want a compact DAC & amplifier combination that adds some liveliness and energy to the music, this is a musical unit and I enjoy it.
