Sorry, should have been marked as SOLD

After comparing the U18 on the Auralic Aries G1 and old Aries Femto, the G1 is still superior. The U18 is an awesome piece of gear, but a great source is still a great source. (Full disclosure- I sold the G1 to free up funds, but am hoping my ears stop missing it) To the folks who recommended...

New U18 owner here. After burning it in for 3 weeks while on vacation, this thing is legit! My I2S DDC experiences thus far have been with the Matrix XSPDIF2 and the Douk U2 pro TCXO version (both were powered by LPS). I've been using the U18 with my Auralic ARIES G1 streamer but will be...

You can cycle through to find the right 384 pcm setting. DSD is reversed.

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/mcintosh-mha200 What Hi-Fi is far from my favorite review source, but nice to see another glowing review out there. Agree on the volume knob but I don’t think the MHA200 is slow - perhaps with the stock input tubes / power cord in the review sample?

I came across this today - Leaf Audio CMD-17 - w/ the options of upgraded clocks - valid alternative to the Douk since the upgraded versions are sold out? Edit - cheaper link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003276907662.html

Have you tried the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter with power going to the iPad?

Same here. No problems with EH Gold 12BH7's. I've had Mullard CV4024's and NOS RCA Blackplates in the 12AT7 spots, both reliable and sound excellent.

The difference is very slight with NOS/OS. Try focusing on the leading/trailing edges of notes. To me, the OS is more defined/abrupt and a hair brighter (I prefer the NOS setting).

Damn. Can’t trust those basic Mc/JJ tubes.

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I was a little surprised too, but the dealer's staff are old friends and hook me up all the time, so I didn't want to press the issue.

Had the same issue here but it developed a few weeks after getting the amp. Dealer sent the tubes back to Mc and offered me a credit to offset buying the EH Gold tubes. FWIW, Mc claimed they couldn't find an issue with the tubes, but the EH Golds have been great going on 4.5 months now.

I’m glad you’re enjoying it!

If anyone is looking for a cheap LPS solution for this thing, I have been using the Topping P50 (with a DIY USB to DC Gotham cable) with very good results. For extra cheap, a power bank battery also works pretty well (though I prefer the Topping LPS by a slight margin).