[Lyra5]

Finally i got a tracking number which says it was shipped at 25.10.2013. Seems like it will be delivered by DHL and the seller did somehow react to my many mails begging him to send it with DHL and not EMS. And cause of that its already at the customs in my country now.
 
Can anyone tell me how i can check without destroying the DAC if it is a 220V or 110V unit? Cause the seller doesnt respond to any mails.
 
I will post pics and do a review / comparison to the M-DAC and another sabre DAC i got if the unit will work.

 

[Lyra5]

Can someone help me please? The seller is not answering if 110V or 240V unit and trying it out could be dangerous.
Will i be able to see it on the Transformators inside or is there no way to see what Voltage Input it Needs?

 

[zenki14]

I can't give an educated answer, but the safe way to go is buy or borrow a 100-110V step down transformer and plug it in that first.  If the unit is 100-110V then it will power up normally.  If the unit is 240V then it will not power up and no harm done.  You can also call a local electrician for assistance.
 
Just looking at the photos of the rear, I think possibly the voltage might be selectable by the position of the fuse.  Can you check out the label above the power switch and under the power cable socket.  If my guess is correct, you should be able to see if it's set to 240V or 110V.  If it's set to 110V, you should be able to pop out the fuse (with a minus screw driver) and turn it upside down, put it back in place again and it will make it 240V.  I used to have a matrix quattro amp that was able to switch like that, and the label looks similar.  If it set to 240V then you don't have to touch it.
 
edit: if that doesn't work (or if you don't understand what I'm saying), you can also take the risk and just plug in 240V.  If the unit is 110V then the worst case is just blowing the fuse inside.  You can replace the fuse and it will work again, but in that case you need to get a step down transformer.  In case you don't know what a step down transformer is, please google or search for one at your local electronics store.

 

[tomscy2000]

Power in China is 220V, while it's 110V in Taiwan. It should be selectable. There's a fuse box right under the power cord connector.
 
It's a shame Valab hasn't responded to communication. I thought they'd be a safe seller because many other users have bought their NOS DACs over the years, and have also bought their CF 3.5/6.3/RCA plugs over the years as well...

 

[Lyra5]

Thank you zenki14 and tomscy2000 i think if the label above the power button says "use only with 250V fuse" it is for Europe. If it says "use only with 110V fuse" it is for Taiwan and will blow up if i connect it to my plugs.
 
Voltage Transformers (step up/down) cost from 7 Euro to 400 Euro and i dont know which would be needed. But even if i knew which would work i wont use it cause it shall be not too good for high end audio applications. And an electrician to rewire it is very expensive here.
 
I just ran into another problem. The item got delivered today but since it wasnt DHL Express he sent it BUT Post Express (trackable by DHL) they cant do the customs thing by themself and delivered it to them instead to me. After calling 3 of my local customs no one has the packet yet but they told me it can take quite some time before they contact me and start the process of evaluating the fees for this item...
 
They said 5 days till i get further notifications about what happens next. I hope this is a joke.
 
edit: Ok its no joke... I talked with the specific hotline for EMS to DE Post Express national and they said it can in fact take a few weeks if it will be processed by the customs cause its from Taiwan or China and DE Post Express dont do that for packages of EMS.

 

[Lyra5]

...

 

[PRw0]

I have this DAC. To check/change the mains voltage you must remove the top cover. There are 4 Allen bolts that need to be removed, 2 on the side 2 on the back.
 
Warning you need imperial allen key - the nearest metric size will spin in the bolthead and damage it making it harder to remove.
 
Once you get inside you can see two slide switches between the transformers. The voltages are marked on the PCB silk-screen. On my unit they need to be set toward the front panel.
 
Peter.

 

[PRw0]

>> On my unit they need to be set toward the front panel.
 
Forgot to mention - this is for 230V
 
Peter

 

[WNBC]

I wonder where they got the design idea from?  Same chip too.
 
Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2
 

 
DAC-X10

 

[PRw0]

The front panel styling is one area that I prefer the look of the older Valab DAC.
 
 
 
Peter

 

[schuetz]

I have this DAC.

May you tell us how it sounds Peter ?

 

[PRw0]

Not tried it with HD source yet, maybe this weekend. 
 
With CD it does not reveal any more of the source than my old Marantz CD94 (used as the transport), Balance-wise It has a slightly more prominent and better focussed bass and lacks the pleasant midrange sheen(grain?) added by the CD94. I find both to be on the warm side. In practice I cannot tell the difference and could be listening to one when actually the other is playing. Sometimes when switching I believe I hear the image flatten and recede on the 94.
 
Peter.

 

[Lyra5]

There are more sellers on ebay for this Dac now. Minishow0328 and Forexman both without negative feedback. From minishow0328 i know they do really care and help you when problems occur or answer questions fast and accurate. It also seems vintage audio lab photoshoped a bit to let it look like their exclusive product because the design team name is gustard audio and is next to the frontal dac x10 label to be found.
 
Im still trying to get my money back cause i was so stupid to buy from vintage where 52 others also got scammed...

 

[zenki14]

  There are more sellers on ebay for this Dac now. Minishow0328 and Forexman both without negative feedback. From minishow0328 i know they do really care and help you when problems occur or answer questions fast and accurate. It also seems vintage audio lab photoshoped a bit to let it look like their exclusive product because the design team name is gustard audio and is next to the frontal dac x10 label to be found.
 
Im still trying to get my money back cause i was so stupid to buy from vintage where 52 others also got scammed...

 
I'm still wondering why you're just calling them scammers - hasn't the item arrived to your country?  If it needs clearance through customs or your whatever local shipping then it's not Valab's responsibility, it's all just things happening in your country.  Simply, your country's custom clearance and local shipping system is messed up, and the one to blame.
 
Valab has much more positive feedback than negative in general, and for this product too it seems.  Also some of their negative feedback is from the same members so the actual number of people goes lower.
 
I still don't fully understand what you said two weeks ago, but based on it, it seems it was really sent with DHL since you said it's trackable with DHL.  If it's shipped with EMS then you won't have DHL tracking working.  So this means Valab read your messages begging for DHL and sent it out to your address with DHL (your address should be the only address known by Valab through ebay).  So they did follow your instructions, did send it out, so I don't see why you have to call them scammers in this situation.
 
Did you actually pay extra for DHL Express?  If you only paid the same amount as EMS then it's pretty unfair for them imo, since they probably did best within that shipping price to meet your requests, and anyway your local shipping system is beyond Valab's control.
 
Also, in this case if you request refund through buyer protection, you probably won't get your money back because that DHL tracking seems to be valid.  So you shouldn't really think about refunds now.  Seriously, what you need to do is discuss with your local shipping and custom clearance (preferably in person, go to their office.  Discuss head to head.  Not brokers), and not blame Valab for everything.  Even if you bought from other traders, it's going to go through your local shipping anyway, so it's hard to say if you would've had a better experience.
 
No offence but all this whining from you is just making you look like a spoiled child..

 

[Lyra5]

dude just everything of your last post is stupid and wrong - it makes you look like a raging valab fanboy histerically defending one of the worst ebay sellers ever.
 
1. ems is dhl post or gdsk in my country there is no ems in europe. so ems is trackable with dhl tracking but you like to overread this i know.
2. the customs informed me that it was wrong declared thats why its hold by them. so again valabs fault (sry fanboy).
3. i can only recommend everyone to read carefully through the lots of negative / neutral feedback they have before deciding to buy this item by them but other more trustable 100% positive sellers.
4. this is the first case ever the customs hold an item back and i bought quite some more expensive gear from asia - last was a 350$ dac from minishow0328 which was correct declared and fees could be paid at door as usual.
5. the fact that vintage audio / valab is not responding to mails before opening a case should be proof enough for their attitude.
6. to add to this attitude the actual product dont look like on the pictures but have a big brand name on the front "Gustard" fits perfect to their known behaviour.
 
if this concern is for anyone else but this boring stupid zenki guy nonsense childish rage im out no problem. glad i could help at least one or two not to run into this since im not the only one who lost money cause of this particular ebayer.
 
The real name of this product contrary to the first post and pics is : "Gustard Dac X-10 ES9018" look at this link:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GUSTARD-DAC-X10-DAC-ES9018-OPTIC-Coaxial-XMOS-USB-Asynchronous-OUTPUTSupport-DSD-/121187114115