[Dynamic74]

Yamamoto has just released a USB DAC, the YDA-02. It is a USB-only DAC which cost 28,000 Yen which is around US$350. It does not seem to have a SPDIF digital input. You can check this link for more information -> http://www2.117.ne.jp/~y-s/YDA-02-E.html. Have a nice day ahead!
 
 
 

 

[manveru]

Fascinating. Wish they listed more details about the innards and specs. 62.5 mW seems pretty puny for the amp, but I guess that's keeping with Yamamoto's style. In any case that is one seriously beautiful piece for $350, albeit probably not the best value considering its features and how tiny it is.

 

[lextek]

I'd like to hear more about this DAC.

 

[Dynamic74]

From the specs, it will be more suitable to power up an IEM rather than a full-sized headphone. It does look good though, especially the ebony volume knob and cherry wood sides. Pity it does not do conversion above 96 kHz. I have one on order and will try it out once it arrives. Have a pleasant day ahead!

 

[Dynamic74]

My Yamamoto YDA-02 arrived at Friday evening. Took them only five days from payment to delivery at doorstep. Unfortunately, I was not at home during the delivery and I collected the parcel the following day.
 

 
The package fresh from Ono City, Hiyogo, Japan. It seems that Shigeki Yamamoto sent out the package by himself.
 

 
Opening the outer package, revealed a small box within, all wrapped up with two layers of bubble wrap.
 

 
The inner box is quite similar to my Yamamoto HA-02. Just a sticker stating the article with a Made in Japan indication on the bottom row.
 

 
Inside the inner box were two instruction booklet and a warranty card. It is a pity that the instructions were only available in Japanese.
Luckily it is quite easy to set up the YDA-02, just plug and then play.
 

 
The Yamamoto YDA-02 enclosed within a bubble wrap and packaging material. Overall a very well packaged product.
 

 
The front of the Yamamoto YDA-02. It has an ebony volume knob quite similar to the one on Yamamoto HA-02 and wooden side panels. The surrounding material seems to be metal to me. The headphone jack is a 3.5mm one and not the larger TRS version. You will need a headphone adapter to connect one of those larger headphones. It has individual LEDs for 44.1kHZ to 96kHZ. It does not do conversion rates above 96kHz.
 

 
The back of the Yamamoto YDA-02 consists of a DC 5V jack (power adapter is not included), a USB Type B jack (this unit can be powered directly by the USB jack) and two RCA output jacks (I use that to connect to another device such as the Yamamoto HA-02). The device is only sightly bigger than a Headroom Total Bithead.
 

 
A USB cable with gold plated connectors is also included along with the package.
 
It is very easy to connect to the PC. You just need to connect both ends of the USB cable to the PC and the device and it will automatically detect the device. I am currently using J River Media Jukebox as my computer audio software and it played through the Yamamoto flawlessly. I was quite surprised that the midrange is quite robust during the first test. The high and the lows are still not so extended at this point of time. More to come... Have a pleasant day ahead!

 

[manveru]

Congratulations! It looks spectacular.

 

[lemontree5544]

It does look decent!
 
I noticed that you use it with the HA-02.
 
Looking forward to your impressions with them both! Hopefully the synergy will be good.
 

 
 
 

 

[Smeckles]

Very curious indeed.  Will have to see if my local dealer (pun intended) has this yet.  I hope the synergy with the HA-02 is what I would hope.  Thanks for posting this.

 

[Dynamic74]

I find that the Yamamoto YDA-02 (YDA-02) has a strange way of configuring the volume knob. The volume knob affects both the headphone output as well as the analog RCA outputs. When using the analog RCA output, it is necessary to turn the volume knob to maximum to get the full 2.0 Vrms output. But when using the headphone output, it is important to turn down the volume knob, otherwise it will be often way too loud.
 
After a few hours of listening, the general sound of the YDA-02 can be described as full, alluring and tonally accurately mid-range, characteristic of Yamamoto amps, with a good mid to upper bass but a little lacking in the deeper bass notes. The highs are above average but I heard better highs on other DACs.
 
I have tried the on-board headphone output with three of my headphones namely the Ultrasone Edition 10, Edition 9 and the Audio Technica ATH-W1000. It drives all three phones with authority. A quick comparison with the Yamamoto HA-02 (Yammy) shows that the Yammy sounds more refined and smoother. I seem to hear slightly more details with the YDA-02 headphone output but the sound is harsher and tend to be more fatiguing. Maybe more burn-in may help the situation.
 
The Yammy also has more muscle and it could drive all three headphones much louder. For those who love to hear their music really loud, please take note that the YDA-02 has limited capacity. According to Yamamoto, using better power supply will also help in improving the sound quality. So a power supply upgrade is in the cards. Have a nice day ahead!

 

[Lito1]

How does it pair with ATH W3000 anv?
I have one on the way home and looking for a dac / amp that could do the job.
thanks

 

[manveru]

Dynamic74, any updates on the YDA-02?