[Laniidae]

Hello. I'm new to this forum and whole world of audio devices, but recently I decided to purchase my first DAC+AMP combo.
Right now I have in mind ODAC+O2 and Yulong D100mkII, I heard good things about both of them, but I don’t trust USB that much, so I’m a little bit hesitant to buy ODAC+O2. Recently I read Head-Fi Summer 2012 Buying Guide! and ASUS Xonar Essence One looks like a good third contender, one more argument if favor of Asus is that I don’t have to wait for order to arrive from other country.
At this moment I have X-Fi Titanium and Audio Technica ATH AD 700, I will change my headphones once DAC arrives, most likely it will be Denon D5000, but I haven’t listened to them yet. X-Fi will stay, I’m planning to put audio signal through Toslink.
What people here can say about these 3 DAC+AMP combos? Which one is better? I would prefer to keep it under 500$.
Thanks.

 

[Archerious]

Yulong D100 will most likely be better than O2 but wait for more experienced people to help. I think for $500 and under I would get a Darkvoice 336SE and Music Streamer 2 if I was getting Beyerdynamic 600ohm headphones. If I wanted lower impediance headphones then Matrix M Stage, and Music Streamer 2 or Maverick D1.

 

[adydula]

If your getting the DT880-600 it is on the edge of the O2's ability if you like your music loud (or listen to a lot of really wide dynamic range music).
 
I have 2 of the O2 amps, using with Audeze LCD2's, Grado. 325is and Audio Technica 50's....no issues at all..
 
Alex

 

[Docks]

I have the essence ST and its a good soundcard+Dac however it has a higher output impedance (10ohms) which provides poor dampening for many lower impedance cans. The O2 amp and DAC will likely have better specs than both the ST and Yulong.

 

[HamilcarBarca]

Quote:

Hello. I'm new to this forum and whole world of audio devices, but recently I decided to purchase my first DAC+AMP combo.
Right now I have in mind ODAC+O2 and Yulong D100mkII, I heard good things about both of them, but I don’t trust USB that much, so I’m a little bit hesitant to buy ODAC+O2. Recently I read Head-Fi Summer 2012 Buying Guide! and ASUS Xonar Essence One looks like a good third contender, one more argument if favor of Asus is that I don’t have to wait for order to arrive from other country.
At this moment I have X-Fi Titanium and Audio Technica ATH AD 700, I will change my headphones once DAC arrives, most likely it will be Denon D5000, but I haven’t listened to them yet. X-Fi will stay, I’m planning to put audio signal through Toslink.
What people here can say about these 3 DAC+AMP combos? Which one is better? I would prefer to keep it under 500$.
Thanks.

 
The Yulong D100 listings are vague on measurements. They didn't perform any measurements? They don't want to reveal the actual measurements? Why does a simple power cord cost US$100? The ODAC+O2 is more than 40% less. It has excellent, publicly disclosed stats. It doesn't have to be shipped from China.
 
The sound? ODAC+O2. You could also consider the HeadStreamer II (and II+) for a DAC.
 
Finally USB is not only nothing to worry about, it has less inherent jitter than coax, optical, or HDMI. My first choice would be USB input.

 

[kingoftown1]

The Yulong D100 listings are vague on measurements. They didn't perform any measurements? They don't want to reveal the actual measurements? Why does a simple power cord cost US$100? The ODAC+O2 is more than 40% less. It has excellent, publicly disclosed stats. It doesn't have to be shipped from China.

The sound? ODAC+O2. You could also consider the HeadStreamer II (and II+) for a DAC.

Finally USB is not only nothing to worry about, it has less inherent jitter than coax, optical, or HDMI. My first choice would be USB input.

If you look you can find D100 measurements pretty easily--not as many as the O2/ODAC, but voldemort's not the only one who uses a DScope when designing gear.

 

[Docks]

$100 for a power cord is audiophoolery in my books. If spending more money gives you a piece of mind consider the benchmark DAC1 over the o2 amp/odac combo.

 

[K_19]

For your low impedence headphones, if you are going to get the O2/ODAC combo, make sure you get the version with the unity gain (x1 gain) option, as you'll get more volume level to play around more precisely with.  I have the AD700 and they sound great with the combo.

 

[HamilcarBarca]

Quote:

For your low impedence headphones, if you are going to get the O2/ODAC combo, make sure you get the version with the unity gain (x1 gain) option, as you'll get more volume level to play around more precisely with.  I have the AD700 and they sound great with the combo.

 
It's high-efficiency (sensitivity) rather than low impedance that makes this a good idea. Some headphones have both. The AKG [KQ]70[12] is an exception.
 
Even with the 300-Ohm nominal HD 650's, which can rise to ~500 Ohms, the 1x/2.5x option would have suited me much better than the 2.5/6.5 default. I don't even want that much volume and I'd rather have the finer control.

 

[K_19]

Right. It's down to both efficiency and impedance of course.  In his case it'll be perfectly suited for his headphones as they fall in that high efficiency/low impedence range.
 
Using HD800's right now with the O2/ODAC combo with O2 at 2.5x gain and volume at 12 o'clock is giving me ear-splitting volumes for most recordings. Sounds pretty damn nice too 

. Don't see why anyone would want the 6.5x gain option for this particular combo (of course if one also wants to use the O2 with other portable sources as well then it's a different story... versatility is another strong point for the O2 amp).

 

[project86]

Just wanted to chime in and confirm that Yulong does indeed do extensive measurements. They've spent quite a large sum of money investing in test gear. Here is a pic of their office:
 
 

 
I suspect the fact that they don't feature measurements more prominently has more to do with the language barrier than anything else. Also keep in mind they don't make cables, but some of their resellers do offer bundles of Yulong gear with upgraded cables. So don't blame Yulong for the $100 cable if you don't go for that sort of thing.
 
I suspect the Yulong D100 MKII, Asus Xonar Essence One, and ODAC/O2 combo all perform well and any of the three would satisfy most people.

 

[billerb1]

Just a note on the Yulong D100 MKII.  Managed to get one for Christmas to match up with my Denon D5000.  I'm a newbie and have little experience with a lot of amps or amp/dac combos.  But I am real satisfied with what I got with the Yulong.  Know that I was just upgrading from a Total Bithead...and know that the D5000's are relatively easy to drive.  But since I've gotten the Yulong I've also had occasion to hear my Denon's with the Schiit Bifrost plus Asgard and the Fiio E17...in my mind the Yulong is a much better marriage (the Schiit was powerful but everything was crowded and somehow muted...the E17 seemed like a toy).
Most of what I listen to is Spotify Premium through my PC's USB...nothing real high end.  I added a Venom 3 power cord and a Wireworld Starlight USB cable to the mix.  The definition of the individual instruments in most music has gone from good to stunning with the MKII.  Incredible presence and timbre.  Soundstage is more three dimensional and wider.  Only negative is occasional brightness in the high end on certain songs...but rarely.  This combination also tightened up the D5000 bass...but I never thought it was as loose or flabby as a lot of people seem to. 
Now the Denon's are only 25 ohm cans.  When I tried a friend's Sennheiser 650's on the Yulong it really seemed over-matched....either that or the 650's are the most over-rated headphone out there.  The Yulong just couldn't bring it out of the fog.
If you're are looking for a great match for your Denon D5000's...or I imagine the 7000's or 2000's...I'd highly recommend the Yulong D100 MKII.  Careful on harder to drive cans though !!!

 

[ben_r_]

Quote:

Just a note on the Yulong D100 MKII.  Managed to get one for Christmas to match up with my Denon D5000.  I'm a newbie and have little experience with a lot of amps or amp/dac combos.  But I am real satisfied with what I got with the Yulong.  Know that I was just upgrading from a Total Bithead...and know that the D5000's are relatively easy to drive.  But since I've gotten the Yulong I've also had occasion to hear my Denon's with the Schiit Bifrost plus Asgard and the Fiio E17...in my mind the Yulong is a much better marriage (the Schiit was powerful but everything was crowded and somehow muted...the E17 seemed like a toy).
Most of what I listen to is Spotify Premium through my PC's USB...nothing real high end.  I added a Venom 3 power cord and a Wireworld Starlight USB cable to the mix.  The definition of the individual instruments in most music has gone from good to stunning with the MKII.  Incredible presence and timbre.  Soundstage is more three dimensional and wider.  Only negative is occasional brightness in the high end on certain songs...but rarely.  This combination also tightened up the D5000 bass...but I never thought it was as loose or flabby as a lot of people seem to. 
Now the Denon's are only 25 ohm cans.  When I tried a friend's Sennheiser 650's on the Yulong it really seemed over-matched....either that or the 650's are the most over-rated headphone out there.  The Yulong just couldn't bring it out of the fog.
If you're are looking for a great match for your Denon D5000's...or I imagine the 7000's or 2000's...I'd highly recommend the Yulong D100 MKII.  Careful on harder to drive cans though !!!

I felt the same when I had the YuLong D100 MK II for a bit. I thought it sounded terrible with my HD-650's and I ended up selling it. Didnt even try it with my D5000's as I was happier with the NuForce HDP for both headphones. Now Im looking to get a separate DAC and a SS for the D5000's and a Tube for the HD-650's. I have been considering getting a Bitfrost with USB for the DAC but for a while Im probably going to stick with the HDP as the DAC.