[brunk]

  Still using that adapter and loving it!
 
On another note-- I will be purchasing the Sennheiser HDVA600 2 weeks from now. The amp will be paired with DA8 and the HD800 ofc. 

 
I was waiting for Yulong to release the balanced amps but I dont know much longer Id have to wait and I feel like getting myself a xmas gift.

Taking the plunge on the Sennheiser beast, eh? Let me know how it goes! That one had always caught my eye.

 

[DarKen23]

 
Still using that adapter and loving it!

On another note-- I will be purchasing the Sennheiser HDVA600 2 weeks from now. The amp will be paired with DA8 and the HD800 ofc.   
I was waiting for Yulong to release the balanced amps but I dont know much longer Id have to wait and I feel like getting myself a xmas gift.

Taking the plunge on the Sennheiser beast, eh? Let me know how it goes! That one had always caught my eye.

I've actually already auditioned the HDVA600, but the dac was very low-tier. Even then the sound was decently impressive.

This time around, I'll be using a much better dac .

 

[not_sure]

Originally Posted by project89 
 
Go on Audiogon and look in the Digital section. Use the brand new stuff as a reference so you don't have to worry about depreciation. You'll quickly discover that triple digit pricing is the exception rather than the rule. $3,000 may sound like a lot of money for a DAC (and surely it is) but really that doesn't buy you anything that stands out as being expensive or super-high-end. You can drop $5,000, or even $10,000 and still have just an "upper-mid-range" DAC according to pricing. Boulder, Wadia, Soulution, MBL, Zanden, dCS, Acoustic Arts, Ayon, Metronome..... the list is endless. And the funny thing is, more than a few of these companies are not even true "specialists" in the digital realm. A lot of them simply use a decent OEM player or DAC design, with a massively overdone enclosure, and upgraded boutique capacitors etc. You can easily spend many thousands of dollars on a CD player or DAC that sounds truly mediocre by any reasonable definition of the word. I implore you not to do so.

 
You have to choose carefully in this price range! No old Esoteric but world class dacs. I hardly think that some owner of Meitner MA1 for example would like to change it for this Yulong DAC after listening  on quality speakers. And from second hand it goes for $4000..still expensive but..

 

[Esprit]

Who is project89? Which post you quoted? 

 

[not_sure]

I thought I edited it. Sorry 

 

[DarKen23]

 

Originally Posted by project89 
 
Go on Audiogon and look in the Digital section. Use the brand new stuff as a reference so you don't have to worry about depreciation. You'll quickly discover that triple digit pricing is the exception rather than the rule. $3,000 may sound like a lot of money for a DAC (and surely it is) but really that doesn't buy you anything that stands out as being expensive or super-high-end. You can drop $5,000, or even $10,000 and still have just an "upper-mid-range" DAC according to pricing. Boulder, Wadia, Soulution, MBL, Zanden, dCS, Acoustic Arts, Ayon, Metronome..... the list is endless. And the funny thing is, more than a few of these companies are not even true "specialists" in the digital realm. A lot of them simply use a decent OEM player or DAC design, with a massively overdone enclosure, and upgraded boutique capacitors etc. You can easily spend many thousands of dollars on a CD player or DAC that sounds truly mediocre by any reasonable definition of the word. I implore you not to do so.

 
You have to choose carefully in this price range! No old Esoteric but world class dacs. I hardly think that some owner of Meitner MA1 for example would like to change it for this Yulong DAC after listening  on quality speakers. And from second hand it goes for $4000..still expensive but..

but.. Probably not worth it, Indeed. 

 

[cizx]

  I picked up the Questyle CMA 800R Headphone Amplifier for Xmas to pair with my Yulong DA8. Stoked!

 
I'm so tempted to do this myself... I'm dying to try this with my LCD-X.. Both of these for less than $2k is really hard to pass up.

 

[project86]

   
You have to choose carefully in this price range! No old Esoteric but world class dacs. I hardly think that some owner of Meitner MA1 for example would like to change it for this Yulong DAC after listening  on quality speakers. And from second hand it goes for $4000..still expensive but..

 
I've had an MA-1 in house and while I do think it has a certain charm to it (definitely superior to his EMM Labs gear which always sounded a bit weird to me), I'd say the average user would actually do better with the Yulong DA8. Yes, you read that right.
 
Why? The DA8 has a superior USB solution. While the MA-1 USB section is powered by the Vbus of your computer (and has no galvanic isolation), the Yulong's well-regarded Amanerro USB board has been modified to draw power from the linear supply of the DA8. So for the average user who just wants to plug in a MacBook Pro or whatever, the DA8 will completely decouple itself from all that noise - especially with an easy tape mod to their USB cable. The MA-1? It will sound mediocre through that same USB connection. Yes, I've tried it myself so I know, the MA-1 sounds inferior over USB unless used with a fancy music server using a dedicated USB solution such as a SOtM card. 
 
Would a Meitner owner ever condescend to switch to a lesser known brand like Yulong? I dunno. I tend to approach these things with very little preconceived notions regarding price point - some cheaper DACs are excellent, and some expensive DACs use odd design choices, or just plain suck altogether. Not always, but sometimes. 

 

[brunk]

   
I've had an MA-1 in house and while I do think it has a certain charm to it (definitely superior to his EMM Labs gear which always sounded a bit weird to me), I'd say the average user would actually do better with the Yulong DA8. Yes, you read that right.
 
Why? The DA8 has a superior USB solution. While the MA-1 USB section is powered by the Vbus of your computer (and has no galvanic isolation), the Yulong's well-regarded Amanerro USB board has been modified to draw power from the linear supply of the DA8. So for the average user who just wants to plug in a MacBook Pro or whatever, the DA8 will completely decouple itself from all that noise - especially with an easy tape mod to their USB cable. The MA-1? It will sound mediocre through that same USB connection. Yes, I've tried it myself so I know, the MA-1 sounds inferior over USB unless used with a fancy music server using a dedicated USB solution such as a SOtM card. 
 
Would a Meitner owner ever condescend to switch to a lesser known brand like Yulong? I dunno. I tend to approach these things with very little preconceived notions regarding price point - some cheaper DACs are excellent, and some expensive DACs use odd design choices, or just plain suck altogether. Not always, but sometimes. 

Not to mention with alot of wealthy people, the price is so low that it's not worth being on their radar. There's much more sales-pitching and fancy casework going on in the really high end than superior engineering 

 Plus, some manufacturers want to own multiple boats and vacation houses, "justifying" the higher price.
 
EDIT: Sorry for airing out the dirty laundry, but that is mostly the truth of the matter.

 

[project86]

  Not to mention with alot of wealthy people, the price is so low that it's not worth being on their radar. There's much more sales-pitching and fancy casework going on in the really high end than superior engineering 

 Plus, some manufacturers want to own multiple boats and vacation houses, "justifying" the higher price.
 
EDIT: Sorry for airing out the dirty laundry, but that is mostly the truth of the matter.

 
Absolutely true. I know from personal experience a company who sold high-end, expensive speakers. They had a model selling for just under $10K/pair and were not getting the sales numbers they expected. The answer was to jack up the price to be over double that cost.... sales improved dramatically. No joke - on the really high end, a lot of it is about status more than anything else. 
 
Meitner knows his stuff to be sure, but I suspect maybe he isn't up to date on the latest in USB implementations. The changes needed to his MA-1 are not dramatic or really all that expensive to do, and they would go a long way towards making it a more well rounded performer. 

 

[brunk]

  Grant Fidelity have DA8 on sale right now, btw. $1199

Excellent deal. I paid full price for mine from GF and still consider it a value, so anyone considering the DA8 should jump on that

 

[Angelbelow]

  Well, I suppose that's true, but only if the reseller has a good trial/return policy. Otherwise, it's a no-brainer going for the cheaper price so long as the warranty is intact. You're still supporting the manufacturer. It's the resellers that are jeopardized, only if they provide good trial/return policies will they survive, else what is the point? IMO, if a reseller doesn't provide that, then they should go the way of the dinosaur, I don't want to pay for their mortgage/vacations if there's no benefit for me.

 
Thats true too. They don't disclose their reseller until people start to poke and ask. I remember being tempted to cancel my HE500 order and roll with the deal from that site. But not only would the shipping take forever but Hifi man themselves did not recognize the item and would no have provided the warranty.

 

[yz616]

  Well Grant Fidelity ships the DA8 all the way from Hong Kong.
 
So having the HQ's at San Francisco is not bad at all.

I am actually not talking about Grant Fidelity. 
 
I am talking about a "certain website that discounts items when multiple people commit to buy", which have the DA8 deal active right now at $959, instead of Grant Fidelity's $1199 
 
Let me show you my $959 DA8  

 

 

[Andrew_WOT]

   

 

Yes, what I meant to say is that, Grant Fidelity ships it from China, while the other website has it for a lower price, and shipping right from California.
 
And Congratulations, it is a great deal!

I'd go with Grant Fidelity for warranty alone, as they handle all pre and post sale support, so you wouldn't have to deal with manufacturer directly, shipping to China for warranty service is not cheap, communication due to language barrier also can be a problem. I don't see why drop ship from manufacturer is a problem, I got mine under a week after placing order, my understanding that there is bigger wait with group by as they would have to wait for the whole shipment to arrive to their fulfillment center and they redistribute. Also wondering if CA residents are subject to taxation when getting goods from SF HQ.
Interesting that this is a second xxxdrop for DA8, I actually was kicking myself when I missed the first one.  

 Guess it's really gaining well deserved popularity.

 

[Esprit]

How many hours of break-in? I cannot try the DAC, I can only buy and return it within eight days...