[brunk]

I have the Matrix M-stage amp (Opa627 mod) with Sennheiser HD 650. Matrix M-stage is better or worse built in DA8?
I have a choice between Matrix X-Sabre with M-stage (opa627 mod) or Yulong DA8 with the integrated amp. Whether will be able built in in the DA8 amplifier well to work with earphones of 300 ohms, in comparison with Matrix M-stage? Excuse for my English.

I would say to go with the combo offer. High impedance headphones can sound off with the DA8 internal amp, but the M-stage is known to work well with the 650s. However, once you get into the 600 ohms headphones, something besides the DA8 integrated will serve you better as it loses a lot of control going above a normal volume level.
 
The DA8 integrated amp is no slouch with 32-300 ohm headphones though

 

[serg1245]

to filuS
What it is more interesting to you on a sound, Matrix X-sabre or DA8?
Thank!

 

[Jd007]

What it is more interesting to you on a sound, Matrix X-sabre or DA8?
Thank!

I've owned both, and using the RCA out of both, I can hardly tell them apart. Though admittedly I did not test them side by side for an easy comparison. Feature-wise the DA8 is definitely the better DAC though, as it has optical input, volume control, phase/filter/jitter elimination adjustments, and a built-in amp for convenience, which is why I kept it and sold the X-Sabre.

 

[serg1245]

I would say to go with the combo offer. High impedance headphones can sound off with the DA8 internal amp, but the M-stage is known to work well with the 650s. However, once you get into the 600 ohms headphones, something besides the DA8 integrated will serve you better as it loses a lot of control going above a normal volume level.

The DA8 integrated amp is no slouch with 32-300 ohm headphones though

You are probably right. From the review I know that X-sabre slightly "warm" on a sound. Matrix M-stage is also a little warm. Together they can sound much more warmly. Therefore I doubt this combination.

 

[brunk]

You are probably right. From the review I know that X-sabre slightly "warm" on a sound. Matrix M-stage is also a little warm. Together they can sound much more warmly. Therefore I doubt this combination.

Well if you have your doubts, then by all means go with the DA8. If you decide the internal amp isn't satisfactory for you, then get a dedicated amp in the future like a Bottlehead Crack + Speedball

 

[filuS]

to filuS
What it is more interesting to you on a sound, Matrix X-sabre or DA8?
Thank!

I prefer X-Sabre over DA8 - at first I had X-Sabre, which was sonically ideal for me. When I switched to DA8, I noticed small lack of punch in bass department and slightly lower detail retrieval. It's not big difference but definitely noticeable to my ears - if I was not forced to replace X-Sabre, I would have not. But I don't think DA8 is not as good, it's just it's different - and a bit more expensive in exchange for features I don't care for at all (all I needed was very good async usb implementation with fixed RCA output - everything else is sort of "waste" for me. Maybe in future I will add some balanced amp to my setup and I will need XLR outputs, but since both of them have those it does not really matter).

 

[serg1245]

I prefer X-Sabre over DA8 - at first I had X-Sabre, which was sonically ideal for me. When I switched to DA8, I noticed small lack of punch in bass department and slightly lower detail retrieval. It's not big difference but definitely noticeable to my ears - if I was not forced to replace X-Sabre, I would have not. But I don't think DA8 is not as good, it's just it's different - and a bit more expensive in exchange for features I don't care for at all (all I needed was very good async usb implementation with fixed RCA output - everything else is sort of "waste" for me. Maybe in future I will add some balanced amp to my setup and I will need XLR outputs, but since both of them have those it does not really matter).

Probably the difference in sound was because of a different output in Volts?

 

[serg1245]

project86 writed:
Back to full sized headphones - I would not hesitate to recommend the DA8 amp section, especially for lower impedance headphones and brighter models that need a little taming. I prefer the built-in amp over the Yulong A100 and the Matrix M-Stage.
--------------------

Sennheiser HD650 is "dark" headphones. Whether it will be good with the integrated DA8 amplifier?
It will be "very dark"?
According to project86 the Matrix M-stage amplifier is worse than built in DA8. How worse???

 

[Sid-Fi]

I wonder if Project86 was referring to the original M-stage or the newer version with new opamps that is supposed to be significantly better than the original stock version. I don't recall. 
 
Quote:

project86 writed:
Back to full sized headphones - I would not hesitate to recommend the DA8 amp section, especially for lower impedance headphones and brighter models that need a little taming. I prefer the built-in amp over the Yulong A100 and the Matrix M-Stage.

---

Sennheiser HD650 is "dark" headphones. Whether it will be good with the integrated DA8 amplifier?
It will be "very dark"?
According to project86 the Matrix M-stage amplifier is worse than built in DA8. How worse???

 

[project86]

I do like the DA8 integrated more than the M-Stage. Not by a huge amount, and some headphones (HD800) do do particularly well with the M-Stage, so the differences get smaller in those cases (or the M-Stage may even take the lead). But if I consider all headphone situations, I'd say DA8 amp section is still preferable. 
 
I recently had the new Matrix M-Stage HPA-2 in for a quick listen, and I thought it sounded just about the same as the older model. It actually uses the same OPA2134 opamp (there was some confusion about that but Matrix has since clarified). 

 

[Sid-Fi]

I got my Yulong DA8 and found the USB implementation to be great just like I was hoping. It's SOO nice having such a clean refined sound straight from USB and finally being able to skip the expensive Converter setup.

I'm having an issue I would really appreciate help with though trying to work through the DSD setup guide Yulong published. I downloaded and installed the ASIO and
SACD plugins into Foobar and see them in black ink showing they are installed. I selected the DA8 as ASIO output and have been playing 24/192 great with no problems. However when I get further in the guide, it tells me to go to preferences > output > ASIO and double click on on foo_out_asio but it isn't there. I get the same screen as the guide shows but the foo_out_asio is not there under the ASIO Yulong DAC like in the picture.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also, I noticed that at the beginning of guide it says make sure to copy foo_input_sacd.dll to the Foobar components folder. However the only file name with that name in the installation folders does not end in .dll but cpp.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

I got my Yulong DA8 and found the USB implementation to be great just like I was hoping. It's SOO nice having such a clean refined sound straight from USB and finally being able to skip the expensive Converter setup.

I'm having an issue I would really appreciate help with though trying to work through the DSD setup guide Yulong published. I downloaded and installed the ASIO and
SACD plugins into Foobar and see them in black ink showing they are installed. I selected the DA8 as ASIO output and have been playing 24/192 great with no problems. However when I get further in the guide, it tells me to go to preferences > output > ASIO and double click on on foo_out_asio but it isn't there. I get the same screen as the guide shows but the foo_out_asio is not there under the ASIO Yulong DAC like in the picture.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

What driver did you install, there are two.
http://www.audio-sz.com/en/down.asp
The old one "SABRE DA8 Driver", this one has two installs inside, you probably just ran one, there is another inside ASIO folder for ASIO driver.
Or the better way is to completely wipe out what you have  installed, reboot and install the one entitled as "JRiver new asio", it's misleading name as it's single installation that just install regular windows and ASIO driver, they are not JRiver specific and work with  foobar2000 or anything else.

 

[brunk]

  What driver did you install, there are two.
http://www.audio-sz.com/en/down.asp
The old one "SABRE DA8 Driver", this one has two installs inside, you probably just ran one, there is another inside ASIO folder for ASIO driver.
Or the better way is to completely wipe out what you have  installed, reboot and install the one entitled as "JRiver new asio", it's misleading name as it's single installation that just install regular windows and ASIO driver, they are not JRiver specific and work with  foobar2000 or anything else.

This. Just wipe out what you installed and download the 'new asio' driver.

 

[Sid-Fi]

I installed the Yulong 64 driver first then the associated ASIO driver that came within same install folder next. I didn't try the jriver one yet so I might that try that soon.

What driver did you install, there are two.
http://www.audio-sz.com/en/down.asp
The old one "SABRE DA8 Driver", this one has two installs inside, you probably just ran one, there is another inside ASIO folder for ASIO driver.
Or the better way is to completely wipe out what you have  installed, reboot and install the one entitled as "JRiver new asio", it's misleading name as it's single installation that just install regular windows and ASIO driver, they are not JRiver specific and work with  foobar2000 or anything else.

 

[Elder]

I got my Yulong DA8 and found the USB implementation to be great just like I was hoping. It's SOO nice having such a clean refined sound straight from USB and finally being able to skip the expensive Converter setup.

I'm having an issue I would really appreciate help with though trying to work through the DSD setup guide Yulong published. I downloaded and installed the ASIO and
SACD plugins into Foobar and see them in black ink showing they are installed. I selected the DA8 as ASIO output and have been playing 24/192 great with no problems. However when I get further in the guide, it tells me to go to preferences > output > ASIO and double click on on foo_out_asio but it isn't there. I get the same screen as the guide shows but the foo_out_asio is not there under the ASIO Yulong DAC like in the picture.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also, I noticed that at the beginning of guide it says make sure to copy foo_input_sacd.dll to the Foobar components folder. However the only file name with that name in the installation folders does not end in .dll but cpp.

I believe you mean "double click on foo_DSD_asio". You have to install the ASIO proxy. It is included with foo_input_sacd-0.6.5 package. Just run ASIOProxyInstall-0.6.5.exe.