[3rdmortal]

DA8 II is a real improvement over DA8 and it is easily heard. And it is very good that the price remains the same.

 

[HanyTheo]

   
 
Will definitely write up the DA8 II. It's pretty damn nice. I'm using it right now with my Stax rig and it sounds very impressive. Perhaps an incremental boost over the original, but a welcome one nonetheless.   
 
 
Not sure how long it will be though, I've got a lot of other reviews on my plate.

I just got my set of da8 ii, it's nothing like u described or is my unit faulty? the bass is blurred, midrange is recessed and there's that prominent classic sabre glare. my woo audio WA22 never sounded this bad. any tips?

 

[project86]

  I just got my set of da8 ii, it's nothing like u described or is my unit faulty? the bass is blurred, midrange is recessed and there's that prominent classic sabre glare. my woo audio WA22 never sounded this bad. any tips?

 
 
 
I'm not a huge fan of the WA22 but if you like the sound of it with other DACs then I'm not sure what's going on with the DA8 II. I have yet to hear it sound offensive as you describe. I'd make sure it is burned in, and see if you can set up a back to back or A/B comparison with another DAC that you know to be halfway decent at least. If the Yulong still sounds this way you may have a faulty unit. 

 

[HanyTheo]

I'm not a huge fan of the WA22 but if you like the sound of it with other DACs then I'm not sure what's going on with the DA8 II. I have yet to hear it sound offensive as you describe. I'd make sure it is burned in, and see if you can set up a back to back or A/B comparison with another DAC that you know to be halfway decent at least. If the Yulong still sounds this way you may have a faulty unit. 

I'll change it with the new da8ii unit tomorrow with my retailer n update u whats up. i compared with my previous dac the gungnir usb gen2 (1 gen before the multibit) and the latter is far more pleasant n natural especially in the vocals n upper spectrum (less dry n far less grainy), the wa22s mids is one of the best I've heard out of my other amps. anyways ill update u when i got the new set

 

[solblack]

   
 
 
I'm not a huge fan of the WA22 but if you like the sound of it with other DACs then I'm not sure what's going on with the DA8 II. I have yet to hear it sound offensive as you describe. I'd make sure it is burned in, and see if you can set up a back to back or A/B comparison with another DAC that you know to be halfway decent at least. If the Yulong still sounds this way you may have a faulty unit. 

I was looking at the WA22 what about it you don't like.
Also how much of a improvement is the DA8II over the DA8.

 

[HanyTheo]

 
I was looking at the WA22 what about it you don't like.
Also how much of a improvement is the DA8II over the DA8.

I've been using the v281, after i bought the wa22, v281 gets less the runtime, wa22 have one of the best vocals n most natural bass n treble, long ish decay n accentuated reverbs. excellent on well recorded n mastered live tracks, jazz vocals and the sort. primarily driving the lcd 3 with those.

 

[solblack]

  I've been using the v281, after i bought the wa22, v281 gets less the runtime, wa22 have one of the best vocals n most natural bass n treble, long ish decay n accentuated reverbs. excellent on well recorded n mastered live tracks, jazz vocals and the sort. primarily driving the lcd 3 with those.

I listen to a lot of jazz and somebody mention the wa22. I'm also looking at the Either.
WA22 even looks nice when on.

 

[project86]

 
WA22 even looks nice when on.

 
I'll agree with this - I don't love the sound, but man do the Woo amps look amazing. 

 

[HanyTheo]

after a few days with my replacement da8ii units it's safe to say that the da8ii is just not my cup of tea. grainy, dead ish dynamics, 'sabre glare'... im going back to my gumby and screw DSD.

 

[teiki arii]

Give it a chance with NOT USB input.. It works fine with Coaxial/Toslink/AES input...

 

[3rdmortal]

It works superb from any input. One of the best dacs for its price. imho.

 

[Priidik]

  after a few days with my replacement da8ii units it's safe to say that the da8ii is just not my cup of tea. grainy, dead ish dynamics, 'sabre glare'... im going back to my gumby and screw DSD.

With the original DA8 usb source quality mattered a lot. A dedicated linux server in a Rasbery Pi gave it a 20% of overall boost.
No getting rid of the attributes dead in dynamics, grainy and glarey, though. I understand your complaints. DA8 was 'dead' sounding to me too.
But a surprisingly good combo with some planar magnetics like He400i.

 

[attmci]

Just want to share my Yulong DA8 firmware upgrade experience (To my surprise, a lot of hi-fiers had ignored this firmware upgrade and sold their DACs LOL):
 
1) Nice message from Elder:
 
if you have DSD256 files you have to upgrade. Otherwise it is not necessary.
Is your unit old? If it is new, then it is very likely that it already has the new firmware.
 
Opening it is no big deal. You have to unscrew the four Allen screws on the top corners. The loose a little bit the screws on the bottom corners of the back panel. Pull out the top cover and you have your DA8 open.
 
It is been a long time I've done the upgrade, so I do not remember well to procedure, but I recommend some care while handling the unit opened.
 
Do not forget to disconnect the power cable. Only connect power and turn the DAC on when you have the jumper ready to be put in place. While inserting the jumper, make sure you are touching the aluminum case before touching the circuits. This is to discharge any static charge you have to the case not to the circuit. No need to be afraid. Just be careful.
 
Another recommendation is to use the hands and wrist clear of any jewelry, like rings and bracelets . Remove your watch as well, if it is made of metal.
 
Use a small piece of thin solid wire for the jumper. The wires of the regular Ethernet cables will do. A telephone wire will probably fit as well, as long it is solid. Stranded wires will not be recommended as one strand could go out of the hole making it difficult to insert the wire. The jumper holes in the Amanero board are small.
 
Seems more difficult than it really is.
 
I hope I have helped.
 
2) I got a problem. The windows can no longer recognize the DA8 after erase the old flash.(Same thing had happened to Amleth before.)
 
"The Windows 8 cannot recognize the DA8. I try to install the driver as you suggested, but got a message:
 
Windows found driver software for your device but encountered an error while attemping to install it.
AT91 USB to serial converter
 
The third-party INF does not contain digital signature information"
Problem solved according to previous publication by Amleth and this:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjYkvbmwuvMAhVHVh4KHV3aBToQtwIIIzAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdlYGfJM2BJ0&usg=AFQjCNFKtL1Fz6ocMGmS7dDKZ7KGbOj0NQ&sig2=E5xRA88oHIqyH2FxgKAqmA
 
3)OK. The upgrade went through well. However, the DA8 showed as another devices in Windows 8: Combo384 Amaner; which requires driver.....
 
I download the driver from Amanero, and now it works.
 
The whole experience is scary...........
 
I am very familiar with computer, I can see this whole upgrading process can be a huge problem for some of the other hi-fiers.
 
It does fix a number of bugs which had been discussed before.
 
Cheers,
 
attmci 

 

[wsz0304]

nice

 

[chee006]

Hey guys I just upgraded my amp to a LaFigaro 339 to pair with my HD 650, I am wondering if this is a good DAC for my current combo