REVIEW - Yulong Audio Sabre DA8 Reference DAC
Aug 24, 2013 at 3:22 PM Post #196 of 1,613
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Not sure about how the pricing will work out, but one look at that enclosure tells me it ain't cheap. The D8 was originally a beefed up version of the D18, and it seemed like a reasonable upgrade in price compared to what was involved. Now it's taken a different direction - double (or nearly double) the DA8 price is significantly more than double the D18 price. I hope it ends up being worth it. 

I hope it would atleast come with a remote at that price.
 
Aug 24, 2013 at 10:08 PM Post #197 of 1,613
I think the last mentioned introductory price from Yulong was 12,800rmb (around 2100 USD). Higher priced compared to the DA8 but not double. I'm sure this will probably change closer to the official release.
 
 
Quote:
 
BTW, A8 will continue to be limited quantity model, as the particular JFET used is end of sales and can't be sourced anymore.

 
Any chance you know if the A8 uses the discontinued K170/J74 JFET?
 
Aug 24, 2013 at 11:49 PM Post #198 of 1,613
I think the last mentioned introductory price from Yulong was 12,800rmb (around 2100 USD). Higher priced compared to the DA8 but not double. I'm sure this will probably change closer to the official release.



Any chance you know if the A8 uses the discontinued K170/J74 JFET?


I don't know which exact discontinued JFET A8 is using, I'll ask and see if he's willing to disclose.

BTW, DA8 retails for rmb6600 in China.
 
Aug 29, 2013 at 6:58 PM Post #199 of 1,613
Just ordered the DA8! Should be here in a week or two. 
size]

 
Can't wait, really...
 
Been following the thread of the hottest DAC's (Matrix x-Sabre, Vega, Master7, Concero, Invicta, Hex, and so on...) and finally decided for the DA8 which I'll be using mainly with my amp/speakers and also straight to my Senn HD650. It's just that it has all the right features for me and hopefully will have the sound that I appreciate. 
 
Will certailnly get back here with my impressions.
 
Coming from a Mytek 192 DSD that I didn't enjoy very much; bad headphone amp, recessed mids. Resolution, soundstage were just ok, I have much bigger ambitions for the DA8.
 
Aug 29, 2013 at 7:09 PM Post #200 of 1,613
Quote:
Just ordered the DA8! Should be here in a week or two. 
size]

 
Can't wait, really...
 
Been following the thread of the hottest DAC's (Matrix x-Sabre, Vega, Master7, Concero, Invicta, Hex, and so on...) and finally decided for the DA8 which I'll be using mainly with my amp/speakers and also straight to my Senn HD650. It's just that it has all the right features for me and hopefully will have the sound that I appreciate. 
 
Will certailnly get back here with my impressions.
 
Coming from a Mytek 192 DSD that I didn't enjoy very much; bad headphone amp, recessed mids. Resolution, soundstage were just ok, I have much bigger ambitions for the DA8.

Congrats on your DA8! One thing to note before you plug in... check the voltage switch on the back is on the correct setting for your country.
beerchug.gif

 
Aug 29, 2013 at 7:15 PM Post #201 of 1,613
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Congrats on your DA8! One thing to note before you plug in... check the voltage switch on the back is on the correct setting for your country.
beerchug.gif

good advice! I'll keep that in mind.
Thanks
 
Aug 30, 2013 at 3:50 PM Post #203 of 1,613
Teiki arii I will certainly try to be patient but I know I'll go through a lot of pain just as I went through with my speakers! Those damn PMC OB1i's took 3 months to fully burn in. So 350 hours seems a lot easier :wink:

You gave me the idea of trying the optical input from my Mac, I am curious to hear how it performs.

Now just waiting...
 
Sep 2, 2013 at 9:38 AM Post #205 of 1,613
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couple questions project86,
does the DA8 get hot, wondering what kind of heat this thing generates.

secondly, you mentioned using the Thunderpants with the DA8, as you know a good amp adds 'thicker/fuller weight" to the sound, and was wondering if this was the case with the Thunderpants/LCD2?

 
DA8 gets very mildly warm to the touch after long term use. Enough to show that it's on, but I wouldn't call it hot by any means. But it's been warm here lately (90 degrees F) so maybe that contributes. I'll have to see how it feels in cooler weather. 
 
The amp section does have a nice warmth to it. My particular Thunderpants are more on the neutral side, due to their tuning and velour pads. I don't like them getting overly warm, and the DA8 does not go too far. Same with LCD-2. 
 
Sep 2, 2013 at 10:08 AM Post #206 of 1,613
Quote:
 
DA8 gets very mildly warm to the touch after long term use. Enough to show that it's on, but I wouldn't call it hot by any means. But it's been warm here lately (90 degrees F) so maybe that contributes. I'll have to see how it feels in cooler weather. 
 
The amp section does have a nice warmth to it. My particular Thunderpants are more on the neutral side, due to their tuning and velour pads. I don't like them getting overly warm, and the DA8 does not go too far. Same with LCD-2. 

 
Project86,
 
Have you tried DA with headphones connected to it? My DA8 does get hot but not too much when its built-in amp is on and feeding HE-400. Volume was set at 70-80% - don't remember exact figures in dB. When used as a pure DAC (with preamp disabled) it is barely warm even after prolonged usage. 
 
Sep 2, 2013 at 11:12 AM Post #207 of 1,613
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Project86,
 
Have you tried DA with headphones connected to it? My DA8 does get hot but not too much when its built-in amp is on and feeding HE-400. Volume was set at 70-80% - don't remember exact figures in dB. When used as a pure DAC (with preamp disabled) it is barely warm even after prolonged usage. 

 
It's true that using the internal amp section (especially at higher levels) will cause more heat. This is true of most any DAC with built in amp. I still wouldn't call it really hit - definitely not as hot as some of my other gear gets. 
 
Sep 2, 2013 at 8:31 PM Post #208 of 1,613
Can anyone comment on just how good the usb implementation is on the DA8. Does it compete with some of the higher end converters on the market? If its good enough, I just might sell my current iLink and keep the iusb.
 
Sep 3, 2013 at 8:58 AM Post #209 of 1,613
Quote:
Have you tried DA with headphones connected to it? My DA8 does get hot but not too much when its built-in amp is on and feeding HE-400. Volume was set at 70-80% - don't remember exact figures in dB. When used as a pure DAC (with preamp disabled) it is barely warm even after prolonged usage. 

 
I left mine playing overnight last night. This morning it was just mild warm. I had my Beyer DT990 Pro (250 ohms) plugged in playing at -22dB. I took the DA8's temperature with a clinical thermometer. It was reading 32.4°C at the top cover on the point I felt it warmer to the touch. I put the thermometer's sensor touching the DA8 and pressed a cleaning cloth folded many times over it to provide a kind of thermal coupling. Of course this is not an accurate measurement but I think it is close to the real temperature. Room temperature was 23.7°C when I took the unit's temperature.
It is very likely that driving lower impedance headphones it will get warmer but not hot.
 
My Audio-gd NFB-15.1 gets hot, not just warmer, under the same conditions. Actually I was surprised that the DA8 runs so cool. I expected it to get hotter as Class A circuits get hot because of the low efficiency. It looks like the DA8 output current bias is not so strong and it works most of the time in Class AB. I think the NFB-15.1 works on pure Class A most of the time with a 250ohms load. The Audio-gd unit has twice the power as the DA8 (300mW against 150 mW @300 ohms).
 

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