[Silent One]

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Thanks Silent One. How convenient of you to own both

. It's good to hear that you have observed tangible and worthwhile improvements in the Eclipse 6. I must say, this interconnect has my attention.

 
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I own both the Equinox 6 & Eclipse 6 and currently use both. I purchased the the Equinox 6 a year earlier and then when funds permitted a year later, I upgraded. The Eclipse 6 is my primary interconnect between DAC and Amp. But, use the Equinox 6 to connect my second DAC or between two amps when using one as a Pre.
 
The Eclipse 6 presents notes better defined, spaced, focused with a finer tone and finish. It's natural to wonder if a little more money is worth a little more definition between the two cables - with my W4S DAC-1 w/Low ESR "Super Caps," the answer is yes. But the Equinox 6 is quite serviceable; a competent cable.

 
Curiously, are you currently Yulong Sabre D18>XLR>WA22 or D18>SE>WA22 for the time being?

 

[Sid-Fi]

I actually haven't received my Yulong D18 yet. It is in transit and should arrive tomorrow or Wednesday.
 
I was using my Audio-gd NFB-10WM balanced with WA22 via Moon Audio Silver Dragon v2 XLR interconnects as my last long-term solution. I sold the Audio-gd, and am currently using a friend's Marantz SA8004 SE with some Nordost Blue Heaven ribbon cables RCA. They are the flat wide version prior to the current models of Blue Heaven interconnects.
 
 
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Curiously, are you currently Yulong Sabre D18>XLR>WA22 or D18>SE>WA22 for the time being?

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

I actually haven't received my Yulong D18 yet. It is in transit and should arrive tomorrow or Wednesday.
 
I was using my Audio-gd NFB-10WM balanced with WA22 via Moon Audio Silver Dragon v2 XLR interconnects as my last long-term solution. I sold the Audio-gd, and am currently using a friend's Marantz SA8004 SE with some Nordost Blue Heaven ribbon cables RCA. They are the flat wide version prior to the current models of Blue Heaven interconnects.
 
 
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Curiously, are you currently Yulong Sabre D18>XLR>WA22 or D18>SE>WA22 for the time being?

 
A short work week, new goodies tomorrow and the WA22 at the center of your playtime...what a week coming up!

 

[Sid-Fi]

All the shorter with my having a vacation day tomorrow

. I have too little ones so total quiet time during the day is rare, and being able to listen at every whim will be nice. Cross your fingers that my Yunlong D18 arrives during my vacation day tomorrow. It departed LA early this evening, and I'm pretty close by in Phoenix.
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A short work week, new goodies tomorrow and the WA22 at the center of your playtime...what a week coming up!

 

[rocknrolldoctor]

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Greetings rocknrolldoctor! Before you keep on truckin', why not send the amp back per one of his earlier instructions - where he asked you send the amp and he'll reimburse shipping charges? That'd be good enough authorization for me as a Plan B. I do remember your saying he flipped, then he flopped and then dropped all pretense of knowing what was communicated earlier.

 
I still believe you have a chance to get this thing resolved that would work for both parties.

 I have no trust for Jack Woo at this point in time..
I asked twice or more to do what he said he would do after a few emails..
Each email it seems like he can't read what I wrote or answer any questions I asked about the amp or about sending a call tag..
If he changed his mind say so, don't pretend like he never said he would send a call tag or I'm asking him to send it to return the amp..
I don't trust people that are not forthright in their business correspondence..
He either doesn't read english well or thinks he is slick by avoiding answering me..
Either way I am not interested in mailing it back and hoping he returns it, when he can't address the question about the call tag after asking he to do as he said he would..
He goes on about new amps being built with lock and I'll make you a custom face plate blah blah blah..
I said I just want a jack that doesn't lock and I like the way the amp looks now, I don't want a custom face plate, just a new jack..
Just makes me angry to have to keep asking for call tag..   

 

[Sid-Fi]

Wow. My Yulong D18 DAC is on the delivery truck today. It's on my one day off this month, what great timing.

 
This thing popped up on DHL's tracking on Saturday in Ghuangzhou China, arrived at Hong Kong on Sunday, and is now in Phoenix this morning on the delivery truck! Holy cow that was faster than I was expected. Wohoo.

 

[NOMBEDES]

Quote:

 I have no trust for Jack Woo at this point in time..
I asked twice or more to do what he said he would do after a few emails..
Each email it seems like he can't read what I wrote or answer any questions I asked about the amp or about sending a call tag..
If he changed his mind say so, don't pretend like he never said he would send a call tag or I'm asking him to send it to return the amp..
I don't trust people that are not forthright in their business correspondence..
He either doesn't read english well or thinks he is slick by avoiding answering me..
Either way I am not interested in mailing it back and hoping he returns it, when he can't address the question about the call tag after asking he to do as he said he would..
He goes on about new amps being built with lock and I'll make you a custom face plate blah blah blah..
I said I just want a jack that doesn't lock and I like the way the amp looks now, I don't want a custom face plate, just a new jack..
Just makes me angry to have to keep asking for call tag..   

 
If my amp was in need of repair, I would be getting it fixed.  I would worry about shipping costs at a later date.  

 

[Silent One]

+2
 
So, I could maintain positive energy inside my listening room; enjoy my sessions.

 Music is that important.

 

[Xcalibur255]

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Well said good sir.
 
Speaking of upgraded caps. I wonder if anyone recognizes the specific caps used in the Yulong Sabre D18 DAC and knows anything about their quality? Specifically, how much room would there be for improvement by replacing them? I purchased this last week and it should arrive tomorrow or Wednesday. Any insight would be appreciated.
 
Pics from Project86's review below. That SMA wiring going straight from the digital input to the ESS DAC chip and bypassing the pcb board path sure looks intriguing. I had never heard of that before.
 
Also, on a side note, I LOVE how this thread is a sort of members lounge, yet smaller so that you can really get to the know the members involved, their gear, background and preferences to provide great perspective.

 

 

 
 
 
 

The pictures are too blurry to see the markings.  If I had to toss out a guess just based on appearance I would say they are Nichicon Muse series which are good caps in the electrolytic cap world.

 

[john57]

I would look at the op-amps being used for the outputs and see if I can change them to get a different sonic presentation. It has been my experience that changing op-amps do make a noticeable difference in sound quality.

 

[Sid-Fi]

I posted un-boxing pictures and very first impressions of my Yulong D18 under project86's review thread. Here is the link below if anyone is interested.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586153/yulong-sabre-d18-thread-reviews-impressions-discussion-full-review-added-2-5/465#post_8671765


Edit: I am quite surprised by the performance of the Yulong D18. I ended up posting additional impressions already since of the improvements were so obvious I didn't see any point in waiting. I'll copy them below.


Okay, so much for waiting a week or two for some early initial impressions like I expected. I am completely shocked at how good this thing is! The improvements I am hearing out of the box are dramatic compared to both my former Audio-gd NFB-10WM and the Marantz SA8004 I currently have borrowed from a friend, and I don't use the term dramatic lightly. I expected to have to work to discern some of the differences, but they are readily apparent.

Several improvements are jumping off of the page right from the start. The background is VERY black and quiet, and detail retrieval is impressive - well beyond either of the units I mention above. I am hearing much more quiet subtle background layers and details in my music that seem to pop out effortlessly. This is significantly improving the level of immersion I'm feeling while listening. The sound is still very enganging and smooth, not at all analytical somehow. Of course, my Woo Audio WA22 tube amp is at play as well here.

Another significant improvement is that the D18 is more...visceral, to borrow a term from project86's post above. This word seems perfect. The D18 is very fast, has excellent pace and speed, and the percussion really snaps. The music just feels so alive and comes out and grabs you. This is particularly impressive considering that I am using Senheiser HD 650, which can be described as slow as sleepy at times. I find that silver cabling and my Sophia Princess rectifier have helped to alleviate that though.

Another improvement so far is that bass on my HD 650 is much more textured and refined. The bass has much richer tone and is very well controlled. I imagine the extra detail retrieval capability of the D18 is really helping here. The lower frequencies stand out very clear from the mids and doesnt blend into them. The overall frequency response seems to be fairly flat and accurate.

The only area that where I am not yet noticing an improvement for my Audio-gd NFB-10WM is the size of sound stage. The NFB felt a little more open and wide. However, my unit has less than five hours on it, so I wouldn't expect it to fully open up for awhile.

Hope the initial impressions are helpful.

 

[grokit]

The Sabre 9018 DAC chip has been mentioned here before as a good pairing with Woo amps, the W4S units particularly.

 

[Silent One]

That was my discovery, anyway...

 

[Sid-Fi]

Yeah, I dont think there is much new here except how low of a price point you can start seeing the benefits of a solid ESS 9018 implementation, along with great local customer service. I think the performance I am getting now is likely much closer to what many of you have already had for a good while, but it still feels nice .

 

[rocknrolldoctor]

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If my amp was in need of repair, I would be getting it fixed.  I would worry about shipping costs at a later date.  

 Its not the money...
I don't trust Woo Audio..
After a week or two of feeling like no one could understand my emails I filed a Paypal claim to get some attention..
A refund was grated in one day I guess because I am a platinum member or some such thing at Paypal (buy a lot of stuff using PP) 
 
 
I thought we where going to work things out, thats when he said he will send the call ticket.
A week or two later I was still trying to work things out..
I let the PayPal case expired and now I have no recourse if something happens to it now.
I was ready to return the amp a week or two ago but I could not reopen case so I'm stuck with it.
I feel like it was a con job..
 
 
I'll fix the jack myself, if I can't I'll order the $7.00 jack and replace it myself..