[ippudo]

I recently got the E17/E09K FiiO DAC/AMP combo and I've been generally okay with it, it sure is a very smooth listen. However, after reading lots of praise for the Yulong D100 mkII, I was tempted to order that one too. 
 
When A/B with the E17, the first thing I noticed was that the D100 is significantly louder (I'm guessing around +6db) than the E17 when bypassing the AMP section and feeding the DAC right into my integrated amp. In terms of detail and soundstage, the D100's DAC is clearly superior. That said, its high output volume makes listening extremely fatiguing after a while, especially at higher volumes as the treble gets rather shrill and piercing (I don't notice a lot of difference between sound mode 1 & 2). I'm pairing the D100 with the DT880 600 ohm and have tried to reduce the input gain in Foobar by a few db's, alongside various EQ adjustments but it doesn't sound right; besides I'm also using other players, so it wouldn't be an ideal option anyway. My question: Is there a simple solution to reducing the DAC's output gain in order to increase dynamic range, without compromising the D100's warranty?
 
Many thanks!

 

[KBerube80]

Are you sure that it isn't just a bad hp/amp match?
 
Sorry about the lack of help.  I am just wondering.

 

[WestLander]

Rather than trying to EQ it in Foobar, why not just lower your computer's system volume (to 70% or so), and see if that helps.. Or even better, just control the volume from the E09K. It's going to be really hard to level match the D100 and E17 if you want to do A/B comparisons unless you feed them through a preamp.
 
The D100 outputs at full volume from the RCA and XLR outputs so unless you control the volume at the computer or from your amp, you'll run into the same issues.

 

[ippudo]

I followed Westlander's advice - sounds great and makes A/B-ing a little easier. For some reason I thought that reducing PC volume renders the final result less "bit-perfect", or something like that.
 
Thanks for your replies, guys. Guess I'll have to keep the Yulong then.

 

 

[WestLander]

I'm glad that it worked out for you!
 
Reducing system volume doesn't affect the sound quality, thankfully..Now enjoy your Yulong!