[Focux]

Not sure if I understand your meaning correctly. Do you mean can Aquila II be used as a pure headphone amplifier or pre-amp without the DAC? I don't think this is possible because you need to have an analogue input in order to bypass the DAC section.

Can Aquila ii and DA10 be used as a pure headphone amp?

 

[Andykong]

Can Aquila ii and DA10 be used as a pure headphone amp?

If you have a DAC (or CD player) and want to use the Aquila II or DA10 as headphone amplifier only (i.e., by pass the DAC section), this is not feasible. You need to look for headphone amplifier or All-in-one with analogue (a pair of RCA or XLR) input.

 

[Muataz]

If you have a DAC (or CD player) and want to use the Aquila II or DA10 as headphone amplifier only (i.e., by pass the DAC section), this is not feasible. You need to look for headphone amplifier or All-in-one with analogue (a pair of RCA or XLR) input.

Do you think that optical and USB input will sound exactly the same on this DAC ? . As I see the FPGA will take and buffer the input signal.

 

[Andykong]

Do you think that optical and USB input will sound exactly the same on this DAC ? . As I see the FPGA will take and buffer the input signal.

They won't sound exactly the same but very close, a lot closer when compare to the original Aquila when we didn't have JIC in place.

 

[Muataz]

They won't sound exactly the same but very close, a lot closer when compare to the original Aquila when we didn't have JIC in place.

What I think optical will cut PC noise and with JIC it get better clocking.

 

[Andykong]

Kropka Audio from Poland has published a very informative review on YULONG DA-ART Aquila II, they describe the Aquila II sound as "delightful - it is linear and transparent in the ASRC mode and a bit more musical and softer in the SYNC mode" (from Google translate).

Check it out if you want to find out why they like it so much and called it "a sensational DAC / AMP".

 

[Andykong]

What I think optical will cut PC noise and with JIC it get better clocking.

Your assumption is correct. One of the advantage of JIC is to enhance the quality of digital audio data before entering DAC chipset. High quality source will display a natural 3-dimensional soundstage and mediocre source will perform very close to high quality source because of JIC.


@project86 , in his DA-10 review, said "DA10 handles everything via custom programmed FPGA, and the result is an even more low-key device that really doesn't care about transport quality in the least. It's hard to believe, but the DA10 sounds just as good with a standard Surface Pro or off-the-shelf Dell workstation as it does with excellent music servers and disc transports. ...... This ultimately means the end user is free to choose a player based on other aspects such as user interface or price, without regard for output quality. That's new to me, and pretty exciting."

He is working on his Aquila II review, stay tune if you want to find out whether JIC will create another miracle to Aquila II.

 

[Auxine]

Are we able to change out op amps for this unit?

 

[Muataz]

Are we able to change out op amps for this unit?

You can't

 

[Andykong]

Are we able to change out op amps for this unit?

The Op Amps are soldered on PCM directly, they are not installed on socket so theoretically they are not user replaceable.

 

[marcusd]

Our Aquila II full review is now published. A very competitive mid-priced offering with some great synergy with demanding headphones such as the Hedd Audio Heddphones, Diana V2, and the Empyrean.

https://headfonics.com/yulong-da-art-aquila-ii-review/

 

[YULONG Audio]

Our Aquila II full review is now published. A very competitive mid-priced offering with some great synergy with demanding headphones such as the Hedd Audio Heddphones, Diana V2, and the Empyrean.

https://headfonics.com/yulong-da-art-aquila-ii-review/

Thank you Marcus/Headfonics for spending your precious time to review our Aquila II. The review is very comprehensive and informative, and looks like this becomes your favorite YULONG DAC/Amp so far, you even rated the Aquila II slightly higher then our DA10.

 

[marcusd]

Thank you Marcus/Headfonics for spending your precious time to review our Aquila II. The review is very comprehensive and informative, and looks like this becomes your favorite YULONG DAC/Amp so far, you even rated the Aquila II slightly higher then our DA10.

The DA10 score is actually based on readers votes to date since it is a 2019 review, not 2020 Since readers can vote at any time, that score is always subject to dynamic change.

 

[Andykong]

This is a surprise, so the Aquila II works very well with HEDDphone?

I didn't have the opportunity to check out the HEDDphone in detail because all the shows were cancelled. I like what I heard in previous brief auditions but finding a good source/amp for HEDDphone is quite a task, its a very good news that YULONG Aquilla II and HEDDphone work well as a pair, I'll have to find a way to check this out.

 

[marcusd]

This is a surprise, so the Aquila II works very well with HEDDphone?

I didn't have the opportunity to check out the HEDDphone in detail because all the shows were cancelled. I like what I heard in previous brief auditions but finding a good source/amp for HEDDphone is quite a task, its a very good news that YULONG Aquilla II and HEDDphone work well as a pair, I'll have to find a way to check this out.

Yes, but in balanced output only. Not enough juice single-ended.