[palikrovol]

Quote:

I own the Xonar and the D18. I do not use the Xonar for anything other than movies. If you are wondering, I have owned the Xonar for a long time and bought it mainly for gaming. There is no comparison between the Xonar and the D18. They are on two completely different levels. The D18 is worlds above the Xonar as a dac for stereo playback. Do not place too much on the comments about the D18 sounding very analog. Those comments are meant as a complement. 

Thanks Chodi.
 
Do you have the Essence ST/STX or another version of Xonar?
 
Is good to know the Yulong is superior to the Xonar.
 
What I'm concerned about is the smoothness of the treble. what I think reading this, is that there is a lack of treble, I don't know if this is correct. I'm new in all this things and don't know what exactly means.
With my other option, Violectric V800, my concern is the opposite, harshness in treble and audio fatigue.
I'm in an infinite loop like "Read about D18 and like it, read about the V800 and like it, read about D18 and like it, ..." and so on

, with the opposite concerns.
 
I can't decide which one.
But for your comment I think any of them will be superior to the Essence ST, and it is a relief

.
 
Regards

 

[brunk]

Quote:

Do not place too much on the comments about the D18 sounding very analog. Those comments are meant as a complement. 

+1 Exactly. I made a compliment on it sounding very analog. Many people don't even know "digititus" when they hear it because it's all they know. This DAC doesn't make you feel like you're listening to a digital file. Very few DACs, especially in this price range are capable of that. Being able to bring out bass/mid-bass without being bloomy or overly done is what makes the D18 special. It doesn't sacrifice treble air and sparkle to accomplish it. It does make treble sound a little sweet, which I prefer for 99% of music. Matter of fact, there was a guy in this thread that was doing some studio work and sold it because it "sounded too good" lol. He's right on that aspect This is an audiophile's DAC. Heck, it was actually made by an audiophile, Yulong himself.

 

[palikrovol]

Thanks a lot for the information, Brunk
 
Regards

 

[Chodi]

Quote:

Thanks Chodi.
 
Do you have the Essence ST/STX or another version of Xonar?
 
Is good to know the Yulong is superior to the Xonar.
 
What I'm concerned about is the smoothness of the treble. what I think reading this, is that there is a lack of treble, I don't know if this is correct. I'm new in all this things and don't know what exactly means.
With my other option, Violectric V800, my concern is the opposite, harshness in treble and audio fatigue.
I'm in an infinite loop like "Read about D18 and like it, read about the V800 and like it, read about D18 and like it, ..." and so on

, with the opposite concerns.
 
I can't decide which one.
But for your comment I think any of them will be superior to the Essence ST, and it is a relief

.
 
Regards

I own the Xonar D2X. The Essence is a cut above for stereo but still cut from the same cloth. None of the Xonar are going to be anywhere near the D18 in sound quality. Yes I have heard them all. The D18 does not lose any of the sparkle in the high end but without any harshness. That is not to say that it can make a bad recording good. Some recordings are simply bad. Good recordings will sound glorious through the D18. The real thing about the D18 is it's value. At what is essentially a factory direct price which at this level of quality makes it a steal. Where else can you buy reference quality equipment under $1000. If you read back through this thread you will see that myself and others priased the Hiface Two combination with the D18. If you are using your computer as the source you really need to consider this. The two together raise this to very lofty heights in performance. 

 

[Sid-Fi]

Great description brunk - really helpful. I'm leaning on pulling the trigger on the D18 in the next couple of weeks. These credible descriptions are exactly the sound I'm looking for.

If I ever need to refresh my memory on digititus, I just need to unplug my Audiophilleo2/PurePower from my chain and plug straight into the USB of my Audio-gd NFB10WM dac. Then I'll remember in a hurry. That DAC struggles to not add an artificial layer even with a high-end $1,000 interface before it. Although its very tolerable in my setup with it. The WA22 and tubes help there undoubtedly.

This sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

+1 Exactly. I made a compliment on it sounding very analog. Many people don't even know "digititus" when they hear it because it's all they know. This DAC doesn't make you feel like you're listening to a digital file. Very few DACs, especially in this price range are capable of that. Being able to bring out bass/mid-bass without being bloomy or overly done is what makes the D18 special. It doesn't sacrifice treble air and sparkle to accomplish it. It does make treble sound a little sweet, which I prefer for 99% of music. Matter of fact, there was a guy in this thread that was doing some studio work and sold it because it "sounded too good" lol. He's right on that aspect This is an audiophile's DAC. Heck, it was actually made by an audiophile, Yulong himself.

 

[palikrovol]

Thank you very much, 
 
BTW, can the RCA output and XLR output be used at the same time?
I'm planning to connect the XLR output to a Lehmann BCL with a XLR-RCA cable, and the RCA output to a speakers amp.
 
Thanks again
Regards

 

[Chodi]

Quote:

Thank you very much, 
 
BTW, can the RCA output and XLR output be used at the same time?
I'm planning to connect the XLR output to a Lehmann BCL with a XLR-RCA cable, and the RCA output to a speakers amp.
 
Thanks again
Regards

As long as you are only using one active connection at a time it should be fine but some designs will affect the impedance when loading two active outputs. I would suggest sending a note to Yulong about this before buying with that expectation. You will note that there is a selector to switch between inputs but there is no selector to switch between outputs. I think the D18 was designed with using one or the other in mind. That said, it may be fine on this design but I would check with the manufacturer first.

 

[palikrovol]

Quote:

As long as you are only using one active connection at a time it should be fine but some designs will affect the impedance when loading two active outputs. I would suggest sending a note to Yulong about this before buying with that expectation. You will note that there is a selector to switch between inputs but there is no selector to switch between outputs. I think the D18 was designed with using one or the other in mind. That said, it may be fine on this design but I would check with the manufacturer first.

Thanks Chodi,
 
I'll write him.
 
But I think I will go for the Videolectric V800.
I can buy it at "thomann.de" with a 30 days try. And the V800 has the pre-amp feature (with volume adjustment) that will be useful for me.
From the v800 review thread i have read that it is possible to use both outputs at the same time.
 
If after using it, i don't like it, i can return it and get the Sabre D18.
 
I will write again with my final decision.
 
Than you very much to all of you
Regards

 

[palikrovol]

BTW, do enybody know how to get in touch with Yulong? an address to send the email?
 
Regards
 

 

[Chodi]

Quote:

BTW, do enybody know how to get in touch with Yulong? an address to send the email?
 
Regards
 

I suggest you send your note to Grant Fidelity they are the North American distributor for Yulong. They are very nice people and usually answer questions promptly. Trying to communicate directly with Yulong would present a language problem.
 
http://www.grantfidelity.com/site/feedback
 
They have their contact form on that link. They are the experts on all the Yulong equipment.

 

[palikrovol]

Hi everyone,
 
Finally i have ordered the V800 to try it out.
I have a 30 day try out period. If i don't like it or don't find differences from my Xonar Essence ST, i will return it and will get the D18.
 
II will let you know.
 
Many thanks to every one.
 
Regards

 

[brunk]

Quote:

Hi everyone,
 
Finally i have ordered the V800 to try it out.
I have a 30 day try out period. If i don't like it or don't find differences from my Xonar Essence ST, i will return it and will get the D18.
 
II will let you know.
 
Many thanks to every one.
 
Regards

You'll find very large improvements over the Xonar card. Therefore, you'll be quite satisfied with the V800. The D18 and V800 are excellent choices, but the V800 will leave you a thinner wallet. I don't think there will be much of a reason to try the D18 since the V800 is on the way, but to each their own

 

[nk77]

Anyone compared this to the DAC in Audio-GD NFB-11.32. A new DAC/head amp that uses the 9018 chip also. Just wondering how the implementation differs considering price differences.....

 

[Sid-Fi]

Just ordered my Yulong D18 today in black from Grant Fidelity. Can't wait to get it. I plan to provide some impressions against a Marantz SA8004 that I currently have once the D18 is burned in. Can't wait!

 

[WiR3D]

Quote:

Just ordered my Yulong D18 today in black from Grant Fidelity. Can't wait to get it. I plan to provide some impressions against a Marantz SA8004 that I currently have once the D18 is burned in. Can't wait!

sounds musical