[Chodi]

  Cool, I once had the exact same setup as you do now. D18 + M-Stage, my "early days" of Head-Fi the M-Stage is great and all, but trust me, there is better out there. You don't know what the D18 is capable of - give it a better amp

I have a WA-2 and a LF332C tube amps so I think I have an idea what the D18 is capable of doing (which is why I am in no hurry to replace it). Sometimes I just like to change over to ss for the transparancy and calarity that you only get from ss. I upgraded the Matrix M stage and I think it pairs very well with the HD800 but I am looking for better ss. I don't think I will improve on my tube amps unless I get into the mega buck territory.
 

  Have you guys used mostly the balanced outputs on the D18? Just curious about D18's sound quality differences between the single and balanced, other things being equal? Thanks!

I use both outputs as I usually have two amps connected but only one amp active at a time of course. The difference in sound can pair with various amps better but in general the balanced output is slightly better, I do not find a huge difference. The I have auditioned many DAC's thinking of replacing the D18 but I guess I am hooked on the overall musicality of the D18 while still preserving most of the detail I hear in higher priced alternatives. Honestly I get as much difference with amp tube rolling as I do with changing many of these alternative dac's. Some of the dac's are hyper detailed at the expense of brightness that I don't care for. I have not listed to dac's over $2500 as I have my limits. Yes, clearly some I have heard are "better" than the D18 but only marginally so. Hard to compare all this in various dealer showrooms and get conclusive results.  

 

[Dogmatrix]

  If this dropout issue stays the way it is,no big deal letting it warm up for 5 min,but if it gets progressively worse then its obviously going to be a problem.I contacted Yulong about this yesterday morning,still awaiting a response.

My experience of the "dropout  issue" in detail
First it is very consistent regardless of source (tried Emotiva and Rotel  Cd players Bel Canto USB interface, Pure i20, Panasonic Blu Ray)
and input line
Also the dropout has remained constant in character over the last 12 months
In my case there are two or three very brief dropouts in the first five minutes of play then flawless performance
Interestingly if I warm up the unit with no source playing the dropout still occurs when a source is connected
So I generally let it play for a couple of tracks then reset and start again this avoids any disruption to my listening
I run two amps (not at the same time) a LaFigaro 332s out of the RCA and a Violectric HPA V181 out of the XLR
Synergy is great with both amps so I put up with this minor flaw but I would be interested in Yulong's opinion
Perhaps it has something to do with 240v power as all the US units seem to be dropout free

 

[Chodi]

 
My experience of the "dropout  issue" in detail
First it is very consistent regardless of source (tried Emotiva and Rotel  Cd players Bel Canto USB interface, Pure i20, Panasonic Blu Ray)
and input line
Also the dropout has remained constant in character over the last 12 months
In my case there are two or three very brief dropouts in the first five minutes of play then flawless performance
Interestingly if I warm up the unit with no source playing the dropout still occurs when a source is connected
So I generally let it play for a couple of tracks then reset and start again this avoids any disruption to my listening
I run two amps (not at the same time) a LaFigaro 332s out of the RCA and a Violectric HPA V181 out of the XLR
Synergy is great with both amps so I put up with this minor flaw but I would be interested in Yulong's opinion
Perhaps it has something to do with 240v power as all the US units seem to be dropout free

Mine is 240V also and I don't have the dropout problem. If your problem is consistent and repeatable then it is pretty obvious you have a defect in the signal lock. I assume you have changed cables to eliminate that possibility. I also imagine you have tried something other than usb input to confirm the usb input is the cause. If you have done all that, then save yourself some grief and return the D18 to Yulong for repair. It is not that big a deal to send it back. I bet Yulong's service dept takes good care of you.

 

[Musica Amantem]

Thanks so much, brunk and Chodi, for your valid feedback. I know I've been bogging some of you lately, trying to figure out which of those two DACs is for me (the other is the EMO DC-1, of course). But, the price difference considering the obligatory DDC in the Yulong makes it easier to go with the DC-1. I just wanted to confirm why I'm letting down the Yulong, as I cannot take advantage of the balanced outputs. 

 

[slim23]

Hi!
 
I connected the DAC using an optical cable throught the external soundcard ST-Lab M-360, sounds jump and stutters impossible to listen! What could be the problem?

 

[Chodi]

  Hi!
 
I connected the DAC using an optical cable throught the external soundcard ST-Lab M-360, sounds jump and stutters impossible to listen! What could be the problem?

I have no experience with your external sound card but I do own the D18 so I will try to help. I use a Hiface 2 usb to spidf converter and it works flawlessly with windows drivers on my I7 based computer. I tried the optical output of my xonar card long ago and it worked fine but is limited in sampling rates. I believe your sound card only supports 44.1 and 48khz. I think you would have better luck and get much better results with an internal sound card that supports spidf output. Honestly there are so may inexpensive usb converters on the market now that is really the route I would suggest. The Hiface 2 does a very good job with the D18 but there are many others available also. 
 
In short I believe the sound card is the problem. If it is one of their older models it only supports usb 1.1. More details about the computer you are using would be helpful. The D18 is capable of glorious results with the right input signal. You might also check your driver for your sound card and see if they are the latest. I doubt that there is really any problem with the D18 itself.

 

[slim23]

Thanks for your reply! I use this laptop http://www.samsung.com/ru/consumer/computers-peripherals/notebooks/essential/NP300V5A-S0YRU-spec I am sorry that some information in Russian. This laptop doesn't have S/PDIF, so I need some kind of external device that are connected by my laptop and DAC optics, because I have an optical cable. I bought this sound card and here is the result...(

 

[InCreD1Ble]

Hello everyone. My current setup is: ASIO playback (mostly MP3's, some FLAC's) -> Asus Xonar Essence STX -> RCA interconnects -> Sabre A18 AMP -> copper Toxic Cables -> Audeze LCD-2. I was planning on purchasing D18 to complete my setup, however I have some doubts whether a standalone DAC makes any difference.

Would D18 be an upgrade from my Essence STX soundcard?

At the moment I am using unbalanced output on my A18, if I bought D18 I would have a complete balanced setup.

Is the difference audible? (P.S, does D18 come with balanced cables?)
 

 

[Chodi]

  Hello everyone. My current setup is: ASIO playback (mostly MP3's, some FLAC's) -> Asus Xonar Essence STX -> RCA interconnects -> Sabre A18 AMP -> copper Toxic Cables -> Audeze LCD-2. I was planning on purchasing D18 to complete my setup, however I have some doubts whether a standalone DAC makes any difference.

Would D18 be an upgrade from my Essence STX soundcard?

At the moment I am using unbalanced output on my A18, if I bought D18 I would have a complete balanced setup.

Is the difference audible? (P.S, does D18 come with balanced cables?)
 

Yes, the D18 would be an obvious step up. Yes, balanced is better. No it does not come with cables. You would need a usb interface to connect to the D18 it is not included. I use the Hiface 2 but the are many such interfaces available in all price ranges. You can use an optical cable but you would be limited to 96khz.
 
You might also want to check out the new D200 from Yulong which is about to be released. Obviously there are no comparisons available since it is not released but I am sure it will be reviewed soon. I have the D18 and I think it raises far above it's price point.

 

[InCreD1Ble]

  Yes, the D18 would be an obvious step up. Yes, balanced is better. No it does not come with cables. You would need a usb interface to connect to the D18 it is not included. I use the Hiface 2 but the are many such interfaces available in all price ranges. You can use an optical cable but you would be limited to 96khz.
 
You might also want to check out the new D200 from Yulong which is about to be released. Obviously there are no comparisons available since it is not released but I am sure it will be reviewed soon. I have the D18 and I think it raises far above it's price point.

Thanks for your response. I will keep my eye on D200.
So for the D18 I would need a USB interface + a balanced connection from DAC to AMP?


P.S I just checked out D200, it's about the same price as D18, but it says it's an AMP as well? Would it be logical to expect it having a lower quality DAC than D18?

 

[Chodi]

  Thanks for your response. I will keep my eye on D200.
So for the D18 I would need a USB interface + a balanced connection from DAC to AMP?


P.S I just checked out D200, it's about the same price as D18, but it says it's an AMP as well? Would it be logical to expect it having a lower quality DAC than D18?

You don't have to run the D18 balanced but I prefer it that way as I have a balanced amp. It is impossible to speculate about the relative value of the D200 and the D18 since the D200 has not been released. The D200 also includes the usb and it does DSD (according to the specs). I wouldn't jump to any conclusions about the relative value and performance of the two. The D18 was their reference before the DA8 so it is going to be a hard act to beat but at this point nobody knows. The D200 is using a lower level processor the ESS9016 to cut cost. It may still equal or beat the performance of the D18 but we will have to wait and see. 

 

[InCreD1Ble]

I can see D200 being listed and ready to buy in the shop I got my Yulong A18 from (based in Hong Kong).

 

[moriez]

  I can see D200 being listed and ready to buy in the shop I got my Yulong A18 from (based in Hong Kong).

 
Have a link or the shop's name please?

 

[Chodi]

   
Have a link or the shop's name please?

I see it is listed today as in stock and ready for sale by their Asian distributor which also happens to be one of the largest Ebay sellers. Here is a link:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-new-Yulong-D200-32bit-384KHz-ESS9016-DSD-DAC-Headphone-amplifier-100V-240V-/111329537306?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item19ebc1ed1a
 
You might note that they are also selling the D18 at slightly more money. I am left to think that the D18 might still be the better performer at this price level. Seems like they are just trying to catch the very large "all in one" market with the D200. We will have to wait for reviews or just blindly jump in. I would point out that at this time DSD is little more than a curiosity since there is so little source material for that. It may become important or it may become another 8 track. Remember the general public is very happy with their cd performance and low cost.

 

[InCreD1Ble]

   
Have a link or the shop's name please?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/new-Yulong-D200-32bit-384KHz-ESS9016-DSD-DAC-Headphone-amplifier-100V-240V-/251508472899?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item3a8f12bc43

That's the guy I got my amp from.