[WiR3D]

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You might want to train in good taste as well if you have no issue with the beautifully crafted case of the Master 8   

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How you can find that audiogd nice looking and the mdac ugly to the point you would not buy it, is a mystery to me... The 1980's calculator sytle LCD display and ugly looking headphone jacks on the Audio Gd look ugly tbh... I am sure it sounds good but it certainly does not look like something I would spend £1000+ on.... The Mdac looks more expensive and costs 1/2 the price.... TBH my cambridge audio Dacmagic looks better than both of them and cost £230.... The Yulong looks nice as well... Shame it will not work with poor sources

 
 
hold on both of you, I don't really like the looks of the Audio GD. Its just not utterly crap. 
 
Here is what I like (and yes i know most are tubes):

Vinylsavor -cream my pants.
 

Opera Consonence Cyber 211 -damn gorgeous and different. 
 

Octave V80 -and all their power amps and intergrated amps, elegant, and a simplistic but not overly minimalistic take on what is a definition of retro (tubes)
 

Ayon Skylla II -and pretty much everything they make (just to prove I don't need visible tubes to turn me on) but this is more of an in your face display of wealth or attraction - Like big chrome mags
 

 
Musical Fidelity Primo -and all their other gear for a minimalistic yet exquisite definition of elegance and class.
 
 
and now to me the most beautiful amp in the world:

Audio Note Japan Kondo Gakuon-II

 

[nicholars]

The octave and musical fidelity ones are pretty good...

 

[TexasBuck]

My second go-around with the D18/A18 is a success!  I listened for well over an hour and had no loss of signal issues.  Optical connection from my computer to the optical on the D18.  Sound is superb right out of the box.  This is my first amp/dac in this price range so there was little doubt in my mind, I would like the pair.  (I'm upgrading from the NuForce Icon HD)  The D18 was noticeably smoother  but much more detailed.  The NuForce is brighter but I don't find the Yulong overly dark at all.  The depth of the sound-stage was also a very noticeable improvement for me.  My HiFiMan HE-400's have never sounded better.  Can't wait to listen to the D18 more with speakers.
 
The only thing I'm not liking is:  I wish the speakers would shut off when headphones are plugged in.  Also wish I could control the speaker volume from the amp, not the speakers themselves.  I would need analog outputs to do this, correct?  (Not the analog inputs the A18 has?)  I currently have the speakers connected to the analog outputs on the D18.

 

[nicholars]

Sounds like Yulong should release a Rev.2 of this DAC which has less bugs and works with all sources etc. Then it would be ideal...

 

[TexasBuck]

10-12 hours on the D18.  My signal loss issues are behind me.  Not a single problem, after Grant Fidelity identified and corrected the cause of the signal loss issues I was having.  I'm so glad I stuck with it.  Everything I've thrown at the D18/A18 combo has sounded fantastic.  In fact, everything I've listened to has sounded the best it ever has to me.  I can't give it any better compliment than that.  The pair is a fantastic upgrade for me and has delivered everything I hoped it would.  

 

[WestLander]

10-12 hours on the D18.  My signal loss issues are behind me.  Not a single problem, after Grant Fidelity identified and corrected the cause of the signal loss issues I was having.  I'm so glad I stuck with it.  Everything I've thrown at the D18/A18 combo has sounded fantastic.  In fact, everything I've listened to has sounded the best it ever has to me.  I can't give it any better compliment than that.  The pair is a fantastic upgrade for me and has delivered everything I hoped it would.  

What was the cause of the signal loss, in the end?

 

[TexasBuck]

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What was the cause of the signal loss, in the end?

Lets just say it was something simple I should have been able to catch but didn't.  I'm not electronically savvy, to put it mildly.  If you want to know, PM me.  (I'd rather not humiliate myself for all to see...lol)

 

[WestLander]

I'll spare your blushes, TexasBuck and not ask... 

 

[Wynnytsky]

Yeah, I never write about something before I test it, and I'll probably regret this, but here I am.  Ordered mine on Saturday and 5 days later I still don't have a tracking number.  Grant Fidelity said once it gets through customs I should have a tracking number.  They said the whole order takes two weeks door-to-door.  Is that normal for shipping to NYC?
 
The TubeDAC-11 was my first real DAC, and when I needed to outfit a family member with a 2ch system from my old stuff, that opened the door for a DAC upgrade!  At that moment I knew nothing of Yulong or the ES9018 but two hours later my order was placed.  Then I spent the next 5 days reading this epic thread.  Usually after a hasty purchase my research digs up faults, but this thread makes me feel better than ever about the D18.  And all the talk about the ES9018's low tolerance for dirty SPDIF [and the potential for ultra low jitter playback as a consequence] has me liking the D18 even more.  That's a trade off I'll take!  This review already has testimony that the hiface2 and Yulong's own U18 will suffice.  And if my battery powered JKSDIF-MK3 doesn't hand shake with the D18 (which would horrify me) then I'll list it and likely order the U18.
 
I appreciate the minimalist design of the D18.
I do like that I can upgrade my DAC and not incur the cost of an additional high quality integrated USB section.
I do have a long run between my laptop and my DAC, too long for USB to cover, therefore must be SPDIF.
I will never connect it to a TV, or anything spinning discs, so help me god.
 
Project86's discussion of Yulong employing the Sabre's integrated DIR instead of an external sample rate converter (ex: Cirrus CS8416) has me anticipating a seriously palpable upgrade from my TD-11 (which uses the CS4398 chip).  I remember hearing a PS Audio DL3 (w/o cullen mod), and the 16/44 that came out of that had weight and meaty midbass that was notably absent from my TD-11.  The early descriptions of the D18 sound made me think of the DL3, and then I read an account by Project86 making the same comparison.  That should strike a fine balance with my bright revealing speakers, but if it knocks off too much then I can tweak it back by replacing copper interconnects with silver, and even further by removing the JKSPDIF's RF Attenuator.

 

[T.F.O.A]

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Yeah, I never write about something before I test it, and I'll probably regret this, but here I am.  Ordered mine on Saturday and 5 days later I still don't have a tracking number.  Grant Fidelity said once it gets through customs I should have a tracking number.  They said the whole order takes two weeks door-to-door.  Is that normal for shipping to NYC?
 
The TubeDAC-11 was my first real DAC, and when I needed to outfit a family member with a 2ch system from my old stuff, that opened the door for a DAC upgrade!  At that moment I knew nothing of Yulong or the ES9018 but two hours later my order was placed.  Then I spent the next 5 days reading this epic thread.  Usually after a hasty purchase my research digs up faults, but this thread makes me feel better than ever about the D18.  And all the talk about the ES9018's low tolerance for dirty SPDIF [and the potential for ultra low jitter playback as a consequence] has me liking the D18 even more.  That's a trade off I'll take!  This review already has testimony that the hiface2 and Yulong's own U18 will suffice.  And if my battery powered JKSDIF-MK3 doesn't hand shake with the D18 (which would horrify me) then I'll list it and likely order the U18.
 
I appreciate the minimalist design of the D18.
I do like that I can upgrade my DAC and not incur the cost of an additional high quality integrated USB section.
I do have a long run between my laptop and my DAC, too long for USB to cover, therefore must be SPDIF.
I will never connect it to a TV, or anything spinning discs, so help me god.
 
Project86's discussion of Yulong employing the Sabre's integrated DIR instead of an external sample rate converter (ex: Cirrus CS8416) has me anticipating a seriously palpable upgrade from my TD-11 (which uses the CS4398 chip).  I remember hearing a PS Audio DL3 (w/o cullen mod), and the 16/44 that came out of that had weight and meaty midbass that was notably absent from my TD-11.  The early descriptions of the D18 sound made me think of the DL3, and then I read an account by Project86 making the same comparison.  That should strike a fine balance with my bright revealing speakers, but if it knocks off too much then I can tweak it back by replacing copper interconnects with silver, and even further by removing the JKSPDIF's RF Attenuator.

I think you'll like the D18. I demoed both the TD11 and D18 before I bought the D18

 

[wlz12]

Just got this DAC to pair my La Figaro 339, amazing DAC getting chills listening to this combination

 

[T.F.O.A]

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Just got this DAC to pair my La Figaro 339, amazing DAC getting chills listening to this combination

Wlz, back in beijing?

 

[colour97]

i sold my d18 and going to dsd. 

 

[T.F.O.A]

X-Sabre DSD?

 

[Jerryfan]

I'm very interested to hear what you think of the D18 with your MK3. I use a Teralink x2 with power supply.  I have never heard another USB interface. I feel like the D18 wants a better one. I'm torn between the U18 and the MK3. I was reading the U18 thread and was discouraged when someone said they couldn't tell the difference between the U18 and there 100 dollar USB powered opera unit. But after reading great reviews of the mk3 I want to give it a shot.