[colour97]

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To my ears (and I don't have golden ears), D18 is a DAC which provides a good level of details and definition, and at the same time maintain a smoothness at the top, which makes listening very enjoyable and never fatiguing. It's also warming sounding.

DA8 is a similar kind of DAC, and it just pushes the envelope further - it provides an extremely high level of details and definition, yet it's having a feeling of smoothness. The difference in resolution of details are more apparent when 24/192K files are played. It's also slightly warm sounding but less than D18 I would say.

The internal headamp of the DA8 is pretty good also, it's more neutral than A18, has a bigger sound stage and better bass control than A100 - and I even prefer the DA8 output than the A18 output for Norah Jones.

All my comments are based on the settings: +ve phase, Sharp filter mode, bypass Jitter Eliminator and PCM only (still haven't figure out how to make DSD work in my Linux rig)

 

do you mind giving impression of cd playback?  

 

[cwtim01]

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do you mind giving impression of cd playback?  

Sorry I don't have a CD player, sold the Yamaha CDS2000 years ago and moved on to a Linux based CAS setup, never turn back to CD players since then.

 

[customNuts]

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My DA8 has arrived, pairing with the A18.
 
I'll refrain from giving my impressions as Yulong gave me a big favour in upgrading my D18 to DA8 free of charge, so my comments could be biased

 

Hows the synergy with the fostex??

 

[project86]

DA-8 arrived today. Wow, my first Yulong component in black - and it looks freakin nice! Definitely a cut above even the excellent D18 and A18 in terms of build. It just looks like an expensive piece. I love the LCD which is just large enough to be useful without overtaking the front panel. Auto dimming is a nice touch too. 
 
Very minimal listening so far, just to confirm it works. Will get to it ASAP though.

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

DA-8 arrived today. Wow, my first Yulong component in black - and it looks freakin nice! Definitely a cut above even the excellent D18 and A18 in terms of build. It just looks like an expensive piece. I love the LCD which is just large enough to be useful without overtaking the front panel. Auto dimming is a nice touch too. 
 
Very minimal listening so far, just to confirm it works. Will get to it ASAP though.

 
I hate you 

 

[Esprit]

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Will get to it ASAP though.

Please compare with previous DACs...

 

[mrcasey]

I will not have a chance until later this evening to try it out for more than the 10 minutes I just spent setting it up.  I had no issues with setup and install of the drivers.  The DA8 plays PCM at all resolutions and DSD 64 DSD 128 without issue.  It looks good in the Yulong stack.
 

 

[khaine1711]

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I will not have a chance until later this evening to try it out for more than the 10 minutes I just spent setting it up.  I had no issues with setup and install of the drivers.  The DA8 plays PCM at all resolutions and DSD 64 DSD 128 without issue.  It looks good in the Yulong stack.
 

Eagerly awaiting the DA8 vs Hilo comparison =p, as I'll have the Hilo soon; but it's gonna be a long time till the EU distributor of Yulong got a demo unit.
 
Will you be using your 2channel rig or the headphone rig?

 

[project86]

Got some time in today with the DA-8 - pretty impressive so far. A few observations:
 
*The headphone jack is a tight fit. Not terribly tight, but tighter than average. They even mention this in the manual, and say to make sure you plug in all the way.
 
*Good power on the headphone out. I ran an LCD-2 and a Thunderpants to satisfying levels and felt like I had plenty of headroom. The manual lists the output as 1 full watt RMS into 32 ohms, so most of these low impedance planar models should do well (except of course the HE-6). Output rapidly diminishes into higher impedance loads, but I was able to drive my HD800 well enough. Yulong also suggests driving balanced headphones straight from the rear XLR outputs. I will try that when I get a chance. That's a similar scheme as his TubeDAC-11 made for Grant Fidelity (but that used RCA and an adapter to 1/4" headphone jack, rather than XLR). Not sure what the output impedance is on the XLRs - Yulong calls it "low impedance" but nothing more specific. Should probably be fine for 300 ohm HD800s though.
 
*The display is super nice. This probably won't apply on a silver model, but for my black unit: when the display gets dim it almost blends in with the enclosure. The black background of the display is deep enough to look like the black enclosure, and the text on the screen looks similar to the text next to the buttons for selecting source, filter, etc. It's very well done, and makes the otherwise nice Yulong D100 look absolutely primitive in comparison. 
 
*The unit mutes output for a short time when you make a change in selection such as a new filter or changing the jitter eliminator. I assume this is to avoid a "pop" coming through during the change. Other DACs do that to some degree while selecting filters, and it's kind of annoying. 
 
*Sound is pretty damn good so far. I only listened in pure DAC mode, single ended output to my Stax SRA-12S and SR-007. Great detail retrieval but still very well controlled and not harsh at all. I can't really say much more than that, still getting to know it. 

 

[Theogenes]

Very much looking forward to your thoughts, MrCasey and Project86!! 
 
As an aside to Mr. Grandberg-- any chance you'll be auditioning the Lynx Hilo at some point? As a pro audio piece, I haven't read as many consumer reviews about it, and reading the thoughts and impressions of someone whose tastes and preferences you are at least somewhat familiar with really helps to figure out where a device stands in relation to its peers. Apologies for the OT

 

[mcullinan]

Warm like the d18? This might be the Dac 4 me...

 

[project86]

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Very much looking forward to your thoughts, MrCasey and Project86!! 
 
As an aside to Mr. Grandberg-- any chance you'll be auditioning the Lynx Hilo at some point? As a pro audio piece, I haven't read as many consumer reviews about it, and reading the thoughts and impressions of someone whose tastes and preferences you are at least somewhat familiar with really helps to figure out where a device stands in relation to its peers. Apologies for the OT

 
Maybe. I'm kind of overdoing it with DAC reviews already (as compared to other categories like amps), so why stop now? The only thing is finding time.... I just get way backed up. But I'll definitely think about it and see if I can work it in. The Hilo seems like it might be right up my alley. 
 
Quote:

Warm like the d18? This might be the Dac 4 me...

 
Could be, I'm not sure yet. I almost think it has a similar character but more refined, more "grown-up". Highs are more extended and can have more delicacy and subtlety to them, rather than always being on the smooth side like D18. Bass hits just as hard though, and is at least as nuanced and textured, maybe even more so. Wow. 

 

[Theogenes]

Sounds awesome!! Sure hope you get the opportunity to hear it, b/c I'd love to hear your thoughts . 
 
Back on track: a little less on the smooth side sounds more like me than the D18... Can't wait for more impressions!! Thanks to everybody who's provided insight thus far!!

 

[wuwhere]

Sounds like for $600 less it makes the D18 a really good value.

 

[project86]

Sounds like for $600 less it makes the D18 a really good value.

The D18 certainly is a really good value, no matter what the consensus ends up being about the new DA8. It could be the best DAC in the world, wouldn't change the D18 being such a strong performer for the price.