[mrcasey]

I am truly astounded at the resolving power of this DAC.  I am hearing extended and detailed bass that goes low, hits hard and exposes layer after layer of detail.  The highs, as well, are amazing.  Sharp, fast and not fatiguing.  I was hoping/expecting something decent with the DA8.  The reality is easily on an order of magnitude greater than that IMHO.  The music I am hearing is clean, clear, visceral and alive.
 
I need to spend some time on this with a variety of music.  Afterwards I will go back to the Hilo and make some comparisons. Initial response (in the honeymoon phase) is that I am blown away.  It is 3:45 am here.  I need to be up by 07:00 for a long day tomorrow.  Just one more song……..

 

[filuS]

I am curious how it compares to X-Sabre and Tobby, it certainly looks very interesting. And I love that it's available in black, gotta love black devices
 
to project86: on which of these ~1000 EUR DACs would you point with "that's the best synergy with Svetlana 2 + W3000ANV". My Svetlana is already on it's way and now it's time to slowly make a final decision on DAC. So far X-Sabre is the winner for me, it combines nice black finish with fantastic build quality at acceptable price (899 EUR). Tobby is much cheaper here (675 EUR) but does not look that appealing to me. However, DA8 looks almost as good as X-Sabre, but if it provides sonic improvements against X-Sabre, it would be hard choice for me (it goes only for 100 EUR more than X-Sabre).

 

[mrcasey]

Quote:

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?

DA8 will go with A18 and P18 in my headphone rig.  My speakers are in the middle of a driver upgrade and refinish so my 2 channel set up will be unavailable for a while.  All impressions of the DA8 will be based on headphone listening.  LCD3.  

 

[Esprit]

Quote:

I am curious how it compares to X-Sabre

+1, +2 & +3 

 

[Esprit]

Quote:

However, DA8 looks almost as good as X-Sabre, but if it provides sonic improvements against X-Sabre, it would be hard choice for me (it goes only for 100 EUR more than X-Sabre).

Are you sure? Do you have a link for the european price of DA8? Tnx

 

[brunk]

I have been thinking about upgrading for a little bit now and want a true end-game rig, and this is what i've come up with so far. What do you guys think? Yulong DA8>Eddie Current Electra>STAX SR-009 = approx. $10.8k 

 

[khaine1711]

Don't skimp on Dacs, especially with Staxes. Quite disproportionate spending if you ask me.
 
Also try to audition instead of blind buy. No guarantee you will prefer the Electra to the BHSE, or other amps. 009 + a basic Stax amp make a good starting point to audition other stuff.

 

[brunk]

Don't skimp on Dacs, especially with Staxes. Quite disproportionate spending if you ask me.
 
Also try to audition instead of blind buy. No guarantee you will prefer the Electra to the BHSE, or other amps. 009 + a basic Stax amp make a good starting point to audition other stuff.

I know the Yulong DA8 is inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, but it is above the 2nd Gen Weiss DAC, with DSD capability. I am curious about the BHSE vs. Electra too, but I just don't have the time and resources to audition both. The BHSE is definitely an option im considering.

 

[mcullinan]

Thats alottah dough... Id shop around. Shopping is most of the fun anyways...

 

[filuS]

Quote:

Are you sure? Do you have a link for the european price of DA8? Tnx

Actually I only checked ebay, standard price slightly fluctuates around 1000e (including shipping from China/Hong Kong). In case you have to pay full import fees+taxes, it will be much more than than 100e difference between X-Sabre and DA8. I don't know how it is in other countries but there are ways to lower these fees around here (not saying they are strictly legal!). However, with full tax it goes far beyond X-Sabre (which with shipping goes for around 940e), it now only depends what price will EU retailers/resellers set. My bet is somewhere in 1200e point.

 

[mcullinan]

EU tax is a killer

 

[Esprit]

Quote:

My bet is somewhere in 1200e point.

In Europe I've found only this price (VAT included, plus delivery): http://www.audiophonics.fr/yulong-audio-sabre-da8-dsd-dac-32bit384khz-ampli-class-p-7903.html

 

[filuS]

Oh, didn't know they already have DA8, last time I checked they only had D18. Btw, I have their page with X-Sabre in bookmarks, it is very convenient to buy one from EU shop, especially with their price of 899e for it. And seeing that DA8 is 250e on top of that, It will be hard to change my mind to get X-Sabre.

 

[project86]

So far the integrated headphone amp is really impressing me. It's up there with some of the best built-in amps I've heard to date - Anedio D2, Kao Audio UD2C-HP, NuForce DAC-100, and Resonessence Labs Invicta. As Yulong says, it may not be on the level of the dedicated A18 amp, but he's right about it actually surpassing the stand-alone A100 amp. Which is impressive because that's a nice amp. 

 

[pekingduck]

Good to know. Does the amp play well with IEMs?
Quote:

So far the integrated headphone amp is really impressing me. It's up there with some of the best built-in amps I've heard to date - Anedio D2, Kao Audio UD2C-HP, NuForce DAC-100, and Resonessence Labs Invicta. As Yulong says, it may not be on the level of the dedicated A18 amp, but he's right about it actually surpassing the stand-alone A100 amp. Which is impressive because that's a nice amp.