[brunk]

I've been listening to my Beyer T1's out of the DA8 and its suprisingly good! It doesn't best the Mjolnir, nor does it go super loud and still maintain control. However, at normal listening volumes it is perfectly acceptable. Not a huge soundstage width like the MJ, but depth is better. Bass is there, midrange is there, treble is there. If i were to put an arbitrary dollar amount on the DA8 internal amp, i would say right around $400-500. It's nice

 

[project86]

Quote:

I've been listening to my Beyer T1's out of the DA8 and its suprisingly good! It doesn't best the Mjolnir, nor does it go super loud and still maintain control. However, at normal listening volumes it is perfectly acceptable. Not a huge soundstage width like the MJ, but depth is better. Bass is there, midrange is there, treble is there. If i were to put an arbitrary dollar amount on the DA8 internal amp, i would say right around $400-500. It's nice

 
Agreed. You've got a very nice power supply in there, quality OPA1632 opamps driving a discrete Class A buffer section.... the makings of a nice amp indeed. 
 
I find that most of the time, Yulong's stuff sounds better with low impedance cans. But T1 and HD800 are quite acceptable too. 

 

[Elder]

I received my DA8 five days ago. It is still burning in so I suppose its sound is still changing but it is already quite good right out of the box. I have an Audio-gd NFB-15.1 and I think it is very good too but it is warmer and a little dark. I think the DA8 more detailed and neutral with better high frequency extension.
I have an Oppo BDP95 and yesterday I compared it with the DA8. I connected the Oppo's digital outputs (both coax and optical) to the DA8. I connected both Oppo's and DA8's outputs to my integrated amplifier. I made a few A-B comparisons and noticed not much difference between the Oppo and DA8. This was somewhat disappointing as I expected the DA8 to be much better than the Oppo considering that the Oppo is marketed in US by $1000 and the DA8 is $1300 direct from China and the Oppo is a Blu-ray player with a very high end video section. May be it is still to soon to judge the DA8 that needs more running time to improve its sound.
I made the comparison on speakers only because I don't have a dedicated HP amp to connect to the Oppo.
My integrated amplifier is from a local maker (Breeze Audio - Brazil) based on Ice Power modules with a single ended tubed preamp. Speakers are Neat Motive 3.
My cans are Beyer DT-990 Pro.
 
Brunk, you also have the Oppo BDP-95. How do you compare it to the DA8?

 

[wuwhere]

That's interesting, I would like to read more comparisons as well between Oppo BDP-95 (discontinued) and DA-8, or for that matter between the new Oppo BDP-105 and DA8, both are priced the same.

 

[slingshot80]

I received mine yesterday. Seems like its well made but I am having a grounding problem. For example, every time it switches between a DSX file and a DSD file, I hear two bursts of static going thorough my speakers. When I raise the volume on my Vitus integrated amp which has series of relays and you repeatedly push a button, I am getting static for every increase or decrease in the volume. None of my other components have this issue so it is something with the DA8. I had first plugged it into to a very good power conditioner then switched to  an APC S15 unit with no improvement.
 
Sound is great especially with DXD files. I downloaded all of the free ones from 2L and compared the 128 DSD files to the corresponding DXD file and the DXD blows it away. Maybe not to surprising since everything was first recorded in DXD and then converted. Interestingly, someone on the 2L site said he preferred the DXD files over the DSD files. 

 

[brunk]

Quote:

I received mine yesterday. Seems like its well made but I am having a grounding problem. For example, every time it switches between a DSX file and a DSD file, I hear two bursts of static going thorough my speakers. When I raise the volume on my Vitus integrated amp which has series of relays and you repeatedly push a button, I am getting static for every increase or decrease in the volume. None of my other components have this issue so it is something with the DA8. I had first plugged it into to a very good power conditioner then switched to  an APC S15 unit with no improvement.
 
Sound is great especially with DXD files. I downloaded all of the free ones from 2L and compared the 128 DSD files to the corresponding DXD file and the DXD blows it away. Maybe not to surprising since everything was first recorded in DXD and then converted. Interestingly, someone on the 2L site said he preferred the DXD files over the DSD files. 

I dont know if this could be a culprit, but if youre using XLR, it could be too hot for the integrated. Just a shot in the dark.

 

[rubenpp]

I received mine yesterday. Seems like its well made but I am having a grounding problem. For example, every time it switches between a DSX file and a DSD file, I hear two bursts of static going thorough my speakers. When I raise the volume on my Vitus integrated amp which has series of relays and you repeatedly push a button, I am getting static for every increase or decrease in the volume. None of my other components have this issue so it is something with the DA8. I had first plugged it into to a very good power conditioner then switched to  an APC S15 unit with no improvement.

Sound is great especially with DXD files. I downloaded all of the free ones from 2L and compared the 128 DSD files to the corresponding DXD file and the DXD blows it away. Maybe not to surprising since everything was first recorded in DXD and then converted. Interestingly, someone on the 2L site said he preferred the DXD files over the DSD files. 

Try cycling through the inputs and see if that gets rid of the noise ? I reported a similar issue earlier in the thread when switching to DSD files. I was told to send it back to Yulong to get it fixed.

 

[slingshot80]

Quote:

Try cycling through the inputs and see if that gets rid of the noise ? I reported a similar issue earlier in the thread when switching to DSD files. I was told to send it back to Yulong to get it fixed.

Tried cycling through the inputs, didn't work. I remember your comment because I commented on it. Did you send it back?

 

[rubenpp]

Tried cycling through the inputs, didn't work. I remember your comment because I commented on it. Did you send it back?

Not yet . I haven't really decided on what to do next. Your issue seems a lot worse than mine though.

 

[EraserXIV]

Anyone else reporting these static issues? I was just about ready to buy one but it doesn't seem like an isolated incident anymore and that's putting me off...

 

[project86]

Weird, I just tried that same switching and had no issues. Maybe try different software for playback? 

 

[SoupRKnowva]

I think that static noise is an issue with grounding. I've had a similar problem in the past. Preproman got a Buffalo 3 built and when it was plugged into an amp with a stepped attenuator it made static noises every time you changed the volume, but if it was plugged into an amp with a regular pot it wouldnt make the static noises. I think he ended up getting it fixed but I dont know what was causing it specifically

 

[simomat]

IMO, the D18 bested the Teac, but not by much, so i returned it some time ago, just never updated my avatar 

Between those two at the time, the teac turned out to be a bit shouty and slightly thin. Given all the extra goodies the Teac comes with, its a definite bargain compared to D18. The D18 is the best all-rounder, and more detailed sounding. The DA8, based upon my initial impressions, is a whole step above the D18 and worth every penny given the excellent head amp, pre-amp, DSD, powerful USB, and front panel options.

Hope that helps

This really helps as there is one clear winner and so very easy choice!
I will wait after the summer to gather some more impressions but really this DA8 ticks all the boxes!
Look forward to some more impressions as you get experienced to the sound!

 

[cwtim01]

I received mine yesterday. Seems like its well made but I am having a grounding problem. For example, every time it switches between a DSX file and a DSD file, I hear two bursts of static going thorough my speakers. When I raise the volume on my Vitus integrated amp which has series of relays and you repeatedly push a button, I am getting static for every increase or decrease in the volume. None of my other components have this issue so it is something with the DA8. I had first plugged it into to a very good power conditioner then switched to  an APC S15 unit with no improvement.

Sound is great especially with DXD files. I downloaded all of the free ones from 2L and compared the 128 DSD files to the corresponding DXD file and the DXD blows it away. Maybe not to surprising since everything was first recorded in DXD and then converted. Interestingly, someone on the 2L site said he preferred the DXD files over the DSD files. 

Seems like a ground loop issue, to confirm, try feeding the DA8 with a power cable with Earth disconnected, if problem goes away then it's confirmed.

Note that ground loop problems are caused by the system in its entirety, DA8 is the newly added component in the system, but it's not necessarily the root cause of the problem.

 

[slingshot80]

Quote:

Seems like a ground loop issue, to confirm, try feeding the DA8 with a power cable with Earth disconnected, if problem goes away then it's confirmed.

Note that ground loop problems are caused by the system in its entirety, DA8 is the newly added component in the system, but it's not necessarily the root cause of the problem.

I used a "cheater plug" which has a three prong input and a two prong output. Same problem. Also connected it with balanced cables, same problem. It will have to go back unless they have some ideas to fix it.