[hifimanrookie]

Quote:

 
The 337 is a really nice amp. Very fun, very smooth, and a great soundstage. Not all that different from the A18 actually. I believe I prefer the A18 but I'd have to hear them back to back since it's been a while. Also, I never had the HE500 back when I had the 337 (HE500 didn't yet exist at the time) so I really don't know how it pairs. If you like it a lot, stick with it, if not, the A18 is a worthy choice. 

thanks for ur reply...and yeah.i love the 337 especially with the tubes i have in it with my he500..but was just curious if the a18 was a big upgrade..

 

[project86]

Quote:

thanks for ur reply...and yeah.i love the 337 especially with the tubes i have in it with my he500..but was just curious if the a18 was a big upgrade..

 
No problem. I have a feeling it is an upgrade, but I don't know if it would be considered a big upgrade. 

 

[hifimanrookie]

No problem. I have a feeling it is an upgrade, but I don't know if it would be considered a big upgrade. 

Thanks again

 

[Maven86]

I have a similar question as well.  I'm planning on buying an A18 as an upgrade to my Matrix M-stage (Class A mod) and was wondering if it will be worth the upgrade.  I have the Q701's and the HD 650's.  I was also wondering if my Music Streamer Pro (unbalanced) would act as a bottleneck to the system, in which case I might have to pick up the D18 sometime in the future.  Thanks!

 

[project86]

Quote:

I have a similar question as well.  I'm planning on buying an A18 as an upgrade to my Matrix M-stage (Class A mod) and was wondering if it will be worth the upgrade.  I have the Q701's and the HD 650's.  I was also wondering if my Music Streamer Pro (unbalanced) would act as a bottleneck to the system, in which case I might have to pick up the D18 sometime in the future.  Thanks!

 
It's tough because everyone has different interpretations about what constitutes an upgrade that is "worth it". You'll never capture the feeling of upgrading from an iPod headphone jack to a real system with a competent DAC and amp. But the jump from M-Stage to A18 is indeed appreciable and enjoyable. Will it be big enough to justify? Only you can answer that for yourself.... for me the answer is yes but for you it may not be.
 
I was listening to the D18/A18 combo last night, powering the LCD-2.2 with balanced cable. With all the talk of the Yulong gear being "smooth" and forgiving, you might think it wouldn't pair so well with the LCD-2. Wrong. It's a fantastic sounding combo with dynamics for days, exceptional bass slam, and a surprisingly spacious presentation. The LCD-2 will never sound like an HD800 but this setup was giving me a rather large, well defined soundstage with very precise imaging. The M-Stage, even a modified version, just can't do this as well. 

 

[Maven86]

Thanks for the comprehensive response Project 86, I think I'll give the A18 a shot.  Hopefully it works almost as good with my MS pro, buying another high end DAC like the D18 will definitely set me back for a while lol.

 

[project86]

Quote:

Thanks for the comprehensive response Project 86, I think I'll give the A18 a shot.  Hopefully it works almost as good with my MS pro, buying another high end DAC like the D18 will definitely set me back for a while lol.

 
No problem. 
 
I'm not familiar with the MS Pro - doesn't it have balanced outputs only? But you were using it with the M-Stage which is RCA only. Adapters? 

 

[Maven86]

Yup, it has balanced outputs.  The music streamer pro only has mini xlr out which is extremely inconvenient, so I had to get a mini xlr to rca adapter to use it with my m-stage.

 

[ishmael]

Helping a friend sell his A18 and D18. Link http://www.head-fi.org/t/647175/yulong-sabre-a18-fully-discrete-headphone-amp-like-new-but-200-less
 
He went with a Wavelength DAC and a Stax rig. Needs to recover some of the cost. 

 

[inter voice]

I have been using D18 and A18 with my HD800 for more than a month.  They are wonderful matches and the sound is just right.  A LITTLE bit warm but not too as much when compared with HD650.  I really love the sound and IMHO the SQ is the best I have heard so far.  To my understanding Yulong A18 used HD800 to tune its SQ and that is why they match so well.

 

[Joong]

Does anybody here use A18 with HE-5LE?

 

[project86]

Quote:

Does anybody here use A18 with HE-5LE?

 
Not that I've heard of. I use HE-400 and HE-500 but no HE-5LE. Sorry.

 

[TexasBuck]

HE-400 here too.
 
Project 86:  In your review of the A18, you said you used a Balanced Toxic Hybrid cable and got fantastic results.  I went to the Toxic cable web site and didn't see anything by that name.  Would you mind sending me a link on where I can find the cable you used?   Thanks!
 

 

[Joong]

As I mentioned before, I had very good result only balanced stock cable of HE-5LE applied to HE-400 connected to Little dot mkvii+.
I think balanced operation itself having good influence.
I also ordered the toxic cable for HE-5LE in balance mode, and will connect it to Little dot mkvii+.
And I will poste the result.

 

[project86]

Quote:

HE-400 here too.
 
Project 86:  In your review of the A18, you said you used a Balanced Toxic Hybrid cable and got fantastic results.  I went to the Toxic cable web site and didn't see anything by that name.  Would you mind sending me a link on where I can find the cable you used?   Thanks!
 

 
You'll have to PM Toxic Cables and ask. His website is woefully behind compared to what he really offers - supposedly it is being updated this month.