[project86]

Quote:

 
OK sorry for the misunderstanding - my fault.  I've been using the Emotiva XDA-1 Therefore it's time, for what I would an upgrade.  I'm getting a moded Buffalo III DAC made to go with my newly build B22 so the GS-1 gets moved to the bedroom.  So  small form factor DAC is needed.  What do you recommend?

 
D18 is a great choice - assuming you don't need USB in. It's the best DAC I've heard for the price. 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
D18 is a great choice - assuming you don't need USB in. It's the best DAC I've heard for the price. 

 
Cool - good to know.  I'll be using a V-link in that case.
 
I also posted on a different thread wanting to know how you felt about these two.
 
http://www.mav-audio.com/base/product/tubemagic_d2
 
http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Grant-Fidelity-TubeDAC-11-D-A-Converter.html
 
Maybe not in the same league as the D18 though huh?

 

[customNuts]

Quote:

 
D18 is a great choice - assuming you don't need USB in. It's the best DAC I've heard for the price. 

Hey Project86, have you (or anyone else) ever heard the Audio-gd Master 5/6 & if so compared it to the A18?
 
I have the Ref 7.1 + Master 5 combo and am thinking of trying out the A18\D18. I wouldn't think the Yulong would beat it but I'm hoping it would be such an enjoyable difference that I could warrant owning both systems.
Wdyt??

 

[Tigermoth]

Could anyone advise of a site where I can order the Youlong A18/D18. ?? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[project86]

Quote:

Could anyone advise of a site where I can order the Youlong A18/D18. ?? Any help would be appreciated!

 
Grant Fidelity is the authorized distributor for North America. I'm not sure where you are located though. 
 
They even give a small discount for order the pair together - I think it is $50 off or so. 

 

[Tigermoth]

Thanks, Project86. I really appreciate that. I am planning on buying the A18/D18 set up along with Beyerdynamic's Tesla T1 headphones. My wife and I have just moved into an apartment in a retirement community and I am having to give up my beloved Magnapln 20R's as they would blow the other residents out of the building.

What do you think of the match up of the A18/D18 with the Beyerdynamic's Tesla T1's ?? Would you recommend another top end headphone for a Magnaplan 20r guy?

Best regards -- Tigermoth

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Quote:

Thanks, Project86. I really appreciate that. I am planning on buying the A18/D18 set up along with Beyerdynamic's Tesla T1 headphones. My wife and I have just moved into an apartment in a retirement community and I am having to give up my beloved Magnapln 20R's as they would blow the other residents out of the building.
What do you think of the match up of the A18/D18 with the Beyerdynamic's Tesla T1's ?? Would you recommend another top end headphone for a Magnaplan 20r guy?
Best regards -- Tigermoth

 
As a fan of magnepan speakers myself(a pair of 3.7s are my dream speakers right now, if only i had the space) i would highly recommend that you check out the Audeze LCD-2's instead of the T1's. though if you are looking to spend that much on headphones, you should get to a meet or see if you have a local shop that you might be able to listen to them both at.

 

[project86]

Quote:

Thanks, Project86. I really appreciate that. I am planning on buying the A18/D18 set up along with Beyerdynamic's Tesla T1 headphones. My wife and I have just moved into an apartment in a retirement community and I am having to give up my beloved Magnapln 20R's as they would blow the other residents out of the building.
What do you think of the match up of the A18/D18 with the Beyerdynamic's Tesla T1's ?? Would you recommend another top end headphone for a Magnaplan 20r guy?
Best regards -- Tigermoth

 
Sorry, I have yet to hear the T1 for myself. I know, I'm behind the times. I'd think it would be a great match though - the Yulong "house sound" is really smooth yet very extended up top, which could help with Beyers as some people find them kind of bright/harsh.
 
I can say that the HiFiMAN planars mate exceptionally well with the D18/A18 combo. I've been using the HE-400 and HE-500 recently and both sound very nice. 

 

[brunk]

Sorry, I have yet to hear the T1 for myself. I know, I'm behind the times. I'd think it would be a great match though - the Yulong "house sound" is really smooth yet very extended up top, which could help with Beyers as some people find them kind of bright/harsh.

I can say that the HiFiMAN planars mate exceptionally well with the D18/A18 combo. I've been using the HE-400 and HE-500 recently and both sound very nice. 

I would have to completely agree with Project86 (Project86, get a set of balanced T1s NOW). I have a few friends, including myself, that own/owned pretty much ALL the top of the line headphones and we are ALWAYS reaching for our T1's lol (this also includes some people from highly respected aftermarket HeadFi shops, yes plural). We might have several DACs, but we only have one set of ears hehe. Anyways, just about anyone on this level of equipment will first off tell you to go upgrade your cable to balanced. Moon Audio (no affiliation) can do this for you with their Black Dragon cable with 6-10ft in the $250-300 range with round trip shipping.

Ok, now for the DACs. Again, friends and myself with this level of gear are currently highly recommending the Violectric DAC/amp combo from AphroditeCu29 (no affiliation) as a "goto" DAC for its all around accuracy and transparency. With that said, there's a new guy in town, Yulong's flagship D18/A18 combo. I have heard the Violectric myself, but NOT Yulong. Given the experience of ZombieX and Project86 here, I do trust what they have to say and will I be buying the Yulong combo since it pretty much makes ALL music sound good, judging by their descriptions. The Violectric is so transparent that some bad recordings will be unbearable to you. Another thing that tips the scales in Yulong's favor is if you're looking to buy right now (1-6 months), because Violectric is currently working on a prioritized XLR (true balance, like Yulong) DAC and Amp, but release date is uncertain.

Either way, the Violectric for transparency, or the budget conscious Yulong with a vinyl touch will be excellent choices. Just be sure to recable those T1s over anything else, and they will be your go-to headphones over HiFiMan, Sennheiser, and Audeze. Just like my friends and I, along with some HeadFi'ers are doing once you're this far up the ladder.

P.S. I personally have a problem spending over $1k on DACs as they are only in their infancy right now, and are changing quicker than ever before. A "better" DAC is always on the horizon, and I'm sure some people that spent well over $1k a couple years ago are looking to upgrade (secretly of course lol), or have already done so.

Hope that helps and enjoy!

 

[Tigermoth]

Thanks very much, SoupRKnowva, for your comments and insight's. I will listen to a set of LCD-2's if I can find them in a local shop.

​

 

[Tigermoth]

Thanks very much, project86, for all of your help. I'll look forward to reading you detailed report on the Yulong pair. Also, I will try and find a pair of HIFIMAN HE-400/500's to test drive.

Thanks again

 

[Tigermoth]

Thanks very much, brunk, for your comments and insight's. I am pleased to see such a hardy endorsement of the T1's. I will certainly recable any headphones I purchase to a balanced configuration.

 

[project86]

Nothing against the T1 (or any other headphone for that matter), but I have to point out how great it is to have a detachable cable system like HD650, HD700, HD800, HiFiMAN, and Audeze. I've got a nice balanced HiFiMAN cable for use with the Yulong A18 - but I also like using my single ended tube amp or Violectric V200. So I also have a nice single ended cable. Swapping on the fly is great. 
 
I suppose a hardwired balanced cable could be used single ended with an adapter, but I find that to be an inelegant solution. I see no reason why all headphones can't be made to have detachable/replaceable cables. Even for stock cables, it's nice to be able to replace a damaged cable without having to solder. 

 

[brunk]

Nothing against the T1 (or any other headphone for that matter), but I have to point out how great it is to have a detachable cable system like HD650, HD700, HD800, HiFiMAN, and Audeze. I've got a nice balanced HiFiMAN cable for use with the Yulong A18 - but I also like using my single ended tube amp or Violectric V200. So I also have a nice single ended cable. Swapping on the fly is great. 

I suppose a hardwired balanced cable could be used single ended with an adapter, but I find that to be an inelegant solution. I see no reason why all headphones can't be made to have detachable/replaceable cables. Even for stock cables, it's nice to be able to replace a damaged cable without having to solder. 

That is true, it would be nice to have a detachable cable on the T1, granted, using a single-ended adapter works just fine and taking care in handling your cable goes a long way. Slightly off topic, but I really feel that the T1 doesn't get the credit it deserves for whatever reason that may be. It really is a good headphone with 99% of all gear. You give it silver, it says "give me more!", you give it a mediocre source and it says "here try this on for size!". The HiFiMan and especially Sennheiser will scream in protest with those things.

 

[project86]

Quote:

Hey Project86, have you (or anyone else) ever heard the Audio-gd Master 5/6 & if so compared it to the A18?
 
I have the Ref 7.1 + Master 5 combo and am thinking of trying out the A18\D18. I wouldn't think the Yulong would beat it but I'm hoping it would be such an enjoyable difference that I could warrant owning both systems.
Wdyt??

 
 
Sorry, I missed this post somehow.
 
The only Audio GD product I have experience with is the Reference 7. I really liked it. I would actually place the D18 on roughly the same level, though both have their own unique voicing. It's hard to say which would be the best without having the Ref 7 here for direct comparisons... but each one is a small step behind my Violectric V800, so based on that I think they are in a similar league. The Ref 7.1 might be better than the D18 but again I can't say for sure. 
 
I suspect the Sabre D18/A18 combo would be unique enough to be a worthy 2nd system. Judging from my experience with the Ref 7 - the Yulong setup should probably be a little smoother, warmer, less emphasis on detail and more on macro-dyamics. It won't be as "accurate" but will give a smoother and more listenable presentation.