Yulong Sabre D18 32 bit Reference Dac

[Dr Tone]

I'm using one these right now. In my opinion one of the best DACs on the market for the price.

@ $700 it's a bargain for a fully balanced Sabre based dac.

It's replaced my Rega DAC which replaced my Dacmagic. I've also compared it to a Ayre QB-9 which is 4 times the price, I still prefered the Yulong.


That said I'm really looking forward to the 380 from Simaudio.

[Suave]

Thanks for sharing you opion on this with us Dr Tone - it looks like we all missed this when you first made the post.

I must admit that my experience (at least my personal experimentation) with DACs is somewhat limited, especially when it comes to higher end DACs. That being said I have played around with lower priced DACs like the Cambridge Audio DACmagic and the Alpha Design Labs GT40 DACs and think that both offer very good performance and value. I've also listened to many other higher priced DACs at various audio shows.

I did however invest in a new DAC for myself recently - the Bryston BDA-1 ($2195) and I have to say that I very quickly came to appreciate just how much it improved the sound of my system, and my listening experience. It delivers realism and details from my music that I haven't heard before in my system and opens up the soundstage in every direction. And now I wonder... how did I ever get by without it

Dr Tone - what is it about the Yulong Sabre D18 DAC that you enjoy so much? What makes you prefer it to the other two DACs you mentioned?

[SoundGame]

I share Suave's interest in your appreciation for the qualities of the Yulong over say the last DAC you had i.e. Rega DAC.

[Dr Tone]

The music is just more dynamic with more clarity in comparison to anything else I've had or tried. That said its also butter smooth and detailed but not in an overly clinical way.

But the biggest thing is the huge 3d like sound stage. The instruments and vocals just pop out of the sound stage, every other Dac I've had or tried was laid back in comparison.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[dmitchell]

Interesting.. I've been curious about that DAC since I've switched to a PC based source. I'm a fan of the Sabre DAC (after owning the W4S and Audiolab DACs).

Do you know if it's fully balanced?

[Dr Tone]

Do you know if it's fully balanced?

Yes, it is.

[dmitchell]

Cool. Thanks.

I've read in several places that this DAC sounds a lot like the W4S DACs, which I'm not surprised, since they both use the same DAC chip. I guess it's all the implementation, though.

Only thing that keeps me from trying this one out is that it uses opamps instead of discrete output stages.

[Pneumonic]

Cool. Thanks.

I've read in several places that this DAC sounds a lot like the W4S DACs, which I'm not surprised, since they both use the same DAC chip. I guess it's all the implementation, though.

Only thing that keeps me from trying this one out is that it uses opamps instead of discrete output stages.

Like your reference above to implementation, the same holds true of op amps in output stages. Some designs are truly horrid while others are sublime. Op amp output stages can be found in many of the worlds best sounding DAC's. Metric Halo, DCS, EMM labs, Meitner, Lavry, Benchmark, Altmann, Stello, Weiss, Prism for example.

[Gliv]

Hello,
Thank you for all the great insight on the Yulong D18 DAC. This is a perplexing topic. I currently own a Naim Nate 1
Linn LP12
Rega Apollo R
Mission 770 speaker
I am looking to move into the realm of computer based Hi-fi and looking for some solid guidance and would greatly appreciate some solid direction. I have listened to only a few DAC including the Rega DAC and Benchmark DAC 1. What is important in the selection is soundstage and accurate representation. I am certainly more analog based on my hardware of choice to date. When I listened to the Rega and Benchmark I was pleased with the critical needs however something was missing. I have read all I can find on the Yulong And it reads like the Holy Grail of DAC's. Before I take the plunge and buy something I have only read about your help in defining if this DAC with offer the definition, warmth and soundstage I am looking for. I also notice the DAC over samples, how much does this feature impact the quality of the music good or bad?

Thank you in advance for your help

Gliv