Hi all...new here and have a couple of questions...

[06S2k07Si]

I found this site a few days ago and I'd first of all I'd like to say thank you to all for the great amount of information here! It is greatly appreciated!

On to the questions...

First....I have a Yulong D200 that I've had for about 2 years and purchased off headfi used for $360 shipped. It worked great for about a year and a half. We had a storm and it took out my usb hub and this dac. Other than sending it back to Yulong to repair (expensive at $275 to ship back and fixed for free according to yulong), is there anyone in the US that repairs products like these? This unit still powers on but I can no longer get the pc to recognize it...I have even tried it on another computer and tried other cables etc... (I am a electronic systems technician by trade). I don't have circuit repair experience though.

2nd question... if I cannot get this repaired I will then be in the market for a new unit and have looked heavily at several units. I have looked at many under $500 including the DX7S, Sabaj D5, and SMSL M10. Of these three I can get the latter at under $450usd and the DX7S for $500. I'm currently leaning toward the SMSL M10 as my top choice due to the AKM AK4497 chip and then the Sabaj D5...the DX7S is last only based on price. I have read nearly every piece of information I can find on these units but cannot find any actual test data to make a more informed decision. My main purpose of use will be to drive my Swans desktop speakers (currently) (XLR inputs) and occasionally some headphones/IEM's. I'm looking for someone with experience with these units or any good reasons for or against any of them.

Thank you again for your information and the great site. I look forward to your experience.

Brian

 

[amirm]

Welcome to the forum Brian and thanks for the kind words. On Yulong, if it were a power supply problem or something similar, it could have been repaired. Blowing USB input though is an entirely different matter. Troubleshooting that is expensive and repairs would cost more than your current estimate. Maybe you can get Yulong to send you the main board and replace that yourself.

On your second question, I strongly suggest to not buy something we have not measured. Nothing you read in the specs will help you figure out how well they work. The DX7s will work quite well for driving external speakers with balanced output.

 

[GGroch]

Brian, did you find Amir's measurements of the Topping DX7S and the SMSL M10 ? 2 out of three isn't bad, and just over a week ago Amir said he may be getting the Sabaj D5 in to test.

I have seen no real information on the D5 yet. They have not even posted the user manual. I have the older Sabaj D4, and it sounds fine, but the ergonomics are not good. Extremely tiny display, and volume controlled by buttons. Most adjustments require delving into sub-menus.

The D5 seems to have solved that, bigger display, a knob on the front...but there is very little information. I see it has the same remote as the D4- which is not one of my favorites because it has 3 buttons, (labeled A, B, C) that change its remote code. If you hit one by mistake, the remote does not work until you hit the correct one again. Also I can find nothing on the XLR outs, I assume they are variable, but perhaps they are fixed and the front knob is just for the headphones. I would want to know that before purchasing

I also have a D200....currently hooked up to Swans HiVi X4s - I like that combo a lot.

 

[06S2k07Si]

Welcome to the forum Brian and thanks for the kind words. On Yulong, if it were a power supply problem or something similar, it could have been repaired. Blowing USB input though is an entirely different matter. Troubleshooting that is expensive and repairs would cost more than your current estimate. Maybe you can get Yulong to send you the main board and replace that yourself.

On your second question, I strongly suggest to not buy something we have not measured. Nothing you read in the specs will help you figure out how well they work. The DX7s will work quite well for driving external speakers with balanced output.

Hello and thank you for the warm welcome. That is all good advice...especially regarding specs! When I was younger I was a spec nerd! I was all about the specs...then through life experience realized that those are only so accurate and I should try the item and see how it performs in person! I may contact Yulong to check costs on that as an option...thanks. On the issue of not buying anything that hasn't been tested...I agree...however in other areas of my interests, I have bought things from reputable sellers and if the items were not liked I was able to return them...in the case of the Sabaj D5, once it is available, might there be any interest in me buying it and directly sending it to you to get tested and then return it to me in 30 days or less? (Just a thought...we can talk privately about this if there is any interest...LMK

Thank you again for your time and response.

 

[06S2k07Si]

Brian, did you find Amir's measurements of the Topping DX7S and the SMSL M10 ? 2 out of three isn't bad, and just over a week ago Amir said he may be getting the Sabaj D5 in to test.

I have seen no real information on the D5 yet. They have not even posted the user manual. I have the older Sabaj D4, and it sounds fine, but the ergonomics are not good. Extremely tiny display, and volume controlled by buttons. Most adjustments require delving into sub-menus.

The D5 seems to have solved that, bigger display, a knob on the front...but there is very little information. I see it has the same remote as the D4- which is not one of my favorites because it has 3 buttons, (labeled A, B, C) that change its remote code. If you hit one by mistake, the remote does not work until you hit the correct one again. Also I can find nothing on the XLR outs, I assume they are variable, but perhaps they are fixed and the front knob is just for the headphones. I would want to know that before purchasing

I also have a D200....currently hooked up to Swans HiVi X4s - I like that combo a lot.

Hello, and thank you for your reply.

I have seen the tests on the DX7s but I will read through the link you posted on the SMSL M10... I may have come across that but since I've been cramming over the last few days I can't remember if I saw that one or not...I'll be reading it shortly...thank you.

Your comment on the XLR outputs is a good thought... it would have been my mistake to assume that the XLR''s are variable...and possibly a big mistake as I do need those to be variable...again...thanks. Regarding remotes...I don't really care too much about those...if I need a remote to control the volume when I'm less than 24 inches away I've got bigger problems!

Awesome on the SWANS and D200! Nice stuff for the $$$! I have the T200C's.

Thank you.

 

[06S2k07Si]

Good stuff on the SMSL M10 thread. Thanks for the link...kinda too bad about the actual results.