YULONG DA-ART Aurora Desktop DAC/Preamp/Amplifier

[VSG]

YULONG is an established audio brand focused on bringing DAC/amp sources with a musical touch. Today we examine the desktop class DA-ART Aurora DAC/preamp/headphone amplifier that features MQA support, Class A amplification, up to 4 W of power, and plenty of I/O options in a compact, well-built form factor.

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[GreiverBlade]

urgh MQA ... aka gimped stream/file if not paying a license or having a MQA capable DAC, ok the smaller footprint is good for "Hi-Fi" streaming, although not a huge fan of Tidal high res subscription ... double the price of the normal sub and double the price of the 320kbps from Spotify (tho Tidal has a better artist margin .... )

if i want high-res, i play locally (mostly FLAC ... not nut enough for DSD on my phone )

(the whole album is around 1.75gb, freshly ripped from my collection )

ah, derp my Fiio Ka1 is MQA 16x unfold capable ... (well at 49chf it's not really showing but if i want MQA on Fiio Music app it seems there is a subscriptions... yeah ... another "customer milking scam" )
since it use a ESS Sabre ES 9281AC Pro DAC chip

ah i really want to test if that liliputian dongle can drive a BeyerDynamic DT770 Pro 250 Ohm (i am almost 100% positive it can )

although for a desktop DAC at 520$ that one has some good specs and I/O

 

[erocker]

urgh MQA

+1

 

[zlobby]

Kudos to YULONG for providing a review sample! I wish more companies do this.

Also, I am not a fan of ESS for their sound but that is more of a personal preference. DSD512 is a hard no-no in my book, however. Many tracks I listen to are exactly in DSD512 and there is no way in hell I convert those just for a given DAC.

As for the MQA, guys above said it - industry was better off without it.

Edit: and kudos to our resident squirrel guy for the review. I see some nice gear on your hands there.
IDK, there is something about long, exhaustive reviews of audio gear where no stone is left unturned. I just enjoy reading them. Just pour some 18 yrs old one (or a fat cup of coffe, depending on the mood) and slowly absorb each and every word, sentence and line of thought.
Maybe that's why I'm so harsh on @VSG and other audio reviewers?

 

[GreiverBlade]

ok the smaller footprint is good for "Hi-Fi" streaming,

ah ... i forgot about that video ahah ... nope, it does not even have the smaller footprint advantage ...

i know why i am off Tidal too and either use Qobuz for loseless FLAC or just go into 320kbps Spotify premium for casual listening

MQA: snakeoil, lossy format, the MQA guys do not provide counter to questions asked and just claim that MQA format is not "analysable" with the current methodology yaddah yaddah
FLAC/DSD: real loseless open source already more than enough for high res streaming(FLAC)/local playing(FLAC/DSD)

actually i almost recalled my order on the Fiio KA1 to get the KA3, nonetheless the KA1 is an awesome ultra portable DAC-AMP and the fact that is has MQA validation does not alter that and the same goes for tthe Yulong Da-art DAC-Preamp-Amp. (and i confess i like the ESS ES9281AC Pro Dac chip in the KA1 compared to the AK4452 from my previous Q1 Mark II, although signature wise i prefer Cirrus Logic chips )

that being said, i love @VSG reviews (mostly those about audio and keyboards. )

 

[VSG]

I couldn't care less about MQA either and you can probably see that I just mention it as a matter of fact in the review and leave it at that. But I also acknowledge that many people still use it, so I will let readers decide one way or another.

 

[GreiverBlade]

I couldn't care less about MQA either and you can probably see that I just mention it as a matter of fact in the review and leave it at that. But I also acknowledge that many people still use it, so I will let readers decide one way or another.

yeah, i am also a kind of live and let live and after the KA1 test, a MQA certification and branding on a device will not pull me back, tho i would be glad that less and less people use MQA and more realise the scheme behind that .... thing

man i hate placebo effect a friend swear only by Tidal MQA