Packaging and Accessories

The product box for the YULONG Aurora is smaller than usual for such desktop DAC/amps, and I appreciate it due to the no-nonsense design employed. There is some potential branding confusion for viewers here with DA-ART Aurora used here as opposed to YULONG, and you will see the Aurora sold by various retailers under different combinations of the words YULONG, DA-ART, and Aurora. As mentioned before, the Aurora is YULONG's latest product under its DA-ART sub-brand, so hopefully that clears things up. Moving along, we see the product name and a render, along with marketing features listed on the front. This is replicated on the back too, and it is on the sides that we get contact info for the company itself. A double flap on the sides helps keep the contents in place during transit, then we see lots of foam inside! YULONG is going with a thick foam lid and a thicker foam tray that keeps the Aurora and its accessories safe in a practical manner—just the way I like it.


There is paperwork to go through first in this unboxing experience, and it comes in the form of a multi-language user guide, going over the basic setup and usage of the Aurora. I recommend reading through it to ensure connections are done properly and also to understand how the controls work too. A combo QC verification + warranty card is also present in the box, but most people will no doubt care about the other items here that are necessary to get the YULONG Aurora functioning.


YULONG is going with an external power supply with the Aurora, helping to keep the footprint and mass of the actual DAC/amp low but also meaning more cable management burden. No matter where you are based out of, there will be a Cisco power adapter which takes AC power from the mains (1 A max off 100-240 V and 50-60 Hz for universal compatibility) and outputs DC power at 12 V and 3 A max for up to 36 W. There is a 2-pin receptacle here, which leads to a second cable headed to the AC wall socket of your region, and shown above is the over-engineered UK plug on mine. The advantage of this separated power supply is that the two cables make for a combined length significantly longer than the usual single cable going into an integrated PSU, allowing you to position the YULONG Aurora on a desk and take power from a wall socket further away from the nearest ones that perhaps your PC and monitor have already taken up. Additionally, given the DAC functionality here, YULONG also provides a decent Vention 3' long USB Type-A to type-B cable for data transmission itself.