Q & A with Yulong Zhang
Tom at Apos here. Some people fall into the world of audio because of their love for music. For Yulong Zhang, it started with a radio, a screwdriver, and a dangerous level of curiosity. That childhood urge to take things apart—to understand what makes a voice crackle through a speaker—never went away. It just got more refined. In this interview, we talk about how a teenage obsession with FM radios turned into a lifelong pursuit of high-fidelity design.
Tom: Let’s start way back. What was your childhood like? Were you always curious about how things worked?
Yulong: As a child, I was very curious about everything and even took apart a radio to study how it made sounds.
Tom: Was that when you became interested in audio?
Yulong: My first interest in audio equipment also stemmed from my love for radio. When I was in my teens, I discovered that FM radio sounded better than AM radio, and large speakers were better than small speakers.
Tom: Was there a family member or mentor who encouraged your early love for audio?
Yulong: The person who has had the greatest influence on me is Mr. Yi from Hugo Records. Around 1997, I heard Mr. Yi’s record program on the radio. He talked about classical music and audiophile audio equipment, and I have been fascinated by these ever since. Fortunately, we are very good friends now, and we often communicate and learn about our understanding and views on sound together.
Tom: That sounds like a really formative experience. What kind of music were you listening to at this time? Classical? Has that shaped the way you think about sound?
Yulong: I didn’t have much exposure to music when I was young, but after studying radio and audio technology for a long time, I began to love and appreciate high-fidelity music. My understanding of sound is the result of my accumulation over time, from being very ignorant to gradually understanding the various details of sound.
Tom: So when did you realize you wanted to build audio equipment rather than just listen to it and take it apart?
Yulong: At first, I didn’t think about making audio equipment. Instead, because of my interest in audio technology, I made my own DIY audio equipment and exchanged DIY audio equipment experiences on the Internet. I found that many friends liked my DIY audio equipment, so I quit my job and devoted myself to making audio equipment.
Tom: That’s a great segue to your professional career. How would you describe the design philosophy of YULONG's products?
Yulong: Technically, my team has accumulated rich experience in digital audio processing through continuous accumulation, and we pay more attention to the expression of listening experience. I really like the sound of analog equipment, such as vinyl records, open-reel tapes, and tube amplifiers. I like this real sound with warmth and emotion. The sound of our products also has these factors injected into it.
Tom: How do you approach balancing technical performance with the subjective listening experience when designing new products? In other words, how do you “inject” warmth and emotion into a piece of equipment?
Yulong: Technical specifications can only test whether a product is qualified, it does not fully represent the sound. We usually adjust the subjective listening experience under excellent technical specifications.
Tom: A lot of audiophiles dislike all-in-one units because they can be noisier and more prone to interference than discrete units. Can you elaborate on the challenges you face when integrating multiple audio components like DACs, preamps, and amplifiers into a single unit?
Yulong: When multiple audio components are integrated together, the first challenge is EMI interference, which can be avoided through adjustment through design experience. The most critical thing is that the sound in each link must be in the best state so that there are no shortcomings in the system. In this regard, we are doing better and better!
Tom: How do you see the future of high-end personal audio evolving, and what role will YULONG play in that future?
Yulong: No matter how the technology develops, audio products should provide moving sound. Yulong will continue to work hard to make more good products.
