GUSTARD DAC-X16 MQA USB DAC DSD512 PCM768kHz ES9068AS DAC Bluetooth 5.0 Full Balanced Desktop Decoder With I2S/AES/COAX/OPT Input (Black)

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I imagine we could try a lot of OP amps but it would take a lot of time to compare ...I juggled with some OP amps including 1622 + 1692 and I got the 1656 + 1612 combo in the end, being satisfied with the result I stopped)

In a headphone setup, it was connected to its soul mate H16 balanced headphone amplifier, or to (much) higher performing units like Ferrum OOR + Hypsos and later on to the Enleum AMP-23R, driving several high-end planar-magnetic headphones and a bunch of dynamic headphones. Okay folks, enough with the talk, my ears are itching for some music, so let’s hit some ear-drums! The DACMan himself will give you that it’s a very detailed, transparent and noise-less sounding DAC, it is extremely clean sounding, easily fighting with some of the nicest units I’ve tried. However, when it comes to transmitting emotions while listening to music, when it comes to midrange presence, naturalness, warmth, layering, texture, soundstage, depth and bass slam, X16 doesn’t stand a chance versus their own X26 PRO, versus Matrix Audio Element X and X-Sabre Pro units and versus some other units. Multiple Interfaces: The fully balanced decoder GUSTARD DAC-X16 supports USB/I2S/COAX/OPT/BT/AES input, and has two output modes: RCA single-ended output and balanced XLR input. It is a true fully balanced decoder. It worked well when I used it as a DAC + Preamp in my setup, as KEF’s Reference 3 sounded as I know them to be. Their transparent and speedy presentation remained intact, at the cost of being less grippy sounding without a dedicated preamp in the chain. The difference wasn’t that big, but if you would like to color the sound a little, you can certainly add an all-discrete transistor preamp or maybe even an all-tube preamp for that juicy midrange presence.The included technology in the X16 is in line with DACs costing many times its modest MSRP, including a pair of ESS Sabre ES9068AS DAC chips, which are currently ESS’ top of the line 32-bit audiophile 2-channel chipset that includes full MQA decoding. The module board that can be removed is dedicated for the Heahphone and comes with 2 OP amps 4580. Out of the box, it sounds awesome already ! Now, this is just entirely speculation on my part, and I haven’t gotten a definitive answer from PS Audio yet, but at the time when the SGCD was there awaiting a new circuit board, it wasn’t alone. I was told that there were multiple units waiting for boards, which were in short supply due to the pandemic. I was offered the option – which they didn’t really recommend – of getting a repair of the existing board. That would have involved basically stripping elements from the existing board to isolate the problem, then replacing them with new parts in an attempt to restore the board to its previous condition. My alternative was to wait for a fully-assembled replacement board, which was definitely my first choice. And after hearing such a marked improvement in the sound quality of my renewed SGCD, I’m beginning to wonder if perhaps my new board came equipped with an upgraded ESS DAC chipset – or possible other improvements. PCM Filter: 7 positions. These will be altering the FR past 20 kHz. If you want the fastest treble roll-off, go with H-FAST and if you want the most extended treble response go with M-SLOW. Subjectively, I can’t spot a difference between them, since I don’t possess super-human hearing.

You can access its user menu by pressing the Menu button on the remote or by a long press on the button to the far right. Once you do that, a user menu like this will appear: Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary. Please allow 3-5 business days for mail-in exchanges to be processed. Neil Landstrumm’s Busy Making Videos has plenty going on in the mix and the X16 copes very well with everything that is thrown at it. However, I just feel that the music isn’t as exciting as it should be – something is missing that gives my other DACs the edge in this regard. Don’t get me wrong, this is not terrible in any way and I could be well happy listening to the Gustard forever, but it’s not got that little bit of sparkle that sets great kit apart from the herd. I got this feeling throughout my time with the Gustard – not missing anything but not really falling in love with it either. Their frequency response feels pretty much the same, with the exception that big guy has more contrast and saturation, there is more bass, more midrange, more treble and a lot more naturalness can be felt while listening to it. X26 is a dynamics beast, always pressing the gas pedal. X16 is a shier sounding unit, you hear the same frequency response, the same footprint, but with a very different attitude.Its side and front plates have rounded edges that won’t trigger my OCD when swapping amplifiers, DACs, cables or headphones around it. I’m confident that I won’t see scratches or dents anytime soon. However, on chilled jazz and the likes of the Café del Mar series of records, it’s a really good match with that Sunday morning come-down feel to it. I have to say that if I didn’t listen to so much fast-paced techno etc then this would have got a better score than it will get.

Among the accessories, a remote, a USB cable, a power cable and an anthem, together with a guarantee card (with serial number). I nice touch. Why : 1/ there is one dedicated ship for each canal that cannot be effect less on crosstalk. 2/ there is one embeded linear regulator, INSIDE each chip for the first time on ESS Sabre. A critical step on each Dac implementation is the chip supply quality. Here it cannot be better. In some ways I’d describe the Gustard as pretty “workaday” – it doesn’t do anything wrong, but it doesn’t connect me with the music like my other DACs. For me, it is missing that certain something that’s really hard to quantify.Please keep in mind that these are rough estimates and shipments can be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, like postal strikes or severe weather. The mids are clean and uncolored, but I still prefer the mids from the Xenns Top because of its technical abilities, clarity, and control. When compared to the Khan, I prefer the Khan's mids because of the dynamic driver tonalities. Both the Xenns Top and the Simgot EM6L have a balanced armature tone to them. Sending music from a smartphone that was using streaming services as Qobuz and Tidal worked as a charm and LDAC codec sounded almost indistinguishable to its wired connections. Bottom line is that X26 PRO performed amazingly well in here, rising the bar yet again and becoming a new benchmark when it comes to Bluetooth receivers.