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

£9.9
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GUSTARD DAC-X16 MQA USB DAC DSD512 PCM768kHz ES9068AS DAC Bluetooth 5.0 Full Balanced Desktop Decoder With I2S/AES/COAX/OPT Input (Black)

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

RRP: £99
Price: £9.9
£9.9 FREE Shipping

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Description

Gustard X16 is the latest Desktop DAC featuring a fully Balanced output with full MQA decoding support. It houses premium chipsets including the latest ES9068AS DAC chips, XU216 USB signal receiver, and more, providing the best sound quality experience to its users. Dual ES9068AS DAC Chipset:- 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)

I don't have this issue with my Topping DX3 Pro (1st version) in DAC mode. I can fully control the DX3 Proi volume from my Logitech Mac keyboard. Very strange that this issue occurs on Mac OS, not on Windows 10. Maybe Gustard should release a driver for Mac users to solve this issue. IEMs: FiiO FH9, FH7, FA9, FA7S, FD7, Meze Rai Penta, LittleDot Cu KIS, Kinera Skuld, 7Hz Timeless & others

Gustard X16 Sound Impressions

Here’s the deal: if everything you wish for are high levels of transparency and detail retrieval, then there’s no need to invest in four digits converters, as X18 got that fully covered. X16 was already impressive in here, always trying to put as much information as possible on the table, but X18 took that concept one step further, reaching a similar performance with pricier (Topping D90SE, Gustard X26 PRO) and much pricier converters (Matrix Audio Element X). Even without the U18 in place, X18 was able to push forward the tiniest nuances, unearthing absurd amounts of details from my music. Brightness: 8 brightness positions, none of them are completely dimming its display. The lowest position worked great at night though. The less there are component on signal path, the best it is (except at very low volume). looking at the PCB Gustard have made a minimal classical perfect implementation.

Its side plates are rounded and the front plate is rounded at the edges, I’m swapping electronics on a daily basis be it amplifiers or DACs and sometimes they might touch each other. With rounded cases, I’m more confident that I’m not going to see scratches or dents anytime soon. 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. If you are looking for an instrument grade DAC, that is as detailed and transparent as the best converters I’ve tried, that is straight as a line in the frequency response, that will not beautify and sugar coat your music in any way, then X16 seems to be an excellent choice.

Altera MAX II CPLD

I tested it in a high-end loudspeaker setup and also in several headphone setups. When I used it in the living room, I’ve tried it as a DAC + Pre unit and then only as a DAC, leaving the preamp duties to the Topping Pre90 or to a Benchmark HPA4. I’ve used a Keces S300 power amplifier, that was driving a pair of KEF Reference 3.



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