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I have had a few more than decent DACS-DPA PDM1.3,and EE minimax with a Valvo E80CC goldpin tube.Somehow,I never expected digitally reproducing sources to be more than tolerable,having had good analogue sources for a long time.I am pleasantly surprised by the Gustards-I am able to listen for hours without tiring,this has not happened to me so far with digital.
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If I remember correctly, the EE Minimax is a very well reviewed DAC, especially if you tweaked it to your liking by tube rolling...
Gustard must be doing something right!
Hi !
thanks for the interesting advice.What are you using to connect the U12 to the X12 ?
I have the U12 as well and I tend to prefer AES/EBU ... the sound seems more relaxed, large while maintaining a nice detail.
I use a very cheap but good Canare AES cable.
Actually I use the same cable also for analog signals.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 09/25/16 09/25/16 09/25/16
Hi Beppe,I have read your posts across the years with pleasure.
Initially I was using Apogee Wydeye 110 ohm digital cable,between the U12 and the EE minimax.Switching to DH110 silver cable terminated by Mark Tunis,whose marvelous power pods I have,gave good results,and I am using a 4 meter cable between the U12 and the X12.The X12 is still burning in,so I can not claim to know how it will end up sounding.This morning I connected the CEC TL3N transport.Actually the sound was not terrific,compared to the sound through the laptop and U12.
A few questions that maybe you can help me with:
1)Maybe I should go from the transport to the U12,rather than into the X12?
2)How do I get the X12 to upsample?
I received mine without a manual(of course) and I am a bit digital illiterate and unintuitive.
Best,Raanan
Howdy r17,
I've enjoyed a Gustard X12 DAC for a non-USB application for quite awhile now, and find it to be very detailed, dynamic, and uncolored sounding. While it doesn't sound analog-like or euphonic, it's not too analytical to be a good music maker, to my ear, and with no appreciable listening fatigue involved in its presentation. IME, the Gustard X12 DAC is very sensitive to various S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital cables, so it's worthwhile to experiment with various high-performance cables, including audiophile-quality aftermarket power cords, as well as vibration control footers and a platform to take it to the next level. BTW, I recommend upgrading a pro audio product like Canare with an audiophile-quality product for best results.
Cheers, Duster
Thanks,Duster.The X12 here is enjoying an upgraded AES3 digital cord from DH(110 terminated by Mark Tunis),sits on polycrystal cones,has triple electrical filtering(Acoustic Revive,a Mark Tunis pod,Siemens ML Drache filter),and hopefully I will be receiving a viablue I2S HDMI cable,in order to compare with the AES3.I was feeding the previous EE Minimax with battery power,via a Studer sinus inverter,but although it sounded great,it was too much of a hassle to connect,charge,reconnect with sparks flying each time.
Do you prefer sharp or soft?
I prefer the sharp setting, since it seems to provide a better formed leading edge, and the presentation sounds a bit more linear, but this might be a subjective perception, since the sonic results of the settings may be perceived differently based on the characteristics of particular loudspeakers, and a number of other factors within a system, including listener preference.
Hi !
thanks a lot for the nice words and the very valuable advice.
I am sorry but i do not know the X12.
However i do not think you can connect the Cec to the U12. The only digital input in the U12 is usb.
It is designed to be used with pcs only.
I find strange that Cec + X12 do not give a pretty good sound.
From what i understand pc+u12+x12 sound very good so this means the dac is just fine when fed with a good digital signal.
And the Cec should provide that.
I would let the pair sound for a while to give the last verdict.
I am completely on the pc solution and i think that the usb to spdif conversion is very key for good sound.
The u12 is fine.
I have also a Melodious that could be a little better.
However if you get a good sound from the pc why using the CEC ?
if the ripped cds sound better from the pc set up i would stick with the better sounding solution.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
You are correct. My mistake. you have to go from the CEC to the dac. I am surprised also that it does not sound good
Alan
Welcome to the club
Alan
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