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It's new so there aren't any reviews except by a few enthusiasts on a few forums.
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for about the same cost with a really good quality/sound/cost factor, look into Shiit Gungnir! I really like mine. Plus, all design, parts and assembly are made in the States, so better warranty, support than China.
Just my two cents.
... Haven't heard the Gustard though I considered it before I bought the Schiit.
Where the Multibit really shines is playing standard Red Book 16 bit/44.1kHz. This is also true for the Schiit Bifrost MB which I also owned). The Schiit Multibit models will NOT handle DSD nor MQA but does all hi-rez PCM very well.
I love the music of Dmitri Shostakovich ...
Did you read the review by the guy on the link provided? He said the Gustard beat the Yggy! It would annihilate the Gungnir!
while i'm lery of trusting any single review (after wasting money on mission M71s and energy RC10s that had flimsy cabinets with unforgivable resonances when their ports were plugged), it's possible that maybe schiit gear is overrated as stereophile only rated the iggy as class B, under the $300 musical fidelity V90, but the X20U has been getting raves elsewhere too.
as of now, i'm planning on getting an X20pro as my "final DAC" once i've built up the rest of my next miniphilharmonitor based system, with plans to get it modded down the road.
for some reason, this thread didn't show up in my search before starting another "heads up" thread.
who knows, by the time i'm ready to get a gustard, they might have upgraded the X20 to the next generation ESS "38" chip like the current model was an update.
it's a really good time for digital right now as DACs keep getting better and better and cheaper and cheaper. that the X20U has SUPPOSEDLY bested an iggy, auralic and a weiss, along with a couple other respected DACs should at least make it interesting, especially in "budget systems".
i like the minimalist looks myself as well as the fact it's available in "old school silver" as well as "80s kid black"
Rick
one, critiques are a dime a dozen! Let me quote you this: " critic is easy, but the Art is difficult!"
two, I just bought the Gungnir multi-bit upgrade (ease of upgrading not found in chinese stuff)
three, i like the sound that comes out of my system, because it is "warm" and pleasing to my ears;
four, i only buy american made products, not only in this field, but in everything, as much as possible!
Thanks.
P.S.: I am not trolling.
i was actually considering the gungnir multibit as my "final DAC" because it's been described as "analogue sounding", but more detailed than yulong & MHDT, but seeing it's twice the price iggy sibling getting beat by lower priced gear in comparisons, i'm not as enthusiastic anymore
besides that, schiit gear is 2x fugly to me. i hate that it only comes in silver, and i REALLY hate the rounding. i like "basic black minimalist" gear as i "imprinted" on mid 80s harmon kardon gear and later adcom
i totally agree that ISOLATED reviews are a dice roll. i wasted money on mission M71s and energy RC10s which both had better drivers than my NHT superzeros, but TERRIBLE sounding flimsy cabinets that reviewers overlooked refusing to report back on their sound using SUPPLIED port plugs! i'd rather give detail up than gain it at the expense of a 2x unforgivable choice between hideous port resonance and hideous box resonance. omission is preferable to addition for me
Is it worth trying the Gustard X20 just with a transport spinning CDs?
Or does it shine more so with the hi-rez files?
Running an oppo 105 now...
thanks
i THINK one of the reviews for the X20 that i read (unless it was one of a couple other DACs i researched recently) said it SHINED with low res mp3 files.i TOTALLY get where you're coming from. i want to choke hack reviewers that go on raving about how magical a DAC sounds on SACD, DVD-A, DSD or that new conversion format mytek does without making a peep about how they sound on good old 16/44 CDs, and some DACs only sound good on the mostly CRAPPY BORING (bach & jazz) music available on high res! i own only ONE "high res" disc... a dual layer dark side of the moon disc that was going to get thrown out at a thrift shop, but already owned the harvest CD.
i'll likely never hear the SACD layer as you can't play those on PCs, and i gave my SACD capable sony DVD player away having NEVER heard a single SACD on it.
any DAC that can't do at least CDs justice sucks crap out of a dead skunk's butt that was pulled out of another dead skunk's butt! LOL
not talking about DAC performance on CDs (and mp3s too, not that i'd ever listen to those), OR how a pair of speakers sound with SUPPLIED port plugs (eg. KEF LS50s) is pure lazy HACK work making a reviewer worthy of being spit on in my book... i mean magazine
Edits: 12/23/17 12/23/17 12/23/17
While not quite as refined as the Gustard DAC X20, I wonder how the lower-cost, narrow footprint Gustard DAC X12 might perform, purely from a musical POV.
See link:
on the Gustard X12.
But who knows if the flaw carries over to the X20? If it were a flaw on the USB input circuit and they are different, then likely not.
Link below:
One would think that Gustard would have corrected the problem ???
I was amazed at reading the thread on Computer Audiophile that the manufacturer is reported as being aware of the channel reverse on the X-12 but has no plans to fix it!
That rules out the X-12 for classical music, at least if one swaps betweeen DSD and PCM, as there is a general convention about which instruments go where in the stereo picture. Changing formats rules out the practicality of just swapping connections unless one is happy to do this every time.
As for the X-20 I have a friend in Ireland who has just got one and seems to be very pleased with it. I will see if I can contact for furher details of his experience and , if appropriate, will post them ( or at least my interpretation - he is not an inmate).
I read that particular post, and there's no reason to think Gustard did not and would not fix an early release of their product. Just because they may have said (hearsay) there were no plans to fix it as of yet, does not mean they refused to fix it at some point after they became aware of, at that particular time.
I've done enough research of the Gustard DAC-X12 to feel confident about ordering one tomorrow. There are evaluations found on Head-Fi within a thread about the Gustard H10 headphone amplifier, with credible and insightful posts regarding the Gustard DAC-X12. A key point that impressed me is that some find the DAC to sound both "very smooth" and "very dynamic", which are often mutually exclusive sonic signatures. There were no real downsides of note to despair about when it comes to the audiophile performance of the Gustard X12 DAC. The discrete analog output circuitry of the X12 vs. the earlier X10 is a real deal-maker in my book.
See Head-Fi link:
to ME, that's just another way to say "transparent", eg. the sound of little acoustic suspension minis and planars... gear that neither adds, nor subtracts, but just gets out of the way and lets the recording do all the talking.
i really like that description as i was getting the impression that gustard might sound clinical as a few people seem to not like ESS DACs and prefer a more "lush" sound.
i like a sound BETWEEN lush & clinical MAYBE leaning a bit towards clinical for speed and detail as softening is a form of distortion to me
"i gotta have my cowbell!"
I find product specific threads to be very informative, both on Headfi and Computer Audiophile, especially if the thread is made up of many users of specific make and model of product.
I found more than enough information, for example, to confidently purchase an Audio-GD Master 11 DAC/Headphone Amp directly from the manufacturer in China, and at a LOT more $$$ than Gustard gets for the X12.
At a minimum, I would join a message board and post a question regarding the issue and possible solutions offered by the manufacturer.
Or better still, spend the additional bucks and buy the X20 which should be a much better sounding product anyway. :-)
I know the beneficial aspect of internet forums, but one should always take care in what they read and come to believe. While there's much to be gained by reading message boards, it can be a tedious task to weed through information without merit or productive insights. I'm not concerned about the swapped channels issue, since I'm sure it's been addressed at this point, if the problem was actually true. The cost of the X20 is twice the price of the X12, and it's not of interest for my particular wants/needs. That said, here's a link to a post translated into English by Google Translate that offers some insights and images of the Gustard DAC-X12, including many views of the interior parts and layout:
See link:
PREACH IT BROTHER! PREACH IT!!!i hate having to read 10 pages of spam, gossip & re-posting to get to one SLIGHTLY meaningful insight on how something sounds by someone who's adjective challenged. LOL
i was thinking about that very topic last week and thought there should be a "reviews only" section at any forum, but then again... most members are too lazy to post actual reviews, so you get maybe 1 or 2 reviews and a dozen others hiding a sentence or two at a time in the spam
the more people that weigh in, ESPECIALLY in forums (i don't trust "we only review our ADVERTISER's gear" magazxine reviews... don't get me started on the stereophile reviewer that has a bromance with roy hall!) the more i trust the consensus.
SO FAR, most of what i've read about gustard has been positive to raving
Edits: 12/23/17
when you audition the X12.
Hi Jay,
Sorry, but I intend to use the Gustard DAC-X12 DAC for an S/PDIF application, not USB.
I'll let you know what I think of the audiophile performance via the Gustard DAC-X12 after it settles into my system, though.
Cheers, Duster
Digital Interface, $169?
DAC is under $900.
Separate board for USB> I2S on a lot of Chinese DACs.
My Audio-GD MAster 11 uses the AMANERO board which is supposed to be pretty good.
You can purchase the GUSTARD DAC-X20U with the 'Digital Interface' board included for $869.99 with free shipping in Ebay.
No idea if this is a reputable ebay seller, linked below:
Amanero Board in my Lampizator Euforia too.
I2S...
Audio-GD version of the AMANERO Combo384 Module - USB class 2 to I2S 32bit and DSD output Adapter is above. Note the fat capacitors which do not come stock on the AMANERO board you buy on ebay or direct from AMANERO.
Wishing they'd have included CRYSTEK 'femto' clocks while they were at it, but no. :-(
This does not seem to be a direct replacement of the Amanero board.The original Amanero board has the connector on the far side of the board. This one does not.
Alan
Edits: 01/05/16
It is my understanding that Audio-GD is producing the above board under license from AMANERO.
Shows up as Amenaro384 in AudioMidiSetup on my Mac when I plug into the DAC via USB.
Link below:
I own
Yaqin DAC K-9
Aune Audio S16
the thing is just as the ipads and phones are fantastic at a low price, with much computing power you couldn't imagine that you can dock your phone into a computer monitor and keyboard, and hell you have a full fledged computer for $600, the Chinese made DACs from yes Chinese labels are absolutely mind blowing great.
There has been a paradigm shift with DAC and Tube based equipment, if you buy a Chinese made component make sure it is a Chinese company and Chinese label.
You won't find QA as exquisite from companies that outsource, it is a systematic thing. I remember when my father made fun of my friend's dads Toyota in 1980, who's laughing now?
The Gustard DAC X20 seems like something I'd like to try in my main audio system, if I was in the market for one vs. an old-school Museatex DAC.
I use a TeraDak V3.1D NOS DAC made in China for my computer workstation, and think highly of it after upgrading the stock tantalum output capacitors.
For well under $300 including shipping and the signal output capacitors upgrade, it's very enjoyable.
See link:
I use a TeraDak Chamelion at my computer work station. Very musical dac
Alan
We witnessed the same thing with our Lite Audio DAC83 and LT-1 transport. Couldn't believe we could afford such great sound.
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
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