Chinese DAC shames a few heavy hitters
- Thread starter nc42acc
- Start date
Wow, that's good to hear. I was just getting twitchy about trying a different DAC, but everytime I listen to my modified Gustard it's sounds darned good. It does have an annoying tendency to cut out about once every 2-3 weeks, which causes the heart rate to rise until I realize I just need to power cycle the DAC and the music plays as usual. Everything on the display looks normal--just no music comes through. I haven't seen this reported anywhere else. Again, not a show stopper, just kinda annoying.
Saw that. Not sure of the significance as I don’t follow the publication. Wondering how the Gustard X26 compares to the Holo May? (other than price)
No...the X16 it's a MQA (not interested in the MQA part) capable Dac with the ESS ES9068AS chip(x2) and the new OPA1612A opamps. This unit knocks it out of the park on the test bench and if I would describe its sound - Clear and very clean! Kinda like playing outside on a 93 degree day and someone gives you fresh pure water with a large hunk of ice made from the same pure water (bet ya didn't hear that analogy before).
You can take Stereophile Recommended components ratings with a grain of salt - but the OKTO Dac 8 Stereo was rated class A+ for Dacs...at the time of it's testing - the only DAC that beat the X16 on the bench was the Okto Dac 8...just barely!!! The Okto 8 also cost a lot more than the $500 Gustard X16. I will quote ASR "If you have noise in your system, this is NOT the place to look". The only real rub I have on it is the tiny screen. I need to get in bifocal range to read it!!!!
Last edited:
funny I feel odd to post about these dacs as well. I own the gustard and the topping. I do own much more exp dacs as well. the gustard seems warm of neutral , topping more neutral . my first impression on both is how changing the settings varies the sound . PCM and dsd need to sound different and if settings are not setup for this it’s kind of bunched together. more exp dacs allow for less fiddling. for anyone who uses HQ player too many choices make for a less then optimum sound unless all settings have been set . where exp dacs seem to be less sensitive to music we play. so far mostly headphones for both and for anyone who likes headphones but does have a speaker setup too , headphones can get you to the right place faster. less exp dacs are less sensitive to the player we use , server and settings. again more money less fiddling is my thoughts. please continue to post on these dacs I think it helps all.
There is a newer Gustard flagship DAC : DAC-R26
????? | DAC-R26
www.gustard.cn
View attachment 95615
View attachment 95616
Quite strange cos the back of the unit voltage switching is to 220V whereas their blurb states 230V.
