DAC journey with "happy results"*

Hope that got your attention....LOL


Anyway so rewind several years back to when I decide I want to explore affordable external DACS to see if I can beat my OPPO 105's performance.

Here's my journey in a nutshell......


1. Benchmark DAC2HGC

Bought used for around $2K

Beat my OPPO convincingly and life was good.

Then bought an OPPO 205 for 4K viewing and, after a playoff, I decided the Benchmark was just a little bit short of the mark re SQ "bang for buck" so off it went.


2. Gieseler Klein DACIII (with Kraftwerk PSU)

Lived happily with my OPPO 205 for a while and read a lot about Gieseler Audio on SNA

A used Klein DAC III popped up there for just under $1K so I gave it a go.

Nice smooth sound that beat my OPPO.

Did the job well until..........


3. Denafrips ARES II

OK so I'm sure everyone here has heard about this little R2R unit that gets a lot of praise.

As I live only about 10 mins away from DACMAN (Aust Dealer) I thought "why not"?

Played with it for a few weeks but regardless of OS/NOS and Filter settings I just couldn't get it to sound pleasing to me.

Returned it with no fuss (thanks Stav)


4. Topping D90 MQA

ASR were all over this so couldn't resist trying such a well measuring DAC sporting an even higher spec AKM chip (AK4499) than the Gieseler.

First thing that hit me was detail........serious detail with a super low noise floor.

Presentation maybe a bit thin but still very impressive.

Preferred it to the Gieseler (which I also still have)


5. Gustard X16 MQA

Also measured very well on ASR but offered a couple of extra features that interested me

As it was pretty cheap I took a punt thinking I could just move one of my others on to offset the cost anyway.

After just a few weeks It was sounding decent but of course Gustard decided to screw me by then releasing an updated X26PRO!!!!

After reading a review on it and checking out specs and pics I once again was seduced........

The X16 was moved on via a wanted ad on SNA and the new owner is a happy man.


6. Gustard X26PRO MQA

OK so the review on this thing is a great read...........The One to Beat: Gustard X26 PRO DAC Review

Here's where I bought it (was delivered by DHL in a week over Easter with no GST or import fees)

GUSTARD X26 PRO MQA Full Decoding ES9038Pro*2 Chip DSD512 Bluetooth 5.0 XMOS XU216 High Performance Audio Decoder

So it rocked up on Wednesday this week.

My usual plan of attack is to let a DAC run in for a few days, then some light listening followed by playoffs and critical listening with a couple of friends.

Have approached all previous DAC's this way as a tried and true method of confirming exactly what's going on.

Anyway...........after literally the first note I thought WTF is going on here???!!!

The soundstage was suddenly a LOT bigger but detail was all still there and body was back.

Everything sounded so clearly better to me that I just removed the Topping D90 from the system and stored it next to my Klein III.

This DAC resides at higher price point ($2K) than all the other Chinese ones I had and this was instantly reflected in SQ and build ( 7KG's!!!)

I have to tell you this is the best my system (ATC SCM70 ASL's with ATC CA2MK2 pre) has ever sounded and once again (for now....LOL)..........


LIFE IS GOOD


If you are in the market and have $2K to spend then I heartily recommend reading the outstanding comprehensive review on this unit.

All the above is just my 2c about what worked and didn't work for me in my system.

Of course YMMV and TBH IMHO and IME all the above DACs perform well and offer great value for money.


Cheers,
John

 

Nice write-up. I've been looking for a dac to replace my extremely inexpensive SMSL SU8v.2. Not long ago I bought a Benchmark dac3 hgc with the hope it would do the trick. I'm still in the evaluation phase, and while the Benchmark does let me see further in to the music, I'm not sure it's worth the price difference. Like I say, still evaluating as I've been listening to the SU8 with the "tube" setting active, and need to compare the two dacs with the SU8 in the "standard" mode which removes the DSP processing.

After reading the glowing review you linked, I'm wondering why Gustard is using their own PCM filter instead of the 9038's DSP.

edit: Have you experimented with the PCM filters?

 

I see it does DSD, does it support .dff? No Ethernet in?

 

Yes.......and they are actually quite audible differences which was against the norm for my other DAC's.

Vivid gives fully extended treble whilst Gentle rolls it off a bit and Composite is supposedly a balance between them.

See here........

https://www.l7audiolab.com/f/measurements-of-gustard-x26-pro/

I switched between them all on the fly and ended up back at Vivid but that could just be my old ears needing all the treble I can get!!!
I think a bright room/system would definitely benefit from Gentle and I intend to play off Vivid and Composite a bit more as I go.
Don't know why Gustard decided to use their own Filters but I'm certain most users will find one of the 3 suits them best.

Also has OS/NOS modes which I haven't switched between yet.

 

I’ve yet to try the X26 but Matrix Audio’s X-Sabre is very nice.

 

Don't know about .dff.......I guess you could ask Gustard.
No Ethernet in.

 

Thanks Linger63 for the info and link. Seems most I've read about the x26pro is positive. I guess I'll have to order one and give it a go to see if it's 1000. bucks better than the ifi.

 

dff is a file format, doesn't matter for a DAC. once the file is played, the playback software sends that to the dac as DSD or pcm (if you convert it)

 

looks like an excellent analog section - LPS with individual torroidal transformers big filtering caps. the analog section makes or breaks the DACs IMHO and this one works well for you, congrats!

 

It's not really fair to compare the Ares II to a DAC that costs over twice as much. The Pontus II is a little less $$ than the Gustard and would be a fair comparison. Glad you found a DAC you really like.
Enjoy the music!!

 

I've been thinking this might be the dac for me to try- I've been planning on replacing my mytek at some point, and I wanted the replacement to have an i2s input . . . .
Only question I have on the x26 is if the volume control is actually bypassed when volume is at max- anyone know? The x26's manual doesn't say.

 

Well as all the DAC's had varying price points (bought new and used) plus with the differences in Global pricing.........I only mentioned prices of the first couple.

FWIW.....
In Australia the ARES II costs AUD$1200......I got the X26PRO on sale for AUD$1750........ while the Pontus II is AUD$900 more at AUD$2650

 

On an X26 v1, the volume doesn't appear to be bypassed when set to max. (00dB)
On the controller for an attached RaspberryPi PiCorePlayer, varying that unit's volume will adjust the volume of the X26's audio output.
Is that what you were getting at?

 

yep, thanks! @Cherrycherry

 

I've spent a lot on external DACs but eventually come to learn to love the internal DAC in my Arcam AV9.

The best I owned was/is the Chord 2Qute. I also listened to a Hugo 2 separately in a store which was even better.

 

@Linger63 I was wondering how well does it compare to a D90. I'm an headphone user and I was wondering would this be better in an headphone setup than with D90 and A90 setup

 

Answered by PM on ASR
Sorry but NO headphone experience.

 

So after reading all the reviews I decided to purchase the Gustard X26 Pro. I didn’t need a new DAC as I just bought the Topping D90 MQA (AKM 4499) 18 months ago, but I was curious. Well the listening has been wonderful. It is a lot more musical than the D90 and very accurate even though the D90 is no slouch. It has a giant soundstage and it is really deep. Super impressive for separating out instruments in the “space” of the room created between the speakers. It will be staying with me for quite some time I think. I have moved the D90 to my office for now.

Any others pick up the Gustard X26 DAC lately?

 

Interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience. Reading up on this model now. I would be mostly using this being fed from my Oppo 105 (optical or coaxle) and my Macbook (USB). Are these the best way to connect to the DAC or are some inputs superior in sound quality?

 

If you have any SACD's or audio BD's you would be better off using your OPPO's HDMI out into a De Embedder and then coax from De embedder to DAC.
This would allow DSD output from your SACD's......... plus hi rez PCM from your audio BD's would not be downsampled.

Otherwise a direct coax connection is fine IMO and IME.

Some people believe I2S to be a good connection but there are potential compatibility issues.
Some other people believe different digital connections offer different levels of audible jitter.

Note that different digital connections offer different levels of bandwidth so your optimum connection will be dictated by what you listen to........
EG...32/768 PCM or Quad DSD would need a USB connection.

Re general SQ..........
If you have the right cables on hand you can experiment with different connections for yourself.

 

You still love the Gustard X26 Pro? For quite a while there has been an imbalance in my system between the higher SQ of my vinyl source and my Oppo 105 and I've wanted to improve the digital part of my chain but wasn't sure what DAC would do it. Every review I could find on th X26 was basically that they were stunned and outside of much more expensive DAC's, it was the best they've ever heard. Loved the comments on holographic and 3D sounds. Those adjectives get me all worked up.

 

For SACD's I might just use the analogue outs on the Oppo. I have plenty of inputs on my preamp.

 

In my experience with the Gustard X26 Pro the input used does not seem to change the sound quality. In the design it seems that all inputs are run through the same PLL circuit to remove jitter and reclocked through the same K2 oscillator controlled by a CLPD chip.
I have run my MacBook Air to the X26 Pro via USB, I have also used a box to convert that USB signal to I2S and COAX or Toslink S/PDIF and the sound is the same. For the output of my CD player (Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD) I use COAX. I also use an Apple Airport Express as a streaming endpoint for WiFi streams from my iPhone. All inputs sound great and by ear I am unable to differentiate between them with the same source material.

I will add, if playing from a Mac, sound quality is greatly benefitted by using a player other than Apple Music, one that is bit perfect (adjusts output to match bits and sample rate of the files). One can use Apple Music with BitPerfect app, Calibri app, Foobar, JRiver Media Center, etc.

 

Thank you for the response. I assume by apple music you mean iTunes? Or is iTunes an upgrade over apple music sound-wise? I've only used iTunes and Qobuz to stream through my Oppo so far.

 

iTunes was renamed to “Music” about 3 years ago. It looks and operates the same.