Gustard H16 Review (Headphone Amplifier)

[odyo]

HE6SE is 64 ohm which is an easy load for amps.
The sensitivity (dB/V) is very low and is 91dB/V at 400Hz.
This means in order to drive it to normal listening levels (for all night music enjoyment) you will need (90dB) 1V with Harman EQ (95dB) 1.4V = 30mW.

For more active listening moderately loud you need (105dB) 5V = 0.4W in 64ohm with HarmanEQ (110dB) 9V = 1.3W in 64ohm

To reach very loud peak levels (120dB) is needed 30V =12W in 64ohm

The story that you need a LOT of power comes from people connecting it to power amps directly.
To reach 9V you need a 20W/4ohm or 10W/8ohm amp.
To reach 30V you need a 200W/4ohm or 100W/8ohm amp.

So you are probably good with something that can provide 2W in 64ohm.

This amp (driven from 4V source can provide around 10V in 64 ohm (all maxed out) so about 112dB peak levels = pretty loud with Harman correction enabled. (EQ pre-amp -5dB and low bass lift +5dB.

My amp (zen can) can do: >11.0V/1890 mW (@ 64 Ohm). Seems just ok. The headphone advertised as 50 ohm but Amir's sample turned out 64 ohm. Do you think it's an outlier or all the units are 64 ohm. Couldn't find another measurement. H16 doesn't look like an ''upgrade'' although i want this display/volume relay feature.

 

[solderdude]

HIFIMAN specs are notorious for being incorrect.
As an example:
HE400i specs acc. to HIFIMAN: 35 ohm
Amir measured 46 ohm
I measured mine at 42 ohm

 

[Snoopy]

HIFIMAN specs are notorious for being incorrect.
As an example:
HE400i specs acc. to HIFIMAN: 35 ohm
Amir measured 46 ohm
I measured mine at 42 ohm

With their quality control no surprise either. Who knows if they even use the same parts on all headphones or whatever is available

 

[mrjayviper]

can this amp easily drive known hard-to-drive phones (Susvara and other planars come to mind)?

Thank you.

 

[carlcamper]

can this amp easily drive known hard-to-drive phones (Susvara and other planars come to mind)?

Thank you.

This should be okay if you dont apply a lote of negative preamp for EQ

 

[UltraPro]

Hi! I think my Gustard H16 has gone faulty! With both of my headphones I hear a soft crackling sound from the left can after a while of use. I had the amp turned off without power and my other equipment too for many hours, but it seems it just a matter of time when the noise comes back. It is a repeating sound and the pace is not completely static, it seems it ever so slightly picks pace the more you use the amp; the pace is around five seconds or a bit more. This sound is very distinct even if a little soft, so needless to say I need to get rid off it.
Since it seems my DAC or computer nor any software on the computer is not the issue, I guess I need to send this unit pack to the French store Audiophonics. I'm asking you people here if this sounds like an amp problem to you and if you have any experience with warranty service of Audiophonics from aboard? Also, if it is possible to swap to a different amplifier altogether, what would you choose from the price range of 300 to 400 €, something which has a balanced 4,4 mm output? Perhaps Topping A30 Pro would be better, since my faith on Gustard has been shaken, or is another Chinese manufacturer just a certain path to a new disappointment?

As a side note, this problem started yesterday after a crazy and loud crackling sound from my headphones, which jumped me because it was that loud. I have not experienced such after that, but the above described issue introduced itself right after and remains. Both my headphones still work normally.

 

[Dennis_FL]

What caused the crazy and loud crackling sound? That sounds like a DAC handshake issue.

 

[UltraPro]

What caused the crazy and loud crackling sound? That sounds like a DAC handshake issue.

Hi there! Nothing in particular. Just a normal computer session and out of nowhere this crazy noise, which didn't end before powering off the amp. Only reason I could imagine this happening is due to static electricity going through my Hifiman Sundaras into the amp - this has happened many times. Static electricity can travel through the whole "chain" of devices, or perhaps through an extension cord, because sometimes my monitor has turned off just by me causing a snap of static electricity when touching my Sundaras that are connected to the amp (Sundaras are made of metal).

My DAC is Soncoz LA-QXD1. I already tried my desktop speakers via RCA connected to the DAC, but audio didn't have any problems. Do you think the DAC is the culprit, but perhaps only via XLR connection? I cannot test any audio devices via the XLR of the DAC without using the amp, just to mention.
I'm currently listening to the amp connected to a smartphone via RCA, but yet I don't hear any problems, though very importantly I turned the amp off for an half an hour or so before this moment, which doesn't help the ongoing troubleshooting (silly mistake), since the soft repeating crackle goes away for a while when you turn off the amp - today I played with friends like an hour before it came back again.
When I tested my speakers connected to the DAC problem free, as I mention above, the DAC via XLR to AMP combo certainly reproduced the issue, I confirmed this, but for now there are no issues again, no matter what. I will now leave the amp playing while doing other stuff to bring back the problem. I personally suspect the amp, but could be mistaken.

What do you think?

EDIT. And just as I posted this message the crackle is there again, though it is very infrequent now and somehow different.

 

[Dennis_FL]

I suspect the dac but switch out what you can one by one

Can you borrow components?

 

[UltraPro]

Alright, the crackle became frequent soon enough, just like before, and it does happen also using the smartphone via RCA to the amp, though not from the unbalanced 6,3 mm output: only the balanced 4,4 mm output makes the noise, and as said, turning off the amp makes this disappear, but only for a while. I disconnected the Soncoz DAC from the amp altogether just to be sure. I think this is a rather clear case now; amplifier back to the store.

@Dennis_FL I gladly still read any further comments of yours and appreciate your time.

EDIT. Yet I want to mention about my Gustard H16, that it has had an annoying problem of not taking any input from the remote. This can be resolved by smashing buttons from the remote awhile, like 30 seconds at best - or I'm not sure if you have to hold or repeatedly press the 'amp' labeled button particularly, but in any case it goes away then and comes back again when you don't use the remote in a long while. This too is not a sign of great quality to me, but this remote issue has not bothered me too much, just being a bummer from a product of 369 euros.

 

[Snoopy]

I've been using a Singxer SA1 and a SMSL SP400 for a some time now.

The SP400 for a year and the Singxer for about 1.5 years or maybe a bit longer.

I'm really happy with both and the price is still very reasonable for both unit's. Not a fan of going with the super cheap stuff but don't want to waste money either.



Audiophonics is usually helpful with this kind of stuff , while with Shenzhen and other shops you will probably pay more for shipping than the amp is worth

 

[UltraPro]

@Snoopy Audiophonics said that they can repair my amp but it will not be free and I have to pay the postage too. This is natural I guess because the amp's two year warranty ended three months ago. The 4,4 mm jack has had a slightly bad contact way before now that I think about it, I just didn't think it meant anything serious. Audiophonics didn't even offer an estimate of the repair cost, even though I described the issue pretty well, nor did they say how much is the postage. I have nothing positive to say about them in this case - overall impression is one of disregard, though they responded pretty fast. Perhaps there was a language barrier (I messaged in English).
I see what Gustard has to say since the product manual states on the last page about "lifetime maintenance", but if they ask for a fee, then I have to find a repair shop from where I live because it is more sensible to repair things locally.

EDIT. correction

 

[Snoopy]

@Snoopy Audiophonics said that they can repair my amp but it will not be free and I have to pay the postage too. This is natural I guess because the amp's two year warranty ended three months ago. The 4,4 mm jack has had a slightly bad contact way before now that I think about it, I just didn't think it meant anything serious. Audiophonics didn't even offer an estimate of the repair cost, even though I described the issue pretty well, nor did they say how much is the postage. I have nothing positive to say about them in this case - overall impression is one of laziness, though they responded pretty fast. Perhaps there was a language barrier (I messaged in English).
I see what Gustard has to say since the product manual states on the last page about "lifetime maintenance", but if they ask for a fee, then I have to find a repair shop from where I live because it is more sensible to repair things locally.

If you are over the 3 year warranty it's normal that this wouldn't be for free.

 

[UltraPro]

If you are over the 3 year warranty it's normal that this wouldn't be for free.

Their page states a two year warranty. I assume other stores may offer more on their own account. Even the manual states two.

 

[UltraPro]

Hi yet again! I'd like to ask if it's possible that my faulty Gustard H16 amp could work via XLR output, which I cannot currently test, with the problem stated in above posts. I spell it yet again: The 4,4 mm output produces a soft, frequent and repeating crackle noise from the left channel after about 30 minutes of listening. The 6,3 mm output does not have this issue.
Is there any chance that by ordering this adapter I could use the amp balanced without having to pay for an expensive repair? To me this sounds unlikely, but could the problem be somehow related only to the 4,4 mm output? Does anyone have knowledge or experience of an issue like this?

 

[RHO]

Hi yet again! I'd like to ask if it's possible that my faulty Gustard H16 amp could work via XLR output, which I cannot currently test, with the problem stated in above posts. I spell it yet again: The 4,4 mm output produces a soft, frequent and repeating crackle noise from the left channel after about 30 minutes of listening. The 6,3 mm output does not have this issue.
Is there any chance that by ordering this adapter I could use the amp balanced without having to pay for an expensive repair? To me this sounds unlikely, but could the problem be somehow related only to the 4,4 mm output? Does anyone have knowledge or experience of an issue like this?

There's no way to tell for sure, unless we could have the physical device to investigate. But , possibly, from the other side of the world, by reading a message on a forum, you cannot expect anyone to give you a definitive answer. It could be the 4.4mm connector, but it could just as likely be something else.

 

[UltraPro]

I ordered the adapter. 20 € would be so much bearable than likely way over 100 €, when you count in the postage fees, if I would in the end have to rely on the French store. Might be a waste, but worth the try and who knows perhaps that adapter comes in handy in the future.

Gustard doesn't seem to respond. I sent them an email to the address on their homepage almost a week ago. Please tell me people if on this forum is a Gustard representative.

 

[Veri]

I ordered the adapter. 20 € would be so much bearable than likely way over 100 €, when you count in the postage fees, if I would in the end have to rely on the French store. Might be a waste, but worth the try and who knows perhaps that adapter comes in handy in the future.

Gustard doesn't seem to respond. I sent them en email to the address on their homepage almost a week ago. Please tell me people if on this forum is a Gustard representative.

If it doesn't fix it. You can also try from the pre-outs, a dual 3-pin to 4-pin XLR, or dual 3-pin to 4.4mm adapter. Those XLR outs tend to have a bit higher output impedance but it'll save you from getting the entire device repaired..

 

[UltraPro]

If it doesn't fix it. You can also try from the pre-outs, a dual 3-pin to 4-pin XLR, or dual 3-pin to 4.4mm adapter. Those XLR outs tend to have a bit higher output impedance but it'll save you from getting the entire device repaired..

Thanks for this advice! I will surely report here what's the result with the currently ordered adapter, which will arrive likely in a month or so. :S
I'm in no rush since I can use the 6,3 mm output in the meanwhile. Happy spring to all of you!

 

[UltraPro]

@Veri 'XLR Male to Pentaconn Female' adapter arrived today but after more than an hour of listening the crackle sound infrequently appeared.
I think I'm going to send this device to the French store because I couldn't reliably find anybody in Finland, where I live, who could surely fix this amp. It is very possible that the fix is simple, but I guess parts for these modern chi-fi devices aren't that common if some specific parts need to be replaced, or am I completely clueless? Also are repair manuals available in English?
I would otherwise try the pre-amp output, but I don't wish to wait anymore extra and simply don't expect it to work either - the adapter for that would cost about 25 € with postage.

I hope 200 € is enough for the repair. :X