Gustard X16 Balanced MQA DAC Review

[Frio]

The question is whether there would be any improvement in sound over USB.

Where should the improvement come from, they are connections for digital stream they don't add something and distortions are beyond audibility.

 

[MiLi]

Where should the improvement come from, they are connections for digital stream they don't add something and distortions are beyond audibility.

Watch this video, Paul provided answer

and

 

[Frio]

Watch this video

Nope, that's already in this thread.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s-than-s-pdif-or-usb.7105/page-11#post-770203

 

[Veri]

Watch this video, Paul provided answer

and

These videos explain nothing, PS Audio youtube is hardly a good resource to find technical explanations. So much bullshit. I2S = best yeah okay Paul I'll take your word on it...

 

[cecelo01]

Has arrived!

 

[dmac6419]

Has arrived!

Congratulations, I love mines

 

[raif71]

 

[raif71]

Congratulations, I love mines

I'm sure you'll get a blast out of it

 

[misureaudio]

Hi to all the friends in the forum!

I received my X16 three day ago.
It's great, but I noticed a strange quirk.
Using the ASIO driver in Windows 10 with Audirvana, HD is reproduced in a perfect way and the same is true with DXD content.
When a DSD track (dsf file or from an ISO image) is played, in the silent pauses of music a mild popcorn-like crackling is hearable. The noise is always present, except when one forces a DSD to PCM conversion in the player, which allows noiseless reproduction. I have made extensive tests with three different Windows 10 computers, and five other DACs, (Topping, Bricasti, Ifi) and none of the others shows the problem on each of the computers. Audirvana, jRiver and Foobar2k players were used, with identical results.
One further thing is that the only drivers that I'm able to use without problems are the 4.86, not the 5.0.0 version. (This is true for corresponding versions of Topping, Ifi and AeVee personalisations of the underlying Thesycons). I suspect that some investigation by Gustard and a possible update of the v0.0.1 firmware in the X16 could help. For the rest, great sounding DAC.

 

[Reynaldo]

Hi to all the friends in the forum!

I received my X16 three day ago.
It's great, but I noticed a strange quirk.
Using the ASIO driver in Windows 10 with Audirvana, HD is reproduced in a perfect way and the same is true with DXD content.
When a DSD track (dsf file or from an ISO image) is played, in the silent pauses of music a mild popcorn-like crackling is hearable. The noise is always present, except when one forces a DSD to PCM conversion in the player, which allows noiseless reproduction. I have made extensive tests with three different Windows 10 computers, and five other DACs, (Topping, Bricasti, Ifi) and none of the others shows the problem on each of the computers. Audirvana, jRiver and Foobar2k players were used, with identical results.
One further thing is that the only drivers that I'm able to use without problems are the 4.86, not the 5.0.0 version. (This is true for corresponding versions of Topping, Ifi and AeVee personalisations of the underlying Thesycons). I suspect that some investigation by Gustard and a possible update of the v0.0.1 firmware in the X16 could help. For the rest, great sounding DAC.

Why can't you use version 5.0?

After I went to MAC, I never want Windows for audio again, especially Windows 10

 

[misureaudio]

Why can't you use version 5.0?

Hi,

I don't know still why.

All my three pcs have the latest Windows 10 releases regularly updated. They belong to a span of about 12 yrs, starting with a centrino duo and ending to an i7. They work without a single dropout with the 4.86 drivers for the Toppings. When I try the 5.0.0. it's impossible to use whichever player is installed. Returning to the 4.86 re-establishes the correct functioning. The Ifi driver is just with one version and coexists without troubles. With the AeVee drivers for the Bricastis, the old generation TUSB driver works perfectly. If the newer one is installed, identical freezing for the media players.

For the rest the 4.86 works without a glitch with E30, D50s and D90MQA.

With the X16, the situation is compromised as it goes to DSD playback, whichever pc or player I choose.

 

[Reynaldo]

Hi,

I don't know still why.

All my three pcs have the latest Windows 10 releases regularly updated. They belong to a span of about 12 yrs, starting with a centrino duo and ending to an i7. They work without a single dropout with the 4.86 drivers for the Toppings. When I try the 5.0.0. it's impossible to use whichever player is installed. Returning to the 4.86 re-establishes the correct functioning. The Ifi driver is just with one version and coexists without troubles. With the AeVee drivers for the Bricastis, the old generation TUSB driver works perfectly. If the newer one is installed, identical freezing for the media players.

For the rest the 4.86 works without a glitch with E30, D50s and D90MQA.

With the X16, the situation is compromised as it goes to DSD playback, whichever pc or player I choose.

This is a typical Asio driver issue.
I also had this problem when using Windows with another DAC, but it only happened with Audirvana.
When I used JRiver it worked as normal.

 

[Freckles.Mcgee]

Has arrived!

I've got to know...Lie to me if you must but how does it sound!

 

[dan kolov]

If you have a computer with Windows 10 and use it mainly for music.The best version of the window is 1903.You also need 2 programs (Audiophile Optimizer and Fidelizer).Programs exclude unnecessary services and applications running in the background.Give priority to CPU cores for audio tasks.

 

[Veri]

You also need 2 programs (Audiophile Optimizer and Fidelizer). Programs exclude unnecessary services and applications running in the background. Give priority to CPU cores for audio tasks.

You don't "need" any of that.

 

[misureaudio]

I have tried the licensed Fidelizer on two of the pcs but I really didn't need it. It was found to be mandatory, instead, to use just the integrated Defender, and no other a/v suite. The pcs are used exclusively for music and one of the three has a full NI-DAQ suite installed to connect to external NI PXI signal analysers. Just consider that the NI-DAQ consists of many background services: no harm is done to audio reproduction whichever player is used. Add the fact that this heavier configuration runs perfectly on the 2008 Centrino Duo: Windows 10 is decently optimized even for DXD reproduction.

The X16 noise is audible exclusively when DSD is played. It's clearly audible during silence pauses in the middle of a track or, alternatively, when music fades away at the track's end. In HD or DXD absolutely no problem with the same DSD track converted to HD by whichever player is used.

 

[renaudrenaud]

Maybe you should try Linux.

 

[misureaudio]

Maybe you should try Linux.

Or a Mac. I just want to use Windows. For the rest, the X16 is the only DAC showing this problem. Topping E30, D50s, D90MQA all working perfectly. Bricasti M1SE, M3, working perfectly. Ifi micro DSD signature, working perfectly. Gustard X16, only with DSD, mild crackling noise at a very low level, but no reason to be there, since all the other DACs show zero problems and no noise connected to the same pcs. The drivers are all licensed versions of the Thesycon ASIO. One difference however is present in the Audirvana device panel: the X16 shows no options regarding the DoP format conversion for DSD files. All of the other DACs have the DoP option available

 

[Freckles.Mcgee]

If you have a computer with Windows 10 and use it mainly for music.The best version of the window is 1903.You also need 2 programs (Audiophile Optimizer and Fidelizer).Programs exclude unnecessary services and applications running in the background.Give priority to CPU cores for audio tasks.

Some good reading on topic.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/audiophile-optimizer.1132/

 

[Reynaldo]

Or a Mac. I just want to use Windows. For the rest, the X16 is the only DAC showing this problem. Topping E30, D50s, D90MQA all working perfectly. Bricasti M1SE, M3, working perfectly. Ifi micro DSD signature, working perfectly. Gustard X16, only with DSD, mild crackling noise at a very low level, but no reason to be there, since all the other DACs show zero problems and no noise connected to the same pcs. The drivers are all licensed versions of the Thesycon ASIO. One difference however is present in the Audirvana device panel: the X16 shows no options regarding the DoP format conversion for DSD files. All of the other DACs have the DoP option available

When I used Windows 10 I always had problems with DSD in Audirvana.
I installed Server 2019 with the Audiophile Optimizer, the problems are over and the sound quality is better.
However, after I used the MAC with Audirvana v3.5 I don't want to change anything else.