Gustard X16 Balanced MQA DAC Review

[abdo123]

Hi @gustard - Thank you for the MQA certification update!

I have couple of questions:

Q1. Based on the above comment - will you have to update the firmware before shipping?


I am interested in performing the first MQA decode in Roon, Applying Dirac corrections using Minidsp SHD studio and then feeding it to Gustard X16 (using AES EBU) for the decode 2 of MQA (as shown below).

Image Source : ASR Thread

Q2. Is the above MQA processing possible in Gustard X16?

Q3. Is there any display (indicator) in Gustard X16, which confirms it is receiving/processing MQA files?

AFAIK Only Roon Can conserve the necessary bits for the DAC to identify the track as MQA while applying DSP. so Dirac will break that.

 

[m8o]

Anyway, the X16 I suspect will be almost my last DAC ever, although simply for fun I may try another down the road.

HA! I said the same thing ... about $5,000 dollars of spending ago!

I encourage your efforts in self control. Good luck. You'll be a stronger soul than me if you succeed.

 

[m8o]

@SHENZHENAUDIO ,

Hello! Good day. Hoping you can jump in here with a quick note regarding the shipping schedule of the X16 orders you have queued. I suspect many readers here are like me and preordered after this review. We are eager to hear news of when you expect to begin shipping and how long you expect that to take. Much thanx!

 

[A Surfer]

@SHENZHENAUDIO ,

Hello! Good day. Hoping you can jump in here with a quick note regarding the shipping schedule of the X16 orders you have queued. I suspect many readers here are like me and preordered after this review. We are eager to hear news of when you expect to begin shipping and how long you expect that to take. Much thanx!

It will be soon. They emailed me saying this month, but my guess is by weeks end some units will be rolling out.

 

[boblo]

1. No need to update the firmware, the firmware is already perfect;
2. Can support;
3. MQA decode shows OFS

Sorry for this stupid question, but why doesn't the screen show the 'MQA' logo like other models do?

 

[dan kolov]

[QUOTE = "boblo, post: 642656, member: 22152"] Извинете за този глупав въпрос, но защо на екрана не се показва логото „MQA“, както при другите модели? [/ QUOTE]
MQA е най-новият трик, с който търговците искат да привлекат вниманието на потребителя.Но не е най-доброто.If you choose Gustard, choose it but not for MQA.

 

[ArturoKiwi]

[QUOTE = "boblo, post: 642656, member: 22152"] Извинете за този глупав въпрос, но защо на екрана не се показва логото „MQA“, както при другите модели? [/ QUOTE]
MQA е най-новият трик, с който търговците искат да привлекат вниманието на потребителя.Но не е най-доброто.If you choose Gustard, choose it but not for MQA.

Could please write it in English?

 

[boblo]

If you choose Gustard, choose it but not for MQA.

Why not? I think it will be an interesting model in the market. It achieved the 2nd position in the best music streamers list; it will support MQA through USB, Coaxial, Optical, AES and I2S. My SMSL SU-9 only supports MQA through the USB port and has quality issues (I hope the X16 is well built). Gustard already passed the MQA certification and last but not least, it's reasonably priced. I don't see a reason to avoid this model unless you can convince me otherwise.

 

[m8o]

it will support MQA through USB, Coaxial, Optical, AES and I2S.

Doesn't this need the first unfold done in the player/source in all inputs but USB? Wont be a problem for me as I use Roon. But that's what I thought the difference of the MQA support in the specs meant. I could definitely be wrong tho and would like to be corrected if so.

 

[boblo]

Doesn't this need the first unfold done in the player/source in all inputs but USB? Wont be a problem for me as I use Roon. But that's what I thought the difference of the MQA support in the specs meant. I could definitely be wrong tho and would like to be corrected if so.

You're right. With the X16 you have full MQA support with the USB input (that is, full decoding and rendering, the 3 stages), and you have partial support with other inputs (only hardware rendering, stage 2 and 3, so stage 1 need to be done with Roon or whatever).

 

[boblo]

@gustard : Please see this, this is important because I'm probably going to buy a Volumio-based network streamer and adding your DAC to the official compatibility list will be very appreciated by future customers like me:
https://volumio.github.io/docs/I2S_DACs/Adding_Compatibility_to_your_DAC.html

Thanks in advance

 

[MiradoOne]

@gustard : Please see this, this is important because I'm probably going to buy a Volumio-based network streamer and adding your DAC to the official compatibility list will be very appreciated by future customers like me:
https://volumio.github.io/docs/I2S_DACs/Adding_Compatibility_to_your_DAC.html

Thanks in advance

Now don't quote me on this as I'm not too experienced with Volumio, but I was going to build one of these myself and I think that listing is for DAC hats on Raspberry Pi boards. At the very least, every option in the list is a Pi DAC hat and given that the prerequisite is that the "kernel driver must be already present in the Kernel that Volumio uses", I'm leaning towards that being the case. I'm sure there are plenty of DACs that work with Volumio streamers as input that aren't on the list.

Like in my example, I want to build a Pi based streamer using Pi2AES which has an I2S out that is compatible with Gustard's pinout, and I would need to add the Pi2AES into that list (or use a generic), not the X16. So I could be very wrong, and someone correct me if I am, but I think you'd need to be more worried about your network streamer rather than the X16. As much as this place has a...contentious history with SBAF, there's a great thread over there about building your own Volumio streamer, and one of the instructions is to account for the lack of the Pi2AES hat in that list, NOT the DAC that it will plug into.

Again, could be wrong, but I'd lean in that direction first. I think the X16 will be fine with whatever your streamer outputs to it.

 

[boblo]

Thanks for your detailed explanation, but have you noticed that the ES9068AS is a new chip? Therefore, the X16 might have compatibility issues with Volumio or Volumio-based operating systems. See this case as an example. Note that this user has issues with an old ES9018 chip built into the North Star Supremo DAC. That said, I don't know if the previous page has anything to do with my concern; I posted the link just in case.

 

[MiradoOne]

@boblo Hi Boblo, my Spanish is poor enough that I probably couldn't get help finding a bathroom, so I appreciate the 2nd post in English. As to your question, it is very possible; as I mentioned I am no Volumio expert and am only thinking about implementing such a solution. The link you posted is evidence that a specific user and a specific device is having an issue, but I still feel as though you'd see widespread reports of incompatibility between Volumio and DACs as it's at least a modestly popular piece of software and I am sure dozens of different DAC models are hooked to Volumio based streamer boxes without the master list reflecting their compatibility. Here's a review of that box you linked; ignoring all of the crap about "cleaning USB signals" or the fact that he's using $350 cables, he lists a DAC/Amp combo unit that he tested with (Ayre EX-8) which uses a ESS ES9038Q2M that I don't see on the master compatibility list, yet it apparently worked just fine.

I still admit I am operating out of my depth a bit, so anyone with with more experience could give you a more solid answer. And I don't see any harm in having @gustard look into it, either. More confirmation is never a bad thing! But I'm still not overly concerned, unless evidence pops up to the contrary, because I feel you'd see that list populated with tons and tons of different DAC brands instead of nearly (if not totally) all being Pi DAC hats.

 

[Fjfjsh]

Sorry for this stupid question, but why doesn't the screen show the 'MQA' logo like other models do?

The X16 does display MQA when it's playing MQA. I don't see the need to put another useless sticker on the beautiful aluminum exterior just to show that its MQA compatible.

 

[P_Stein]

Ordered mine! Woohoo What stereo/power amps are you guys connecting to your gustard x16 to preserve the signal path quality?

 

[Pdxwayne]

Ordered mine! Woohoo What stereo/power amps are you guys connecting to your gustard x16 to preserve the signal path quality?

Plan to directly connect to my Parasound A21.

 

[MiradoOne]

Ordered mine! Woohoo What stereo/power amps are you guys connecting to your gustard x16 to preserve the signal path quality?

THX 789. Loads of transparent power, balanced inputs to deal with ground loop noise, priced right at $299 ($320 on Amazon I think).

 

[Fjfjsh]

Ordered mine! Woohoo What stereo/power amps are you guys connecting to your gustard x16 to preserve the signal path quality?

Already have a topping A90 waiting to be paired with my X16...both in black

 

[nerekan]

I have such a secret plan: balanced to OPPO HA-1 > balanced to DENON AH-D7200