Gustard X16 Balanced MQA DAC Review

[MiradoOne]

Gain 1

Very strange! Gain 1 should rule out that amp clipping as it can take like 7V on Gain 1 or 2 and I doubt the X16 is putting out anywhere near that much even at full volume. I wonder if anyone else can replicate this; my unit should hopefully be here on Thursday and I'll see if I can match what you are dealing with.

 

[Pdxwayne]

Nice test tracks there. Great imaging, particular tracks 2-8. I made a playlist with them:

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/06394610-9906-45f6-b271-8a008700994f

For excellent imaging tests, I recommend downloading the free David Elias MQA Track Sampler. They are not my music style at all, and yes it's MQA, but that is besides the point. They are just very well made.

Of course there is also the good old 2L Test Bench with some excellent recordings in different genres available for free download in a number of formats from RedBook to DXD (352.8KHz) and MQA and DSD. Great for comparing the formats and sample rates. They are all recorded in DXD. The classical ones tend to be mastered a little hot, but still excellent.

2L also has these tracks (and others) in Tidal playlists and albums (some links below) but those are all MQA which I know some will want to avoid. The Test Bench web page has whichever format you want.

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/3f6a06c7-0dfc-4170-bac3-dce62aa6c42e
https://tidal.com/browse/album/2400318
https://tidal.com/browse/album/59883218

For excellent recordings in general, I like almost everything from Reference Recordings (Keith Johnson & Co). I can share a list of Tidal links if anybody is interested. No MQA, all RedBook

Sorry, back to to the X16...

Wow, really like playing https://tidal.com/browse/album/59883218 with x16.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Dannemand]

Wow, really like playing https://tidal.com/browse/album/59883218 with x16.

Thanks for sharing!

Glad to hear you like it. I particularly like the Vaughan Williams Fantasia on that album. Kind of invokes a deepfelt yearning for... well, something

 

[gustard]

Very strange! Gain 1 should rule out that amp clipping as it can take like 7V on Gain 1 or 2 and I doubt the X16 is putting out anywhere near that much even at full volume. I wonder if anyone else can replicate this; my unit should hopefully be here on Thursday and I'll see if I can match what you are dealing with.

X16 XLR 4V, RCA 2V, the voltage is very low. When clipping occurs, if the amplifier gain is too high, try reducing the amplifier gain.

 

[gustard]

I just received my Gustard X16 today and installed the X16 v5 driver on my Windows 10 PC and everything is working perfectly and I was enjoying the beautiful sound from Gustard X16 with full volume control from my keyboard.

Next, I connected it to my new Mac Mini M1 with latest Big Sur 11.2 and I can't control the volume of the Gustard X16 from the keyboard no matter what I try in the audio setting. I then tried to search for the Gustard X16 dirver for MAC but unfortunately I can't find any. I then connect my X16 to my Macbook Pro (Intel) on High Sierra and same "no volume control" issue again. Does anybody here have the same issue on their Mac Mini M1 or Macbook Pro (Intel version)?

I don't have this issue with my Topping DX3 Pro (1st version) in DAC mode. I can fully control the DX3 Proi volume from my Logitech Mac keyboard. Very strange that this issue occurs on Mac OS, not on Windows 10. Maybe Gustard should release a driver for Mac users to solve this issue.

I've attached 3 photos to show you the "no volume control" issue on the X16 and the other photo is the Topping DX3 Pro without this issue.

Glad you've solved your distortion issue attenuating to -04dB. As for me I'm still waiting for a fix for the "no volume control" issue I'm experiencing on Mac Mini M1 and Macbook Pro (Intel CPU). Thankfully I don't have this "no volume control" issue on my Windows 10 PC. I love the sound of the X16 though.

1. In the core processor of USB audio (we use XU216), there is an area responsible for volume. We can call it "hardware volume".

In Windows, the normal operation (for example: click the small speaker on the taskbar to adjust) is actually the "software volume" of windows. If you want to control the "hardware volume" in windows, you need to open the driver's control panel (such as our GUSTARD USB AUDIO DEVICE CONTROL PANEL). The control panel has a VOLUME tab (whether or not this tab appears depends on the kernel design)

In the MAC system, the volume operation in the system directly calls the "hardware volume", and the mac tries to avoid software volume due to sound quality considerations.

2. In the design of X16's current USB AUDIO kernel, "hardware volume" has been blocked. Based on the analog volume that we have always advocated is better than digital volume. Making the "hardware volume" pass through is the concept of pursuing the best sound quality.

3. Based on the principles of DOP DSD and MQA ease of use. If there are multiple digital volume adjustable nodes in the system, this makes the playback of DOP DSD and MQA prone to trouble. Because if the customer accidentally uses the digital volume in any link before the data stream into DAC, whether it is "software volume" or "hardware volume", it will cause the DOP DSD and MQA to not be played back normally. Therefore, reducing the volume node is our choice.

4. Adjust the volume to preserve the sound quality in order: analog volume (pre-stage or combined amplifier)>decoder volume>computer volume.

 

[Dannemand]

1. In the core processor of USB audio (we use XU216), there is an area responsible for volume. We can call it "hardware volume".

In Windows, the normal operation (for example: click the small speaker on the taskbar to adjust) is actually the "software volume" of windows. If you want to control the "hardware volume" in windows, you need to open the driver's control panel (such as our GUSTARD USB AUDIO DEVICE CONTROL PANEL). The control panel has a VOLUME tab (whether or not this tab appears depends on the kernel design)

In the MAC system, the volume operation in the system directly calls the "hardware volume", and the mac tries to avoid software volume due to sound quality considerations.

2. In the design of X16's current USB AUDIO kernel, "hardware volume" has been blocked. Based on the analog volume that we have always advocated is better than digital volume. Making the "hardware volume" pass through is the concept of pursuing the best sound quality.

3. Based on the principles of DOP DSD and MQA ease of use. If there are multiple digital volume adjustable nodes in the system, this makes the playback of DOP DSD and MQA prone to trouble. Because if the customer accidentally uses the digital volume in any link before the data stream into DAC, whether it is "software volume" or "hardware volume", it will cause the DOP DSD and MQA to not be played back normally. Therefore, reducing the volume node is our choice.

4. Adjust the volume to preserve the sound quality in order: analog volume (pre-stage or combined amplifier)>decoder volume>computer volume.

I understand why you want to encourage users to avoid hardware volume, output at 0dB and adjust volume on an external preamp or headphone amp.

But the real world effect of blocking hardware volume adjustment through USB (as you do) will be that many Windows users end up using software volume instead, either knowingly or unknowingly, which is even worse than hardware volume. And they'll break MQA and DoP as well. They would have better sound quality if you let them use hardware volume.

After all, you put a volume knob on the DAC and include a remote. It seems pointless to then prevent hardware volume from being adjusted through USB.

I encourage you to reconsider this and fix it in a firmware update, if possible.

 

[idkwho]

Very strange! Gain 1 should rule out that amp clipping as it can take like 7V on Gain 1 or 2 and I doubt the X16 is putting out anywhere near that much even at full volume. I wonder if anyone else can replicate this; my unit should hopefully be here on Thursday and I'll see if I can match what you are dealing with.

Yes it does seem strange to me. I look forward to your testing as this may be due to a defective amp perhaps or some other factors. For example, the start of this song sounds very crackly and distorted: https://soundcloud.com/nightbluemusic%2Fjim-yosef-riell-hate-you

 

[lizhuoyin]

I understand why you want to encourage users to avoid hardware volume, output at 0dB and adjust volume on an external preamp or headphone amp.

But the real world effect of blocking hardware volume adjustment through USB (as you do) will be that many Windows users end up using software volume instead, either knowingly or unknowingly, which is even worse than hardware volume. And they'll break MQA and DoP as well. They would have better sound quality if you let them use hardware volume.

After all, you put a volume knob on the DAC and include a remote. It seems pointless to then prevent hardware volume from being adjusted through USB.

I encourage you to reconsider this and fix it in a firmware update, if possible.

Looks like a known issue/limitation for mqa application: see Topping D90 MQA

 

[Hi_Fil]

Please, I have a question: the analogue output is DC coupled or AC coupled with an output capacitor?
Thank you

 

[gustard]

I understand why you want to encourage users to avoid hardware volume, output at 0dB and adjust volume on an external preamp or headphone amp.

But the real world effect of blocking hardware volume adjustment through USB (as you do) will be that many Windows users end up using software volume instead, either knowingly or unknowingly, which is even worse than hardware volume. And they'll break MQA and DoP as well. They would have better sound quality if you let them use hardware volume.

After all, you put a volume knob on the DAC and include a remote. It seems pointless to then prevent hardware volume from being adjusted through USB.

I encourage you to reconsider this and fix it in a firmware update, if possible.

It refers to the volume of the USB volume control signal before entering the dac, not the volume of the dac.
The DAC volume adjustment will not be affected and can be adjusted through the panel dial or remote control.

 

[lizhuoyin]

It refers to the volume of the USB volume control signal before entering the dac, not the volume of the dac.
The DAC volume adjustment will not be affected and can be adjusted through the panel dial or remote control.

Just curious, is the DAC volume adjustment digital or analog?

 

[Anton De]

Can somebody answer (probably Gustard member) if with some soldering i'll be able to use external clock?

 

[dan kolov]

Here you go.... Here is a link if you want to see some more, some are even in focus, sorry used my phone.... X16 Naked

Hello, can you take a picture of the circuit board and power supply?

 

[dan kolov]

ASIO when playing from Tidal is not active.When playing local files with foobar,ASIO is active. Is that how it should be?

 

[abdo123]

ASIO when playing from Tidal is not active.When playing local files with foobar,ASIO is active. Is that how it should be?View attachment 110309View attachment 110310

Did you enable Exclusive mode on Tidal?

 

[Frio]

Tidal is not playing via foodbar asio , so I would say yes. Tidal can do the unfold for mqa on its own and you have to activate the option in the output option menue.

 

[gustard]

Just curious, is the DAC volume adjustment digital or analog?

DAC volume adjustment is digital.
The previous discussion was about digital signals before DA. There are still differences between the two.

 

[gustard]

Can somebody answer (probably Gustard member) if with some soldering i'll be able to use external clock?

In theory, this is possible, but it requires a sufficient level of technology and is not easy to implement. We do not provide such technical support, sorry!

 

[abdo123]

Can somebody answer (probably Gustard member) if with some soldering i'll be able to use external clock?

Gustard sells their own external clock, to be used with their line-up.

 

[gustard]

X16 has no clock input interface. X26pro has a clock interface (can be connected to C16 or C16)