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Gustard X16 Balanced MQA DAC Review

Harmonie

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A22 and A18 aren't MQA certified either none of Gustards products are,hopefully that'll change in the future.
Both A22 & A18 MQA versions have been sold.

If your meaning is that it has been done without MQA's certification I understand your point better and former @JohnYang1997 's post.
But then .... it's worse than I even could imagine.
 

Fjfjsh

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In a previous post Gustard clarified that they are on the LAST step of the MQA certification process, which is a simple listening test. that could've been done before the holiday season but I think because Gustard is a small manufacturer they weren't given any priority. It's sad to see what many consider the least important thing about a DAC hold up the entire process.
 

Harmonie

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In a previous post Gustard clarified that they are on the LAST step of the MQA certification process, which is a simple listening test. that could've been done before the holiday season but I think because Gustard is a small manufacturer they weren't given any priority. It's sad to see what many consider the least important thing about a DAC hold up the entire process.

If this is the version, my point is rather , why were Gustard's MQA other models sold, before being certified ?
 

dmac6419

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If this is the version, my point is rather , why were Gustard's MQA other models sold, before being certified ?
Old Chinese Proverb, A fall into a ditch makes you wiser." - Mistakes are opportunities to learn
 
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cbayschm

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If this is the version, my point is rather , why were Gustard's MQA other models sold, before being certified ?
I think you have to certify by product, so this is only for the X16 DAC, I would assume, that the A22 and A18 are already certified? Or did they also stop the shipping of all MQA Gustard products??
 

Veri

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In a previous post Gustard clarified that they are on the LAST step of the MQA certification process, which is a simple listening test. that could've been done before the holiday season but I think because Gustard is a small manufacturer they weren't given any priority. It's sad to see what many consider the least important thing about a DAC hold up the entire process.
Imagine the MQA people doing a listening test for each and every device that wants its licensing.........
Bonkers.
 

cbayschm

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Mmmm, I take it back, Gustard is not on the MQA website, so it seems they haven't certified any products. A22 and A18 seem to not be certified.
 

Harmonie

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I think you have to certify by product, so this is only for the X16 DAC, I would assume, that the A22 and A18 are already certified? Or did they also stop the shipping of all MQA Gustard products??

Go on the various sellers web sites and see that the other models are sold out or not selling any more.

Old Chinese Proverb, A fall into a ditch makes you wiser." - Mistakes are opportunities to learn

I don't agree in this particular Gustard circumstance, but for sure they will (have to) learn.

I'll stop posting about this subject as it will just worsen the image.
 

Hipster Doofus

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Just an update ...I have been waiting for an MQA dac which has the MQA built into the Sabre chip for a few years now. I read on the Sabre website that it was coming. So I pulled the trigger on the Gusdard x16. That was several weeks ago and I have still not received it. Some story of licensing problems. I have contacted them a few times and they do respond , but not with any concrete update or timeline. They have offered a $20 a month reduction for each month I have to wait. Not exactly a confidence builder. If anyone knows more about this I would love an update.
 

Morla

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16096913086802.jpg
 

Fjfjsh

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Just an update ...I have been waiting for an MQA dac which has the MQA built into the Sabre chip for a few years now. I read on the Sabre website that it was coming. So I pulled the trigger on the Gusdard x16. That was several weeks ago and I have still not received it. Some story of licensing problems. I have contacted them a few times and they do respond , but not with any concrete update or timeline. They have offered a $20 a month reduction for each month I have to wait. Not exactly a confidence builder. If anyone knows more about this I would love an update.
Read Page 31 and 32 of this thread to see what gustard has updated us on.
 

gustard

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I regret to tell you that the best time is to pass the certification in mid-January.

This is the latest reply from MQA: "We have returned to the office today. My estimate on certification of the X16 is still as it was before, I would expect everything to be completed mid-January, all being well. Our testing department is unusually busy at the moment so it is hard for us to speed up this process at the current time. I will keep you updated as we move forward, the device is currently waiting for our listening test."
 
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PortableMusic

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I regret to tell you that the best time is to pass the certification in mid-January.

This is the latest reply from MQA: "We are back to the office today. My estimate of X16 certification is still at the previous level. I hope everything can be completed in mid-January and everything is fine. Our testing department is currently very, so We are currently very busy. Speeding up this process is very difficult. We will continue to provide you with the latest information, and the device is currently waiting for our hearing test."


"...Our testing department is currently very, so We are currently very busy..."

very odd that the MQA folks, which are presumably in the UK, can't even write an email properly. they are usually very eloquent!
 

Fjfjsh

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"...Our testing department is currently very, so We are currently very busy..."

very odd that the MQA folks, which are presumably in the UK, can't even write an email properly. they are usually very eloquent!
90% sure this was translated to Chinese then back to English
 

elnan14

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1st world (upper-middle/upper class?) problems: Having to listen to you currently owned, perfectly capable DACs, while you impatiently wait a few days/weeks for your new high-performance one. :p
 
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