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Gustard X26Pro Review (Balanced High-end DAC)

Francis Vaughan

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When NOS mode is off any DAC will up-sample significantly changing the sound for the better yet it's modifying the original source file to do so.

As above. This is a curious view that comes from a common misunderstanding of sampling theory. Mathematically, the results of any of these systems is identical. The information content (from a pure information theory point of view) is identical. What oversampling does is free the designer so they can optimise the implementation in more areas in different ways. This freedom mostly lets them push more work into the digital domain, which with the current balance of technology is the better place.

There is a rather unfortunate idea in the NOS crowd that the results are somehow truer to the source data and that oversampling changes the data.

If we had a perfect implementation of both a NOS and an oversampling DAC, each bandlimited to the Nyquist frequency, the results would be identical. Where oversampling gets you an improvement in sound is a combination of the ability to create a physical reconstruction filter with better characteristics and an ability to craft the analog parts of the DAC with much less sensitivity to all the vagaries of implementation. A one bit element is vastly easier to craft than a 16 bit ladder. But you need the digital logic to make it work. Oversampling is the key to unlocking this.
 

Katji

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It depends on the manufacturer's marketing strategy (i.e. how they wish to frame the particular model). I just listed a couple of suggestions.

In the case of Topping D90SE, following my suggestions, we could call it:

Topping DA-900SE ("9" is seen as a series)
Topping DA-D90SE ("D" is seen as a series, "9" is the model within the series)
Topping DA-490SE ("D" is the fourth letter, hence "4" as a series)

What idea did you have? :)
:D John Yang Signature Edition /autographed, might become a "collector's item." :D

Not less valid than Andrew Jones with speakers.
 
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Stoutblock

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Had me worried there for a bit because I know I could hear a difference between the filters on my x26pro. Made me go back and check again thinking I am imagining it? Ha! Agree only issue is heat but not real bad. Using IR I get 93 deg F on the case and 113 deg F pointing inside through a vent. A micro fan would certainly extend the life of internal components?
 

Robbo99999

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Yea 4 reviews in 24 hours.
He's trying to get the 598 review off the front page! :D But no, I'm done there.


So, this is one expensive DAC! Does it have actual use cases that are beyond the cheaper DACS that perform nearly as well? It's balanced, but then so are some others. Is connectivity features better than competitors, I've not compared?
 

Peternz

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The point is that a simple DAC nowadays is just some stage in the procesing chain. I dont really get the obsession with this.

No, it is not just some stage in the processing chain. It IS the processing chain. Everything that comes after that is just delivery.

Imagine buying a piece of processed food at a supermarket, for example cheese. Assigning the same importance to the truck that delivers the cheese, the display at the supermarket and the checkout to the processing that occurs when the milk is actually turned into cheese is ridiculous.
 

Veri

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No, it is not just some stage in the processing chain. It IS the processing chain. Everything that comes after that is just delivery.

Imagine buying a piece of processed food at a supermarket, for example cheese. Assigning the same importance to the truck that delivers the cheese, the display at the supermarket and the checkout to the processing that occurs when the milk is actually turned into cheese is ridiculous.
Excuse my French but this is a piss poor analogy. The "truck that delivers the cheese", so basically the transducer? Yes, it is in fact orders of magnitude more important than the "cheese", being the DAC here.
 

Peternz

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If the cheese is bad the truck does nothing to improve it. Even pissing on it will not help...
 

Veri

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Again. You are vastly overstating the importance of the cheese :p to keep up this metaphor.

For all I care it can be blue and moldy. Get it to you over a good truck and it will be perfectly palatable!
 

Peternz

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Without the cheese there is nothing to even put into the truck.
 

hmt

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Again: Same can be said of cables. Very important. But In the end very unimportant.
Your analogy is poor. The cheese would be your loudspeaker plus acoustics. The DAC is insignificant unless there is some really major fuck up with it.
 

Veri

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Mediocre is in the eye of the beholder but let's stop being silly. This is the X26 thread :p
 

Peternz

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Mediocre is in the eye of the beholder but let's stop being silly. This is the X26 thread :p

It is relevant to the X26 since a member seemed to be questioning the importance of a high quality dac. I think the X26 is a good dac, as long as you can trust the QC. I am just not really sure about that.
 

gvl

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The irrational in me wants to buy this DAC. I shall resist.
 

Trell

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The irrational in me wants to buy this DAC. I shall resist.

1625431167820.png
 

Robbo99999

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Love me some cheeeeese
Cheese is about as important as the necessity of this particular DAC when it comes to faithful music reproduction!
 

Krillin

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Amirim,

Do you have the capability to check for correctness of reproduction signals depth more than 16-bit, crosstalk phase, and aliasing measurement for 44.1khz? I'm not sure if these measurements should have much weight applied to their interpretation but this site below has Topping, Gustard, SMSL DAC's reviewed and these measurements seem to vary despite similar THD measurements.

I'm looking at these measurements here for the X16 and there is more than THD/IMD:
https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/dac/gustard-dac-x16-h-fast.php#gsc.tab=0 (English link)
https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/report/dac/gustard-dac-x16-h-fast.php#rw41 (Russian link, click this one and use Chrome browser to auto translate, includes explanation of measurements not included in English version)

Here is what the Gustard manual has and it's exactly what I hear for Vivid and Gentle (as advertised), and I am not the only user to write that they have heard differences. I hear it more at 44.1khz:
Gustard PCM filters.PNG
 
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