SegaCD
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- Nov 26, 2018
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I've been in the market for a new DAC, specifically one that supports i2s-over-HDMI (for my new Oppo modification) & also AES3 (for a Panasonic DAT unit). Since the new AK4499 IC is rolling out with some really nice theoretical specs, I thought I'd wait for an implementation of it. It seems like everyone is waiting for the Topping D90 & assuming that will be the first AK4499 implementation (myself included); however, it looks like Gustard might be out the door first with the DAC-A22 as preorders just came up on ShenzhenAudio.
What really bugs me about Gustard is the fact that the company has near-zero presence. They have no dedicated website, social media, or, in general, contact information. So I wanted to do some research on the company. Thanks to some of the folks on the DAC-X26 thread, I discovered that their storefront is on TaoBao...but what I also discovered is that all the listings on ShenzhenAudio, while being almost word for word identical/translated to that on TaoBao, are completely stripped from the rather nice measurements that Gustard makes publicly available! And wouldn't you know it, they had data on their upcoming DAC-A22! I thought I'd share this data with you guys as the first example of AP data from an AK4499-based device. One thing to note is that Gustard DAC-A22 uses a AK4499 for each channel (2 x AK4499) & a discrete class-A output stage (no opamps), but drops the DAC-X26's discrete SHARC DSP (and the price!)
1K FFT with some nice looking harmonics:
THD+N which (in an unusual move) decreases above 6kHz and looks much better than the wonky ES9038PRO:
A-weighted SNR of ~-128dbA
While not record setting, these readings are great!
Since all these measurements are supplied by Gustard, I thought there could be some bias. However, if we compare the measurements between Amir's measurements of the DAC-X26 to Gustard's measurements on their TaoBao listing of the DAC-X26...
Amir's:
Gustard:
We can see that all of Gustard's DAC-X26 measurements equal or perform worse than Amir's. I would like to believe we can trust the DAC-A22 measurements as a result.
All in all, while performance of a DAC is heavily dependent upon circuit design; hopefully, the Gustard DAC-A22 is indicative of the performance of other upcoming AK4499-based products!
What do my Audio Science Review friends think? Will AKM once again become the choice for next gen DAC designs?
Sources:
DAC-A22 TaoBao listing: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?sp...17995500133.27.4b20401aj99a9Q&id=607536370396
DAC-X26 TaoBao listing: https://world.taobao.com/item/586482347218.htm
Amir's review of the DAC-X26: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iew-and-measurements-of-gustard-dac-x26.7007/
EDIT: Looks like @Tks posted a video with some measurements of the Topping D90 a couple days ago so it looks like this isn't the first AK4499 DAC data out there...but it is interesting none-the-less.
What really bugs me about Gustard is the fact that the company has near-zero presence. They have no dedicated website, social media, or, in general, contact information. So I wanted to do some research on the company. Thanks to some of the folks on the DAC-X26 thread, I discovered that their storefront is on TaoBao...but what I also discovered is that all the listings on ShenzhenAudio, while being almost word for word identical/translated to that on TaoBao, are completely stripped from the rather nice measurements that Gustard makes publicly available! And wouldn't you know it, they had data on their upcoming DAC-A22! I thought I'd share this data with you guys as the first example of AP data from an AK4499-based device. One thing to note is that Gustard DAC-A22 uses a AK4499 for each channel (2 x AK4499) & a discrete class-A output stage (no opamps), but drops the DAC-X26's discrete SHARC DSP (and the price!)
1K FFT with some nice looking harmonics:

THD+N which (in an unusual move) decreases above 6kHz and looks much better than the wonky ES9038PRO:

A-weighted SNR of ~-128dbA

While not record setting, these readings are great!
Since all these measurements are supplied by Gustard, I thought there could be some bias. However, if we compare the measurements between Amir's measurements of the DAC-X26 to Gustard's measurements on their TaoBao listing of the DAC-X26...
Amir's:
Gustard:

We can see that all of Gustard's DAC-X26 measurements equal or perform worse than Amir's. I would like to believe we can trust the DAC-A22 measurements as a result.
All in all, while performance of a DAC is heavily dependent upon circuit design; hopefully, the Gustard DAC-A22 is indicative of the performance of other upcoming AK4499-based products!
What do my Audio Science Review friends think? Will AKM once again become the choice for next gen DAC designs?
Sources:
DAC-A22 TaoBao listing: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?sp...17995500133.27.4b20401aj99a9Q&id=607536370396
DAC-X26 TaoBao listing: https://world.taobao.com/item/586482347218.htm
Amir's review of the DAC-X26: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iew-and-measurements-of-gustard-dac-x26.7007/
EDIT: Looks like @Tks posted a video with some measurements of the Topping D90 a couple days ago so it looks like this isn't the first AK4499 DAC data out there...but it is interesting none-the-less.
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