[stuartmc]

Hi RB2013,

That picture is not mine, i suppose it's yours :wink_face:
I am still waiting for my Pana fc's to arrive, ordered them on ebay.

I will write a review when i replaced the bc's.

In the meantime i placed some 3M AB5100S on the chips, also on the chips of my dac.
Sounds indeed better, more black, bigger and wider soundstage :bigsmile_face:

Next week i will order a Belleson regulator, including some Sanyo OS-Con's to replace the 330uF caps

I showed my U12 and X12 some AB5100S love and I agree that it is a very good price/performance tweak - http://www.head-fi.org/t/735828/gustard-h10-high-current-discrete-class-a-output-stage-headphone-amplifier/735#post_11319496

I mostly noticed an enhancement of soundstage and imaging.

 

[abartels]

I showed my U12 and X12 some AB5100S love and I agree that it is a very good price/performance tweak - http://www.head-fi.org/t/735828/gustard-h10-high-current-discrete-class-a-output-stage-headphone-amplifier/735#post_11319496

I mostly noticed an enhancement of soundstage and imaging.

+1 Thats exactly what i noticed

 

[MINORISUKE]

I showed my U12 and X12 some AB5100S love and I agree that it is a very good price/performance tweak - http://www.head-fi.org/t/735828/gustard-h10-high-current-discrete-class-a-output-stage-headphone-amplifier/735#post_11319496

I mostly noticed an enhancement of soundstage and imaging.

Hi, I posted the following in X12 thread.  I believe you are an owner of both X12 and U12.  I am suspicious about the firmware of USB-DDC board in X12, and U12 as well.  Currently, I can play only PCM with my U12.
 ----------------
Hi, I am a U12 owner but not X12 yet.
An X12 owner in Japan wrote in his blog that left and right channels were reversed in DSD with USB input.  Can you check this?
If you happen to have the U12 or any transport that outputs DoP via S/PDIF, can you also check by connecting two machines via a coaxial cable?
I heard many manufacturers had had the same issue in their first batch such as Combo384, Astell & Kern AK240, etc., and they fixed this issue via firmware update.

 

[rb2013]

  Hi RB2013,
 
That picture is not mine, i suppose it's yours 

I am still waiting for my Pana fc's to arrive, ordered them on ebay.
 
I will write a review when i replaced the bc's.
 
In the meantime i placed some 3M AB5100S on the chips, also on the chips of my dac.
Sounds indeed better, more black, bigger and wider soundstage 

 
Next week i will order a Belleson regulator, including some Sanyo OS-Con's to replace the 330uF caps

Awesome!  Will try some of that 3M on the chips as well - I guess is acts as EMI blocker/dampening.
 
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Electronics_NA/Electronics/Products/Product_Catalog/~/3M-EMI-Absorber-AB5100S?N=4294286187+5153906&Nr=AND%28hrcy_id%3AZX4PS8GFSFgs_FQBRW7MRMJ_N2RL3FHWVK_GPD0K8BC31gv%29&rt=d
 
Where did you buy it?
 
This is this the ERS paper I used on the inside of the case  http://www.partsconnexion.com/accessories_ers.html
 
PS:  I found it http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/3M-Electronic-Specialty/AB5100S-210MM/?qs=7zdqrEdV2aJuFYw8kiMOiQ%3D%3D
 
PSS: Found it way cheaper $40 a sheet- Mouser was $67.89.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-AB-5100S-EMI-Absorber-Sheet-/161437349302

 

[stuartmc]

Awesome!  Will try some of that 3M on the chips as well - I guess is acts as EMI blocker/dampening.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Electronics_NA/Electronics/Products/Product_Catalog/~/3M-EMI-Absorber-AB5100S?N=4294286187+5153906&Nr=AND%28hrcy_id%3AZX4PS8GFSFgs_FQBRW7MRMJ_N2RL3FHWVK_GPD0K8BC31gv%29&rt=d

Where did you buy it?

If you go to my referenced modifications post, I give a link to an eBay seller who has the best price I have found. It was $46 delivered for a 8x11 sheet.

 

[rb2013]

If you go to my referenced modifications post, I give a link to an eBay seller who has the best price I have found. It was $46 delivered for a 8x11 sheet.

Thanks - I just ordered a sheet

 

[MINORISUKE]

 
Hi, I posted the following in X12 thread.  I believe you are an owner of both X12 and U12.  I am suspicious about the firmware of USB-DDC board in X12, and U12 as well.  Currently, I can play only PCM with my U12.
 ----------------
Hi, I am a U12 owner but not X12 yet.
An X12 owner in Japan wrote in his blog that left and right channels were reversed in DSD with USB input.  Can you check this?
If you happen to have the U12 or any transport that outputs DoP via S/PDIF, can you also check by connecting two machines via a coaxial cable?
I heard many manufacturers had had the same issue in their first batch such as Combo384, Astell & Kern AK240, etc., and they fixed this issue via firmware update.

X12 channel swap (DSD playback from USB input)
Meanwhile, I got information that the manufacturer was aware of this issue but had no plan to fix it (as of today).

 

[motberg]

  X12 channel swap (DSD playback from USB input)
Meanwhile, I got information that the manufacturer was aware of this issue but had no plan to fix it (as of today).

China New Year.... things get pretty relaxed over here

 
Is anyone using 2 outputs on their U12.. both connected but switching from one DAC to another for playback ?
I am using a NOS DAC which is working wonderfully.. but considering to try something with DSD capability in the near future..

 

[mz2014]

Hi
Did the Gustard U12 can be connected with Raspbbery Pi2 ?

 

[ted_b]

  Toslink AND Coax are both SPdif (Sony Philips Digital InterFace).
 
The SPdif spec is ONLY upto 24/192. So, your dac will NEVER accept digital signals over coax or toslink that have a higher samplerate then 192Khz.
 
AND
 
Most Toslink receivers and transmitters accept samplerates upto 96 Khz. Maybe just look in the specs of your dac if it is supposed to work on 24/192 on toslink.

My Hugo accepts and plays DXD and 384 via SPDIF (normal coax 75 ohm spdif cable of your choice) every day.  And 192k via toslink (here some cables throw up).  The issue is that the U12 does not output 384k except via I2S (my cursory understanding)

 

[abartels]

 
My Hugo accepts and plays DXD and 384 via SPDIF (normal coax 75 ohm spdif cable of your choice) every day.  And 192k via toslink (here some cables throw up).  The issue is that the U12 does not output 384k except via I2S (my cursory understanding)

Hmm, that is new to me, didn't know that manufacturers "lack the spdif spec boundary".
Surely it is something to think of when bying a digital interface which must connect thru spdif interface only.
 
I bought the U12 for it's SQ but also for it's HDMI I2S connectivity which is supposed to be the best option available nowadays.

 

[abartels]

 
China New Year.... things get pretty relaxed over here

 
Is anyone using 2 outputs on their U12.. both connected but switching from one DAC to another for playback ?
I am using a NOS DAC which is working wonderfully.. but considering to try something with DSD capability in the near future..

Happy NEW YEAR Tom 

 

 

[rb2013]

 
My Hugo accepts and plays DXD and 384 via SPDIF (normal coax 75 ohm spdif cable of your choice) every day.  And 192k via toslink (here some cables throw up).  The issue is that the U12 does not output 384k except via I2S (my cursory understanding)

I can confirm my U12 outputs at 352K and 384K via spdif coax.  I have some naive 352K DLs from 2L and I can upsample with SoX 4x -so with a 96K x4 = 384K.
 
Just to confirm I tried to output these rates to one of my DAC's which can only accept 192k or less - it unlocked at those rates.  Relocked when I returned to 192K.
 
There must be an issue with the 'non-standard' spdif 384k implementation on the Hugo - since there is no 'standard'.  Or an incompatibility with the receiver chipset.
 
I would try to turn off and unplug the Hugo with the U12 outputting the 384k signal, wait 60 seconds and replug and turn on.  Sometimes these receiver chips will lock on to a frequency and not let go.  Although on my Musiland, APL and Modded Lite DAC's I've not had an issue with the U12.

 

[Wynnytsky]

 
China New Year.... things get pretty relaxed over here

 
Is anyone using 2 outputs on their U12.. both connected but switching from one DAC to another for playback ?
I am using a NOS DAC which is working wonderfully.. but considering to try something with DSD capability in the near future..

I've used multiple Gustard outputs just to compare bluejean's AES cable vs their coax cable.  Both cables ran into the same DAC and I could A/B them with a rocker switch on my DAC w/o interrupting playback.
 
RB - your thread has got so many pages that the same questions are going to be repeated.  It would be nice if head-fi offered a search-inside-thread option.
 
This weekend I heard the IFI iUSBPower device on my Gustard and it did a fine job of filtering, even with my $7 USB cables.  For me it removed the very last artifacts of a digital signature.  It reminded me of the sound I've heard from some high end CD players.  I suspect however that the cheaper iPurifier will accomplish the same results because I think the Gustard only uses USB power as like a 12v on/off trigger.  I have both units coming in the mail so I'll be able to report my findings in a couple weeks.

 

[rb2013]

  RB - your thread has got so many pages that the same questions are going to be repeated.  It would be nice if head-fi offered a search-inside-thread option.
 

That would be nice - but above my pay grade - which is $0

 
Just installed Jplay - working beautifully with the Thesycon drivers.  Not a single hiccup so far.  Running the WaveIO ASIO using 'beach' and big buffers.