Hi everyone, I am late to the scene of the DV 336SE which I just picked up yesterday. Stock tubes sound pretty good but I am none the wiser coming from solid state. My headphones are Sony Z1R, AKG 802 and Senn x Massdrop 6XX. Could I please get some recommendations regarding what tubes would...

   I have tried nearly all possible combinations.   NOS mode: as above 2x: slightly clearer 8x: almost up to the detail level of Gustard X20   However in all settings, the overpowering bass and equaliser settings are the same as I described above.

Hi All,   My DAC is an early Ref 7.1 without Amanero (DigiHub USB)   My opinions of the upgrade are as follows: 1) Bass - TOO MUCH bass and now booming. Feels fatiguing after about 40mins. Like a subwoofere level too high. 2) As a result of the bass, lower mids seems to be hidden. Middle...

I tested FLAC from CDs I own vs a 320kbps stream from Spotify (technically a OGG not MP3) and I can definitely tell the difference.  Not so obvious when it's just background music but with A/B critical listening there is a difference.

UPDATE:   After "burning in" the X20, things have improved a lot. I never used to believe in "burning in" but seems real so far.   The tracks that I thought were sharp are ok now and the dynamic range/sound stage has improved heaps. It's so much more exciting than the iDSD now which feels a...

I use Daphile which is limited compared to Foobar/JRiver Media etc. and doesn't do upsampling or DSD conversion..   How do you remotely control the more fully featured players.

Do you find the Normal clock is warmer and fuller than the Auto clock? Auto clock is wider sound stage but thinner and sharper highs.

My X20 arrived today!! YAY!!!     First impressions compared to iDSD Micro are: - much more and deeper bass (like I bought a sub) - highs quite sharp - mids more recessed and not as sweet/analogue but more detailed - more fatiguing after about 1h   DSD differences more obvious than PCM...

  I wonder too. It was a big debate re: the hyped ES9018 vs R2R DAC. I already have a delta sigma DAC, maybe should have bought a R2R DAC. :)

Ordered a X20!! When it arrives I can give a comparison with the ifi iDSD micro.   Does the X20 plug and play with Daphile via USB? Hope I don't need to wait for a Daphile update to recognize this DAC.   Gustard should update firmware to have a "direct" mode which bypasses the volume control...

Hi. Has anyone had chance to compare the Gustard X20 vs the LKS MHA003? Or even the ifi idsd micro?   Cheers

Has anyone had the chance to compare the X20 vs the ifi iDSD micro? I'm so close to pulling trigger but don't know if it's a worthwhile upgrade? Or should I just invest in a R2R DAC and use the iDSD for DSD playback.

Hi. Has anyone had chance to compare the Gustard X20 vs the LKS MHA003?   Cheers.

  Hi. Can you please elaborate on this concept on the R2R section, is it like a class A/B amp that leaves class A after a certain Watt? Thanks.

Does the iDSD sound closer to Delta-Sigma or R2R DAC?   I know the chip is DS but some say it's analogue sounding.   Thanks.