[politbureau]

 
Stuartmc mentioned a while ago that he likes to use I2S from the U12 to the X12, but he also said that he felt that the quality of the HDMI cable made a significant difference.
 
I personally tried I2S from the U12 to the X12 with ONE cheap HDMI cable and felt that I preferred going straight to the USB input on the X12. I'm not interested in testing more HDMI cables, though, to see if I can notice improvements.
 
Conquerator2 felt the same way as I did about preferring the X12's own USB input over the U12, but I'm not sure if he used I2S.

I've heard similar things. A high quality HDMI patch cable might make a difference, though I've heard very good things about the X12s internal USB card.
 
Rb2013 has replaced his U12 with the Melodious MX-U8 and says the sound is a big step up. Sadly the I2S connection is RJ45, so you'd need to either buy a custom cable (they are out there), or build your own.

 

[stuartmc]

  I certainly do, Cap'n Stu! One thing I'm wondering about are the so-called macrodynamics of the X12, or its ability to render things like bass slam, punches and kicks, hi-hats etcs. I mean, take it with a grain of salt, but I've read impressions of the ESS9018 that indicate macrodynamics are a bit limp/hollow. That worries me nonetheless. I know the ESS9018 is supposed to be great for plankton, but I also like to fish for larger catch. 

Over on the other Gustard thread, I talked a lot about the macrodynamics of the X12 as opposed to the Aune S16 I was comparing it too.   The excellent dynamic capabilities of the X12 was the thing that struck me most in my early hours of listening.  It wasn't just plankton, it was angry Seabass with frickin' laser beams on their heads.  I speculated that the X12 packs this wallup because the designer had built a very robust well regulated power supply and had even separated the digital and analog power supplies with separate transformers.

 

[stuartmc]

  I've heard similar things. A high quality HDMI patch cable might make a difference, though I've heard very good things about the X12s internal USB card.
 
Rb2013 has replaced his U12 with the Melodious MX-U8 and says the sound is a big step up. Sadly the I2S connection is RJ45, so you'd need to either buy a custom cable (they are out there), or build your own.

 
I would give the Melodious unit a try if it had an hmdi connector instead of the RJ45.  I tried coax and aes/ebu between my U12 and X12, but greatly preferred the I2S hdmi connection.  A good hdmi cable certainly did make an audible difference for me.  I ended up with 1/2 meter Pangia silver cable that was pretty inexpensive on Amazon.

 

[bavinck]

So, would we call monoprice hdmi cables good? I have purchased them in the past, and they sure seem like a well made product.

 

[stuartmc]

  So, would we call monoprice hdmi cables good? I have purchased them in the past, and they sure seem like a well made product.

I compared three different hdmi cables all of which cost under $120 and one no name el cheapo cable.  I could hear differences in all of them, but the inexpensive one was the easiest to distinguish. It lacked body, had a smaller soundstage and a little more glare than the others.  I couldn't tell you how the monoprice would fare, but I think at least OCC copper should be used.

 

[m0reilly]

   
I would give the Melodious unit a try if it had an hmdi connector instead of the RJ45.  I tried coax and aes/ebu between my U12 and X12, but greatly preferred the I2S hdmi connection.  A good hdmi cable certainly did make an audible difference for me.  I ended up with 1/2 meter Pangia silver cable that was pretty inexpensive on Amazon.

interesting, as i just ordered the pangea hdmi also (1 meter, as from some reviews, the shorter cable was a bit difficult to form in a tight space. i previously used unruly hdmi cables to my plasma only to find the monitors' hdmi socket dislocated because of the lack of flexibility re dense cable). i also purchased a mogami pro aes cable, along with a pangea usb pure silver 1m. i would have forgone 'fancy' cabling, but after noticing an obvious audible difference between an audioquest forest usb and the pangea silver...i thought i had lost my marbles initially, but i actually could hear a difference between usb cables...

 

[conquerator2]

I owned the U12 [Excellent XMOS USB interface] and X12 [the best smoothest Sabre DAC I've heard yet] so far and I think for the price, Gustard is VERY hard to beat. I'd gladly support such a company in the future by buying their reasonably priced products ^_^

 

[LancerFIN]

Yes. Reason says I should have reached "endgame" but still X20 and 'H20' fascinate me. Future will tell if those are worthy upgrades.

 

[auvgeek]

Indeed. It will be very interesting to see pricing and reviews of Gustard's "flagship" offerings. I'm very interested in both. Not sure I want to jump in until some people who have heard the X12/H10 write some reviews. I'll probably try to get the H20 regardless. 
 
It would also be really neat to see Gustard add an amp and DAC with a smaller footprint to their lineup. Like between Modi/Magni and Bifrost/Lyr. I could see that being a useful size for many people to have at the office where a X12/H10 stack may be infeasible or frowned upon.

 

[LancerFIN]

 

Having ~$100 entry level gear is definitely very good for the brand. I don't need numbers to tell that Schiit sells more Magnis and Modis than other gear combined. Those people if they eventually want to move up they are likely to buy from Schiit again. They do stellar job spreading the name around. Also having very good lineup is major reason why Schiit has gotten so far. It's the only brand that comes to mind which has products in each price category from entry to top of the line. Well audio-gd has pretty good line up too.

 

[SodaBoy]

I just use a 3ft Blue Rigger HDMI cable I got from Amazon, it's thick and inflexible but short enough for my needs. It's shielded, sturdy and quite cheap. I got the rest of my interconnects from Ghent Audio, which was also incredibly cheap, and now all my cables are terminated at the right length and it keeps my setup tidy. The new cables also fixed a crackling and popping problem that no amount of messing with buffer sizes would fix, so take that for what you will.
 
There's a sweet spot for everything though, I spent very little money on interconnects, and had no interest in bespoke Gucci cables. A shielded USB cable with a ferrite core, terminated at the right length was good enough for me, I think Ghent used a Belden cable which is very respectable. I chose Choseal instead of Mogami for the RCA as it was a few dollars cheaper, and I can tell you it was high quality, and loses nothing to the Mogami.
 
Back 2 Gustard stuff,
 
I hope they use something better than a volume pot on the H20. If they put a volume pot on it, I'm probably going to go Audio-GD or get off my lazy bum and start building my wire amp. It should be pure class A, and remain in class A up to a decent level of power, with a stepped attenuator. I think I'll definitely get the X20 despite getting the X12 only two months earlier LOL. But given that the analog section is very similar between the X20 and the X12, I wonder how different the two DACs would sound since it's really the analog section that provides most of the flavor differences between DACs. The X20 should have better channel separation though, which should give dat soundstage magic.
 

   
If they come out with a matching dual-mono amp like rumoured (H20, I'd assume?), and it's proportionately as good as the H10 seems to be plus has a 4-pin XLR true dual mono out, it sounds like they'll have a pretty compelling budget-high-end option on their hands.
 
I just wish they'd consulted with native English speakers over their brand name. Ideally, I prefer my Hi-Fi equipment not to evoke thoughts of goose and custard. They don't even go together, let alone have anything to do with Hi-Fi or any positive associations with it, either. Mmmn, love those custardy mids on the X20. I find the competing Yulong options to be more like créme Anglais, and the price-matched Schiit options are downright pudding-ey. See? No good.
 
(And that's going Euro-style and pronouncing it "Goostard" to try and summon at least a little gravitas, because making it rhyme with "custard" is an even worse option. :/ )

 
Lol the Euro-style sounds so nouveau riche, I'm just a dirty peasant tho so I pronounce it like custard. I like the Gustard name tho, its got Gusto man, you got to respect that hustle.

 

[Schopenhauer]

Gustard should also rethink the "wisdom" of a recessed headphone jack for the H20.

 

[SodaBoy]

  Gustard should also rethink the "wisdom" of a recessed headphone jack for the H20.

^That'd be perfect eh

 

[auvgeek]

Anyone know if the H20 will have a SE output or just balanced? I guess I'm kind of hoping for just balanced because, for whatever reason, it seems to make intuitive sense that it will sound better if it's a balanced topology throughout. (But that's just a guess.) OTOH, that might require that I hang on to the H10 or obtain a separate amp with SE outputs.

 

[Amleth]

  It's the only brand that comes to mind which has products in each price category from entry to top of the line. Well audio-gd has pretty good line up too.

 
Also Yulong, if we're thinking Chinese brands.
 

Lol the Euro-style sounds so nouveau riche, I'm just a dirty peasant tho so I pronounce it like custard. I like the Gustard name tho, its got Gusto man, you got to respect that hustle.

 
But the nouveau riche were seen as "dirty peasants" by the landed gentry; they had the ticket price of entry into high society, i.e., money, but not the native upbringing within it required to be accepted and thus were seen by traditionally-monied families as peasants who just happened to have a lot of cash. They were considered pretty handy to marry grudgingly if the family coffers needed a cash injection badly enough, but best avoided at all other times. "Euro-style" pronounciation, with an "u" like in "flute" and an "ard" like in "card" (or possibly "ar" like in "fast")  sounds like old money.
 
I'm just not feeling the "custard"-rhyming, though. It sounds like a combination of the name of some guy that rides around on the back of a Brooklyn garbage truck and the word "retard", neither of which you're likely to associate with pleasant sounds.
 
Even "Gusto" would be better. All positive associations, and implies the units enthusiastically go about their tasks. If they fix the name and adopt some decent, style-matched front panel designs, they could become a real force in the budget high-end market. All cases the same width for stacking, etc, and looking like they all come from the same product line. They need to consult with a young and hungry design firm or something.
 

  Anyone know if the H20 will have a SE output or just balanced? I guess I'm kind of hoping for just balanced because, for whatever reason, it seems to make intuitive sense that it will sound better if it's a balanced topology throughout. (But that's just a guess.) OTOH, that might require that I hang on to the H10 or obtain a separate amp with SE outputs.

 
That's what's rumoured, and nothing else would really make sense, so it seems promising.