[Cuthbert 80]

Ok guys, so...after 128 hours of burn-in, I feel that I can make some fairly legit impressions about the Gustard H16 paired with my iFi NEO amp/DAC:

* Resolution is very nice
* Bass is pretty amazing - Articulate, well extended, nuanced and nice slam capabilities with solid sub-bass.
* Mid range and highs are pretty lovely - Those highs also extend well and are non-fatiguing over long periods
* 3.7 watts at 64 ohms doesn't suck
* Speed is good
* Powerful amp considering the size
* Strange combo but linear and very organic sounding at the same time
* Transparent but NOT clinical with a slight touch of warmth...which is a nice trait to have lol
* Details, especially microdynamics are superb
* No power button on the front or on the remote kinda sucks
* The buttons on the remote actually feel wonderful

I have to admit that after about 48hrs of initial burn-in, I was slightly underwhelmed by the H16. It obviously sounded good but was not a big step up from the internal amp on my iFi NEO which is kinda embarrasing cause that internal amp only has a measly 1 watt at 32 ohms. I say measly only because the NEO is £700 so you would expect better, especially given the competition. The DAC, on the other hand, is beautiful and has a nice synergy with the Gustard H16.

Now that I've racked up 128 hours of burn-in, this H16 has opened up considerably. I remember the first time hearing the song linked below (Tú Me Dejaste De Querer by C. Tangana, Niño de Elche, La Hungara) on my H16 where suddenly....the background voices/chants jumped at me out of nowhere when the first hook/chorus kicked in. This was quite shocking to experience and almost frightened me lol:



Again, it is strange how this amp hardly ever gets talked about considering it's low price and features. I do question the durability/longevity of this product considering Gustard is seemingly not as established as other brands like Topping and SMSL outside of China.

Maybe this is too good to be true and that my H16 might break down on me soon cause of the low price vs performance?!! Maybe corners have been cut in the design process to reach a certain target lol? Who knows. Time will bloody tell.

 

[kaushama]

From what I have been reading Gustard products are very durable and respected in China!

 

[Cuthbert 80]

@kaushama just a question regarding your Gustard H16/X16 stack. When listening with your Focal Clear Pros....what are the highs/treble like?

I ask cause I'm considering purchasing the X16 DAC to go with my H16.

Does your X16/H16 + Focal Clear Pro combo have well extended, smooth treble? I like my treble extended but not harsh and fatiguing cause I'm quite sensitive in that region.

Also, what's the speed like on the X16? I'm hoping it's fast and snappy lol

My H16 amp + iFi NEO DAC/amp does produce a lovely sound but was just curious about adding the X16 DAC

 

[kaushama]

They c

@kaushama just a question regarding your Gustard H16/X16 stack. When listening with your Focal Clear Pros....what are the highs/treble like?

I ask cause I'm considering purchasing the X16 DAC to go with my H16.

Does your X16/H16 + Focal Clear Pro combo have well extended, smooth treble? I like my treble extended but not harsh and fatiguing cause I'm quite sensitive in that region.

Also, what's the speed like on the X16? I'm hoping it's fast and snappy lol

My H16 amp + iFi NEO DAC/amp does produce a lovely sound but was just curious about adding the X16 DAC

They complement each other very well. Treble is not harsh at all and very detailed. Very fast transients. I have got some Dekoni velour pads to Focal clear and they sound magnificent.
After significant burn-in the pair H16/X16 sounds very good. Very airy and spacious. I am very happy about my choice. The combo is real value and I am considering adding Raspberry Pi 4 media server to the combo as I plan to buy Gustard S16 streamer to stack later. I will compare S16 against RPi 4 Moode streamer.

 

[Cuthbert 80]

They c

They complement each other very well. Treble is not harsh at all and very detailed. Very fast transients. I have got some Dekoni velour pads to Focal clear and they sound magnificent.
After significant burn-in the pair H16/X16 sounds very good. Very airy and spacious. I am very happy about my choice. The combo is real value and I am considering adding Raspberry Pi 4 media server to the combo as I plan to buy Gustard S16 streamer to stack later. I will compare S16 against RPi 4 Moode streamer.

Cool, thank you so much for your impressions @kaushama. Now you've made it difficult for me to resist purchasing the X16!

 

[Tex Irie]

Ok guys, so...after 128 hours of burn-in, I feel that I can make some fairly legit impressions about the Gustard H16 paired with my iFi NEO amp/DAC:

* Resolution is very nice
* Bass is pretty amazing - Articulate, well extended, nuanced and nice slam capabilities with solid sub-bass.
* Mid range and highs are pretty lovely - Those highs also extend well and are non-fatiguing over long periods
* 3.7 watts at 64 ohms doesn't suck
* Speed is good
* Powerful amp considering the size
* Strange combo but linear and very organic sounding at the same time
* Transparent but NOT clinical with a slight touch of warmth...which is a nice trait to have lol
* Details, especially microdynamics are superb
* No power button on the front or on the remote kinda sucks
* The buttons on the remote actually feel wonderful

I have to admit that after about 48hrs of initial burn-in, I was slightly underwhelmed by the H16. It obviously sounded good but was not a big step up from the internal amp on my iFi NEO which is kinda embarrasing cause that internal amp only has a measly 1 watt at 32 ohms. I say measly only because the NEO is £700 so you would expect better, especially given the competition. The DAC, on the other hand, is beautiful and has a nice synergy with the Gustard H16.

Now that I've racked up 128 hours of burn-in, this H16 has opened up considerably. I remember the first time hearing the song linked below (Tú Me Dejaste De Querer by C. Tangana, Niño de Elche, La Hungara) on my H16 where suddenly....the background voices/chants jumped at me out of nowhere when the first hook/chorus kicked in. This was quite shocking to experience and almost frightened me lol:



Again, it is strange how this amp hardly ever gets talked about considering it's low price and features. I do question the durability/longevity of this product considering Gustard is seemingly not as established as other brands like Topping and SMSL outside of China.

Maybe this is too good to be true and that my H16 might break down on me soon cause of the low price vs performance?!! Maybe corners have been cut in the design process to reach a certain target lol? Who knows. Time will bloody tell.

That's a lovely looking stack.

 

[Tex Irie]

Has anyone used the Gustard H16 with sensitive IEMs?

 

[Terriero]

For the H16 owners, how do you change the gain setting? (via the remote controller, menu or both?) How many levels of gain the H16 has? Thanks.

 

[Cuthbert 80]

For the H16 owners, how do you change the gain setting? (via the remote controller, menu or both?) How many levels of gain the H16 has? Thanks.

From the remote, I think you press either left or right on the 4 way controller to access the gain settings. You have Low - Medium - High.

Medium gain is default.

 

[Marlowe]

For the H16 owners, how do you change the gain setting? (via the remote controller, menu or both?) How many levels of gain the H16 has? Thanks.

To change the gain without the remote, long press the button inside the volume wheel (short press switches between the RCA and XLR inputs and is unfortunately easy to do accidentally) and rotate the wheel to cycle between low, medium, and high gains.

Speaking of gain, I'm wondering what which one most people use. Given the power rating of the H16, I expected to use medium, but found that I often needed to go so high on volume (sometimes as high as 70+), that I switched to high gain. I primarily use the H16 (along with the companion X16 DAC connected via XLR) in my TV/Blu-ray setup, connected to my LG CX via optical, which has a fixed output. None of the headphones I frequently use are particularly hard to drive (Sennheiser HD700, ZMF Aeolus, Focal Elex; impedance is 150, 300, 80 ohms, respectively, with roughly average sensitivity). Sound levels seem to vary on the various streaming services, and even between shows on the same service, and I admit I do like it fairly loud. I'm usually on 35-40 on high gain for Disney + and the CW app, but most other apps, and physical discs, find me at 45-60. I haven't used the H16 for music very often, but I've been around 50 on Tidal (streamed from an iPad via USB).

 

[Terriero]

Thank you very much. Another question, I have read that you can use the remote to change volume of active speakers connected via pre-amp. But, can you control the headphones volume with the remote? I hope so...

 

[Tonza]

Just got this amp yesterday and so far my impressions are very good. Great neutral and non-fatiguing sound so far. Using this with Focal Clear and Hifiman Arya. Only single ended for now as my 4.4 balanced cable is still on its way and the Focal's XLR is a hassle to use (so stiff).

 

[janbe87]

Thank you very much. Another question, I have read that you can use the remote to change volume of active speakers connected via pre-amp. But, can you control the headphones volume with the remote? I hope so...

Yes you can. Am currently sitting on my sofa 2m away and as long as there is line of sight to the H16, I can change volume - and I only have headphones connected.

 

[Lohb]

How about the volume dialability on it ?
Issue I had with another amp is it went from medium to very loud after 1pm on volume pot - it's incline after a certain point was too aggressive.

 

[janbe87]

How about the volume dialability on it ?
Issue I had with another amp is it went from medium to very loud after 1pm on volume pot - it's incline after a certain point was too aggressive.

Just played around with it - I think the H16 like bunch of other headphone amps does indeed have larger changes in volume the higher you go on the dial rather than constant changes.

This has not really been an issue for me, especially since it’s effectively a ‘digital’ 0-100 dial (ie a complete spin of the wheel increases volume by 10 out of 100). So very easy to fine tune exactly the volume you want

this applies to both the wheel on the amp itself (as well as the remote which by its nature it’s digital anyway)

hope that helps.