[FredA]

I'm aware that using Windows volume control is less than ideal, but when you're just browsing the internet it's more than fine to use. I use WASAPI or ASIO output when listening to music. You're also wrong about the driver being buggy. I have it installed on three devices and have the same exact issues on all three devices. I've also tried different USB cables, power cables, and HDMI cables.

The u16 also has built in volume control. It’s another option.

 

[Seegs108]

The u16 also has built in volume control. It’s another option.

Normally I only use the Directstream's volume control as it is lossless. However for non-critical listening, for things such as YouTube, I don't mind using the software volume control inside Windows. Again though, the Windows driver needs work. Or it is a specific issue with how the U16 interacts with PS Audio's I2S interface. But seeing how this is one of the 3 advertised supported I2S protocols it seems odd to me that both pre-emphasis is enabled at all times and it seems unstable with the other things previously mentioned. The Singxer SU-1 has absolutely none of these issues by comparison. Gustard needs to work on the software. It's not ready for primetime.

 

[Seegs108]

The pre-emphasis issue seems to be reoccuring with components from Gustard. The U12 seems to have the same issue. I hope someone from Gustard reads this thread and will fix it because without the fix, the U16 doesn't actually fully support PS Audio's I2S protocol:

https://forum.psaudio.com/t/ds-i2s-input

This isn't just an issue with PS Audio products but many others as PS Audio's protocol is free to use and a ton of other products from other companies are using it for their I2S ports.

 

[FredA]

Normally I only use the Directstream's volume control as it is lossless. However for non-critical listening, for things such as YouTube, I don't mind using the software volume control inside Windows. Again though, the Windows driver needs work. Or it is a specific issue with how the U16 interacts with PS Audio's I2S interface. But seeing how this is one of the 3 advertised supported I2S protocols it seems odd to me that both pre-emphasis is enabled at all times and it seems unstable with the other things previously mentioned. The Singxer SU-1 has absolutely none of these issues by comparison. Gustard needs to work on the software. It's not ready for primetime.

We pretty much all agree on this. Gustard has some issues with its software and needs to fix them ASAP.

 

[darren700]

So it seems there is a compatibility issue on the Audio-GD R1 with the U16. The only thing that plays correctly is 44khz
Anything else upon sample rate change i get loud static. I tried the synchronizer setting on my DAC but that didn't help unfortunately, made it static for everything lol

I have 2 U16's. one with Audio-GD R2R7 and one with R1. (one has 1.4 PSA firmware, the other 1.61)

I tried both U16's on the R2R7 and it plays 44, 48, 96, DSD perfect, with some issues on 192khz and 176khz.

On the Audio-GD R1 I tried the following sources (and multiple HDMI Cables):
SOTM sMS-200
SOTM sMS-200 Ultra
Windows 10 Computer

All have the exact same issue with the Audio-GD R1 (V3 Firmware): static with any sample rate other than 44khz
For now i limited jriver to output 44khz to prevent the static.
However this is frustrating because windows keeps defaulting to 48khz for sound, So i have to run another USB input into my R1 for windows audio/gaming/movies etc. and now I have to switch inputs back and forth on my R1.
I am undecided on whether I am going to keep the second U16 for my R1.

This really is a shame as this little unit sounds amazing in my main system with R2R-7. Just integrated the SOTM sMS-200 Ultra Neo today and my jaw dropped..... without any break-in it is already a huge step up from the sMS-200 which is no slouch and I was perfectly happy with... but you know how this hobby is, gotta try the new gear!

 

[soundlogic]

The pre-emphasis issue seems to be reoccuring with components from Gustard. The U12 seems to have the same issue. I hope someone from Gustard reads this thread and will fix it because without the fix, the U16 doesn't actually fully support PS Audio's I2S protocol:

https://forum.psaudio.com/t/ds-i2s-input

This isn't just an issue with PS Audio products but many others as PS Audio's protocol is free to use and a ton of other products from other companies are using it for their I2S ports.

I am using the U16 with 1.4 firmware, unit was delivered just before Xmas 2018. Source is an Auralic Aries streamer, usb into Gustard U16, I2S out of U16 into PS Audio Directstream. Other than the pre-emphasis flag in the dac's window as you have... I have zero issues similar to yours, or any of the previous poster's complaints of certain files not playing, or noise issues. Go figure. Like many of the posters in the beginning of this thread, my experience has been that my U16 is a huge sonic bang for the buck, and plays well with the Aries and Directstream.

 

[Seegs108]

I am using the U16 with 1.4 firmware, unit was delivered just before Xmas 2018. Source is an Auralic Aries streamer, usb into Gustard U16, I2S out of U16 into PS Audio Directstream. Other than the pre-emphasis flag in the dac's window as you have... I have zero issues similar to yours, or any of the previous poster's complaints of certain files not playing, or noise issues. Go figure. Like many of the posters in the beginning of this thread, my experience has been that my U16 is a huge sonic bang for the buck, and plays well with the Aries and Directstream.

Its not that files don't play, its that there was odd noise with DSD playback. But that is resolved with ASIO output. WASAPI output with DSD seems broken. Have you tried USB direct from a PC? From your posts it seems your source is an Aries. If you have the chance to, connect a laptop or desktop PC and try adjusting the volume in Windows. See if you hear any noise when the chime occurs when you adjust the volume. There is some lag due to what seems like a bug and the chime sound is noisey. This occurs on 3 seperate Windows PCs.

Pre-emphasis is the bigger issue because it forces an EQ in the DAC and rolls off the high frequencies. So you're actually missing out on audio data when this flag is sent.

 

[BernieB]

So it seems there is a compatibility issue on the Audio-GD R1 with the U16. The only thing that plays correctly is 44khz
Anything else upon sample rate change i get loud static. I tried the synchronizer setting on my DAC but that didn't help unfortunately, made it static for everything lol

I have 2 U16's. one with Audio-GD R2R7 and one with R1. (one has 1.4 PSA firmware, the other 1.61)

I tried both U16's on the R2R7 and it plays 44, 48, 96, DSD perfect, with some issues on 192khz and 176khz.

On the Audio-GD R1 I tried the following sources (and multiple HDMI Cables):
SOTM sMS-200
SOTM sMS-200 Ultra
Windows 10 Computer

All have the exact same issue with the Audio-GD R1 (V3 Firmware): static with any sample rate other than 44khz
For now i limited jriver to output 44khz to prevent the static.
However this is frustrating because windows keeps defaulting to 48khz for sound, So i have to run another USB input into my R1 for windows audio/gaming/movies etc. and now I have to switch inputs back and forth on my R1.
I am undecided on whether I am going to keep the second U16 for my R1.

This really is a shame as this little unit sounds amazing in my main system with R2R-7. Just integrated the SOTM sMS-200 Ultra Neo today and my jaw dropped..... without any break-in it is already a huge step up from the sMS-200 which is no slouch and I was perfectly happy with... but you know how this hobby is, gotta try the new gear!

I was in the same boat with my Audio-GD R2R-2, all firmwares and sample rates gave me distortion until i found this only solution that worked on my system. If you haven't try it, it is worth a shot. See posts #503 and #509.

 

[BernieB]

Probably the clock matters the most! I recently just started using pink faun USB audio bridge which has a dedicated toco clock. I took out the iFIgalvanic device which reclocks the USB signal because that makes it sound worse! Now I connect my PC to DAC without any galvanic isolation or reclocking. I think the clock closest to the DAC is most important. Placing an inferior clock further down the chain would worsen the sound. So improving the clock on the DDC may be the key.

I always wondered if that pink faun USB bridge would make a noticeable difference vs usb cable straight from pc usb port. From your experience, does it bring any improvements ?

 

[darren700]

I was in the same boat with my Audio-GD R2R-2, all firmwares and sample rates gave me distortion until i found this only solution that worked on my system. If you haven't try it, it is worth a shot. See posts #503 and #509.

I saw that post but just realized you were using V1.61 firmware, I flashed back to V1.61 and I am using SOX to re-sample to 384khz in Jriver and success!!! Thanks for making me take a second look at that post! 384khz actually works great in windows settings also!. maybe I will be able to keep both U16's afterall...


I emailed Kingwa at Audio-GD describing my issues, so I will see what he says, below is what I sent him:

Dear Kingwa.
I purchased 2 Gustard U16 DDC's to use with my R2R-7 and R1 I2S inputs.
They both work great with I2S into my R2R-7 but I am having problems with I2S into my R1.
On the R1 (V3 Firmware) with any sample rate higher than 44hkz I get a loud static noise (only 44khz works).
On the R2R-7 I tried both Gustard U16's without any problem. (44, 48, 96, DSD, all work ok)
With the R1 I tried multiple sources (Windows 10, SOTM sMS-200, SOTM sMS-200 Ultra)
all sources had the same problem with the Gustard U16 on the R1, static with any sample rates over 44khz
I also tried turning on the synchronizer setting on the R1 but that caused nothing to work, static on all sample rates.

Do you have any advice on how to solve this? It is strange that the U16 works great on R2R-7 (V3S) but not on the R1 (V3)

Thank You

 

[soundlogic]

Its not that files don't play, its that there was odd noise with DSD playback. But that is resolved with ASIO output. WASAPI output with DSD seems broken. Have you tried USB direct from a PC? From your posts it seems your source is an Aries. If you have the chance to, connect a laptop or desktop PC and try adjusting the volume in Windows. See if you hear any noise when the chime occurs when you adjust the volume. There is some lag due to what seems like a bug and the chime sound is noisey. This occurs on 3 seperate Windows PCs.

Pre-emphasis is the bigger issue because it forces an EQ in the DAC and rolls off the high frequencies. So you're actually missing out on audio data when this flag is sent.

I don’t own ANYTHING Windows...and honestly, I don’t notice any roll-off high frequencies. But i’ll Take your word for it. At any rate, Gustard needs to address their software. I wonder if they are monitoring this thread?

 

[Seegs108]

I don’t own ANYTHING Windows...and honestly, I don’t notice any roll-off high frequencies. But i’ll Take your word for it. At any rate, Gustard needs to address their software. I wonder if they are monitoring this thread?

When you see that pre-emphasis icon show up on your Directstream's screen that means it recognizes the flag but also that the EQ is being used. This means that there will be a roll off of high frequency audio. While you might not notice it, it's definitely happening when that icon is there.

 

[BernieB]

I saw that post but just realized you were using V1.61 firmware, I flashed back to V1.61 and I am using SOX to re-sample to 384khz in Jriver and success!!! Thanks for making me take a second look at that post! 384khz actually works great in windows settings also!. maybe I will be able to keep both U16's afterall...


I emailed Kingwa at Audio-GD describing my issues, so I will see what he says, below is what I sent him:

Dear Kingwa.
I purchased 2 Gustard U16 DDC's to use with my R2R-7 and R1 I2S inputs.
They both work great with I2S into my R2R-7 but I am having problems with I2S into my R1.
On the R1 (V3 Firmware) with any sample rate higher than 44hkz I get a loud static noise (only 44khz works).
On the R2R-7 I tried both Gustard U16's without any problem. (44, 48, 96, DSD, all work ok)
With the R1 I tried multiple sources (Windows 10, SOTM sMS-200, SOTM sMS-200 Ultra)
all sources had the same problem with the Gustard U16 on the R1, static with any sample rates over 44khz
I also tried turning on the synchronizer setting on the R1 but that caused nothing to work, static on all sample rates.

Do you have any advice on how to solve this? It is strange that the U16 works great on R2R-7 (V3S) but not on the R1 (V3)

Thank You

Very nice ! Glad i could help you with this. Yeah i also let my windows 10 sound settings to 384khz so youtube and others can play music correctly.

 

[FredA]

To the least, the u16 is not fully compliant to the ps audio i2s format. The devil is in the details.

It seems like the audio-gd r-1 and r-7 do not lock the signal the exact same way. But i assume both would work pefectly with a perfectly compliant signal, as it does with the singxer and amanero offerings.

 

[darren700]

Very nice ! Glad i could help you with this. Yeah i also let my windows 10 sound settings to 384khz so youtube and others can play music correctly.

So now I am running V1.61 on both my U16's.

In post #509 motberg stated that with V1.61 the L/R channels are swapped with Audio-GD DAC's. Which confused me because testing posted earlier in this thread claimed no issue with V1.61 and channels on R7 (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/gus...ing-ess-usb-chip.888947/page-32#post-14738080)

So I tested the channels on both my R2R7 and R1, here is where it gets strange:

On my R2R7 the channels are not swapped with V1.61. (44khz)
On my R1 the channels are swapped! (384 khz)
how weird is that. I swapped the interconnects on my Master 9 to compensate for the R1 but it is strange that 2 audio-gd dac's have different results with I2S.