Gustard U16 - the first USB Interface featuring ESS USB chip

[jimmychan]

Thanks Jimmy- I did compare the sq of v1.4 and v1.6 - the latter is clearly better. But I had to stick to v1.4 because of stability issues with v1.6.

Mrcyprus compared v1.6 with the 2 newer firmwares and prefers v1.6 over the 2 newer ones. I’ll spend time comparing the firmwares over the weekend

What kind of DAC are you using?

 

[Criable]

What kind of DAC are you using?

Am using a denafrips dac.
The thing about denafrips dacs is that it can adapt to different i2s protocols throught its setting menu. Therefore I never have any problems with channel swaps.

 

[FredA]

My findings with Roon > RPi3+ > U16 > R7 > M1 > M3

I was using V1. 4 for many months now, only problem was the LR channel swapped.

1.77 has the same problem as 1.61, lots of pops and clicks on sampling rate higher than 96K.

1.61 NFB seems has no problem so far with different sampling rates, the LR channel is correct. Now settled on this version.

Hope this help.

Strange, i had no channel swap using 1.4 feeding my r7...

 

[PLGA]

My findings with Roon > RPi3+ > U16 > R7 > M1 > M3

I was using V1. 4 for many months now, only problem was the LR channel swapped.

1.77 has the same problem as 1.61, lots of pops and clicks on sampling rate higher than 96K.

1.61 NFB seems has no problem so far with different sampling rates, the LR channel is correct. Now settled on this version.

Hope this help.

Hello Jimmy,
Where can I download the V1.61 NFB? Can you provide me the link?

I have the R8 DAC and I've tried V1.61 PSA, but it swapped the channels. So I´ve been using V1.4 PSA for months and works fine with PCM, but if V1.61 NFB works also fine, I would like to try if it could sound better.

Thank you!

 

[DACLadder]

Upgraded from 1.61 to 1.61 NFB. No noticeable changes in sound using ASIO output mode.

L-R channels are OK with the AGD R7 DAC. And did not need to reset the U16's I2S output mode to "PSA". That setting must be stored elsewhere in non-volatile memory.

Random check of sampling rates and they all played up to 384K with 1.61 NFB.

 

[FredA]

The sound of 1.61nfb is different from 1.41psa. Better or not, too soon to tell, but quite enjoyable IMO.

 

[DACLadder]

Hello Jimmy, Where can I download the V1.61 NFB? Can you provide me the link

You can download here (GU16V1_61_NFB.rom).... If you need the download software and instructions look in the "Gustard U16 Firmware Download Tools" directory.
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=636DC4E8060D66A1!380&cid=636DC4E8060D66A1

 

[PLGA]

You can download here (GU16V1_61_NFB.rom).... If you need the download software and instructions look in the "Gustard U16 Firmware Download Tools" directory.
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=636DC4E8060D66A1!380&cid=636DC4E8060D66A1

Thank you Scott. I will try it today and I hope it sounds better than the V1.4.

Yestarday I made another test comparing the sound of some songs from movies on Netflix, from my Tv via Toslink optical cable to my R8 DAC, vs the same song on Tidal with my USB chain (Audinirvana plus on windows 10 + Audioquest Jitterbug + W4S USB Recloker with LPS + Gustard U16) and I still cannot believe how the Tv can sound so much better, so much analog, than the USB chain. Its incredible.

I will be on USA for vacations in a couple of months and I will buy the SOtM SMS-200 Ultra Neo or the Sonore Optical Rendu, but I dont want to have ever again, on my system, a PC for music playback. Its garbage the USB signal.

 

[MrCypruz]

[/QUOTE]

but I dont want to have ever again, on my system, a PC for music playback. Its garbage the USB signal

I feel your pain, I also found the sound coming from my Windows PC USB signal to be inferior to dedicated streamers/servers (even the cheap ones). After that I tested a few servers/streamers (Blue Sound Node 2i, Blue Sound Vault 2i and Innous Zen Mini MK3) and compared against the Mac Mini + U16 sound and I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Mini +U16 combo and decided to settle there for now.....currently using the Mac Mini Headless with only Ethernet In & 1 USB out connected to the U16 to minimize the amount of noise generated by other components - It sound analog-like to me. If I decide to move on to a dedicated Server it will either be the Innous Zen MK3 or the Zennith MK3 and the Mac Mini will become my little desktop computer.

 

[ggetzoff]

I feel your pain, I also found the sound coming from my Windows PC USB signal to be inferior to dedicated streamers/servers (even the cheap ones). After that I tested a few servers/streamers (Blue Sound Node 2i, Blue Sound Vault 2i and Innous Zen Mini MK3) and compared against the Mac Mini + U16 sound and I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Mini +U16 combo and decided to settle there for now.....currently using the Mac Mini Headless with only Ethernet In & 1 USB out connected to the U16 to minimize the amount of noise generated by other components - It sound analog-like to me. If I decide to move on to a dedicated Server it will either be the Innous Zen MK3 or the Zennith MK3 and the Mac Mini will become my little desktop computer.[/QUOTE]

Try plugging your phone or Ipad with camera adapter as an endpoint into the U16. It has been the best sound of everything I've tried; fanless server with audiophile USB card and many others.

Cheers,

Greg

 

[ggetzoff]

Thank you Scott. I will try it today and I hope it sounds better than the V1.4.

Yestarday I made another test comparing the sound of some songs from movies on Netflix, from my Tv via Toslink optical cable to my R8 DAC, vs the same song on Tidal with my USB chain (Audinirvana plus on windows 10 + Audioquest Jitterbug + W4S USB Recloker with LPS + Gustard U16) and I still cannot believe how the Tv can sound so much better, so much analog, than the USB chain. Its incredible.

I will be on USA for vacations in a couple of months and I will buy the SOtM SMS-200 Ultra Neo or the Sonore Optical Rendu, but I dont want to have ever again, on my system, a PC for music playback. Its garbage the USB signal.

Skip Windows 10 server and try your phone or Ipad with camera adapter or Android phone directly to your dac or DDC. You will be really amazed at what a battery powered endpoint sounds like with no wired connection to AC mains via CAT5, wall wart, or LPSU.


Cheers,

Greg

 

[PLGA]

Skip Windows 10 server and try your phone or Ipad with camera adapter or Android phone directly to your dac or DDC. You will be really amazed at what a battery powered endpoint sounds like with no wired connection to AC mains via CAT5, wall wart, or LPSU.


Cheers,

Greg

Hello Greg,
Thank you for your advice, but I dont fully understand. Can you plugg an Android phone directly to the Gustard U16 and stream music? Really? If so, how exactly?

 

[PLGA]

I feel your pain, I also found the sound coming from my Windows PC USB signal to be inferior to dedicated streamers/servers (even the cheap ones). After that I tested a few servers/streamers (Blue Sound Node 2i, Blue Sound Vault 2i and Innous Zen Mini MK3) and compared against the Mac Mini + U16 sound and I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Mini +U16 combo and decided to settle there for now.....currently using the Mac Mini Headless with only Ethernet In & 1 USB out connected to the U16 to minimize the amount of noise generated by other components - It sound analog-like to me. If I decide to move on to a dedicated Server it will either be the Innous Zen MK3 or the Zennith MK3 and the Mac Mini will become my little desktop computer.[/QUOTE]

Well, my Notebook that feeds the USB signal to my conditioners (AQ Jitterbug and W4S RUR) and converter (U16), is connected to Internet via Ethernet cable Cat 8 to a Gigabite switch (both made a diffence in sound against WiFi), but the Tv is connected "with WiFi" and the Toslink signal to my DAC has NO treatment what so ever, only a cheap Amazon cable!! And the difference in sound is bigger than the difference provided by the U16 in the USB chain. I mean, its not subtle at all and cannot be compensated with the U16, not even close.

Does really a Mac Mini provides a clean USB signal? Cleaner or similar to a dedicated streamer? I find it hard to believe as it is a not audio dedicated computer.

How does the Mac Mini sound compared to a cheap streamer (Bluesound Note for instance)?

 

[ggetzoff]

Hello Greg,
Thank you for your advice, but I dont fully understand. Can you plugg an Android phone directly to the Gustard U16 and stream music? Really? If so, how exactly?

Yes, you can. You will need USB Audio player Pro app or Roon.

 

[Alcophone]

Yestarday I made another test comparing the sound of some songs from movies on Netflix, from my Tv via Toslink optical cable to my R8 DAC, vs the same song on Tidal with my USB chain (Audinirvana plus on windows 10 + Audioquest Jitterbug + W4S USB Recloker with LPS + Gustard U16) and I still cannot believe how the Tv can sound so much better, so much analog, than the USB chain. Its incredible.

To clarify, your TV has songs from unknown masters, treated with unknown DSP filters, probably resampled to 48 kHz, and you're comparing them to what you get straight from Tidal? I would try to play the same song from the same YouTube video on both the TV and the laptop if you can, or the same Spotify song (though your TV will likely resample that to 48 kHz). Otherwise you don't know what it is that's making it sound better. Does your TV have an EQ that maybe isn't turned off?