[motberg]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AudioQuest...504974?hash=item569006144e:g:oGUAAOSwUchaAcdE
I noticed this offered as option at MagnaHiFi

lots of suggestions in this thread also..

 

[DACLadder]

I have used a lot HDMI cables and the best advice is to use the shortest cable possible. Total length seems to be the biggest factor when using HDMI cables for I2S.

The AQ Pearl looks good at 0.6m. I am currently using a generic, flat 8K HDMI cable at 0.5m length I bought off of Amazon for about $25. I can definitely hear a difference between a 2m length cable versus 0.5m length of the same cable type.

You really only need expensive HDMI cable stock if they are required to be very long in length. That is in hopes of better preserving signal integrity as the clocks traverse the cable from DDC to DAC .So keep them as short as possible for best jitter performance. As a general rule length 1m or less.

And by all means experiment! Try different cables! Just don't over spend.

 

[JaMo]

I am using this one (0,5m). : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/MOS...312.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.3da24c4d54wfpY

Worked so well that I bought one more. I am now running two U16's on 1.4 PSA I2S firmware. No issues or hickups, just beautiful music..

/Jan

 

[phthora]

I have used a lot HDMI cables and the best advice is to use the shortest cable possible. Total length seems to be the biggest factor when using HDMI cables for I2S.

The AQ Pearl looks good at 0.6m. I am currently using a generic, flat 8K HDMI cable at 0.5m length I bought off of Amazon for about $25. I can definitely hear a difference between a 2m length cable versus 0.5m length of the same cable type.

You really only need expensive HDMI cable stock if they are required to be very long in length. That is in hopes of better preserving signal integrity as the clocks traverse the cable from DDC to DAC .So keep them as short as possible for best jitter performance. As a general rule length 1m or less.

And by all means experiment! Try different cables! Just don't over spend.

Don't overspend? Wait a minute, I thought this was Head-Fi?

Thanks for the advice and recs! I think I'll go with a Pangea HDMI cable, since my other cables are Pangea. They seem like a good value and they look nice.

 

[batfier]

Thanks - I think that is good news for us U16 owners with problems, I would hope Gustard takes further development of this ESS chip firmware/drivers seriously in an effort to not further damage their brand image...

Unfortunally it seems Gustard does NOT take further development or even fixing existing issues seriously at all!

More than 3 month ago I had an email exchange with Gustard support. They asked me, if I could do some testing and I investested some time and did it:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/gus...ing-ess-usb-chip.888947/page-32#post-14738080

Since then, silence.... No further reaction, no answer, no firmware, nothing...

This is quite unprofessional and this is the image I (and other) have from Gustard brand.

I'm tired of the unreliable nature of the U16.

Therefore some month ago a switched back to SU-1 (Magna edition) which works flawless and offers for me the same sound quality.

 

[UsoppNoKami]

I have used a lot HDMI cables and the best advice is to use the shortest cable possible. Total length seems to be the biggest factor when using HDMI cables for I2S.

The AQ Pearl looks good at 0.6m. I am currently using a generic, flat 8K HDMI cable at 0.5m length I bought off of Amazon for about $25. I can definitely hear a difference between a 2m length cable versus 0.5m length of the same cable type.

You really only need expensive HDMI cable stock if they are required to be very long in length. That is in hopes of better preserving signal integrity as the clocks traverse the cable from DDC to DAC .So keep them as short as possible for best jitter performance. As a general rule length 1m or less.

And by all means experiment! Try different cables! Just don't over spend.

Overall, I have personally seen less issues with I2S RJ45 vs HDMI when using relatilvely longer length cables on RJ45 (have tried up to 0.75m, tho i use a monoprice cat-8 enterprise 0.3m cable now for one of my DACs that needs RJ45 I2S).

For HDMI I2S, best results I have seen in terms of reliability / consistency is 0.3m length. I have a wireworld chroma 7 in that 1 foot length that has been absolutely rock solid on my SU-6, whereas a higher end wireworld ultraviolet 7 in 0.6m length did stutter once in a blue moon

 

[UsoppNoKami]

Unfortunally it seems Gustard does NOT take further development or even fixing existing issues seriously at all!

More than 3 month ago I had an email exchange with Gustard support. They asked me, if I could do some testing and I investested some time and did it:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/gus...ing-ess-usb-chip.888947/page-32#post-14738080

Since then, silence.... No further reaction, no answer, no firmware, nothing...

This is quite unprofessional and this is the image I (and other) have from Gustard brand.

I'm tired of the unreliable nature of the U16.

Therefore some month ago a switched back to SU-1 (Magna edition) which works flawless and offers for me the same sound quality.

1.5 months ago, Shenzen Audio support told me to wait for next Gustard U16 firmware to fix the I2S problems i was having with my AGD R2R-R1.

2 weeks ago, i asked again, and the reply was basically Gustard saying, go ask your DAC manufacturer for a new firmware.

Singxer SU-6 - HDMI I2S - R1 = flawless in every sample rate and DSD.

so....

gustard (I2S) is busted :/

 

[rafabro]

I have used a lot HDMI cables and the best advice is to use the shortest cable possible. Total length seems to be the biggest factor when using HDMI cables for I2S.

My experience can't confirm that. 0.3m wireworld cable was only cable that length and was the worst I tested. Other much better was 0.6 & 1 (never tried longer than 1.5m).
For me the rule is same as for any other cable. Important is good quality conductor, geometry and insulators.

 

[Aurion]

So AES can do 24/192. Is the issue with Hi-Res/DSD mainly with I2S? Has anyone sucessfully played DSD256 via I2S?

I am playing DSD 11.28 MHz D256 from JRiver Media Center 25 (DoP 256 4X 1Bit 2 Channel) to my Gustard U16 I2S thru to Holo Audio Cyan. I tried to play the same thru Roon, however stuttering on anything higher than D128. Must be a better renderer in JRiver than Roon. On the other hand I cannot detect a difference in sound quality between D128 and D256 when played in either JRiver or Roon, respectively.
Gustard U16 and Holo Audio Cyan have a beautiful synergy, whether played back through my HD650 headphone, or Vanatoo Transparent One speakers. The timber, resolution, and overall quality is the best I've heard on this Hades Canyon i5 NUC. This is a very satisfying desktop system, even without oversampling via software, or the Cyan.

 

[motberg]

My experience can't confirm that. 0.3m wireworld cable was only cable that length and was the worst I tested. Other much better was 0.6 & 1 (never tried longer than 1.5m).
For me the rule is same as for any other cable. Important is good quality conductor, geometry and insulators.

My experience with Wireworld Ultraviolet 6.0 0.3M and Starlight 6 0.3M has been satisfactory.
Starlight 6 at 1M , no dropouts but seemed a little incoherent at times (but that may have been expectation bias).
Starlight 7 at 0.5M did not work at all with direction reversed but plays well and actually seemed more detailed* than the Silversonic 0.5M it replaced after I figured out it was directional (*this was a big surprise as I have never heard a substantial difference between similar length i2s cables previously).

0.3M may be difficult to work with, the WW cables especially are stiff...

 

[Albrecht]

I am playing DSD 11.28 MHz D256 from JRiver Media Center 25 (DoP 256 4X 1Bit 2 Channel) to my Gustard U16 I2S thru to Holo Audio Cyan. I tried to play the same thru Roon, however stuttering on anything higher than D128. Must be a better renderer in JRiver than Roon. On the other hand I cannot detect a difference in sound quality between D128 and D256 when played in either JRiver or Roon, respectively.
Gustard U16 and Holo Audio Cyan have a beautiful synergy, whether played back through my HD650 headphone, or Vanatoo Transparent One speakers. The timber, resolution, and overall quality is the best I've heard on this Hades Canyon i5 NUC. This is a very satisfying desktop system, even without oversampling via software, or the Cyan.

Hi, sorry to go way off topic.... attached is my flame point rat-fink named Poom.

 

[peteg]

My U16 is up for sale.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-gustard-u16-ddc.905474/

 

[henkeman]

My U16 is up for sale.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-gustard-u16-ddc.905474/

How does su6 compare against u16 sound wise, also what is your source?

 

[peteg]

The U16 can sound very good but the SU-6 edges it out, especially with transparency. I'm using a Denafrips terminator dac.

 

[henkeman]

Thx for sharing, I meant what is your source before su6. Also did you have a power conditioner to the u16 power cord?How do you feed power to the su6?