[milkdudd]

I had a friends A22 in my system and it is a terrific DAC. I ordered the X26 Pro right afterwards - because I loved the A22 but also love what the ES9038 chipset does.

Oh, and mine and the U18 are silver. The Blue Jeans cable is black, though!

I have considered the X26 Pro but I need to know if it's enough of an upgrade. Do you think it is? Do you use it as a dac only or a as a dac/preamp? My A22 is the only dac I've used where the preamp is noticeably better than using my Violetric V281 as a preamp. I only use the balanced XLR connections by the way

 

[Highfive99]

I purchased the U18 from the Aoshida HiFi-US Amazon website late last night. It was the last black one they had for delivery this week. Also ordered the blue jeans one foot HDMI cable. Both scheduled for Wednesday delivery. Can't wait to hook these up to my A22 dac, which I am already thrilled with. Thanks to all those here that helped me decide

To get the best out of the U18, give it a good burn-in and without a doubt get a better fuse for it. The Gustard branded fuse at about $25 makes for a nice difference over the stock fuse and isn't too pricey. Another good one is the ACME Cryo CFC coated fuses at $20. Probably the best bang for the buck. Or if you want about the best get an SR Purple but not cheap at $200.

 

[Highfive99]

I have considered the X26 Pro but I need to know if it's enough of an upgrade. Do you think it is? Do you use it as a dac only or a as a dac/preamp? My A22 is the only dac I've used where the preamp is noticeably better than using my Violetric V281 as a preamp. I only use the balanced XLR connections by the way

Use a good power cable with an X26Pro, put an SR Purple fuse in and feed it from a good DDC like a U18 and you'll be quite impressed.

 

[milkdudd]

Use a good power cable with an X26Pro, put an SR Purple fuse in and feed it from a good DDC like a U18 and you'll be quite impressed.

I'm sure what you're saying is 100% correct. The thing is I already have the A22. In my case I would need to know if it's worth all the hassle of selling that and adding quite a bit of money to get the X26 Pro. Does the U18 give a bigger improvement to the A22 than it does to the X26 Pro? Also it sounds like both the DDC and the Dac will benefit from the fuse upgrade. I'm guessing one fuse needed for each? Can someone help me select the right ones. Different sizes, amperage ratings, slow blow and fast blow, different materials they're are built from, etc. confuse me plenty

 

[T 1000]

I'm sure what you're saying is 100% correct. The thing is I already have the A22. In my case I would need to know if it's worth all the hassle of selling that and adding quite a bit of money to get the X26 Pro. Does the U18 give a bigger improvement to the A22 than it does to the X26 Pro? Also it sounds like both the DDC and the Dac will benefit from the fuse upgrade. I'm guessing one fuse needed for each? Can someone help me select the right ones. Different sizes, amperage ratings, slow blow and fast blow, different materials they're are built from, etc. confuse me plenty

For U18 you need 5 × 20, 500 mA (although I inserted 680 mA), slow blow

 

[milkdudd]

For U18 you need 5 × 20, 500 mA (although I inserted 680 mA), slow blow

Okay thank you that covers me for the U18. Do you happen to know what the A22 would use. It seems to make sense I would upgrade both

 

[T 1000]

Okay thank you that covers me for the U18. Do you happen to know what the A22 would use. It seems to make sense I would upgrade both

I benefited from inserting fuses in both ,the U18 and the DAC(in DAC I replaced HiFi Tuning Supreme with Purple).
For the A22 you have to see in the specifications

 

[MartinWT]

In my case I would need to know if it's worth all the hassle of selling that and adding quite a bit of money to get the X26 Pro.

As I said before, I've had a friend's A22 in my system and then I bought the X26 Pro. The latter is a better DAC but you're asking about the size of the differences, which I can understand. They both do musical communication very well, the A22 has a fluid midrange and its delivery is very easy on the ear. Where the differences are clear to me are in the frequency extremes where the X26 Pro has a more structural and punchy bass end with extreme extension (which my big Ushers love), and a filigree treble with lots of micro-detail that is a specialism of the ES9038 Pro chipset. Finally, the dynamics of my X26 Pro are on another level, although the U18 has really helped in that regard, too. It's your choice: for me, I'm glad I ordered the X26 Pro.

One final point: the A22 is in high demand (and is now unobtainable) because of the shortage of the AKM chipset, so you might be able to secure a good sale price on it.

 

[milkdudd]

As I said before, I've had a friend's A22 in my system and then I bought the X26 Pro. The latter is a better DAC but you're asking about the size of the differences, which I can understand. They both do musical communication very well, the A22 has a fluid midrange and its delivery is very easy on the ear. Where the differences are clear to me are in the frequency extremes where the X26 Pro has a more structural and punchy bass end with extreme extension (which my big Ushers love), and a filigree treble with lots of micro-detail that is a specialism of the ES9038 Pro chipset. Finally, the dynamics of my X26 Pro are on another level, although the U18 has really helped in that regard, too. It's your choice: for me, I'm glad I ordered the X26 Pro.

One final point: the A22 is in high demand (and is now unobtainable) because of the shortage of the AKM chipset, so you might be able to secure a good sale price on it.

Thanks. It's ironic you posted now because within the last 5 minutes I figured out that the fuses are easy to get in and out through that little access door by the power cord connector. I was thinking whether the U18 or the A22/X26 Pro I was going to have to take them all apart and then carefully get the fuse replaced without damaging or touching any of the delicate or high voltage stuff. I'm very happy with this development

 

[Highfive99]

Thanks. It's ironic you posted now because within the last 5 minutes I figured out that the fuses are easy to get in and out through that little access door by the power cord connector. I was thinking whether the U18 or the A22/X26 Pro I was going to have to take them all apart and then carefully get the fuse replaced without damaging or touching any of the delicate or high voltage stuff. I'm very happy with this development

As MartinWT stated the great dynamics and especially the deep, defined, clean, tight punchy bass is what you'll get with the X26Pro with a good fuse and chord. Voices are so incredibly precisely placed and accurate. Recently I was thinking of going to a Holo Spring 3 KTE DAC (over $3k USD) but after installing the Purple fuses in the U18 and X26Pro I have no desire to go with a Holo anymore. IMHO spending double the cost of the X26pro will not get me double the fidelity.
Only thing with the fuses to be aware of is they are directional. Which direction you install them in the holders makes a difference. This past weekend I flipped the fuse around in the U18 and I could hear a noticeable improvement immediately.

 

[milkdudd]

As MartinWT stated the great dynamics and especially the deep, defined, clean, tight punchy bass is what you'll get with the X26Pro with a good fuse and chord. Voices are so incredibly precisely placed and accurate. Recently I was thinking of going to a Holo Spring 3 KTE DAC (over $3k USD) but after installing the Purple fuses in the U18 and X26Pro I have no desire to go with a Holo anymore. IMHO spending double the cost of the X26pro will not get me double the fidelity.
Only thing with the fuses to be aware of is they are directional. Which direction you install them in the holders makes a difference. This past weekend I flipped the fuse around in the U18 and I could hear a noticeable improvement immediately.

Thanks so much for all the input. T1000 has kindly told me which fuse I will need for the U18. Can you tell me which fuse I will need for the Dac? As long as the A22 and the X26 Pro use the same fuse I'll put it in the A22 for now. I'll switch it over if (more likely when) I move up to the X26 Pro

 

[T 1000]

Thanks so much for all the input. T1000 has kindly told me which fuse I will need for the U18. Can you tell me which fuse I will need for the Dac? As long as the A22 and the X26 Pro use the same fuse I'll put it in the A22 for now. I'll switch it over if (more likely when) I move up to the X26 Pro

I also want to warn you (if it's not too late), there are a lot of users who do not hear any changes by replacing fuses, maybe it is safer to go with Gustad fuses.
I took a risk with purple, and that is the biggest gain for me, for the investment
Maybe it's better to go with less investments

 

[kumar402]

I have a NUC running Roon Core with generic power supply or can get Pi4 with Allo Shanti LPS. Which will be better to use with Gustard U18? Anyone tried similar setup ?

 

[Highfive99]

Thanks so much for all the input. T1000 has kindly told me which fuse I will need for the U18. Can you tell me which fuse I will need for the Dac? As long as the A22 and the X26 Pro use the same fuse I'll put it in the A22 for now. I'll switch it over if (more likely when) I move up to the X26 Pro

The X26pro uses a 3.15 amp slow blow fuse. The A22 is also a dual DAC chip unit so I would suspect it uses the same rating fuse. Can always pop yours out and check the rating.

And to T1000's point about some people not hearing the difference, either their systems weren't resolving enough to hear a differencew or they are fuse deniers to begin with. In my due diligence of researching the validity of spending what I would consider stupid money for a fuse I would say over 98-99% of people who replaced fuses found a definite noticeable improvement. Most of the negative responses I came across were from people who didn't believe a fuse could make a difference to begin with. I was very skeptical too until I tried them. SR Purples, while expensive, can be returned up to 30 days so what's to lose? Get them, burn them in and listen. Not worth it to you then just return them. I'm keeping mine!

 

[FOUNDERZERO]

As MartinWT stated the great dynamics and especially the deep, defined, clean, tight punchy bass is what you'll get with the X26Pro with a good fuse and chord. Voices are so incredibly precisely placed and accurate. Recently I was thinking of going to a Holo Spring 3 KTE DAC (over $3k USD) but after installing the Purple fuses in the U18 and X26Pro I have no desire to go with a Holo anymore. IMHO spending double the cost of the X26pro will not get me double the fidelity.
Only thing with the fuses to be aware of is they are directional. Which direction you install them in the holders makes a difference. This past weekend I flipped the fuse around in the U18 and I could hear a noticeable improvement immediately.

Just curious... is your fuse's orientation similar to the following graphic provided by Gustard? This is the direction I have my SR Purple in and I'm quite pleased.