Gustard X16 MQA DAC

[cirodts]

l x16 is a huge dac but ... mine makes instant pauses during playback and this situation bothers me a lot, remedies?

 

[393699]

Did you install the driver ?

 

[393699]

You can get the driver here.

https://download.shenzhenaudio.com/#gustard_x16/1

 

[cirodts]

I do not use the PC as a source, I use a ibasso dx220 connected in coaxial to x16

 

[393699]

It could be a cable problem. Do you have another coax to try ?

 

[Shay820]

the sound of the gustard x16 is excellent
but Not the most vivid or emotional

 

[393699]

This DAC is about as neutral as it gets. To my ears, the X16 just sounds correct. Soundstage and imaging capabilities are also stunning for the price.

 

[Shay820]

do you think nos on can improve something
or change the neutral ?

 

[393699]

I don't think that the DAC needs any adjustment. It sounds awesome as it is. It seems like you are wanting a DAC with a more colored sound.

 

[Shay820]

my amplifier is the problem
i use the dac for 2 Chanel speakers (ls50 meta )
my source is bluesound 2i.and class d amplifier

 

[shwnwllms]

do you think nos on can improve something
or change the neutral ?

Like others have said the X16 is a very neutral DAC, but it is also one of the most detailed in its price range. You would be hard pressed to find anything with this level of clarity and imaging at this price point. Its truly resolving without being too analytical IMO. With that being said, I find that running it in NOS mode and upsampling to DSD 256 through HQ Player will improve upon the internal filters of the DAC. For me this increases the dynamics, detail and staging and adds an organic quality back to the music, with a truly outstanding timbre. For me the only thing missing at this point is a touch of warmth, which the Singxer SA-1 handles with ease without over coloring the music.

My point in all this is that the X16 excels at what it does, there are tradeoffs sure but there are other adjustments you can make to your chain that can compensate. No one piece of equipment is going to tick all the boxes for most people (that's one of the fun things about this hobby) If you are looking for warmth choose a different amp, a more natural sound look into HQ Player which can significantly shape the sound based on selection of filters and modulators, it works surprisingly well with a DAC like the X16 in NOS mode.

 

[Shay820]

Thanks for your detailed answer.
I do not use dsd, only Mqa and flac 24 bit from bluesound coaxial out to gustard.
If I will use usb from pc to gustard I will get sound improvement

 

[Poganin]

l x16 is a huge dac but ... mine makes instant pauses during playback and this situation bothers me a lot, remedies?

Mine does it too from time to time when using exclusive mode (wasapi).

 

[cirodts]

Mine does it too from time to time when using exclusive mode (wasapi).

let's say that it happens rarely but it happens and bothers me, this problem happens to me both in coaxial and in bluetooth and I think also with other connections, it will be a problem of the dac, solutions?

 

[Shay820]

I have no such problem at all You may have purchased the product before performing the company update