[TheR0v3r]

Ha, ha

Listening to the Ideon one of the things that hit me was how good the X18 actually is. In a direct comparison the Ideon is probably better but definitely not night and day. The basic qualities are the same: the linearity across the frequency spectrum, the correctness in tonality, the wonderful sense of space etc.

Congrats to the people who can afford the €35k Ideon because it’s probably as good as it gets, at least in my book. To me it’s even more impressive that Gustard has created a DAC that costs about €800 and can be made to compete at that level.

The likelihood of me upgrading from the X18 is getting lower with every audition.
Cheers

 

[393699]

I have heard a Gustard A26, which is 1500US. It is double the cost of the X18. I will say though that it is a beautiful sounding DAC. It uses two of the AKM AK4499EX DAC chips. In my opinion, AKM makes the most musical and realistic sounding DAC chips. Soundstaging, imaging, bass definition, midrange presence, overall musicality, and detail retrieval are all a full tier above the X18. I love the X18, but if I was going to step up to a more expensive unit, that would be the one I would buy. It is a straight up improvement in all aspects.

 

[TheR0v3r]

There was a reason I wrote (my bold):

To me it’s even more impressive that Gustard has created a DAC that costs about €800 and can be made to compete at that level.

Out of the box the X18 is not as competitive but change the fuse (no idea why it works!), add galvanic isolation to the USB-input and then you have a truly superb DAC.

That’s also a straight up improvement in all aspects

 

[TheR0v3r]

Maybe grouping DAC’s along the normal distribution curve would help us understand what different ”tiers” actually mean:

Does being a full tier above mean that it’s performance is among the group of top 0.1% DAC’s in the world? Or the top 2.1%? I have the x18 at least in the top 15.8%

The more I listen to DAC’s the more I get the impression that most sound pretty similar, ie they are part of the majority within one standard deviaton from the mean. Some are slightly better and some are slightly less ”worse” but more similar than different.

 

[393699]

Gustard has the new H20 Pro headphone amp that is coming out soon. I am very interested in seeing reviews on this puppy.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/gustard-h20-pro.968285/

 

[TheR0v3r]

Today I hade the opportunity to (very briefly) audition the Ideon Absolute DAC. It’s an amazing DAC and it checks all the boxes - it just sounds great! Or as one reviewer put it:

This really is one of the best DACs in the world right now.

The only ”negative” is that it’s also REALLY expensive…

So why write about the Ideon Absolute in a thread about the Gustard X18? Because both use one SABRE ES9038Pro! This shows that stellar performance is all about implementation

So the past week I’ve had the opportunity to listen to the Ideon at length. And my previous comments still stand - it just sounds great! The sound is very ”lively” (for lack of a better term) and ”lifelike”, it’s actually a physical experience! Maybe it’s just a bit warm and ”bloomy” in the lower bass but it could also have been the room. The sound leans towards reference neutral with a touch of warmth. I’ll put it in the top 0.1% of DAC’s

The funny thing was that the longer I listened, jumping from track to track, the more pleased I felt about my system at home. The Ideon is clearly better than my X18 but clearly means that it’s slightly better in many areas. Of course it adds up but ONLY if you have a system and room that scales with it. Listening to Led Zeppelin playing ”Bring It On Home” from the album ”How the West Was Won” they had a presence and physicality that I’ve never experienced before. OMG! As I sat there I thought that there is no way this experience is going to be replicated in any headphone system.

So what now? The hunt for the perfect DAC is over, at least for me. And the unexpected conclusion is that I seriously question the point of such a DAC in a headphone system. Bragging rights? Sure! Better sound? Not so sure, but I’am sure that there are other parts of a headphone system that make a much bigger difference.

 

[393699]

I think you should take the plunge and get yourself the Gustard A26. AKM makes the best sounding DAC chips. Post your thoughts on it then when you get it.

 

[TheR0v3r]

I think you should take the plunge and get yourself the Gustard A26. AKM makes the best sounding DAC chips. Post your thoughts on it then when you get it.

That’s an interesting suggestion because sometimes a different sound can be more enjoyable without it being technically better.

I’ll take a look at it

 

[393699]

Like I said before, I have heard it. It is an upgrade across the board from the X18. If I ever upgrade to a better DAC, that is the one I will get.

 

[TheR0v3r]

Like I said before, I have heard it. It is an upgrade across the board from the X18. If I ever upgrade to a better DAC, that is the one I will get.

So I’ve taken a look at the A26. Did you listen to the A26 using the streamer or USB?

 

[393699]

It was through a USB connection.

 

[TheR0v3r]

When I’m auditioning components or systems I always make sure to include some ”reference tracks” to gauge performance. These are tracks that I enjoy listening that also highlight things like tonal balance, sense of space, resolution etc.

One of the tracks I use to evaluate resolution is ”Goddess” by Banks. Listen for the heavily processed male voice that comes in at 2.10 and again at 3.05. What do you hear? Do you hear the background voice repeating the lyrics or is it more of a droning sound effect?

 

[TheR0v3r]

It was through a USB connection.

That’s interesting.

It seems like the A26 would sound it’s best with either Ethernet or I2S because the USB implementation looks weak(er). It’s the same issue is as with the X18: electrical noise thru the USB input.

They seem to have designed their DAC’s to maximize (and show!) performance improvements when used with a DDC, for example their U18. Also I see some potential problems with the implementation of the streamer module. Otherwise it looks very impressive!

 

[393699]

I don't have the option at the moment of testing those tracks on the A26. I don't own the A26. A friend of mine who leaves near by owns it. I wanted to check it out, so I went over there and took a listen to it a couple weeks ago. It is an excellent sounding DAC. As expected, it is more capable in terms of sound quality than the X18.

 

[TheR0v3r]

I don't have the option at the moment of testing those tracks on the A26. I don't own the A26. A friend of mine who leaves near by owns it. I wanted to check it out, so I went over there and took a listen to it a couple weeks ago. It is an excellent sounding DAC. As expected, it is more capable in terms of sound quality than the X18.

I know you really like the A26

Where I’m at in this hobby is wanting to understand where potential improvements actually should come from. I’ve listened to alot of DAC’s and they initially sound better but, at the end of the day, ”only” end up sounding different.

The options for me going forward are:

• upgrading the DAC
• adding a reclocker
• doing both