Gustard X20 DAC
Jan 9, 2016 at 6:35 AM Post #301 of 1,320
 
Hi,
 
Thanks for the great info on the X20 DAC. I think this will be my next purchase :)   I have a couple of questions. Just wanted to be sure, the internal USB does both direct DSD and DoP, not just DoP? The internal USB can do up to 128, I2S can do up to 512.  What external converters will work at the 256 and 512 rate, the breeze maybe ?  Any other suggestions?  I almost went R2R but the x20 has made me rethink my decision. TIA.
 
Regards
Bob

Yes!  My X20U on Win10 Pro64 can do DSD64 and DoP.   I do not have DSD128, but according the the spec, it will work as well.
 
I have also tried a 64 bit 192KHz wave file over USB, it also works beautifully, even though the spec did not mention 64bit file at all!  Foobar says the file is 64b/192KHz, so I hope this info is genuine!
 
Jan 10, 2016 at 8:27 PM Post #304 of 1,320
IMHO, it is totally up to your preference!
I do not notice if there is a difference in SQ when the X20U is switched on for >15 minutes.  From the energy conservation point of view, I switch it off after the listening sessions.  The DAC will not consume a lot of energy, and solid-state will last, with the exception of the display panel.
 
Jan 11, 2016 at 2:15 AM Post #305 of 1,320
Yes!  My X20U on Win10 Pro64 can do DSD64 and DoP.   I do not have DSD128, but according the the spec, it will work as well.

I have also tried a 64 bit 192KHz wave file over USB, it also works beautifully, even though the spec did not mention 64bit file at all!  Foobar says the file is 64b/192KHz, so I hope this info is genuine!


Hello.
I never heard of 64bit audio files... can you elaborate or provide a small sample?
Thank you.
 
Jan 11, 2016 at 9:46 AM Post #306 of 1,320
Hello.
I never heard of 64bit audio files... can you elaborate or provide a small sample?
Thank you.

 
Neither do I!
I found the track from the web awhile ago out of curiosity.  It was labeled as hi-res wav file, and the single track is 1.24GB large.
 
I played it via Foobar, the Foobar display says it is 64 bit/192KHz, date rate at 24576 kbps.
The X20U displays PCM with Freq 192K.
May be Foobar has compressed it to 32bit or below before outputting to the DAC.
 
Jan 11, 2016 at 10:27 AM Post #307 of 1,320
Looking forward to more DDC interface comparisons.  The Breeze is looking good at the price, or maybe the Melodious 1.7 if it's worth the extra cash.  Aye aye captain
regular_smile .gif

 
Jan 11, 2016 at 2:34 PM Post #308 of 1,320
Looks like a new USB input board for X-20, XMos Based
 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GUSTARD-DAC-X20U-HiFi-DAC-D-A-Converter-Dual-ES9018-XMOS-USB-384KHZ-DSD-DOP-384K-/262229801912?hash=item3d0e1d3bb8:g:NMEAAOSwL7VWiGTm
 
Jan 11, 2016 at 3:53 PM Post #309 of 1,320
i wonder are they gonna release it as a separate purchase so those with X12 can install it into their units.
 
Jan 11, 2016 at 3:59 PM Post #310 of 1,320
Are you saying this is an update to the original X20U or just that the X20U USB board differs from that used on the X12 (or U12)?
When I compare the board to that in Stuartmc's original X20u pictures it still looks much the same.
 
Jan 11, 2016 at 4:14 PM Post #311 of 1,320
  Please confirm if it is advisable to leave the X20 switched on at all times, or whether it should be switched off when not in use.

 
It's really down to personal choice and not a right or wrong way.  There is less strain on the electronics by leaving on and SQ is guaranteed at 100%. It's fine to turn on/ off though
 
Does anyone have a watt meter to measure consumption of the X20 under normal operation?  The specs say < 50 watts, which seems a bit high if close to that.  Is the Gustard a Gas Guzzler? 
 
Jan 11, 2016 at 4:47 PM Post #312 of 1,320
  Are you saying this is an update to the original X20U or just that the X20U USB board differs from that used on the X12 (or U12)?
When I compare the board to that in Stuartmc's original X20u pictures it still looks much the same.

 
Hi,
 
it seems it's different, and that now Gustard X20 is using an Xmos U8 chipset.
You can see the old version of the USB daughter card on shenzen:
 
http://www.shenzhenaudio.com/gustard-dac-x20-super-ultimate-2-x-es9018-xmos-hifi-dac-384khz-dsd-dop-decoder.html
 
The description on taobao site seems also to have been modified consequently.
 
I ordered mine last sunday (3rd January), i hope to have this new card...but not sure Kidult already have this new version.
 
Jan 11, 2016 at 4:49 PM Post #313 of 1,320
  Are you saying this is an update to the original X20U or just that the X20U USB board differs from that used on the X12 (or U12)?
When I compare the board to that in Stuartmc's original X20u pictures it still looks much the same.


The original X20 USB board

 
Looks like is the same as de X12
 
Jan 11, 2016 at 9:07 PM Post #314 of 1,320

I received delivery of an X20u 3 Dec. I tried opening the X20 but after removing all the screws the top was still very secure and difficult to remove without scratching or bending. It uses the XMOS 3.2 8 core driver so I assume it is the latest USB card and probably the same as that used by the U12. If so, then why does the U12 support DSD256 processing for output over IIS when the X20u will only accept DSD128?
 

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