[nicosalto]

Hi,
i just received my x20U, i plugged it in my Hifi (marantz 170DC, marantz 3200 preamp and jbl speakers) for a first try and i got a lot of noise in the high ...
I use the usb input and i have a macbook playing flac with vlc.  Do you know if it's normal to have so much noise out of the box ? Or is it part of the burn in process ?
 
Iam gonna let it run over night and see if its better tomorrow 

 

[taxman2]

You better get a descent player like audirvana plus or JRiver and use direct mode, integer mode.....

 

[nicosalto]

Thanks for the quick answer taxman, you were right i use audirvana now and it's all better!
 
i noticed the DSD options are greyed, so i guess the DSD only work under windows ?

 

[MINORISUKE]

  Thanks for the quick answer taxman, you were right i use audirvana now and it's all better!
 
i noticed the DSD options are greyed, so i guess the DSD only work under windows ?

Set "Native DSD Capability" to "DSD over PCM ....."
By the way, if you use Singxer SU-1 and connect it to DAC-X20 via an HDMI cable, DSD256 can be played on Audirvana.

 

[taxman2]

You should choose DSD over PCM standard 1.0 in settings. Then you could play dsd files in native mode or you could upsample to dsd128 if you choose force upsampling in filters.

 

[Joong]

I might come back to this DAC after reading this thread.

Some said it is comparable to those high end dacs including Schiit products above 1k$.

 

[Joong]

One drawback of the listening to heahphones through any audio chain is a weak quantity of bass.
This fact has pulled me back from my this dac that drives only headphone amplifier, even though my LCD 2.2 driven by Krell KSA5.
What is the bass quality of this dac?

 

[MINORISUKE]

Can any of you who have purchased DAC-X20(U) RECENTLY do us a favour?

My friend bought his DAC-X20 (without internal USB board) last week, and his SU-1 came today.
As he played DSD files both native and in DoP, the display on DAC-X20 indicated always PCM, not DSD.
The playback was correct.  This applies for both inputs of I2S (both native and DoP) and AES/EBU (in DoP).
My DAC-X20 is the second batch purchased in autumn 2015, and PCM/DSD display is correct with SU-1.
His other DAC PS Audio DirectStream DSD displays correctly with SU-1.
Therefore, I suspect there might have been a firmware change in DAC-X20 and something is wrong with the PCM/DSD indicator.
 
< check >
assumption: DAC-X20 or DAC-X20U bought RECENTLY (within one month)
USB-DDC: with DSD output (ex. Gustard U12, Singxer SU-1/F-1, Melodious MX-U8)
connection: I2S, COAX, BNC, OPT, AES/EBU, but NOT via the internal USB board
files to be played: DSD64
music player software: any that can play DSD files (Audirvana for MacOSX, JRMC/foobar2000/JPLAY etc. for Windows)
check point: whether "DSD" is displayed correctly, instead of "PCM"

 

[chrispiyux]

Hi,
 
i'm wondering if someone has tried to associate the Gustard DAC with the new streamer from Magna Hifi : http://www.magnahifi.com/index.php/webshop/product/MH-HE-Pi2S
 
It has been developped for Audio GD DACs but i think the I2S schema is the same ...First impressions are very good on french forum.

 

[ccklone]

Hey Now,

This thing is sounder better and better in just 24 hours of playing. I got my DIY streamer working with a little help from some friends 8^). So here are some screenshots of my chain:

5K iMac i5 Core (Yosemite 10.10.5) --> Roon/HQPlayer --> output upsampling all PCM files to DSD256 --> DIY Intel NUC Streamer [AudioLinux image (?)] -->  iFi USB cable --> Double Regen (Green into Amber) --> hard connectors --> Gustard at DSD256! How cool is that  

Roon Output

 

HQPlayer Preferences

Gustard Display

I have since changed filter to 70KHz and have completed 3 of the power tweaks Ric Shultz suggests (copper foil over fuse, remove tranny bolts/cardboard donuts and twist all power wires. I am pondering the other tweaks Ric suggests. This thing sounds terrific,  life is good 8^).

--
Finest kind,
Chris

 

[Quadman]

I finally got the DIY DSD card to play DSD512, geeze what should have been a relatively easy project turned into a several week frustration nightmare. The final piece was gustard keeps making running changes to their dac as they go and one production is not necessarily the same as another production. Which, as you can imagine, makes it very difficult for DIY's to just tweak away. I was following Simon who has for weeks been playing his WAVE I/O card with great results direct into the I2S lines of the USB's PCIe module. First I messed up my ground connection for the 3.3 and 5V lines that the Gustard needs to see on the PCIe, I was only connecting one line to this "very important" ground and the other line to a different ground. You cannot do that both the 3.3Vdc and 5Vdc lines have to connect to the A3 PCIe pin, if they don't The dac won't switch into DSD mode. Simon finally cleared me up on that, sometimes the most obvious is so hard to see. Then I used the same DSD connections he used and I could not get the Gustad to lock on to a frequency, the display remain unlocked, What? Simon and I discussed and most of the symptoms I was seeing on the display we similar to his except he could lock onto a frequency and I couldn't. So yesterday I said what the heck and I switched the DSD clock and DSD R lines and I'll be darned the dac played music. I had previously switched the lines before, but that was when I did not have both voltage lines grounded to A3. So what should have been simple was made way more difficult due to my stubbornness to connect both voltage lines to A3 (there is more to that story than I type here) and faulty schematics from gustard or their constantly making little changes to circuits making it tougher for us DIY's.

Anyway the dac did lock and I up sampled music files to DSD512, Whoo Hoo

Then I started to hear some periodic white noise like sounds (kind of like a motorboat or bumble bee changing speeds) when playing music, these could last from 5-30 seconds then go away and then re-appear. So I changed sampling rate to DSD256 and listened I had no strange sounds when playing at this rate. So I think it is one of two things. 1) my DIY low noise dual PSU is overworking driving this card and sending noise into the xmos chip or 2) the ESS 9018 dac chip is not capable of playing DSD512 smoothly. I don't think it would be related to my USB cable length from the PC to the dac (2m). So when time allows I will build a big boy psu and connect the DSD card to that to see if that solves the problem. I may also shorten my DSD I2S lines, DIY says that should be 50mm or shorter mine are probably 65mm. If either of those two don't solve the white noise issue then it may well be the 9018 chips may not handle DSD512 smoothly.

When the music was playing without white noise there was more air around instruments and performers, more presence to the vocalist. It was very nice and certainly to brief to make any definitive statements. I did listen for over 2 hours at DSD256 and felt there was more presence as well, more transparency and I was more involved in the music. I think Ric and Simon hit it on the head when they removed the USB cards and reported improved sonics. Taking that extra load off the Gustards digital PSU and switching it to a external PSU seems to have benefits. So even if I cannot get DSD512 to be stable I think I came out ahead in the end. More listening will clarify this situation.

I listened more last night (DSD256) and there is an improvement over the stock USB card.  I attribute this to using an external PSU to power the DSD card and PCIe voltage lines.  There is just a bit more transparency, presence and air.  Leading edges are a touch more defined and the tonality remains spot on as far as I can tell.  When will this dac stop improving?  I am going next week to my buddies house and installing his gustard (that I modded and reported on) and custom PC with Roon and HQplayer.  He has ordered new amps, pass Xa 100.8, and new tubes for his preamp CJ Art 3.  His room is huge with a walk around sound stage.  This should be a very fun project.  I think he'll be very pleased.  Wally of Wally set up tools will be there as well to dial in his TT, SME30, dynavector XV1t cartridge and top of the line pass phono.  So the Gustard as DSD256 will go against a very well set up top of the line TT thats a few clicks above mine.  That will be fun
 
DSD512 (crappy low res phone image)

 

[Duy Le]

My X20 (non-USB) has been burned over 24 hours. I fed it to Singxer SU1 via HDMI i2s and run under Auto clock mode. I can hear the layers when listening instrument. I don't care about it can beat higher price DAC but in the same range I think it is a very good DAC, best p/p. I also ordered NFB1-Amp too because I don't think my Asgard 2 can drive HE560 as well.
p/s: My 2 friends use X20 (non-USB) too and another one will order X20.

 

[Quadman]

Sorry if you read other Gustard X20 threads as I am just copy and pasting from a post on another site but this is so exciting.....
 
I AM IN LOVE!!!!!!!........ with DSD512. The leap from 256 to 512 is much greater than the leap from 128 to 256. I am gobsmacked, grinning ear to ear about my experience last night. It might be the single greatest step forward I have ever experienced in high end audio, and there a been quit a few of those thru the years. I started yesterday by pulling my dac from the rack to check how much shorter can I really make the DSD lines, while I was examining that, I happened to notice my soldering job on the custom coax cable on the digital board was not my best work, I hung my head in shame. So I heated up the iron touched it to the wire and then slid over to the solder and got a really nice connection. Then for the heck of it I touched up the output side as well. When I started the music I selected DSD512, thinking I may only get a few minutes before the white noise would force me to lower the res down to 256. Well it was not totally stable, there was some random white noise from time to time but for the most part it was just blissful, wonderful music coming forth. Enough that I made a 6 hour listening session out of it. Now I am very determined to maximize all my I2s connections, ground connections and PSU to try to get it even more stable because I am addicted to that wonderful, magical sound.

How is it different? I don't think my limited audio vocabulary is sufficient to describe it, Jonathon Valin, Harry Pearson (rest in peace) Roy Gregory would do it much better justice than I. The background noise just disappeared, sounds emerged from the blackness with more presence and 3D palpability than I was accustomed to, and I thought I had a lot of that to begin with. The music was relaxed yet pace rhythm and drive was perfect. Tonality was spot on with that little extra detail that lets you really feel (see?) the technique, passion and skill the performer was putting forth. The geometrical space was the largest I have ever had in any system. Separation of the performers was at a all time high, combine that with the increased transparency and palpability and I just sat there jaw dropped enjoying every note that was being played. The random white noise did creep in and it was slightly annoying and a few times almost forced me to lower the res but then the music would come forth uninterrupted for several songs and all was great again.

This dac just keeps amazing me, Full Level 1 mod as per Ric, DSD512 card from DIYinHK and external PSU combined with DSD512 playback. I don't know how much $ you would have to spend on a dac to better this. This dac has nothing to be ashamed of against any dac at any price. Seriously if you want to take your Gustard to the next level get in touch with Ric and get the level 1 mod and then hope in the near future the DSD512 DDC's will be more common.

I am in LOVE!!!!!

 

[foreverzer0]

^this sounds better than real life

 

[Triplefun]

 
Sorry if you read other Gustard X20 threads as I am just copy and pasting from a post on another site but this is so exciting.....
 
I AM IN LOVE!!!!!!!........ with DSD512. The leap from 256 to 512 is much greater than the leap from 128 to 256. I am gobsmacked, grinning ear to ear about my experience last night. It might be the single greatest step forward I have ever experienced in high end audio, and there a been quit a few of those thru the years. I started yesterday by pulling my dac from the rack to check how much shorter can I really make the DSD lines, while I was examining that, I happened to notice my soldering job on the custom coax cable on the digital board was not my best work, I hung my head in shame. So I heated up the iron touched it to the wire and then slid over to the solder and got a really nice connection. Then for the heck of it I touched up the output side as well. When I started the music I selected DSD512, thinking I may only get a few minutes before the white noise would force me to lower the res down to 256. Well it was not totally stable, there was some random white noise from time to time but for the most part it was just blissful, wonderful music coming forth. Enough that I made a 6 hour listening session out of it. Now I am very determined to maximize all my I2s connections, ground connections and PSU to try to get it even more stable because I am addicted to that wonderful, magical sound.

How is it different? I don't think my limited audio vocabulary is sufficient to describe it, Jonathon Valin, Harry Pearson (rest in peace) Roy Gregory would do it much better justice than I. The background noise just disappeared, sounds emerged from the blackness with more presence and 3D palpability than I was accustomed to, and I thought I had a lot of that to begin with. The music was relaxed yet pace rhythm and drive was perfect. Tonality was spot on with that little extra detail that lets you really feel (see?) the technique, passion and skill the performer was putting forth. The geometrical space was the largest I have ever had in any system. Separation of the performers was at a all time high, combine that with the increased transparency and palpability and I just sat there jaw dropped enjoying every note that was being played. The random white noise did creep in and it was slightly annoying and a few times almost forced me to lower the res but then the music would come forth uninterrupted for several songs and all was great again.

This dac just keeps amazing me, Full Level 1 mod as per Ric, DSD512 card from DIYinHK and external PSU combined with DSD512 playback. I don't know how much $ you would have to spend on a dac to better this. This dac has nothing to be ashamed of against any dac at any price. Seriously if you want to take your Gustard to the next level get in touch with Ric and get the level 1 mod and then hope in the near future the DSD512 DDC's will be more common.

I am in LOVE!!!!!

What's your source? Please could you try daphile (www.daphile.com) and see if you notice any difference. It is a dedicated Linux audio player that can be loaded from a USB stick to run in memory. Often referred to as a 'poor man's jplay'.