Gustard X26III Dual ES9039SPRO DAC, Network Streamer

[sbgk]

Mine's due next Wed 13/11.

seems to be £1300 on Shenzen or Aoshida and £1600 on Amazon, did you pay vat on the Shenzen price ? Can't see anything in their info about tax, thought the price they quoted used to include tax.

 

[MartinWT]

seems to be £1300 on Shenzen or Aoshida and £1600 on Amazon, did you pay vat on the Shenzen price ?

Pretty sure it included tax in the total price.

 

[milkdudd]

seems to be £1300 on Shenzen or Aoshida and £1600 on Amazon, did you pay vat on the Shenzen price ? Can't see anything in their info about tax, thought the price they quoted used to include tax.

I'm seeing $1,440 here in the US which is 10% off. That's what I paid a few weeks ago. I think it's a bargain even at full price so at a discount even better

 

[Contrabland]

seems to be £1300 on Shenzen or Aoshida and £1600 on Amazon, did you pay vat on the Shenzen price ? Can't see anything in their info about tax, thought the price they quoted used to include tax.

I ordered mine on Sunday evening and it arrived this morning. Ordered through Aoshida on Ebay and I can confirm the price you see is what you pay... or certainly that's how it worked for me; there were no additional import taxes or VAT added.

My current DAC is a NuPrime DAC 10 which you can still buy today for £1695, but it's an older design (8 years?) using the SABRE32 Reference ES9018K2M chip. I was worried this might be a bit of a side grade but was willing to risk it based on reviews including feedback in this forum.

From an initial 2 hour listen I needn't have worried as the G26 is more resolving and more natural sounding. The biggest surprise is the weight and impact it brings - this thing hits like a truck and everything is more visceral and alive with a greater sense of energy. Impressed so far so thanks to all the contributions on this forum that helped me decide.

 

[milkdudd]

I ordered mine on Sunday evening and it arrived this morning. Ordered through Aoshida on Ebay and I can confirm the price you see is what you pay... or certainly that's how it worked for me; there were no additional import taxes or VAT added.

My current DAC is a NuPrime DAC 10 which you can still buy today for £1695, but it's an older design (8 years?) using the SABRE32 Reference ES9018K2M chip. I was worried this might be a bit of a side grade but was willing to risk it based on reviews including feedback in this forum.

From an initial 2 hour listen I needn't have worried as the G26 is more resolving and more natural sounding. The biggest surprise is the weight and impact it brings - this thing hits like a truck and everything is more visceral and alive with a greater sense of energy. Impressed so far so thanks to all the contributions on this forum that helped me decide.

I think you had a typo and meant X26 lll rather than G26. Also if you think it sounds good now it just gets better and better the more you listen

 

[Contrabland]

I think you had a typo and meant X26 lll rather than G26. Also if you think it sounds good now it just gets better and better the more you listen

Sorry you're right, I was describing impressions of the X26 III - I abreviated Gustard X26 III but should have been clearer. I forgot how many G26's there are

If it keeps getting better I'm more than happy - I would settle for the upgraded sound right out of the box, it's well worth the money IMO

 

[yanpetr]

Hi guys!
I previously had a Gustard R26, now I want to buy a new X26 gen3 DAC, I have several questions about the software and technical part.
Software
1. on the website, there is currently no firmware for X26 gen 3 - will an update to the current version be released?
2. Spotify - is this official support or opensource
https://github.com/librespot-org/librespot
Will there be an update to Spotify connect when they release Losless?
3. Will there be support for Tidal and Qobus connect in their official app?

technical part.
1. What is the difference between the clock in the R26 (K2 clock) and the X26 gen3 (GCLK-02)?
2. What is the difference between the r26 and X26 network cards - do they look different?

Which of the two DACs has the best clocks and network card?

 

[milkdudd]

I forgot how many G26's there are

I can't even count the number of "G26" models Gustard makes

 

[Contrabland]

I can't even count the number of "G26" models Gustard makes

Not sure if you're trolling me now or trying to be humerous, this was my first post to head-fi so I'm not too sure what the atmosphere is generally like here.

Given the entire thread is specifically about the Gustard X26 III I didn't think there would be confusion with my post referring to G26 as an abbreviation. I was hoping people would read and comment on the substance rather than look for grammatical errors.

The last time I had this much red pen on my homework was a very long time ago

 

[Arnaud 18]

Hi everybody

I am interesting to purchase a Gustard X26 III.
I would like someone confirm me that this cable in 8 inch size match with this Gustard X26 III :
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/13315082...5&toolid=10001&customid=m7q6wwrem501zlp1007hw

Very thanks and good listening

 

[lexx21]

Not sure if you're trolling me now or trying to be humerous, this was my first post to head-fi so I'm not too sure what the atmosphere is generally like here.

Given the entire thread is specifically about the Gustard X26 III I didn't think there would be confusion with my post referring to G26 as an abbreviation. I was hoping people would read and comment on the substance rather than look for grammatical errors.

The last time I had this much red pen on my homework was a very long time ago

We are a very friendly group and dont bite. Welcome to the group.

 

[Tom Schultz]

Hi guys!
I previously had a Gustard R26, now I want to buy a new X26 gen3 DAC, I have several questions about the software and technical part.
Software
1. on the website, there is currently no firmware for X26 gen 3 - will an update to the current version be released?
2. Spotify - is this official support or opensource
https://github.com/librespot-org/librespot
Will there be an update to Spotify connect when they release Losless?
3. Will there be support for Tidal and Qobus connect in their official app?

technical part.
1. What is the difference between the clock in the R26 (K2 clock) and the X26 gen3 (GCLK-02)?
2. What is the difference between the r26 and X26 network cards - do they look different?

Which of the two DACs has the best clocks and network card?

I haven‘t seen any info on future firmware versions around here. We‘re patiently waiting for spelling errors on the configuration page to get fixed. This is to manage expectation levels. I wouldn’t hold my breath for more.

I mean this is not an all bells and whistles streamer like, say, a WiiM Ultra, with new features being constantly added. The streaming part is more of an afterthought that does little, but does that very well.

Also, I wouldn‘t expect an app from Gustard themselves. They focus on really good hardware for now.

I only use UPnP and get qobuz and music from my NAS through the JPLAY app on iOS. mconnect does the same, yet in a less refined way (for less money, too). Perfectly happy about not having to buy an additional expensive streaming bridge.

 

[milkdudd]

Not sure if you're trolling me now or trying to be humerous

The short answer is humerous. Many of us here try to combine audio knowledge with having fun. Actually my attempt at humor was following what I thought was your attempt at humor when you said G26 a second time. All is good, no worries!

 

[Contrabland]

The short answer is humerous. Many of us here try to combine audio knowledge with having fun. Actually my attempt at humor was following what I thought was your attempt at humor when you said G26 a second time. All is good, no worries!

Fair enough and no worries here.

I take your point about this thing improving over time. I left in running over night at low level and have another 4 hours or so listening today. The sound has opened up considerably and I am seriously surprised how good it is after just one day.

I have the NuPrime DAC 10 and an SMSL VMV D1se as well for comparison. The DAC 10 was a big improvement over the D1se but I think the gap between DAC 10 and X26III is even bigger despite the DAC 10 costing more. Technology has obviously moved on and the Gustard is a serious piece of kit.

 

[MartinWT]

Hi guys!
I have several questions about the software and technical part.

Although we don't know, I feel sure that Gustard will update the firmware for some gremlins and typos at some stage.

Spotify Connect should be supported by Gustard as the CelAudio board is either OEM or theirs anyway. As to lossless, if Spotify ever release it there may be no need for an update or otherwise millions of devices worldwide will need updates. I wouldn't put your hopes on Spotify, if you want hi-res then go for Qobuz or Tidal.

No idea about official support from Qobuz or Tidal. It doesn't really matter to me, I use DLNA and Bubble to control my streaming no matter what.

The GCLK-02 sounds better than the K-2 clock to my ears.