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Gustard U16 USB Digital Interface
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Gustard U16 USB Digital Interface
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Product Description
Looking to take your DAC to the next level? Boasting a high-end USB interface, the Gustard U16 is a convenient alternative to multi-device systems Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downjkorten
9
Oct 26, 2020
Do not buy this device. Not ready for prime time. 192kHz jitter is visible on the word clock output. My DAC loses lock with this and they have no fix for it. It is a flawed design. Better to go with a Singxer SU-2.
verifonix
1181
Jun 3, 2019
For those saying this product makes no sense. The Schiit Eitr costs $179 and only outputs s/pdif. This one for $260 does optical, AES/EBU, coaxical and I2S over HDMI. I'm not gonna mention the clock outputs though since no hobbyist would need those lol.
In any case, if many digital outputs are needed this is a nice enough device, but for general use few *need* it that much is true.
(Edited)
dlalla
8
Jun 2, 2019
Um.. an alternative to multi device... this is bizarre. This thing takes USB and converts digital to... digital that can be read by a DAC which has digital, but not USB inputs. So there’s like 10 people on the planet who need this... and it’s an extra device...
RRM1
152
Jun 3, 2019
dlallaI do believe what is meant is multiple drivers for multiple DAC setups. I use 3 different DAC's in my main setup and am very happy with this unit over the 4 months I have owned it. I know that many people are in the bits are bits camp as I was prior to this purchase. It truly made all my DACs sound better......has to be the reclocking. The best results were from I2S out to my Audio GD R2R-1 and I2S out to my Gustard X26 & X20. And very good results with my Grace m920 over AES/EBU XLR. Even the coaxial and optical outs gave improvements to sound quality. Not going to lie the !2S pinout to the Audio GD has the left and right channels swapped but if you switch the L&R headphone inputs you would never know or you can just live with it reversed.
With all that said not sure if I would buy this here. I have bought 2 Gustard products from MD and had problems with both orders. One was missing a power cable and the other was set and fused for 220v.
dlalla
8
Jun 3, 2019
RRM1It’s a niche product for sure but even if someone needs for their particular DAC / setup it seems to have issues. Given that every format can be ripped to be stored on my network and I’m a two channel guy, it make sense to put serious money into a DAC and that includes its USB capabilities.
Arjestin
363
Jun 1, 2019
So this $260 box converts a digital signal over USB to a digital signal over coax/opt/AES/IIS? Thant's it... no DSP? It's basically a USB adapter, ha?
Unless you are dead set on using a DAC that has no USB input (like a Geshelli Labs ENOG), please see previous post with a black hole illustration.
ccc888
60
Nov 3, 2020
This U16 has been measured on ASR. The result is not bad but also not terrific. I used it for a while found out it has similar performance as the internal USB interface in the Chord Qutest, but noticeably better than the Allo Digione's coaxial output. I also found some bugs in this thing's firmware. I will not recommend this product. Now I'm using the Singxer SU-2, not because it offers better performance, but because I need it to feed data to Titans Audio Helen reclocker.
anroj
33
Jun 1, 2019
I bought this unit direct from Shenzhen Audio about a month ago. It is well built and almost half what the Singxer SU-6 costs, BUT there are known firmware issues with this unit and Gustard does not seem to be in a rush to fix them. That said, if you are looking for a stellar sounding DDC, you would be hard pressed to find one that sounds this good for the price. I use it with my Audio-GD R8 DAC with FW v1.4PSA via I2S and the sound is transparent, very 3-dimensional, huge soundstage, crisp, clean delineation of notes, and very resolving. I also tried it with my Topping DX7s via digital cable and it sounded better than it ever did. I love the sound this gives me enough to deal with the FW issues.
anroj
33
Jun 3, 2019
I agree. When I first got my R8, I tested it on some PCM material with the U16 and it seemed to play fine. I did not do a long-term test so I can't say anything more about the U16 for PCM. From everything I have read on other forums, it seems to be fine, although I don't know which FW versions they are using. The most recent version: 1.61 does not work with the Audio-GD R8.
dmh125
13
Jun 5, 2019
Firmware 1.61 has issues playing PCM files above 96kHz. FW 1.4 does not. I use BNC/SPDIF out.
dmh125
13
Jun 5, 2019
RayFI love comments like these. Digital is digital, right? It's all 1s and 0s and therefore different devices cannot possibly make any difference to sound quality.
Trust me, I used to be firmly in the "digital is digital" camp, until I finally got some decent gear about 7 years ago and actually TRIED it. I was absolutely stunned. USB cables make a difference - a large difference. Who woulda thought? Same with SPDIF cables. These cables are supposed to be transmitting 1s and 0s and it's not that hard, right? Wrong. There is no error correction and a lot of jitter (distortion) does indeed occur from source to destination.
Devices like these clean things up dramatically so that, instead of your sample being 20 notches off target, it is only 5 (I'm making these values up BTW, I don't know what they actually are). Anyone with average or above hearing would hear the difference as more detail, clarity, slam, and imaging focus. The music sounds more alive and "holographic" which, at least for me, adds immense enjoyment to the listening experience. This is the benefit of cleaning up the digital stream, which is what this device does.
The USB inputs on most mainstream DACs is sufficient but not great. Of course this will depend on the manufacturer of the specific device. They simply do not spend the money necessary to clean things up - they spend the money on the DAC portion, and rightfully so. THIS is why a device like this exists. If you actually TRIED a device like this just once with decent cables, you would quickly realize that going "source > U16 > DAC" (for example) sounds noticeably, and sometimes dramatically, better than "source > DAC". If you are using sh!tty cables, or you are listening on your FIIO $60 DAC using headphones you picked up at Best Buy (or heck, even computer speakers) then you probably wouldn't notice much, if any, difference. Once you start getting into the hobby and ACTUALLY TRYING things you THINK are impossible, all of a sudden you realize that you were wrong all along. Trust me, I learned this 7 years ago, and I'm simply passing it on.
I respect the opinions of those that can't (or won't) hear the difference that can be had on the digital side of things. But to sit there in the back of the cave in complete darkness, yelling at me to get my stupid arse back in the cave because sunlight can't possibly exist, while I'm basking in the beautiful warm sunlight, I definitely take issue with. Just like I don't ridicule you for your tastes in food, knowing that everyone tastes differently, you should not ridicule others who hear things differently than you do, and can EASILY hear the benefits of a device such as this.
For the record, my current audio chain is: PC > Gustard U16 > Topping D50 (with linear power supply) > Liquid Spark > Audeze LCD-X. I joined the April drop for the THX 789 amp and it will be coming in August.
Have a nice day. I won't be checking the status of my comment since "enough said."
RayF
22218
Jun 5, 2019
dmh125I don't dispute your argument in theory, it's jut that for every item "x" they come up with, there is an item x^2 right behind it. In terms of money potentially spendable, there is no upside limit. And for all of that, there is still the quality of the source material to consider. Someday all of the variables will be worked out and standardized. Till then, hope you have extra closet space--you're going to need it ;- )
Lunarkitten
73
Jun 1, 2019
JCrukI think you’d probably use one of the digital outs to an actual DAC. I think the advantages of this is reducing clocking issues with inputs like USB. But yes, it’s more the digital receptionist in your audio setup right before the DAC. Whereas the DAC would be the ones with balanced analog outs.
anroj
33
Jun 1, 2019
JCrukESS8620. Long thread on head-fi on it: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/gustard-u16-the-first-usb-interface-featuring-ess-usb-chip.888947/
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