In this review, we’re taking a look at the new $499 USD Gustard X16 DAC.
Disclaimer: Aoshida-Audio sent us the Gustard X16 for this review, free of charge. I only covered the customs fees & taxes. All thoughts and experiences with the product are naturally my own. You can find more about it HERE.
Gustard
Gustard is a Chinese audio equipment manufacturer that mainly focuses on DACs & AMPs. Their headquarters are located in Guangdong, China. Gustard is an innovative company with an independent research and development team. They design raw, engineering-focused devices that are so much more impressive on the inside, compared to the simplistic, modest look on the outside.
Their portfolio is quite rich, they design devices for a wide range of tiers. Gustard states that they have a close relationship with the ESS company and that gives them an edge over other companies when it comes to newly designed chipsets & products. I haven’t used a lot of Gustard products before, I remember using one of their AMPs though. It was back in 2013, I think. It was a great AMP and I really liked the pop-open casing. I also remember that tightly packed amp stage with huge caps. Good times.
Gustard X16 BALANCED MQA DAC
Highlights & Technical Specifications
DAC Config: 2x ESS Technology ES9068AS
Input: USB, Optical, Coaxial, AES, I2S + Bluetooth.
Output: RCA – 2Vrms @ 0dBFS / XLR 4Vrms @ 0dBFS
THD: < 0.0001% 1kHz
Dynamic Range: > 126dB
Output Impedance: BAL-XLR 300Ω; SE-RCA 100Ω
USB: PCM up to 32bit 768kHz, Native DSD up to DSD512, DSD DoP up to DSD256, MQA up to 384kHz
I2S: PCM up to 32bit 768kHz, Native DSD up to DSD512, DSD DoP up to DSD512, MQA hardware rendering
Coaxial, Optical, AES: PCM up to 24bit 192kHz, DSD DoP up to DSD64, MQA hardware rendering
Bluetooth: PCM up to 24bit 96kHz (LDAC)
Bluetooth Codecs: AAC/SBC/APTX/APTX LL/APTX HD/LDAC
Dimensions: 22 x 17 x 5.5 cm
Weight: approx. 2.2 kg
The review continues on Page Two, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.
Page 2: Build & Technology Inside
Page 3: Sound Analysis
