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BT Bluetooth 5.0 : PCM LDAC, AAC, SBC, APTX, APTX LL, APTX HD and other high frequency encoding, LDAC can achieve 24B / 96K high code transmission I was mighty impressed by R26 and by its ability to be fast and hard-slamming the whole bloody time. While this might sound like an easy task, most resistor ladder DACs weren’t like this, getting mellow and slow sounding for the most part. If I’m taking chip-based converters into this discussion, then it was the other way around, always sounding fast and furious, but not as punchy as I was hoping for. Only much heavier, bigger and costlier units could deliver the full might of the thunder god. As a general rule of thumb, you are getting a softer sound with resistor ladder DACs and a speedier one with chip-based converters. If you wanted to have them both, then you needed to eat more bread and less pudding & cook your own meals for a few blood moons. Nonetheless, Gustard shattered my preconceptions with R26, which I’m still using on a daily basis. Flagship chip ES9038PRO x 2 DUAL MONO, This chip is a 32bits 4-channel switch resistance DAC, which uses newly developed technology to achieve industry-leading low distortion and low noise characteristics (output noise as low as 1.5uVrms). It was the audio industry's highest sound quality and best specification. This is particularly important in situations where video is involved and audio needs to be perfectly in time with frame capture.
Finally, I have arrived at the culmination of what makes this unit stand out from a sea of mediocre delta-sigma converters. Before any listening, I needed to volume match them, since X26 PRO is outputting 5V on the XLR and Element X a weaker signal of 4.5V. For that I used a MiniDSP E.A.R.S. system and a 300-Hz sine wave. E.A.R.S. detected a difference of exactly 0.7 dB at the listening level of 85 dB with the Audeze LCD-4. Before listening, I volume matched them, I’ve used the same power cables, the same interconnect and USB cables for both devices. DSD Filter – 47, 50, 60 or 70 kHz Cut Off – for the most natural sound choose the first option, for the most extended sound choose the last. The product is returned in original condition (with brand’s/manufacturer's box, MRP tag intact, userFrom the technological point of view, in addition to the ARM processor, there is a flash memory that functions as a buffer to manage timing errors or jitter from the source.
I’ve played with this dac roughly for one week. I’d share my impressions by now, before I will start my evaluation of Matrix Sabre-pro tomorrow. To return your product, you should mail your product to: 4F 405, Building F, No.2 Shangxue Science and Technology North, Bantian Street, Longgang Dist, ShenZhen, 518129 Guangdong, ChinaKeep 'em coming - I enjoy laughing; even at myself! You're right, I overstepped; should have been entitled "Gustard x26 Pro vs BRZHIFI DC500". By the way, I've got brand new Gustard x26 Pro for sale if you know anyone who wants one! I think a "normal" voltmeter on AC mode should be ok measuring a sinewave at 100/120 Hz, if you have a scale with enough resolution. The third and last room houses the digital-to-analog conversion stage and the analog output stage in the upper part of the board. Its output stage was crafted mostly from discrete devices such as diodes and transistors, which could have unlimited potential in the hands of a skilled engineer. The current-to-voltage (I/V) conversion stage seems to be a hybrid one, employing tens of discrete devices and an op-amp per channel.
SU-10 is coming with a full-blown MQA decoder thanks to its XMOS XU316 that will unfold and decode MQA files natively, but wait, there is more! Instead of unfolding MQA files only via its USB inputs as most DACs are doing nowadays, SU-10 can do that even via Optical and Coaxial! A Google Chromecast can pass MQA files and after connecting the SU-10, I was pleasantly surprised that optical worked flawless with and MQA content worked as intended. When reviewing audiophile gear, you must first understand the philosophy behind those products. If you like hearing new things in your tunes that you never knew were there, all the imperfections and all the beautiful intricacies and nuances, then SDA-6 PRO does that without flexing too much. This is a very detail-oriented DAC, without going into the clinical, analytical or dry sounding territory. It never highlighted the treble output more than what it should, it sat under a strict control, pushing detail retrieval up the ladder, while drowning brightness and treble glare. It indeed appeared more detailed in here compared to the VMV D2 and at first, I’ve got a feeling that there’s more energy in the treble, but after a few days of non-stop listening, I’m no longer getting that. There’s an outstanding extension up top, but I can’t call it bothering or plain sharp sounding. Even if detail retrieval sits on a pedestal as the number one ability that SDA-6 PRO skillfully mastered, this is still a very powerful music making machine. Low level plankton are decently resolved, with a hint of over-exaggeration. Less (truly) resolving than yggdrasil 2 and less vivid than convert-2.Fresh power tubes and NOS driver tubes for my Trafomatic Primavera arrived a few days ago and as you can imagine, headphone listening came first but don’t you worry, it was used in an equally impressive stereo setup, getting a complete picture about its performance.
Apart from that, we are still looking at an elegant unit with a high WAF attached to it. I had complained about the raw and unpolished look of their older devices, but the A26 feels way more refined from any point of view. High-end electronics are becoming modern furniture, and I like when they blend seamlessly with their surroundings, and I can certainly see that on the A26. In the first room you can spot two encapsulated 50W linear transformers, which are on the heavier side. You can certainly feel their weight on that part of the case. One transformer is powering the analog section and the second one the digital section, which is an amazing design decision, something I already saw on X26 PRO and R26.I will skip their specs and looks, focusing on their feature set and sound performance. Both units have been tested in headphone and stereo setups, I used the same power cables and interconnects. I didn’t need to re-adjust their voltage output, as both are providing 5V volts at full power. X26PRO will have USB, Optical, Coaxial, bluetooth, AES and IIS inputs. For outputs, it'll have RCA and XLR capability. Support LVDS level differential I²S reception (using HDMI interface), it can accept the lowest jitter digital audio! Support up to 6 input modes, compatible with most audio sources! The most striking thing to know is that both units are sounding almost indistinguishable. Both are offering an extended FR at both ends, I find them exceptionally open sounding, they carry a natural tonality and lightning-fast decays when asked for. They sound very alike, but still…there was a difference. Singxer Electronic Co Ltd. is a mysterious audio manufacturer to me. They’ve done ODM and OEM work for third party companies for more than a decade now. They started slow and small, but they learned fast, doing their homework so well, that in fact the second generation XMOS digital receivers were developed and optimized by the help of the Singxer team…how curious, I’m impressed already. Digital audio is clearly running deep through their veins, just look at their product portfolio. How many manufacturers do you know that have four digital interfaces under their belts (F-1, SU-1, SU-2 and the world renown SU-6), three digital receiver OEM boards that could be implemented in any commercial DAC (C-1, Q-1 and X-1) and three AKM-based digital to analog converters. It is a clear sign; they know their stuff very well. Audio Precision APx555 B-Series Analyzer with 200kOhm input impedance set unless otherwise specified
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