Gustard X26 Pro Full-Balanced MQA DAC Dual ES9038PRO LDAC USB/Coaxial/Optical/IIS/BT XMOS HiFi Class A Decoder Bluetooth dac with Remote (Black)

Okay, I'm new to HiFi, but know what I like and I can say I like this DAC!I am a true believer in dedicated chips for both left and right channel sound and this is the best DAC I've heard thus far in achieving that distinct and defined sound. I can say though if you're not sold on the dual chip design you could get by with a cheaper DAC, or if you don't like ESS Sabre chip sound presentation, maybe a AKM chip DAC will make you happy.My set upTablet/PC USB audio outDAC (was DACMagic 200m) now X26 Pro XLR outIntergrated Amp AZUR851a XLR outPower Amp AZUR851wSpeakers KEF LS50 MetaSub KEF KUBE 12bPro's:- A dual ESS Sabre chipset that has a more warm (not sterile surprisingly) sound.- Great bass presentation! Seriously, low frequency sound is incredibly smooth, yet very well defined.- Great sound stage depth width.- Detailed, detailed, detailed sound.- MQA Support- Simple LCD screen- Some filter and setting options to adjust.- Great size (it's big), solid build quality.Con's:- Price, it's $1,500, DACMagic 200m is 75% as good, for 33% the price ($500).- LCD screen could be nicer.- Remote feels cheap.- Manual isn't very good at all.- Customer service and support really isn't there.- MQA is kinda (meh)... It sounds good, but maybe not worth the hype. I do like it though.Ultimately this is a better DACMagic, but I'd only recommend this to true Hifi people who are willing to spend the money.Alternatives$500 DAMMagic 200m (Incredible Value and Sound, with MQA)$500-1,000 SMSL M400 (MQA again but good price to sound ratiol).$1,000-$1,500 Gustard X26 Pro or RME ADI FSI wanted MQA and dual chips, but I've only heard great things about the RME ADI, and that would be my close second at the over $1,200 price point.

This DAC is certainly a hefty unit. Really feels like a solid premium device and takes up a good amount of space, but oh is it worth it. Experienced reviewers have gone into greater detail than I can describe so I suggest you read and watch their material, but what I can certainly say right away with my limited hifi experience is that the soundstage on this thing is HUGE. Big sound with excellent detail. I don't simply hear music. I experience it. An excellent buy.

Update:The sound after burn-in is outstanding. It has extremely good clarity, depth, separation, tight bass. I have updated to 4 stars, and that is taking into account the loose case screws issue. 5 stars for sure if not for the loose screws. Why? Because of the sound quality and the excellent customer response from Aoshida HiFi-US. They are shipping the missing power and USB cables. They normally do not include a cd with drivers, as they said "Gustar products do not have optical discs, because the customs do not allow distribution." Drivers are located on their website. And they do not ship a warranty card as warranty issues are handled via Amazon.DAC's I have listened to at some length: SMSL SU-9, SMSL SU-9 Pro, PS Audio DL-3, MHDT Labs Dialogue II. System: Quicksilver KT88 Mono's, or Marantz 250 Amp, NAD C165Bee Pre amp, Klipsch Quartet Spkrs. BlueSound Node.Original review:So far the sound is very good. I would recommend this DAC. But there are obvious quality control issues.I did not receive any power cable, Nor any High-quality gold-plated USB Cable, Nor a warranty card, nor the mini CD that has the drivers and instructions on it.And as soon as I removed the DAC from its shipping box I heard something inside the DAC rattling around and while rotating the DAC a screw was seen poking out from the side vent. I removed the top and discovered two screws that had become totally unscrewed and one was laying on the main board and the other I retrieved from the vent. I could see that the screws came from the left and right front corner brackets and I installed and secured them. They were never secured correctly.I have notified Aoshida HiFi-US via the Amazon messaging system and asked for the missing parts to be shipped to me.

Received my Gustard X26 Pro Full-Balanced MQA DAC Dual ES9038PRO LDAC USB/Coaxial/Optical/IIS XMOS. First of all the owners of the company are very friendly. Second I got the order super-fast no more than three days. I expected it to be over a week.The unbelievable aspect of this whole transaction is the sound. I recently upgraded to Quad Z speakers and noticed a lot of mid-range glare and music just sounded funny. I was using a holo spring DAC. I literally almost bought new speakers. Instead I emailed my friend who told me about the decoding chip architecture and other rave reviews he had heard about this product. Previously I was pouring over audiogon reading thread after thread about which DAC to buy. I actually did see Gustard mentioned in a few threads.I looked them up and found the DAC on Amazon and ordered it. I plugged it in and right out of the box it sounded like I bought new speakers. The depth and sound stage blew me away. Previous to this I had holo spring, oppo sonica, benchmark, emotive and lampizator. This DAC just blew them away. I am still amazed every day at how good the sound is for all kinds of music like electronica, classical and rock.The build quality is astounding and it comes with a remote. It is very pleasing to the eye.Great job Gustard !!! Thanks

Would have to spend much more to equal this DAC'S performance. No expense spared on the engineering into this unit. World class channel separation and uses no opamps in signal path. Has as much capacitance as many integrated amplifiers, making it able to be used as very effective preamplifier. I am impressed with the musicality compared to other delta - chip dacs. No harsh analytical sounds here. Just sweet music. Had a Topping D90 with AKM 4499 and there is no comparison between the two. Money well spent as an upgrade and was able to sell my Schitt Audio Freya Plus as it was no longer required.