I wanted to share my entire post on soundnews.net - it provides useful context.
"Hi Sandu! Thanks for doing such a great job with your reviews! So NOT easy to use words to describe sound - you KNOW our language and are one of the few channels I view. I'm retired and somehow managed to end up with two DAC's in my system to replace my beloved ML 360S - with Spendor SP9/1, Pass Aleph 5 amp, C2850 clone preamp, ML No. 37 transport using the BEST AES/EBU cable Transparent ever made:
1) Gustard x26 Pro (dual ESS9038pro).
2) BRZHIFI DC500 (dual AK4499EQ).
I am finally ready to make the jump to online HI-Res Audio - QOBOZ for now.
But first, playing CD's on the ML 37 transport over AES/EBU, I wholeheartedly agree with your review of the Gustard x26 Pro; neutral, musical, palpable with great rhythm, pace and slam. However, not great using the USB interface from my MacBook Pro or my Windows 10 desktop.
Oddly, just the opposite is true with DC500. AES/EBU doesn't sound good at all. But, the Amanero USB interface sounds wonderful! I can directly compare CD source to QOBUZ for the same recordings (both16 bit, 44.1 kHz). Ultimately, I "feel" the DC500 (USB) edges out the Gustard x26 Pro (AES/EBU) but I don't think this an "apples to apples" comparison. Did you experience poorer results with Gustard x26 Pro USB source when compared to CD's? Is there a way to upgrade or improve Gustard x26 Pro's USB performance? I don't want to "keep" two DAC's in my system. I'm trying to figure out which one to sell. Streaming the DC500 sounds very good, timbre excellent; still a great pace & rhythm but not quite the slam as Gustard x26 Pro. What to do?!??
REVISION!!!
I need to update my comment on Gustard x26 Pro over USB connection. I moved the Gustard away from potential sources of noise - WIFI router, transport, preamp, turned off LED lighting and powered down the 65" flat screen. I had previously removed the wifi/bluetooth module from my Mid-2015 MacBook Pro which uses Core Audio (better than any Windows driver). Finally, things snapped into focus - I have palpable, musical experience. "Perhaps" the Gustard "is more sensitive to external noise? We are back to GREAT; comparable to CD's played over the AES/EBU from ML 37 transport. Equally, my problem playing CD's over AES/EBU on the BRZHIFI DC500 was solved!
I can now do a A/B comparison of both DAC's (ESS9038PRO vs AK4499eq) using the same USB QOBOS source or CD's. Of course, there are variables - equipment matching, impedance etc. I am using a very nice preamp and have a revealing system.
Initial impression - Playing acoustical music (classical & jazz), AK4499EQ seems more "musical". But one thing I've learned over the years - DON'T RUSH your listening experience. So, give me a couple weeks and I'll try to report back." -END of POST-
The ESS9038pro in the Gustard x26 Pro is VERY good, fluid, effortless, palpable, rhythmical & musical. So, I can only discuss subtle, nuanced differences. a) slightly too thick in the middle as though extra weight was given to the mid-range. b) less highs - what's there is sweet but less airy and detailed. I believe this is affecting the overall sound stage. c) slight mid-upper bass boom - not by much but I feel it's there. Again, a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience.
The AK4499EQ in the DC500. Simply the best digital listening experience I've had. Even more fluid, transparent & musical. Compared to the ESS9038pro, at first, it may seem less palpable; but it doesn't subtract or add anything to the music - it sounds natural. Beautiful highs - digital never sounded this good. I not only hear the instruments playing but the acoustics of the room in which they were recorded - more realistic sound stage. Like the ESS9038pro, there is a great pace & rhythm - if I'm not dancing, I'm at least tapping my foot. I think the AK4499EQ goes slightly deeper in bass, but in the Gustard x26 pro, the ESS9038pro has a little more slam and may be better suited to "rock n roll" - as an acoustical music listener, I'm simply not qualified to say.
Only balanced XLR outputs were used - no listening done prior to all equipment being thoroughly warmed up (> 1 hour).
"Hi Sandu! Thanks for doing such a great job with your reviews! So NOT easy to use words to describe sound - you KNOW our language and are one of the few channels I view. I'm retired and somehow managed to end up with two DAC's in my system to replace my beloved ML 360S - with Spendor SP9/1, Pass Aleph 5 amp, C2850 clone preamp, ML No. 37 transport using the BEST AES/EBU cable Transparent ever made:
1) Gustard x26 Pro (dual ESS9038pro).
2) BRZHIFI DC500 (dual AK4499EQ).
I am finally ready to make the jump to online HI-Res Audio - QOBOZ for now.
But first, playing CD's on the ML 37 transport over AES/EBU, I wholeheartedly agree with your review of the Gustard x26 Pro; neutral, musical, palpable with great rhythm, pace and slam. However, not great using the USB interface from my MacBook Pro or my Windows 10 desktop.
Oddly, just the opposite is true with DC500. AES/EBU doesn't sound good at all. But, the Amanero USB interface sounds wonderful! I can directly compare CD source to QOBUZ for the same recordings (both16 bit, 44.1 kHz). Ultimately, I "feel" the DC500 (USB) edges out the Gustard x26 Pro (AES/EBU) but I don't think this an "apples to apples" comparison. Did you experience poorer results with Gustard x26 Pro USB source when compared to CD's? Is there a way to upgrade or improve Gustard x26 Pro's USB performance? I don't want to "keep" two DAC's in my system. I'm trying to figure out which one to sell. Streaming the DC500 sounds very good, timbre excellent; still a great pace & rhythm but not quite the slam as Gustard x26 Pro. What to do?!??
REVISION!!!
I need to update my comment on Gustard x26 Pro over USB connection. I moved the Gustard away from potential sources of noise - WIFI router, transport, preamp, turned off LED lighting and powered down the 65" flat screen. I had previously removed the wifi/bluetooth module from my Mid-2015 MacBook Pro which uses Core Audio (better than any Windows driver). Finally, things snapped into focus - I have palpable, musical experience. "Perhaps" the Gustard "is more sensitive to external noise? We are back to GREAT; comparable to CD's played over the AES/EBU from ML 37 transport. Equally, my problem playing CD's over AES/EBU on the BRZHIFI DC500 was solved!
I can now do a A/B comparison of both DAC's (ESS9038PRO vs AK4499eq) using the same USB QOBOS source or CD's. Of course, there are variables - equipment matching, impedance etc. I am using a very nice preamp and have a revealing system.
Initial impression - Playing acoustical music (classical & jazz), AK4499EQ seems more "musical". But one thing I've learned over the years - DON'T RUSH your listening experience. So, give me a couple weeks and I'll try to report back." -END of POST-
The ESS9038pro in the Gustard x26 Pro is VERY good, fluid, effortless, palpable, rhythmical & musical. So, I can only discuss subtle, nuanced differences. a) slightly too thick in the middle as though extra weight was given to the mid-range. b) less highs - what's there is sweet but less airy and detailed. I believe this is affecting the overall sound stage. c) slight mid-upper bass boom - not by much but I feel it's there. Again, a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience.
The AK4499EQ in the DC500. Simply the best digital listening experience I've had. Even more fluid, transparent & musical. Compared to the ESS9038pro, at first, it may seem less palpable; but it doesn't subtract or add anything to the music - it sounds natural. Beautiful highs - digital never sounded this good. I not only hear the instruments playing but the acoustics of the room in which they were recorded - more realistic sound stage. Like the ESS9038pro, there is a great pace & rhythm - if I'm not dancing, I'm at least tapping my foot. I think the AK4499EQ goes slightly deeper in bass, but in the Gustard x26 pro, the ESS9038pro has a little more slam and may be better suited to "rock n roll" - as an acoustical music listener, I'm simply not qualified to say.
Only balanced XLR outputs were used - no listening done prior to all equipment being thoroughly warmed up (> 1 hour).
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Not really. The USB parts are critical. And so are the output analogue stages. Not easy to make valid comparisons between dac chips when important, external to the chips factors differ.
As long as you aren't doing something stupid with USB grounding like RME with the ADI-2, you shouldn't notice anything spurious in the audio output. Any decent digital interface will buffer and reclock samples as required.
Keep '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!
But, absolutely no joke about improving the sound by "cleaning up" what I was doing. I've had a Mark Levinson 360S as my reference DAC for nearly twenty years. I still remember the day I set it up with the 37 transport. It didn't sound anything like what I heard at Soundex! I went back to the dealer the same day - Harry said, "here" take this cable home as a loaner, then come back and tell me if it solved the problem. The next day, I spent $800.00 on a Transparent AES/EBU cable. The music just "snapped" into focus. With digital, if we're lucky, we'll hear scratchy "highs", but it's much more than that. I have a fast amp, I wasn't hearing rythm and pace in the music the way I normally would. But, most of all a palpable, musical image of the instruments emerged that just wasn't there before. In one sense, it's subtle, but if you're working on the last 5% of your sound - it's audible; and to me, significant.
I can't be sure, but my TV has setting called "fast start" - I turned it off so that TV would power down most of the way. I say this because, I later found that turning off the LED screen on my macbook pro makes a difference (I can totally darken the screen by reducing the display to zero). I also, think moving the transport away from the DAC was important - see photo.
For the last two weeks, I was getting ready to purchase a FifoPiQ3 or some jitter reduction strategy. I've been reading the thread - a lot of the upgrades he's proposing use larger and larger capacitors. Why? I'm assuming it's to filter, but I don't have the technical background to say for sure. I next want to buy some kind of isolator / power conditioner for the DAC.
But, absolutely no joke about improving the sound by "cleaning up" what I was doing. I've had a Mark Levinson 360S as my reference DAC for nearly twenty years. I still remember the day I set it up with the 37 transport. It didn't sound anything like what I heard at Soundex! I went back to the dealer the same day - Harry said, "here" take this cable home as a loaner, then come back and tell me if it solved the problem. The next day, I spent $800.00 on a Transparent AES/EBU cable. The music just "snapped" into focus. With digital, if we're lucky, we'll hear scratchy "highs", but it's much more than that. I have a fast amp, I wasn't hearing rythm and pace in the music the way I normally would. But, most of all a palpable, musical image of the instruments emerged that just wasn't there before. In one sense, it's subtle, but if you're working on the last 5% of your sound - it's audible; and to me, significant.
I can't be sure, but my TV has setting called "fast start" - I turned it off so that TV would power down most of the way. I say this because, I later found that turning off the LED screen on my macbook pro makes a difference (I can totally darken the screen by reducing the display to zero). I also, think moving the transport away from the DAC was important - see photo.
For the last two weeks, I was getting ready to purchase a FifoPiQ3 or some jitter reduction strategy. I've been reading the thread - a lot of the upgrades he's proposing use larger and larger capacitors. Why? I'm assuming it's to filter, but I don't have the technical background to say for sure. I next want to buy some kind of isolator / power conditioner for the DAC.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Ok, so you can hear the difference in sound with the laptop screen inverter working at some kHz range, and without that rubbish being spit back into the laptop when you turn the display off. Good. You also have a fast amp that helps in revealing these differences. Double Good!!
You will save a lot of money by considering a really good DAC; otherwise a thousand here and a thousand (two thousand?) there on Gustards, Toppings...and what not... (expensive cables).... will amount to more than what this baby costs: Holo Audio May DAC. Get it! Do not think twice.
You will save a lot of money by considering a really good DAC; otherwise a thousand here and a thousand (two thousand?) there on Gustards, Toppings...and what not... (expensive cables).... will amount to more than what this baby costs: Holo Audio May DAC. Get it! Do not think twice.
You have a point - I always had the Levinson DAC and transport stacked - it was never an issue; better shielding, design - something. Lucky for me, my setup allows me to unstack - now the Weiliang DC500 DAC sounds astonishingly good. And, it's like $600 cheaper than the Gustard x26 Pro; though overall build quality doesn't quite feel quite up to Gustard's. The streaming sound of the DC500 sounds better to me. It's using a Xmos xu-208 usb interface with 2 low phase TCXO clocks. Gustard appears to be doing more complicated...
If I may ask :
How do you perform the switching from A to B?
("real time" with some switch, or you disconnect A and then connect B, etc.)
Did you check that the output level of of A and B (for both channels, if stereo) are equal? if yes, how do you check this? to what accuracy?
if they are not matched "out of the box", what do you use to match them?
I say this because in similar experiments that I did, these are the two factors that "fooled" me the most
(of course, in line with advice that is regularly given in this forum).
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I was able to switch streaming vs AES/EBU by changing the preamp source. But, I wasn't able to do that between DC500 vs Gustard x26 pro; nor did I use measuring equipment. I used albums I was familiar with in a "near-field" listening setup. I'll typically find the "max" volume based on preference, then restart and listen.
Nope! I have too many years of critical listening on these ears, especially using the 360S + 37 as my reference in a highly revealing system. At some point, you will learn to trust your ears. I also realize that in many setups, you wouldn't hear the difference. So, no, I know what I heard...
Ok,
not at all to criticize your approach!
but I suggest you verify the levels of each device;
I use a 1kHz sinewave and a "True-RMS" voltmeter;
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.
My experience is that a difference as low as 1% is perceived as "better", but below like 5% you don't actually realize that it is "louder".
And the output levels are very different, despite being supposedly standardized (is it 2V RMS ?)
You may for example check whether your "preferred" device is (or is not) systematically the one with higher output level.
The next one, in my own experience, was that my "memory" of sound is very short, and my conclusions were very different when doing immediate switching between two synchronized sources (but then... maybe it's my switch...?)
Again: I just want to say that trying to account for these effects is at least very instructive although quite tedious.
I don't intend to anticipate on your own conclusions.
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I see your point and I think it's valid. It was a poor choice of words on my part to say "A/B Listening Test". My approach was to spend two weeks of critical listening on the Gustard x26 Pro; and then two weeks of listening on the DC500. Then another week of switching back & forth on the same sources to verify what I felt I heard. Right now, I'm out $1,500.00 on an additional DAC I don't need - so, I really wanted to be sure which DAC I should sell and which I should keep. That was the driver...