Gustard X30 DAC

I apologize if I've offended you. That was not my intent. I'm not like that. 

We have had different experiences with products and that's fine. 

Make excuses for my rudeness?  Right.  I've tried really hard to not be rude. How was my last post rude? 

I'm not bothered by the term Chi-fi. I never said that. 

Many, if not all, audiophiles use ’chi-fi.’ In this context, I extend the term to ’chi hi-fi.’ What’s wrong with that? Don’t make excuses for your rudeness. Okay, not productive at all...

If you find the term ’chi-fi’ bothersome, take it up with all the audiophiles who use it.

I’m not a big Chinese buyer. My amp, preamp, speakers, and phono preamp are made in the USA. Streamer in Portugal and turntable in Germany. SACD player and phono cartridge in Japan. Cabling is made in USA and Germany.

That's fair. It's also fair to say that thousands of people have had positive results from well reviewed Chinese gear.  Especially dacs. 

As an owner of "Chi", I find your comments disturbing much like you do my "idfk". 

I was bitten twice and stand by my statement about their quality control.

I'm not talking about the review. I'm referring to your comment about Chi gear. 

I’m not sure (and please, no “Idfk”) what the 15% difference entails either, so I rely on the reviewer’s insights. I’m pointing you to that information to support that the additional $1,000 you’ve invested is worthwhile. Nevertheless, the reviewer has thoughtfully provided a great alternative to the X30 for system matching (tune in 12:30). After all, I’d bet he’s the only one here who has heard both units, and I’ve found his reviews to be spot-on most of the time.

As for where the gear is made, that matters the least. What truly matters is who designs the gear and the quality control behind it.

You haven't heard the X-30 which is the topic of this post.

You might research where some of your gear is made. 

@sls883 You are definitely getting noticeable sonic improvements, as described, for that additional $1k. You believe (same here) those sound quality improvements will manifest in your system, and that’s what truly matters. For me, with these two time mediocre experience with the chi acclaimed hi-fi products, i.e., A6 and R26, I will stay away from them for a while. The low-end products are amazing though at their price point.

I watched again. He did say 85%. Question is, what is his 15% worth? Idfk. Lol.

I’m going to be happy with what I have. I just ordered a new audio cabinet, so I have something else to focus on. :)

I believe he said 85%.  Nevertheless, I always take whatever the reviewer or anyone says with a grain of salt.  But, bet. the reviewer and an audiogoner who have never heard X26 III, I am leaning toward what the reviewer recommends.   

The reviewer says that the X-26 mkIII is 75% of the performance of the X-30.  I'm good with the X-30 if it's that much better. 

And, they are supposedly coming out with an R30, or something like that, towards the end of 2025.

I like the X-30, so I won't worry about the other offerings. 

Now the X30 seems to face sibling rivalry from within, with the X26 III.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y581_fYIzH8&t=1s

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/gustard-x26iii-dual-es9039spro-dac-network-streamer.974699/

@baylinor It’s been about an hour of playing music. Top is still around 91 degrees. The right side is 93 degrees.

For grins, I pointed the thermometer at a tube in my preamp. It measured 137 degrees.

That would be awesome as my U18 barely gets warm. Test it after two hours. It does get warmer on the right side if I remember correctly.

@baylinor My infrared thermometer showed up.  Pretty neat little device.  

The temperature of the X-30 is at 91 degrees.  That's with the U18 sitting on top of it and potentially keeping it a littler warm.

The U18 ddc is around 87 degrees.

My Coda amp is at around 90 degrees at idle.

I'll play some music and see if anything heats up.

LOL @sls883 

All I know is the X26 has always been the hottest running component in my equipment line-up. Twice as hot as my Parasound Halo A21+. First 6 watts of pure A. 2x500 watts @4 ohms. Let's just say, over time, it's uncomfortably hot. However I was able to minimize the heat by elevating it with extra footers raising it about 3" off the rack. Highly recommended.

@baylinor I have not heard the A26, but I’ve read good things about it.

I’m curious to see what the temp is on the X-30. For grins, I ordered an infrared thermometer on Amazon. It was cheap and if I ordered some coffee with it, I get free same day delivery. lol.

Obviously the cost of the X30 allowed for a better clock since the C18 alone costs more than the X26, R26 or A26. Not what I read about the heat of the X30, but glad to hear you are as happy with it as I am with my setup. 

@baylinor I leave my dac on 24/7.  I just checked my X-30 and it's slightly warm. Not at all hot.

I'm using a LHY ock-2 clock, but I don't really hear a difference. I have the clock connected to the U18, so I thought it made sense to connect it to the dac as well. The X-30 has a really good clock. 

I would imagine it's another winner from Gustard. I have been a Gustard guy for years. I have both the X26 and A26. The X26 sounds excellent but can be a tat grainy in the highs so I moved it to a secondary system. The A26 took care of that issue. The X30 probably does too per the reviews. The main reason I will not invest in the X30 is that, just like the X26, it gets rather hot to the touch even after just a couple hours. The A26 is stone cold no matter if you run it all day. It's a major positive for me. I run an Innuos Zenith mk3 via Gustard DDC with I2s connection to the A26. Also use the Gustard master clock controlling the timing of the ethernet switch, DDC and Dac. I concurr with @sls883, it sounds just right to my ears. It did take high quality cables and fuses to get there. Everything matters.

More detail and clarity, but not bright or sibilant. Better separation of instruments.

It's like one reviewer said.... It has the positive attributes of both a r2r dac and a chip dac. I was concerned about going from a r2r dac to a chip dac, but there's no loss of soundstage size, etc.

I'm not good at describing what I hear. It just sounds right. 

Do you have time to elaborate on the differences between the R26....X30?

Thanks...

Thanks for the input....

Yes.  I've had one for a few weeks.  It replaced a Gustard R26 dac.

I'd say that the positive reviews that I read are accurate. I'm quite happy with it.

I'm using an Innuos Zen Mk3 streamer into a Gustard ddc to the I2s input on the dac. 

I've also used the coaxial input with my Denon DCD-1700NE player serving as a transport.  It sounds great.