Gustard X30 DAC

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. 

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.

@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. 

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 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.