Gustard X20U?

Nice... and happy that it is coming right into line for you. Your description sound exactly the type of improvements I have been noticing... very happy that you like it so far!
 
Excellent write up guys! I'm looking at one of these two DAC's as well for an upgrade from a Cambridge DacMagic Plus. Any idea's how these 2 DAC's compare to DMP? Also are either of you guys running them with a regen or recover device and if so which is preferred? TIA!

Also any help with the free DSD downloads would be great! :D
 
I am running the Wyred 4 Sound DAC using a Recovery. I also have the Femto clock upgrade in the DAC. Work very well together!
 
Randy Myers said:
I am running the Wyred 4 Sound DAC using a Recovery. I also have the Femto clock upgrade in the DAC. Work very well together!
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Good to know! I've got an Uptone Audio Regen on the way and looking forward to the upgrade for the Cambridge DMP. I'm kinda taking it in steps. Next may be a better USB cable then DSD DAC such as the two mentioned here.
 
I just checked the Audio Regen website. It says that the next shipping date is April 14th. Reviews say it is a good solid unit, and the brand new W4S Recovery is taking the market by a storm.

I could be wrong on this but I do not believe that the Audio Regen includes a Femto clock. The Recovery unit does. Also, not sure where they are made. Probably not important to you, but the W4S unit is built in the USA (Atascadero, CA).

The Audio Regen comes with a 4 year warranty, which is excellent. Better than anything out there with one exception. The Recovery comes with a 5 year warranty.

Definitely the two best USB reclockers on the market, but I personally feel the W4S is worth the extra $24. I am also sure that both will improve your music through USB considerably.
 
Randy Myers said:
I just checked the Audio Regen website. It says that the next shipping date is April 14th. Reviews say it is a good solid unit, and the brand new W4S Recovery is taking the market by a storm.

I could be wrong on this but I do not believe that the Audio Regen includes a Femto clock. The Recovery unit does. Also, not sure where they are made. Probably not important to you, but the W4S unit is built in the USA (Atascadero, CA).

The Audio Regen comes with a 4 year warranty, which is excellent. Better than anything out there with one exception. The Recovery comes with a 5 year warranty.

Definitely the two best USB reclockers on the market, but I personally feel the W4S is worth the extra $24. I am also sure that both will improve your music through USB considerably.
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Thanks for the info Randy! I was lucky enough to find one used on another forum, so no waiting. I doubt it has the Femto clock for that price. I'll keep you posted with my findings.
 
Ok so I got the Regen yesterday and the jury is still out. LOL So what do these devices do? It's definitely different though. Only have a couple of hours on it so far so we shall see. I guess it would help to understand the device. Any help would be great!

Edit: Forgot to add, but this thing definitely makes it less digital sounding.
 
On the Recovery I noticed that the bottom end tightens up a little and vocals are definitely much more open... the sound stage is definitely wider and deeper and background instruments are more present... not louder but just there more!
 
Gustard X20U update: I've read folks that have tweaked the Gustard to higher performance, and since I'm a sucker for wishful thinking I ordered a Schurter 5x20 1A fuse (not just ready to spring for a $50 audiophile fuse, but at $1.89 and claims that they are a lot better than stock fuses I gave it a shot). The fuse arrived Friday, so while I had the unit out of the rack and powered off to install the fuse I figured I'd open up the top and try out a few other tweaks that Ric Schultz recommends.
http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Gustard_X20_Mods.html

1. Remove steel bolts from the center of the torroidal power supply transformers. They can be replaced with nylon bolts, but I just left them "floating". It's been too long since I took electricity and magnetism, so maybe someone can educate me on why having a conductive and magnetic bolt in the center of the torroid is a bad thing?
2. Slip 1/2" plywood donuts under the torroids to get them off the aluminum chassis. I wasn't motivated enough to go out to the shop Friday night, so I repurposed a couple coasters which fit quite nicely.
3. Twist the power supply wires to improve common-mode rejection. This absolutely makes technical sense, so is a no-brainer. Ric removed the sleeve around the bundles, but I felt the somewhat sharp edges on the interior sheet metal warranted keeping the protective sleeve in place, and the wires were easy enough to twist even with it in place.
4. Schurter fuse

I didn't listen after I made all the changes, just plugged it back in and let the bits flow from my Aurender over night. When I listened Saturday morning the X20U did sound a tad better. Bass seemed a bit fuller and tighter. Detail was unchanged. The music seemed to flow a bit smoother, and the soundstage seemed to be a tad narrower. All in all an improvement, but definitely not required to get sweet music out of the Gustard.
 
Forgot to add that I have a Triode Wire Labs Digital American power cord coming for the X20U and will post my findings when it arrives.
 
Nice... sounds like some nice tweaks... not sure I would trust myself poking around inside too much although I did remove the case and was looking around inside the Goldmund amp the other day :)...
 
Randy Myers said:
On the Recovery I noticed that the bottom end tightens up a little and vocals are definitely much more open... the sound stage is definitely wider and deeper and background instruments are more present... not louder but just there more!
Click to expand...

Ok I have 2 weeks on the Uptone Regen and I now understand the value of these devices. I was told the unit only had 20hrs on it, so I assume it will only get better over time. Now I'm wanting one of these DSD DAC's & a great USB cable! Time to save my pennies! LOL :D
 
TWL power cords have a couple hundred hours on them. I'm resisting critical listening for another hundred hours or so, but generally seem to be an improvement. Decided to dive a bit deeper into the rabbit hole and took advantage of Parts Connexion's sale on HiFi tuning fuses. Also have some copper foil coming in to try (temporarily) shunting the fuse on the Gustard.
 
Randy Myers said:
Nice. They do help a lot. I believe the Recovery was a fantastic addition to my system!
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Randy,
I guess I'm a bit surprised that your W4S DAC benefits from the Recovery. I'd think that it would be pretty immune to jitter?
AC
 
I know people who own $10,000 - $20,000 DACs who promote the heck out of the recovery units because they have seen what an amazing improvement it makes in their system. Why would you believe that the W4S, Gustard or any other DAC would not benefit from the Recovery.
 
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