DAC-X12 ES9018 XMOS 32Bit / 384KHz DSD DOP Decoder Without USB

I bought the u12 and the x12 to see if technology and price to performance ratio had significantly advanced in five years. It had. My old DAC was highly rated and cost $1200 about 5 years ago. My old DAC is very clear and natural with a real sense of air, but not the last word on detail and dynamics. After about 4 or 5 days of continuous play for break in I listened carefully to the Gustards. The two units together (u12 and x12) have a wonderful smooth, dynamic, and detailed sound with a solidity that approaches analog. Instruments are distinct. Textures are vivid. The sound stage is realistically wide and deep when captured in the recording. Most of all the sound is dynamic and smooth. At times even too dynamic in that I find when listening to classical music I sometimes have to adjust the volume down because of the difference between the loud and soft passages. The options are overwhelming in terms deciding which is the best input and sample rate. I have tentatively decided that the most realistic is no up-sampling via the AES input. This will be a matter of personal taste. Up-sampling 44.1 PCM to DSD does sound smooth and pleasing, though, to my ears, not as clear, especially in the leading edge of the notes. There is no doubt that my CD rips played at their native sample rate now sound very close in quality to my SACD discs. Probably so close that I would have trouble justifying paying the extra money for the purchase of stereo SACDs. I would not say my old DAC was vanquished because it still seems superior in its natural conveyance of air, room ambiance, and balance. The Gustard X12 is the winner in detail and dynamics, though, as mentioned, in some music the dynamics could make the sound slightly too vivid for some tastes. Strangely, its dynamics are probably more realistic than many other DACs but we have become used to less than concert hall volume peaks when listening at home. The only complaint I have is that there is no manual. I had to figure out how to work the inputs and “shift” to the volume trim to adjust volume to best match to my preamp’s slope. Overall I am thrilled with the value and quality of the U12 and X12 together. (I have not listened to the X12 alone via its USB input.)

this saber dac (when using the aes/coax or i2s inputs), is very blunt in it's execution: highly dynamic, very fast, accurate and clear, yet all the while in total control, never faltering at any sonic extremes (though some may be left wanting in the lower bass department, as the output is 'flat', but in a very good way). this dac works is magic best when paired with the gustard u12 usb interface, also sold here on amazon. while the usb equipped iteration of the x12 is available, the best performance is gained by mating with the u12 usb interface outputs, namely the i2s option (via hdmi). using the free audio player 'foobar', i was able to enjoy full native dsd playback, along with upsampling pcm music files (on the fly). while the dsd/high sampling ability is there, one would expect 16/44.1 redbook files to also be equally represented. all sample rates attainable with the x12/u12 combo, via is2 interconnection are handled with a refined accuracy. these components hit well above their relative price points, considering their high dollar in/out connection options and exemplary audioperformance.

Hi-end Dac for a very decent price but could be made better by providing Xmos USB driver software that provided for more options than the generic version sent with it. The same goes for their super Hi-end X-20 Dac I understand . The build quality is excellent and it sounds great too!

Very good DAC, love the sound.

I been using the Gustard X12 for almost 1 and a half years, the Gustard X12 perform wonderful with my gear. I have it paired up with the Gustard H10 Amp and my JBL 305's thru XLR using a XLR Y Splitter. The sound performance is really good for the price. I haven't had any issues at all with it the X12 didn't give me any problems nor did the drivers.Perfect Match with my JBL 305 Studio monitor's together they sound wonderful,The JBL 305 put out some very good bass with the X12 on filter on Slow.That I found to be powerful while sounding very good, I prefer to use Smooth when I using the JBL305's while Sharp using my Gustard H10.I have tried DSD music and after following guides it does a very good job, I even found it able to do DSD 256 even through it doesn't mention being able to do it.For a while I was using the Gustard U12 with the Gustard X12 thru I2S and the unit's did a good job together, but the X12 USB input it self does a pretty good job it self. So you really doesn't need to use the U12 with the X12 as it's Usb does a good job it self.The Gustard X12 has besides the usb, Coax,Optical, and I2S(HDMI style plug) input's and XLR and RCA output's, the X12 output sound thru both RCA and XLR at the same time.

This DAC sounds amazing. It has a very clean and polished sound. The bass extension is very, very good. I really learned what "tight" bass is with this thing (and I havea $5,000 sub, but this thing made it SHINE.)I haven't heard too many dacs, but I have hearded my fair share - ranging from $200 to multiple of the 2k dacs. You simply won't get a better value than this. If you can stretch for the x20, its even better. The x20 is probably the very best deal in the entire DAC world. This comes very close behind it, though. Love this thing. I promise you won't be disappointed. This is far from my first piece of audio gear, I have $20,000 in my listening speaker setup. You can trust my ear!