[393699]

Those are not the only options. You can upgrade your headphone amp/preamp. This is what I plan on doing next.

 

[TheR0v3r]

Those are not the only options. You can upgrade your headphone amp/preamp. This is what I plan on doing next.

Of course, you’re right Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on headphone amps and comparing notes.

My priority is improving the digital chain so that explains the limited options.

 

[TheR0v3r]

Maybe grouping DAC’s along the normal distribution curve would help us understand what different ”tiers” actually mean:

Does being a full tier above mean that it’s performance is among the group of top 0.1% DAC’s in the world? Or the top 2.1%? I have the x18 at least in the top 15.8%

The more I listen to DAC’s the more I get the impression that most sound pretty similar, ie they are part of the majority within one standard deviaton from the mean. Some are slightly better and some are slightly less ”worse” but more similar than different.

Let me just return to the normal distribution curve.

Looking at the X18 and it’s performance (objective and subjective) out of the box I’d place in the large group of DAC’s within one standard deviation above the mean (34.1%). Inserting galvanic isolation and changing fuses (no idea why it works!) places it within the smaller group of DAC’s between one and two standard deviations from the mean (13.6%). As a reference, I’d place many of the more well known DAC’s in this group also. Here we have the differences rather than improvements

Now for me the question becomes, what more is possible with the X18? Is it possible to push it into the group between two and three standard deviations from the mean (2.1%) and at what cost? Is for example the A26 already there and, if so, how was that accomplished? That would be an amazing feat! As a reference, I’d probably place both the Chord DAVE w/ mScaler along with the Chord Hugo TT2 w/ mScaler in that group but it’s been a long time since I heard them.

IMHO.

P.S. I’d put the Ideon Audio Absolute Epsilon in the small group (0.1%) of exceptional DAC’s.

 

[Cuthbert 80]

Let me just return to the normal distribution curve.

Looking at the X18 and it’s performance (objective and subjective) out of the box I’d place in the large group of DAC’s within one standard deviation above the mean (34.1%). Inserting galvanic isolation and changing fuses (no idea why it works!) places it within the smaller group of DAC’s between one and two standard deviations from the mean (13.6%). As a reference, I’d place many of the more well known DAC’s in this group also. Here we have the differences rather than improvements

Now for me the question becomes, what more is possible with the X18? Is it possible to push it into the group between two and three standard deviations from the mean (2.1%) and at what cost? Is for example the A26 already there and, if so, how was that accomplished? That would be an amazing feat! As a reference, I’d probably place both the Chord DAVE w/ mScaler along with the Chord Hugo TT2 w/ mScaler in that group but it’s been a long time since I heard them.

IMHO.

P.S. I’d put the Ideon Audio Absolute Epsilon in the small group (0.1%) of exceptional DAC’s.

Haha...it's funny you mention fuses.

As someone who owns both the X18 and the Gustard U18 DDC....I'm gonna copy this wall of text I wrote in another thread right here below:

Guys,

Something has happened to my Meze 109 Pros.

I barely post here much cause I've been so happy and content with these cans since I purchased them in October of last year.

The only slight issue I had with the 109 Pros was the slight lack of sub bass from around 35hz and lower. This is mostly correctable via EQ, if you're into that kind of thing.

As a little twist of this story, the bass and sub bass of this bloody headphone has made a serious transformation in literally the past week. Not only is it considerably stronger in the lower frequencies, it is also seemingly deeper. Those 30-40hz regions...I can now actually FEEL the vibrations that could not be felt before. It acts very convincingly like a real subwoofer lol...it's kind of crazy. The rest of the upper frequency range has mainly stayed the same, although micro dynamics has increased somewhat. The whole sound is a lot thicker. The mid range is more dense but still extremely detailed and articulate. Vocals can sound really amazing sometimes. It is just so punchy and dynamic now in general. I can literally feel the air being pushed from the deep sub bass area which creates a little sound pressure. It's madness lol.

This is NOT the same headphone that I heard compared to my early days of ownership.

I don't know exactly what's happened or changed objectively but I think I know what the "culprit" is.

So, I'm gonna rule out headphone/brain burn-in...I've had these cans since Oct 2022 dammit.

Last year I bought a number of "upgrades" for my Gustard stack (U18 DDC + X18 DAC + H16 Amp). First, I bought new power cords for my amp and DAC from not so famous companies from Amazon. Next, I bought 3 new "Hi-Fi" fuses from Gustard. Yes....I know....we're heading to "snake oil" territory here...I'm not even sorry lol cause these 109 Pros have changed drastically in sound.

I don't believe the 2 new semi-fancy power cords I bought changed the sound of my headphones....I think it might have been the fuses...of course I'm not going to claim this is a fact though.

What I find so confusing is why the change in sound has been so dramatic in the space of roughly one week.

I did a small amount of research on "Hi-Fi" fuses and didn't know that burn-in for them was even a thing. I was highly skeptical.

My gut feeling is that the combination of the 3 Gustard fuses I bought made an audible change in sound to the low end of my 109 Pros.

Let me repeat that regarding the fuses, this is my gut feeling and NOT a fact. I normally take huge grains of salt when looking at marketing blabber from companies but with how Gustard described the "sound" of their fuses on their website...I hate to admit it but from what I hear...it sounds fairly accurate.

I would love for anyone more smarter than I am to chime in and tell me what the hell happened to my source chain? Why is there all of a sudden, such a big increase in the low end of my Meze's? Is it more of a "perceived" increase because of something else going on in the chain? What's happening lol?

I apologise for my rambling but I'm just shocked how much a headphone sound can change so dramatically lol

Btw, I'm not actually complaining about the change in sound of these headphones....this is actually the change I wanted

 

[TheR0v3r]

Haha...it's funny you mention fuses.

As someone who owns both the X18 and the Gustard U18 DDC....I'm gonna copy this wall of text I wrote in another thread right here below:

Guys,

Something has happened to my Meze 109 Pros.

I barely post here much cause I've been so happy and content with these cans since I purchased them in October of last year.

The only slight issue I had with the 109 Pros was the slight lack of sub bass from around 35hz and lower. This is mostly correctable via EQ, if you're into that kind of thing.

As a little twist of this story, the bass and sub bass of this bloody headphone has made a serious transformation in literally the past week. Not only is it considerably stronger in the lower frequencies, it is also seemingly deeper. Those 30-40hz regions...I can now actually FEEL the vibrations that could not be felt before. It acts very convincingly like a real subwoofer lol...it's kind of crazy. The rest of the upper frequency range has mainly stayed the same, although micro dynamics has increased somewhat. The whole sound is a lot thicker. The mid range is more dense but still extremely detailed and articulate. Vocals can sound really amazing sometimes. It is just so punchy and dynamic now in general. I can literally feel the air being pushed from the deep sub bass area which creates a little sound pressure. It's madness lol.

This is NOT the same headphone that I heard compared to my early days of ownership.

I don't know exactly what's happened or changed objectively but I think I know what the "culprit" is.

So, I'm gonna rule out headphone/brain burn-in...I've had these cans since Oct 2022 dammit.

Last year I bought a number of "upgrades" for my Gustard stack (U18 DDC + X18 DAC + H16 Amp). First, I bought new power cords for my amp and DAC from not so famous companies from Amazon. Next, I bought 3 new "Hi-Fi" fuses from Gustard. Yes....I know....we're heading to "snake oil" territory here...I'm not even sorry lol cause these 109 Pros have changed drastically in sound.

I don't believe the 2 new semi-fancy power cords I bought changed the sound of my headphones....I think it might have been the fuses...of course I'm not going to claim this is a fact though.

What I find so confusing is why the change in sound has been so dramatic in the space of roughly one week.

I did a small amount of research on "Hi-Fi" fuses and didn't know that burn-in for them was even a thing. I was highly skeptical.

My gut feeling is that the combination of the 3 Gustard fuses I bought made an audible change in sound to the low end of my 109 Pros.

Let me repeat that regarding the fuses, this is my gut feeling and NOT a fact. I normally take huge grains of salt when looking at marketing blabber from companies but with how Gustard described the "sound" of their fuses on their website...I hate to admit it but from what I hear...it sounds fairly accurate.

I would love for anyone more smarter than I am to chime in and tell me what the hell happened to my source chain? Why is there all of a sudden, such a big increase in the low end of my Meze's? Is it more of a "perceived" increase because of something else going on in the chain? What's happening lol?

I apologise for my rambling but I'm just shocked how much a headphone sound can change so dramatically lol

Btw, I'm not actually complaining about the change in sound of these headphones....this is actually the change I wanted

Yeah, it’s impossible (for me) to explain how changing fuses can improve the sound. But it does

I’m very curious about how you feel about the X18 with and without the U18. Any particular improvements?

P.S. Maybe we both have fallen for ”snake oil”. At least it wasn’t horribly expensive

 

[393699]

I am very interested in seeing reviews on the new Gustard H20 Pro headphone amp. If it is good, I am going to grab one to pair with my X18.

 

[TheR0v3r]

I am very interested in seeing reviews on the new Gustard H20 Pro headphone amp. If it is good, I am going to grab one to pair with my X18.

It will also look very good with the A26 we see in your future

 

[Cuthbert 80]

Yeah, it’s impossible (for me) to explain how changing fuses can improve the sound. But it does

I’m very curious about how you feel about the X18 with and without the U18. Any particular improvements?

P.S. Maybe we both have fallen for ”snake oil”. At least it wasn’t horribly expensive

The U18 added to the X18 is not a night and day difference, let me make this very clear lol.

The U18 basically increases all the stuff you like about the X18. Soundstage especially appears more deeper and holographic. More separation and airyness. Everything sounds crystal damn clear lol.

I was reluctant to purchase the U18 cause it's not exactly cheap. If you have a noisy gaming PC like I do....you'll very likely hear and appreciate the difference.

Have to stress though that the X18 by itself was a pretty substantial upgrade over my X16 DAC. Considerably more smoother, very noticable extention in the top end and a lovely bass/sub-bass.

 

[TheR0v3r]

The U18 added to the X18 is not a night and day difference, let me make this very clear lol.

The U18 basically increases all the stuff you like about the X18. Soundstage especially appears more deeper and holographic. More separation and airyness. Everything sounds crystal damn clear lol.

I was reluctant to purchase the U18 cause it's not exactly cheap. If you have a noisy gaming PC like I do....you'll very likely hear and appreciate the difference.

Have to stress though that the X18 by itself was a pretty substantial upgrade over my X16 DAC. Considerably more smoother, very noticable extention in the top end and a lovely bass/sub-bass.

Excellent description, thank you.

And with that is it time to upgrade your “Head fi Level”?

 

[TheR0v3r]

So the past week I’ve had the opportunity to listen to the Ideon at length. And my previous comments still stand - it just sounds great! The sound is very ”lively” (for lack of a better term) and ”lifelike”, it’s actually a physical experience! Maybe it’s just a bit warm and ”bloomy” in the lower bass but it could also have been the room. The sound leans towards reference neutral with a touch of warmth. I’ll put it in the top 0.1% of DAC’s

The funny thing was that the longer I listened, jumping from track to track, the more pleased I felt about my system at home. The Ideon is clearly better than my X18 but clearly means that it’s slightly better in many areas. Of course it adds up but ONLY if you have a system and room that scales with it. Listening to Led Zeppelin playing ”Bring It On Home” from the album ”How the West Was Won” they had a presence and physicality that I’ve never experienced before. OMG! As I sat there I thought that there is no way this experience is going to be replicated in any headphone system.

So what now? The hunt for the perfect DAC is over, at least for me. And the unexpected conclusion is that I seriously question the point of such a DAC in a headphone system. Bragging rights? Sure! Better sound? Not so sure, but I’am sure that there are other parts of a headphone system that make a much bigger difference.

The Ideon Absolute DAC was absolutely (pun intended!) great but also too expensive for me. What to do?

One interesting thing is some of the same technology that went in to that DAC is also available as a standalone product: The Ideon Audio 3R Master Time Black Star. It’s a type of product called a ”reclocker” that cleans up the incoming USB-signal before outputing it to a DAC via USB. It’s similar to a DDC but the difference is that it doesn’t do any actual conversion to other digital interfaces.

Anyway I have been auditioning it in my system with the X18 during the weekend and the first signs are very, very promising. (The Ideon Absolute DAC was auditioned at my local shop, no point in asking to audition stuff at home that you can’t buy.)

The 3R Master Time costs €2750 so that is also a expensive product and that would take the total cost to around €3500 (including the X18 but excluding cables). If it can elevate the performence of the X18 to the small group of DAC’s among the top 2.1% it would make sense, otherwise it won’t.

Let’s see

P.S. After this I might take a look at the A26. It also seems to have the weaknesses in the implementation of USB so a little hesistant about the potential benefits of an ”upgrade”. We’ll see.

 

[393699]

You should take a look at the SMSL SU-10 as well.

 

[TheR0v3r]

You should take a look at the SMSL SU-10 as well.

Took a quick look at it and saw that it runs 2x 9038Pro…

In a previous post I wrote:

The 9038 should NOT run in dual-mono IMHO and in the X18 it doesn’t. Great choice!

Using 2x 9038Pro doesn’t make any sense to me. It adds complexity but no tangible performance benefits.

IMHO.

 

[393699]

All 8 channels on both DAC chips are still being fully utilized. The SU-10 has 21 of the OPA1612A opamps in the analog section as well.

 

[TheR0v3r]

All 8 channels on both DAC chips are still being fully utilized. The SU-10 has 21 of the OPA1612A opamps in the analog section as well.

But why? What’s the point?

 

[393699]

This is just an update with my X18. Just like Cuthbert 80 and TheR0v3r did, I also ended up doing the fuse upgrade a couple days ago. Upgrading the fuse ended up improving bass tightness and definition. Vocals became noticeably clearer and more up in front in the music. Soundstage width and depth, as well as treble detail and clarity also improved. I highly recommend doing the fuse upgrade.