Marvey's DAC Chart of Awesomeness

You have comprehension issues.

I already stated that I was not going to audition it because to do so means buying one with no option to return it if I don't like it.

That it's predecessor wasn't competitive with other DACs just amplifies my aversion there. I don't think the original X20 is particularly competitive with DACs that cost less than it does (both with ESS and other architectures) and that are easily auditioned without having to commit to a purchase. The "framing" you've brought up twice now is down to your inability to read and/or understand what's being said.

If it's the best you've heard, then it's the best you've heard. That means nothing to anyone else. And since you've apparently not heard even a reasonable slice of the price-comparable DACs out there, how you can proclaim it as "the best bang for the buck" I don't know - at most it's the "best you've heard" - which is a long way from what you're proclaiming. And that seems faintly ridiculous to me.

 

Is there no 3rd party site or eBay seller outside of China selling them that has a return policy?

 

Just overseas sellers and Massdrop. Strike one...

 

I can think of so much stuff I would take over an X20.... Every DAC in my Delta Sigma Alternatives thread and most of the DACs on Marv's chart and list in this thread not in Classes S, P, Recommended for Others, or Beyond Classification.

 

The real question is it better or worse than the Apogee Groove that Sennheiser was giving away for free with the HD 650? Apogee at least writes their own filters and like AK players, nouveau riche Asian/Arab businessmen can buy it in gold and silver!

The MiniDAC kicks the X20's ass. RIP pre-Apple Store Apogee.

 

I think Massdrop is keeping them afloat. People see 20% off and they make an impulse buy.

 

Someone on USA Audiomart has a used one in good condition for $650.

 

A steal if it includes an R2 unit

 

When I auditioned the 2Qute next to the Hugo I was not able to discern any audible difference between the two at all.

 

So, about $400 more than it's worth then.

 

Best I can fathom they're either founder members of the audiophile chapter of "the terminally hard-of-thinking", had their critical thinking skills surgically removed at birth or are just unusually prone to this* sort of inane, breathless, virtual fappery.

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*GUTB "fans" will enjoy that thread.

 

There isn't one credible review for this anywhere on the web. That's all I'd need

 

Is it even worth that? Should be in the Odac range.

 

It's a lower-mid-fi D/S DAC ... unfortunately it's typically billed (sorry, I mean "shilled") as being upper-hi-fi/TOTL in performance while "selling" (or asking, at least) for solid mid-fi prices. It just seems to be a few, rather vocal, types that pop up, repeatedly, to praise it in various places.

It's definitely a better experience than the ODAC*.

But it's rather hard to take things at face value when in one breath it's proponents hail it as the 2nd coming, and in the next (sometimes without even pausing for punctuation) tell you that it's a transformational upgrade to stick cardboard under the transformers.

Of course the proof is in hearing the thing ... which is conveniently** difficult to do in any manner in which you wouldn't have to commit to ownership. That ought to raise it's own flags.

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*In the same sense that the process of contracting syphilis could be quite pleasant, and getting rid of it is supposedly not that involved, so the former probably trumps the latter.
**For those types selling it, at least.

 

Since we are talking about a 9028PRO DAC that has shoddy purchasing policies, any thought on adding the benchmark DAC 3 instead? They have 30 day audition. I'm quite happy with mine. Haven't heard the schiit DACs but compared to the AGD M11(don't kill me), the AD1955 based azur 851D and the chord mojo that I recently acquired from @Torq the benchmark definitely provides a cleaner treble, bass is the right amount as well. I know I'm pulling DACs from all over the price spectrum, just listed whatever Ive owned previously (can add the Sony UDA 1 to the list as well but that one is kinda disappointing, especially the headphone amp section)

 

That's the old version. The new version with the new chip, called the "X20 Pro" just came out last month.

All the Gustard hype is coming from Ric Schultz (who is selling mods for it), claiming it bests $8,000 to $20,000 & up DACs he heard. He was responsible for the EVS Millennium DAC line from a decade ago, which from all impressions I read were fairly good. He was also responsible for Virtual Dynamics cables, the famous thread from the head-fi thread where they cut it open & found it used a garden hose.

Here is a picture of some of his handiwork
https://i.imgur.com/ZhzvFcx.jpg