After about ~3 years of enjoying the Allo Katana ES9038 DAC I have moved on to a Gustard x26Pro. The Katana measured, on a relative basis, well and frankly introduced me to what hifi could sound like after moving through numerous CD players over the years. The rational for the Gustard x26Pro was that it and its predecessor the x26 measured well, got a few good reviews and looks darn good on the inside. 

Definitely a step up in sound authority in my system. Most notably in that upper mid-range treble/tweeter area where the snare, high-hat cymbals and percussion instruments reside. Leaner and more refined. That and further definition across the mid-range spectrum of instruments and vocals. Bass digs deep while maintaining tightness. Lastly, it is still early listening, but channel separation and yet holographic/3D sound-stage jumps out (as only a crazy oxymoron could (ツ). Vivid PCM filter has got some secret-sauce on it.
Anyway, I’m pretty happy and hopefully nothing fails anytime soon. Happy listening!







Reviews:

soundnews.net/sources/dacs/gustard-x26-pro-dac-review/

www.head-fi.org/showcase/gustard-x26pro.25073/reviews#review-25620

Measurements on the x26Pro:
www.l7audiolab.com/f/measurements-of-gustard-x26-pro/

Measurements on the predecessor x26:
www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-gustard-dac-x26.7007/