I recently bought a Gustard X18 DAC from Audiophonics and was blown away by its sound. It replaced my cheap but fantastic Khadas Tone Board DAC. I wrote my review of it on the Audiophonics website (https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-with-volume/gustard-x18-dac-es9038pro-xmos-i2s-cpld-accusilicon-bluetooth-50-32bit-768khz-dsd512-mqa-black-p-15888.html). I regularly follow numerous audiophile forums and I noticed that many people praise the USB Digital Interface when their music source is a PC. Since my main music source is a PC, I decided to pull the trigger and order the Gustard U18. The choice seemed logical to me, since I already had a Gustard X18 DAC. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect from this device, nor whether I would hear any improvement in the already excellent sound of my system. After a few days, the device arrived in excellent packaging, as I have come to expect from Audiophonics. As soon as I connected it and played the first bars of classical music, I was completely taken aback. The sound image became much clearer, and the dynamic contrasts more natural. It reminded me of the moment when I first put on my prescription glasses. Yes, they were nuances in the sound, but very audible. The timbre of musical instruments became clearer, and in some performances of large orchestras I noticed violin vibrato for the first time. The resonance of the piano strings was now heard more clearly, giving the piano sound an incredible realism. The sound image was clearer and the arrangement of instruments within the sound stage more precise. The Gustard U18 has been in my system for two months now, and every time I turn on the system, I am amazed by the sound that comes from it. I recommend it unreservedly to anyone whose sound source is a PC. An incredible device!
My system: PC, Supra Excalibur USB cable, Gustard U18 USB Digital Interface, AudioQuest Cinnamon HDMI cable, Gustard X18 DAC, Van Den Hul 3T The River interconnect cables, Marantz PM8006 amplifier, Canare 4S11 speaker cables and Graham Chartwell LS6 speakers