This Gustard U18 USB digital interface features a high-quality design that delivers excellent performance and accurate audio reproduction. The U18 input uses the second generation XMOS XU216 USB interface with 16 cores. The audio signal is completely isolated using a 200Mbps isolator to eliminate interference. It is then processed, adjusted if necessary, and jitter removed using the Altera MAX II CPLD.
To generate extremely accurate clock signal, the U18 uses two Accusilicon AS338 oscillators with just 38 fs jitter and a Gustard K2 ultra-low noise clock synthesizer. Additionally, the clock is powered by an LT3045 linear regulator with a noise level of just 0.8 µVrms. The power stage uses a large custom toroidal transformer optimized for audio use.
The Gustard U18 offers optical Toslink, coaxial, AES and I2S via HDMI as audio outputs. The latter output supports high-resolution audio streams up to PCM 32bit 768 kHz and DSD512. Moreover, the I2S pinout is customizable in 4 modes to adapt to most devices on the market. Finally, we note the presence of an MCLK input and a WCK output on the BNC. Available in silver and black finishes.
Price: $1699
