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Apos Gustard-16 Ensemble
Note: Looking to pair a set of headphones, IEMs, or another piece of gear? Click the “Request a Headphone Pairing” button to chat with our Support Team, get suggestions, and save even more.
Apos Ensembles are equipment bundles that have been specially curated by our team of audio professionals. Just as an ensemble refers to a group of musicians playing together, each of our ensembles is a coordinated group of equipment that we’ve brought together to form a superior listening experience.
Meet the Gustard-16 Series Ensemble
The stars of the Gustard-16 Ensemble are the Gustard X16 DAC and the Gustard H16 headphone amp. The X16 contains the world’s first DAC chip that has built-in MQA rendering.
The H16 has best-in-class SINAD rating as well as massive power output. A Fanmusic C006 balanced cable brings them together with pure-copper clarity.
The Gustard-16 Series Ensemble includes
DAC: Gustard X16 DAC
Headphone Amp: Gustard H16 Headphone Amp
Interconnect: Fanmusic C006 XLR cable
Pair a Headphone For More Savings
Below, you’ll find a list of headphones we recommend for the SMSL SU-9 Ensemble. Although any of these headphones will prove an excellent complement to the ensemble, they represent different price points and sound signatures, so we invite you to explore their product pages for more information.
We will of course pair any headphone, IEM, or piece of equipment in our store with the Ensemble. All you have to do is click the “Request a Headphone Pairing” button above to speak to our Support Team and see how much you’ll save.
Our headphone recommendations
Product highlights
Note: For full specs, please visit the individual product pages.
Gustard X16 DAC
Two ES9068S DACs
XMOS’ xCORE-200 series 16-core XU216 processor
Supports native DSD 32-bit PCM
MQA full expansion decoding.
COAX/AES/OPT/IIS supports MQA hardware rendering
Sample rates:
COAX: PCM 16-24bit/44.1-192kHz; DSD DOP64
AES: PCM 16-24bit/44.1-192kHz; DSD DOP64
OPT: PCM 16-24bit/44.1-192kHz; DSD DOP64
USB: PCM 16-24bit/44.1-768kHz; DSD DOP64-DOP256; Native DSD: DSD64-DSD512
IIS: PCM 16-24bit/44.1-768kHz; DSD DOP64-DOP256; Native DSD: DSD64-DSD512
Bluetooth 5.0: PCM LDAC, AAC, SBC, APTX, APTX LL, APTX HD, and other high frequency encoding, LDAC can achieve 24B/96K high code transmission
Amplitude frequency response: 20-20,000Hz / ±0.08dB
DNR: >126dB
Crosstalk: -130dB @ 1kHz
THD+N: <0.0001% @ 1kHz
IMD: <0.0004% @-1dBFs
RCA output level: 1Vrms (volume 00dB), output impedance: 100Ω
XLR output level: 4Vrms (volume 00dB), output impedance: 300Ω
Gustard H16 Headphone Amp
6.35mm unbalanced output impedance: 0.1Ω
Balanced port (4.4, 3.5, 4-pin XLR) output impedance: 0.2Ω
Frequency response range: 20,000 - 80,000Hz
SNR (headphone output): >118dB
SNR (pre-amp output): 120dB
Channel crosstalk (headphone out): -118dB
Channel crosstalk (pre-amp out): -120dB
THD+N (headphone out): <0.0005%
THD+N (pre-amp out): <0.0004%
Fanmusic C006 Cable
Material: Two-core braided HiFi line L-2T2S of CANARE
Jack: Black Gold-Plated NC3MXX-B and NC3FXX-B of NEUTRIK
Wire Length: 20cm (excluding plug)
Number of Conductors: 2pcs
Dan Clark Audio Æon 2
Type: Open-back or Closed-back
Driver: Planar Magnetic
Efficiency: 92dB
Impedance: 13ohms
Cable: Detachable 2m premium dual-entry cable with 1/4" termination
Weight: 340g
QUAD ERA-1 Planar Magnetic Headphone
Type: Open-back
Driver: Planar Magnetic
Impedance: 20 ohms
Sensitivity: 94db/mW
Frequency Response Range: 10 Hz - 40 kHz
Total Harmonic Distortion: ≤0.2% (1kHz,100dB)
Related Input Power: 100mW
Weight: 420g (without cable)
HIFIMAN Arya
Type: Open Back
Driver: Planar Magnetic
Frequency Response: 8Hz-65kHz
Impedance: 35Ω
Sensitivity: 90dB
Cable: 1.5m Crystalline Copper Cable
Weight: 14.3oz (404g)
HIFIMAN HE1000v2
Type: Open Back
Driver: Planar Magnetic
Frequency Response: 8Hz-65kHz
Impedance: 35W
Sensitivity: 90 dB
Weight: 14.8 oz (420g)
HIFIMAN Ananda
Type: Open-back
Driver: Planar Magnetic
Frequency Response: 8Hz-55KHz
Impedance: 25Ω
Sensitivity: 103dB
Weight: 14.7oz (399g)
Includes: 1.5m cable (3.5mm), 3m cable (6.35mm)
HIFIMAN Sundara
Type: Open-back
Driver: Planar Magnetic
Frequency Response: 6Hz - 75kHz
Impedance: 37 ohms
Sensitivity: 94db
Weight: 13.1oz (372g)
Cable Length: 1.5m
Headphone Connectors: 3.5mm
Audeze LCD-2 Open Back
Type: Over-ear, open-back
Driver: Planar Magnetic
Frequency response: 10 - 50,000Hz
Impedance: 70Ω
Sensitivity: 101 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point)
Weight: 1.31lbs (595g) (Rosewood), 1.27lbs (580g) (Shedua/Bamboo)
Audeze LCD-X
Type: Over-ear, open-back
Driver: Planar Magnetic
Frequency response: 10 - 50,000Hz
Impedance: 20Ω
Sensitivity: 103 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point)
Weight: 1.39lbs (635g)