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

• Apos Caspian
• HIFIMAN Arya
• HIFIMAN HE1000v2
• HIFIMAN Ananda


• HIFIMAN Sundara
• Audeze LCD-2 Open Back
• Audeze LCD-X

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

Apos Caspian

• Fun-sounding, non-fatiguing for marathon sessions
• 50mm dynamic driver
• Open-back
• All-natural oak earcups sourced from the North Caucasus mountains
• Inch-deep sheepskin ear pads with acoustic memory-foam inner filling.
  
• Stainless steel yoke and headband
• Natural leather headband pad for all-day comfort 
• Aluminum alloy grille
• Graphene-coated multilayered composite membrane with variable thickness
  
• CCAW coil (aluminum core coated with oxygen-free copper)
• Internal litz wiring

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)