@noelpastor
I’m a happy owner of an 005 who has only been a casual contributer to this thread. What you write is not unlike what was written by some about the 005 in the very long 005 thread. So just a comment here.
You write that the 006 "unlike the Gustard (X30) does not have any pro reviews." Let’s get serious here. Anyone with a laptop or an iphone can call himself a "reviewer." These guys are all over the internet and one thing in common is that there is no supervision by another person, a serious editor, as in the legacy publications. The first printed review that comes up if you google "Gustard X30" is written by a guy for whom each new component is the best ever, thinks he is being paid by the word, repeats much of a manufacturer’s promo material, and like others of his ilk has gotten many of his review samples as gifts rather than loans from the manufacturers. A while ago there was a lot of discussion all over about that. A good review promotes a good resale value. That reviewer, like so many other internet reviewers, does so many reviews that they use each component for just a short time. Like the old reviews in Stereo Review and High Fidelity, they are only useful to learn what knobs and connectors each one has. Moreover, they know that the moment they do a critical review no manufacturer will again send them a component for review! Asking an 005 or 006 owner if they have compared to another recent component usually comes up empty as they are not reviwers. They only know what they have used, long term, before.
In another post you ask about the possibility of a malfunction. I don’t know what your options generally are where you live. However, you should be aware that with all that has been written about the 005 and 006 I don’t believe anyone has ever written of a problem with these units. Quality parts and quality control seems to be at a very high level. I write here about the 005 since I have not examined an 006. Like many other quality units from China, it is built in a very modular way. Therefore if there is a malfunction it can usually be traced to a circuit board tha can be lifted out and sent in for inspection and repair. So one does not have to send in the complete unit. But one should be comfortable doing that. 006 owners may want to comment here.
Of course it is comforting to have read praise from the "pro reviewers" before a purchase. However many of us have found comfort in reading of long term satisfaction such as is found in threads like this even though the contributers don’t have experience with many different units. Here in the US one can buy a Gustard from Amazon with an easy return. You should do what you are comfortable with. Your money, your anxiety, your choice.
