[camrector]

Question to the entire group???

We are about 6 months out since the R26 has been released. How is this group feeling about the R26? Meeting or exceeding expectations or are you disappointed / bored and looking for a change?

I will go first: For the money I think the R26 is the best DAC out there. I wish there was more comparisons to the Holo Spring 3 KTE as that was the other DAC I was considering but for now my expectations have been exceeded and not looking to acquire another DAC for some time.. You?

I thought about this question last night. I don’t see myself upgrading for a long time.
I’ve had 6 DACs within 2 years. This one is gonna stay. Mainly because the next step up for me would be in the $6000-$20000 range. (MAY, Lina, Playback Dream)

I might get something in the $1500-$2000 range that would handle DSD content only. (R26s only weak link)

 

[Deleeh]

@duffer5

On Saturday I have the R26 then 3 weeks.
I haven't regretted buying it since I unpacked it, quite the opposite.
The anticipation was already huge, but that the sound makes me happy with similar joy after you click on buy and get notified that it is on its way I would not have thought.

In the short time I have also dared to go directly to the Fmc boxes, and was amazed at how good it is.
This week if Hermes is nice the Finisar Aoc cable should arrive.
I'm looking forward to seeing what it will bring.

I changed the fuse and can say that with the Su 2 via I2S it is really amazingly good and more than satisfactory.
It works equally well on the stereo system and on the tube headphone amplifier, which is rare.
I am looking forward to more sessions in a relaxed way.
I used to think that when someone said they were reliving their music playlist, they must have a shot.
Well, now I have one too .

Seriously for the money it offers it's amazing and I'm happy to compare it to a Spring 3, I'd be interested to see if the R26 can keep up or not.
I almost bought the Ladder Schumann Dac instead of the R26.
But the Lan connection was somehow tempting.

 

[Dandoudou]

Hello,

@Dandoudou
The one in the Gustard is the normal glass fuse with a replacement fuse of the same type.
(So made of glass standard version)

If you are interested in others this one is quite good for its price.
https://www.subbase-audio.de/portfolio_page/refine-fuses/?lang=en

I've had it in my Su 2,R26 and Euforia tube amp for 10 days now and I think it's made a good contribution.
The timing is certainly better as well as the energy as described - I have to say that and I also think that it adds a bit more timbre.
The instruments are also subtly more in focus.
Since I put them in I find the R26 really fun to listen to.
When I got the R26 I was missing something small and I think this is it.

Would try these first before thinking about the SR Purpel.

Thank you for the tip.
I ordered the Acme fuse on January 4th, and it was not shipped yet.

 

[nicks25]

A question for anyone using a Finisar AOC with a Fiber Media Converter. I read that you should not use a 10Gb SFP with a 1Gb Fiber Media Converter. Anyone paired the Finisar AOC with the 10GTek FMC or the TP-Link MC220L? Thanks.

 

[Odezra]

I thought about this question last night. I don’t see myself upgrading for a long time.
I’ve had 6 DACs within 2 years. This one is gonna stay. Mainly because the next step up for me would be in the $6000-$20000 range. (MAY, Lina, Playback Dream)

I might get something in the $1500-$2000 range that would handle DSD content only. (R26s only weak link)

I have had a similar journey to you @camrector.

I have had 4-5 DACs over a few years on the head-fi side before building my speaker system.

I bought the Gustard on a punt after watching / reading Sandy’s reviews and this thread. I had some Amazon vouchers stashed away and thought I could flip the r26 if the purchase didn’t work out. I half expected another topping experience and that it was mostly consumer hype - and that I’d probably be flipping the unit on..

So far (after 3-4 months) - I have no intention of selling. The DAC sounds amazing and it’s creates a really natural sound that synergises well with my system. I think the next step for me would be a 5k-20k dac also, which would mean a broader system overhaul.

It’s also scaled really well with the tweaks. I removed them all the other day just to see what it sounded like and it’s v good but the improvement from the tweaks are substantial.

It’s a great dac for the price and looking at the dac market right now, you’d need to spend substantially more to get a step change improvement in performance.

 

[duffer5]

A question for anyone using a Finisar AOC with a Fiber Media Converter. I read that you should not use a 10Gb SFP with a 1Gb Fiber Media Converter. Anyone paired the Finisar AOC with the 10GTek FMC or the TP-Link MC220L? Thanks.

I am using the Finisar AOC with the 10GTek FMC without issue. Solid and sounds great.

 

[BShaw]

A question for anyone using a Finisar AOC with a Fiber Media Converter. I read that you should not use a 10Gb SFP with a 1Gb Fiber Media Converter. Anyone paired the Finisar AOC with the 10GTek FMC or the TP-Link MC220L? Thanks.

Mine is paired with the MC220Ls, works great!

 

[nicks25]

Mine is paired with the MC220Ls, works great!

Thank you for the confirmation!

 

[Knobstler]

There is one for Audirvana and Roon.

I know I currently use both. but Roon seems to sound better through my Mac mini core. but the pricing is just terrible

 

[cobrabucket]

Question to the entire group???

We are about 6 months out since the R26 has been released. How is this group feeling about the R26? Meeting or exceeding expectations or are you disappointed / bored and looking for a change?

I will go first: For the money I think the R26 is the best DAC out there. I wish there was more comparisons to the Holo Spring 3 KTE as that was the other DAC I was considering but for now my expectations have been exceeded and not looking to acquire another DAC for some time.. You?

I have had my R26 for about 8 weeks and have loved every second of it.
Even out of the box it sounded refined and spacious.
And it only got better as it burned in. Definitely has exceeded my expectations.
Fluid, musical, holographic, organic, natural. These are some of the buzzwords I most associate with this DAC.
I listen to basically every type of music and am always looking for gear that plays well with all genres.
While the R26 has certain specialties (Live, Acoustic, Jazz, etc.), it works well with everything I throw at it.
I previously owned a Schiit Gungnir MultiBit. And while it is really an amazingly well-rounded DAC, to me the R26 beats it in nearly every facet.

Now we just need that firmware update to turn off the display when not needed...
That's definitely important to me because I want to be able to extend the life of the display.

Anyways, excellent question @duffer5. I can envision myself owning this DAC for quite a while.

 

[Dandoudou]

I know I currently use both. but Roon seems to sound better through my Mac mini core. but the pricing is just terrible

In my system, Roon and Audirvana sound the same in Bit-Perfect mode.
While upsampling, Audirvana sounds a bit better, but Roon sounds good as well.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

I know I currently use both. but Roon seems to sound better through my Mac mini core. but the pricing is just terrible

I am trying myself too at this very moment. At first I thought Audirvana has an edge because the acoustics/drums rumbles/rings on my ears. But when I shifted to Roon, it is more balanced and has more definition. And when I shifted again to Audirvana, noticed this sonic hump on the mids that brings impact but kind of muffles/overpowers the rest of the mix. Just initial reaction/observation. A bummer since its price is reachable.

 

[vperez]

Question to the entire group???

We are about 6 months out since the R26 has been released. How is this group feeling about the R26? Meeting or exceeding expectations or are you disappointed / bored and looking for a change?

I will go first: For the money I think the R26 is the best DAC out there. I wish there was more comparisons to the Holo Spring 3 KTE as that was the other DAC I was considering but for now my expectations have been exceeded and not looking to acquire another DAC for some time.. You?

I had the opportunity to hear the Holo May KTE at CAF in 2021 and 2022, and if my memory does not fail me, the only difference I found is: instrument separation. Holo May KTE does it better, I was able to hear all the instruments playing complex classical music with no effort, however R26 is not that far and for the price is hard to beat.

 

[migo]

For me was R26 disappointment, playback stuttering problems, hum problems, for asked price not really good. IMHO Sound was OK, but nothing magical, less resolution than X26Pro. But not everybody can be happy, right? So no problem here we have many choices to pick.

 

[Jake2]

For me was R26 disappointment, playback stuttering problems, hum problems, for asked price not really good. IMHO Sound was OK, but nothing magical, less resolution than X26Pro. But not everybody can be happy, right? So no problem here we have many choices to pick.

Indeed, different strokes for different folks, Gustard has quite the quiver now.