[Palyodgree]

Waiting for your comparison with rockna and holo Dac.

I have already , I have access to two models of Rockna, your welcome to pm me Ken .

 

[rodthebod]

I have already , I have access to two models of Rockna, your welcome to pm me Ken .

Would be very nice to know what your observations have been Palyodgree, for everyone here, I'm sure....... I was tempted by the Rockna before discovering the R26.

 

[Palyodgree]

I will, i belong to a group of music enthusiasts my wallet isn’t as fat as the others in the group however I’m treated good we’ve all experienced audio snobs. My R26 is going into my office system however I’m going to visit the others in the group with the R26 after I run it in . two members use Rockna the standard WaveDream XLR and the hideously expensive Rockna Signature dac along with other dacs other members have like the Holo Audio . I find listening with different systems combination front ends, speakers , amplifiers , wire sometimes you get a better overall taste of said component. From what I was told the R26 is a huge bang for the buck plus the reviews from a couple of competent reliable online reviewers speaks volumes for the R26.

 

[kenjamin0523]

I have already , I have access to two models of Rockna, your welcome to pm me Ken .

Hi, I mean a comparison about R26 with rockna and Holo May.

 

[Palyodgree]

Hi, I mean a comparison about R26 with rockna and Holo May.

Most times you get what you pay for , the Rockna WaveDream XLR and Holo Audio May are just two heavy weights in and around their price category , I owned both however they were replaced with Merason Dac 1 , slightly edged them both out in one single category, they certainly sound different the human pitch tone and timbre and sub bass notes out of the Merason is exceptional the new owner of the Holo Audio disagree that’s ok .

 

[Alcophone]

Oops. It's an SBG6950, but I'm inclined to think it's the ZenStream causing the difficulties, and iFi's hastily cobbled together software (conjecture your honor!). Hopefully I can get CS to respond and speak with someone later today. Not connecting when I try the router either.

Ah, okay. Otherwise it could be that you're running a DHCP server on both the modem and the router with different IP address ranges, so the streamer (or future R26) could get an IP address from the modem that your phone (with an IP address from the router in a different subnet) can't see. But since it's not working with the router, either it may well be iFi, there have been some struggles when messing with network settings. Always good to check if a PC connected that way works fine.

You seem to be in the wrong thread. This is the R26 thread.

Since the R26 has Ethernet, Ethernet related questions are bound to come up. The question here was whether it should be possible to connect his future R26 to his modem and the Zen Stream served as a substitute for testing.

 

[BShaw]

Ah, okay. Otherwise it could be that you're running a DHCP server on both the modem and the router with different IP address ranges, so the streamer (or future R26) could get an IP address from the modem that your phone (with an IP address from the router in a different subnet) can't see. But since it's not working with the router, either it may well be iFi, there have been some struggles when messing with network settings. Always good to check if a PC connected that way works fine.


Since the R26 has Ethernet, Ethernet related questions are bound to come up. The question here was whether it should be possible to connect his future R26 to his modem and the Zen Stream served as a substitute for testing.

Thanks Alcophone, I'm hoping iFi will step up here because I know a lot of people have had connectivity issues with the ZS. As you said, the whole purpose of this exercize is to make sure the network is ready for the R26. I can't wait to just be able to plug into the Gustard, and be rid of the extraneous devices and cables!

 

[ray12345]

2) The external 10Mhz clock does improve resolution, however at the expense of musicality. I'm happier with the music without an external clock. I was using genuine Gustard cables but with a less expensive LHY clock.

Unfortunately, when it comes to clock, quality matters. I am afraid your result only proves that LHY clock is worse than the internal K2 clock of R26. Change it to a C18 and you will notice the difference. Actually C18 is the minimum one should get, anything with a lower price tag is probably worse than the original clock, playing with clock is expensive .....

3) I'm getting better music using a high quality SPDIF (rca) cable compared to the I2S which sounds very good but slightly flat in comparison.

Again, the quality of the I2S cable matters a lot. Your test result shows that your SPDIF cable is much better than your I2S cable. With a good I2S cable, the I2S should sound better. Soundstage of I2S should sound more 3D compared to SPDIF.

4) I get the best results using the U18/SPDIF combination compared to LAN which has slightly more glare and the background isn't quite as black. The LAN sounds very good, just not quite as good.

No doubt on this, U18 + R26 will sound more detailed than LAN. The only culprit is you need quality USB and I2S cables on top of the cost of U18 and a streamer.

 

[EMINENT]

Unfortunately, when it comes to clock, quality matters. I am afraid your result only proves that LHY clock is worse than the internal K2 clock of R26. Change it to a C18 and you will notice the difference. Actually C18 is the minimum one should get, anything with a lower price tag is probably worse than the original clock, playing with clock is expensive .....


Again, the quality of the I2S cable matters a lot. Your test result shows that your SPDIF cable is much better than your I2S cable. With a good I2S cable, the I2S should sound better. Soundstage of I2S should sound more 3D compared to SPDIF.


No doubt on this, U18 + R26 will sound more detailed than LAN. The only culprit is you need quality USB and I2S cables on top of the cost of U18 and a streamer.

What is the quality i2s you speak of?

 

[ray12345]

What is the quality i2s you speak of?

I use Phasure USB and I2S. Don't want to sound like an ad, there are probably other better USB and I2S cables on market, but costing an arm and a leg to me. Even Phasure is not cheap to me, but I just couldn't find anything cheaper that sounds the same.

 

[Nada]

No doubt on this, U18 + R26 will sound more detailed than LAN.

Did you try this yourself? What LAN set up did you use?

 

[ray12345]

Did you try this yourself? What LAN set up did you use?

Yes, I connect the LAN direct to my Netgear router. For U18, it is laptop to U18 to R26.

 

[comzee]

Just to give a counter opinion, I found LAN to be better than U18.
I was also feeding U18 super clean USB source via an Allo USB Bridge, powered via LPS.

I found U18 weakest point is soundstage, LAN to me has more depth and accuracy.

And yes, I have good speakers + amp.
I have Omega Alnico hemp (more resolution than hd800) and Elekit 8600S (with vcaps + WE300b)

EDIT:

what USB cable are you using?

I'm using genuine Belkin Gold USB.
It has been generally heralded as the best price vs performance USB cable for audio for a decade.
It has been endlessly compared against the most expensive audiophile USB cables, and has always came out near the top.

Will I admit a better USB cable than mine could make a difference, yes.
But I don't think, even close, the difference a better cable over my Belkin, would change the results of my U18 vs LAN abx.

 

[ray12345]

Just to give a counter opinion, I found LAN to be better than U18.
I was also feeding U18 super clean USB source via an Allo USB Bridge, powered via LPS.

I found U18 weakest point is soundstage, LAN to me has more depth and accuracy.

And yes, I have good speakers + amp.
I have Omega Alnico hemp (more resolution than hd800) and Elekit 8600S (with vcaps + WE300b)

what USB cable are you using?

 

[ray12345]

Will I admit a better USB cable than mine could make a difference, yes.
But I don't think, even close, the difference a better cable over my Belkin, would change the results of my U18 vs LAN abx.

I beg to differ, USB cable is very important in a high end hifi CAS system, it affects substantially the musicality, soundstage, timbre on my system ..... basically everything, I can just switch USB cable to another cable and I would feel I don't want to listen to the whole system anymore.

Since I have C18, I should also clarify I am actually comparing C18+U18+R26 and C18+R26, not U18 alone, maybe your result is different because of just U18 alone, I don't know. YMMV depending on your system.