Today I made a test with 3 variants of connection of my R26
1. 15m cat7 cable from my router into Ifi Lan iSilencer into R26 - my standard connection
2. Tp link wifi extender (powered by ifi ipower X) into Ifi Lan iSilencer into R26
3. Tp link wifi extender (powered by powerbank) into Ifi Lan iSilencer into R26
The nr.1 and 2 sound the same to my ears.. but by the nr.3 it seemed to me that it is little bit better, hard to describe (blacker background, sharper contours of the tones, better dynamics) it doesnt make sense to me, because the ipower is low noise PS and the powerbanks can be noisy... if the nr.3 sound is on the same level as using the FMCs (probably it is..), then It is really good upgrade for small investment into FMCs...
Today I made a test with 3 variants of connection of my R26
1. 15m cat7 cable from my router into Ifi Lan iSilencer into R26 - my standard connection
2. Tp link wifi extender (powered by ifi ipower X) into Ifi Lan iSilencer into R26
3. Tp link wifi extender (powered by powerbank) into Ifi Lan iSilencer into R26
The nr.1 and 2 sound the same to my ears.. but by the nr.3 it seemed to me that it is little bit better, hard to describe (blacker background, sharper contours of the tones, better dynamics) it doesnt make sense to me, because the ipower is low noise PS and the powerbanks can be noisy... if the nr.3 sound is on the same level as using the FMCs (probably it is..), then It is really good upgrade for small investment into FMCs...
You’ll notice a bigger improvement with the FMCs.
My previous set up had no access to the apartments router. All we were given was a mesh extender. Going short Ethernet from the extender a switch to the first FMC was a fantastic solution.
I've heard this recommendation a few times, certainly has the benefit of no risk of ground loops or transmitted electrical noise on the shield/ground plane. I've also heard a few folk advocate a best-of-both worlds middle approach with shielding but terminated only at one end. Suspect it depends on the device too. From experience a triple shielded Furutech LAN-8 NCF (a top recommendation of a 'reasonably priced' step-up ethernet cable from the whats-the-best-usb-audio-cable-for-the-money thread) was quite an improvement over both an unshielded Cat 6 cable and a well shielded Cat 8 Amazon cable between my LPS powered switch and my R26. Assume shield was grounded at both ends. Both R26 and switch plugged into the same Puritan conditioner so no ground differential/risk of ground loops. Furutech > Amazon Cat 8 > generic Cat 6. YMMV clearly.
I've heard this recommendation a few times, certainly has the benefit of no risk of ground loops or transmitted electrical noise on the shield/ground plane. I've also heard a few folk advocate a best-of-both worlds middle approach with shielding but terminated only at one end. Suspect it depends on the device too. From experience a triple shielded Furutech LAN-8 NCF (a top recommendation of a 'reasonably priced' step-up ethernet cable from the whats-the-best-usb-audio-cable-for-the-money thread) was quite an improvement over both an unshielded Cat 6 cable and a well shielded Cat 8 Amazon cable between my LPS powered switch and my R26. Assume shield was grounded at both ends. Both R26 and switch plugged into the same Puritan conditioner so no ground differential/risk of ground loops. Furutech > Amazon Cat 8 > generic Cat 6. YMMV clearly.
If it’s built to cat7/cat8 standards the shield will be connected.
Maybe if you make your own you could leave the shield not connected.
But I wouldn’t risk undoing the benefits you just gained from the fiber isolation.
If it’s built to cat7/cat8 standards the shield will be connected.
Maybe if you make your own you could leave the shield not connected.
But I wouldn’t risk undoing the benefits you just gained from the fiber isolation.
As it happens after my FMCs pair I do have a UTP cat 5 cable with a DIY ‘3k’ carbon fibre cloth from AliX as a shield that is floating, not grounded at either end. Makes a positive difference to this and other Ethernet, USB and DC cables I tried it with. Includes a recently arrived (after below photo) pure silver Xangsane USB > DC cable I use from my Topping P50 LPS to the downstream FMC (the side closer to the R26 as DAC/streamer). As I speculate over in the ethernet cables and switches thread, this may be due to a mix of RFI shielding and vibration damping effects as the CF cloth is super supple and 'dead' to the touch.
The Xangsane DC cable is great btw, makes a surprising difference over the generic USB > DC cable that came with the Topping. Amazing how my modest FMCs, especially the downstream one, just lap up every incremental improvement in clean power I provide em...
If it’s built to cat7/cat8 standards the shield will be connected.
Maybe if you make your own you could leave the shield not connected.
But I wouldn’t risk undoing the benefits you just gained from the fiber isolation.
That's Cam's advice - it's reasonable enough for the reasons he states, so absolutely start with that.
But once you've gotten familiar with the sound I'd suggest swapping em around, see if you can hear any difference - and if so which you prefer. Trust your ears on this. There's a few variables in play that may mean what works better for one setup may not work quite as well for another including the noisiness/quietness of the downstream FMC power supply and the background level of radiated RFI - incl proximity to the wireless access point - that the final ethernet cable to the R26 is exposed to. Try to keep the wireless access point a distance away from the second FMC and R26 if you can.
That's Cam's advice - it's reasonable enough for the reasons he states, so absolutely start with that.
But once you've gotten familiar with the sound I'd suggest swapping em around, see if you can hear any difference - and if so which you prefer. Trust your ears on this. There's a few variables in play that may mean what works better for one setup may not work quite as well for another including the noisiness/quietness of the downstream FMC power supply and the background level of radiated RFI - incl proximity to the wireless access point - that the final ethernet cable to the R26 is exposed to. Try to keep the wireless access point a distance away from the second FMC and R26 if you can.
I have been running the Gustard R26 for 9 months with the FMC mod and sound quality is superb.
It feeds the Burson Soloist 3X GT 2023 with the upgrades that have incrementally cleaned up the sound (Supercharger, Power modules and V7 opamps).
A wide and certainly deep soundstage with lots of air and resolution. From bringing in the R26, the acoustics jump from a small initimate setting to a medium-large concert hall depending on recording. It really brings older recordings to life, transforming an otherwise two dimensional and intimate sound to a dynamic stage performance. The very dark background creates a pure, effortless sound. Best of R2R tonality and depth without compromising on resolution. Pales in comparison with the lower level delta sigma chip DACs I used.
But without the FMCs R26 the difference is quite noticeable. The stock USB is harsh sounding all around and lacks depth. OPT is a step above that. I2S fed into a cheap DDC (smsl PO100) then usb iSilencer to PC still doesn't compare. The LAN streamer and FMCs takes it to another level of smooth, clean and dynamic. Without them the Burson amp & upgrades don't reach their full potential.
Before the FMCs I had my sights on audio LAN switches and Lan isilencer. I didn't want to spend too much on that yet so I went with the Netgear GS108 on advice here, then went with the FMC mod. The GS108 is dedicated for the R26 alone. Cat7 shielded interconnects and Cat8 shielded from FMC2 to R26. I have not used any decent low noise power supply or conditioners as of yet, apart from the Burson supercharger and power modules. I run the second FMC to R26 on a powerbank.
Wow - lots of talk about switches here. But for something completely different, I am curious about some longer term thoughts on the R26's sonics.
I recently bought an R26. I've put about 300 hours on it, mostly via my headphone system. It honestly sounded underwhelming compared to its lower priced sibling - the Gustard X18 - until it hit about 200 hours, at which point it sounded markedly better.
At about 300 hours I moved it to its permanent place - in my speaker setup, where it is supposed to replace a Musician Draco. Immediately apparent is that the R26's soundstage is pretty incredible. In terms of physical dimensions, the R26's soundstage extended several feet beyond that of the Draco in all directions - which is shocking.
But the images are markedly less dense and the tonal colors much less saturated - making the R26 sound whispy and thin compared to the Draco. So while sounds within the soundstage are expanded, they don't stand out as starkly. While I didn't expect warm and syrupy, I did expect some more analogue body.
Will this change over time? Or is this more or less the final sonic signature of the R26? It is still within the return window, and I am somewhat torn...
My experience was that the r26 continued to “fill out” over time, but it’s never had the thick bass-mid some might expect from r2r, but it’s far from thin IMO, pretty neutral in that regard. I love its presentation, and for a reasonably priced ladder dac to give me so much detail and realism is wonderful. The clarity is probably at the expense of a slightly meatier mid-lower end, but to my ears there’s nothing missing and nothing boosted.
My first real demo of the R26 after the 300hr burn was that I did notice more dynamics and slam on LCD-X being a darker headphone. much that I had to adjust the lower end EQ down. The staging and top is where the R26 makes the LCD-X shine and was the reason I made the purchase as opposed to an equivalently priced typical R2R that might have been too analogue and warm. Its staging and technical performance matches nicely the good speed, precision and imaging of the dark planar and opens them right up.
My Beyer 1990 is the opposite and while R26 helps with defining details in space does little to color its bright FR without EQ.
I think the R26 will only enhance what FR is already there. A better match would be to a warmer system or if you believe in EQ/DSP then it may help fill in body.
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