[drspeter]

I am one of the lucky ones that has the change to try R26 with U18 and C18, I guess I will chip in.

I am an owner of X26 Pro, I only borrowed R26 for testing. With U18 and C18, the R26 of course gets better with better soundstage and details, but the improvement is not as big as U18 and C18 on X26 Pro. Overall, R26 is a very likable DAC with a nice R2R sound. Its treble is more smooth than X26 Pro, but its bass is not as clear and as good as X26 Pro.

With U18 and C18 connected to X26 Pro, and PC upsampling to 705/768 with NOS mode, the X26 Pro displays stunning details near levels of high end DAC, while it sounds also quite analog. I can literally hear the singer breathing in front of me. R26 with U18 and C18 still cannot provide the same level of details.

I think the selling point of R26 is the UPnP though. With a good network cable, I can play via UPnP just through my Samsung phone a better sound than when I use Lumin streamer connected to R26. That is a big savings! I think users should just stay with R26 without U18 and C18 and enjoy the UPnP. That is a bargain for this sound quality, considering R26 already does a streamer plus dac. Beware though, different phones sound different. I found it sounds best with my Samsung Note 20 using BubbleUPnP, iPhone with MConnect does not sound as good.

Great info. Thanks. I heard that just adding U18 alone makes the difference, as the internal clock of x26 pro is one of the good ones already. If C18 is too expensive, adding one of the cheap options could do the job to improve the sound along with U18 I believe.

 

[mantraone]

I am one of the lucky ones that has the change to try R26 with U18 and C18, I guess I will chip in.

I am an owner of X26 Pro, I only borrowed R26 for testing. With U18 and C18, the R26 of course gets better with better soundstage and details, but the improvement is not as big as U18 and C18 on X26 Pro. Overall, R26 is a very likable DAC with a nice R2R sound. Its treble is more smooth than X26 Pro, but its bass is not as clear and as good as X26 Pro.

With U18 and C18 connected to X26 Pro, and PC upsampling to 705/768 with NOS mode, the X26 Pro displays stunning details near levels of high end DAC, while it sounds also quite analog. I can literally hear the singer breathing in front of me. R26 with U18 and C18 still cannot provide the same level of details.

I think the selling point of R26 is the UPnP though. With a good network cable, I can play via UPnP just through my Samsung phone a better sound than when I use Lumin streamer connected to R26. That is a big savings! I think users should just stay with R26 without U18 and C18 and enjoy the UPnP. That is a bargain for this sound quality, considering R26 already does a streamer plus dac. Beware though, different phones sound different. I found it sounds best with my Samsung Note 20 using BubbleUPnP, iPhone with MConnect does not sound as good.

Thanks for your feedback, the bass response of low price/low res R2R DAC is tipical you described "not clear as good as X26 pro".

I tested the X26 pro via Gustard U18, roon upsampling mode 705/768 and I can confirm that is a very interesting performance in sound quality.

But I'm a R2R guys and the R26 is a very interesting gear, but I'm a bit skeptical about sound quality close to Terminator Plus (Sandu review) or Holo Spring3/May.

we will see.... I hope to listen it soon

 

[ray12345]

Great info. Thanks. I heard that just adding U18 alone makes the difference, as the internal clock of x26 pro is one of the good ones already. If C18 is too expensive, adding one of the cheap options could do the job to improve the sound along with U18 I believe.

If you are using USB, adding U18 is the cheapest and most efficient upgrade you can do to X26 Pro. The soundstage just opens up when you add U18. Considering U18 is so cheap, I cannot see any reason why one wouldn't add U18, unless you are not using USB input.

C18 is another story, because it is many times more expensive than U18. The effect of adding C18 to me is like the same upgrade level compared to adding U18, in number terms I would rate it increasing by 30% each, i.e. if X26 Pro is 100, U18+X26 Pro is 130 and U18+C18+X26 Pro is 160.

U18 expands the whole soundstage and layering, while C18 makes everything 3D, like touchable 3D.

 

[ray12345]

Thanks for your feedback, the bass response of low price/low res R2R DAC is tipical you described "not clear as good as X26 pro".

I tested the X26 pro via Gustard U18, roon upsampling mode 705/768 and I can confirm that is a very interesting performance in sound quality.

But I'm a R2R guys and the R26 is a very interesting gear, but I'm a bit skeptical about sound quality close to Terminator Plus (Sandu review) or Holo Spring3/May.

we will see.... I hope to listen it soon

I don't think it is fair to compare R26 to Termintor or Holo May, those are 4 times the price. I think I like it via UPnP more than Holo Spring with Lumin though.

 

[drspeter]

If you are using USB, adding U18 is the cheapest and most efficient upgrade you can do to X26 Pro. The soundstage just opens up when you add U18. Considering U18 is so cheap, I cannot see any reason why one wouldn't add U18, unless you are not using USB input.

C18 is another story, because it is many times more expensive than U18. The effect of adding C18 to me is like the same upgrade level compared to adding U18, in number terms I would rate it increasing by 30% each, i.e. if X26 Pro is 100, U18+X26 Pro is 130 and U18+C18+X26 Pro is 160.

U18 expands the whole soundstage and layering, while C18 makes everything 3D, like touchable 3D.

yes I am using USB. I completely agree. It is totally no brainer for USB users. I've seen many spending many hundreds dollars to buy better USB cables but instead of DDC, but I believe that it will be a far better option buying DDC and use stock USB cable.

 

[ray12345]

yes I am using USB. I completely agree. It is totally no brainer for USB users. I've seen many spending many hundreds dollars to buy better USB cables but instead of DDC, but I believe that it will be a far better option buying DDC and use stock USB cable.

I beg to differ on USB cable. USB and I2S cables still have a huge effect on the timbre of instruments, musicality and expressions of vocals even if you use U18. If timbre is one of the things you care about, you can't save on USB and I2S cables. My USB cable alone is about the price of U18, that is how important I rate the USB cable, and I am not the type of audiophile with lots of money to waste on hifi. If I can find a cheaper USB cable that does the job, I will change it and sell my expensive cable. Unfortunately, up till today I am not able to do so after trying numerous USB cables.

 

[drspeter]

I beg to differ on USB cable. USB and I2S cables still have a huge effect on the timbre of instruments, musicality and expressions of vocals even if you use U18. If timbre is one of the things you care about, you can't save on USB and I2S cables. My USB cable alone is about the price of U18, that is how important I rate the USB cable, and I am not the type of audiophile with lots of money to waste on hifi. If I can find a cheaper USB cable that does the job, I will change it and sell my expensive cable. Unfortunately, up till today I am not able to do so after trying numerous USB cables.

I had no idea that usb still makes the difference. My post was not based on my own experience but just an assumption, so I am now interested in upgrading the cable as well.

 

[Deleeh]

Hello,
Here is another review of the R 26.
It doesn't sound bad.
What Sandu wrote also sounds reasonable.
Would definitely prefer it to the Denafrips devices.
I find the streaming implementation crappy, which Gustard have not solved well.
I'll gladly wait for an improvement through a firmware update, if there is one.
Otherwise really not bad, if the Holo Cyan would still exist it would be a nice comparison which one is better.
By the way,any one tried it with the Singxer Su 2?

 

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

I have an SU-6 on my DAC and it's solid. Ur ability to reconfigure various I2S format thru DIP switches is awesome. On the SU-6 thread, people w/ SU-2 attests that SU-6 has superior SQ.

 

[NewCanadian]

I have a Lumin D2 at the moment that streams directly to amp, I really do not like the Lumin app

I have a dormant Bluesound that i may put back into circulation for its interface and hdmi,
can anybody speculate if I go Bluesound to Gustard to amp.....would this be a good upgrade over the Lumin?

 

[ray12345]

I have a Lumin D2 at the moment that streams directly to amp, I really do not like the Lumin app

I have a dormant Bluesound that i may put back into circulation for its interface and hdmi,
can anybody speculate if I go Bluesound to Gustard to amp.....would this be a good upgrade over the Lumin?

This depends very much on your personal taste and type of music you listen to. R2R is a very different sound to your D2, personally I would say R26 is superior but then I have listened to P1 and I don't like the sound of P1 either, so personally I don't like the Lumin sound.

My friend has a Bluesound Node and he found that Lumin U1 mini (mod to external LPS) is superior to Bluesound in every way. Yet, the Lumin U1 mini + R26 sounds worse than UPnP streaming to R26 direct using BubbleUPnP. So the only certain advice I can give is skip the Bluesound if you go R26, buy a good network cable though.

 

[Johnjc1]

I have just ordered a R26. I currently have a A22 Gustard
I will feedback my findings

 

[Highfive99]

I have just ordered a R26. I currently have a A22 Gustard
I will feedback my findings

Nice!! I suspect you will be blown away by the difference. If you are using USB output to feed your DAC, a U18 makes a nice difference in SQ. I have one for my X26Pro and I highly recommend it. Looking forward to your feedback.

 

[Johnjc1]

Cheers
I have tried both the Audio GD DI20HE and U18 but this time round I will be adding a external clock to the R26
I have a good friend who has the X26Pro with the U18 modified to improve the measurements and sound.

 

[12kurupt]

Just ordered an R26. I had just received the Musician Pegasus, but decided to return it to go for the R26. Will be pairing it with the AGD DI-20HE & the LHY-OCK-1. Hoping for huge upgrades coming from the A90 + D90 MQA.