[Palyodgree]

Since I bought the R26 a few weeks ago I’ve been curious wanting a better taste how the R26 performs, this past Friday a friend dropped in with his Enleum 23R amplifier and Abyss 1266 headphones.
My office system consists of a 50 year old Marantz receiver, Gustard dac , Tekton Lore speaker’s , the Marantz receiver is more for office aesthetics then anything else though adds a pleasant sonic background while working. Thinking about it I put more time in listening to my office system then anything else including watching tv combined.

The first track I played I burst out laughing Holy mother I did not expect that out of those speakers and dac , later we listened to The Abyss headphones with a verity of binaural recordings , a lot of fun ,some tracks raised the hair on the back of my neck ,borderline creepy . I wish I had more time then an evening with the Enleum amplifier however as good a match with my speakers are theres no way Id spend the 6K for one ,…though going back to the Marantz receiver everything sounds off, lol.

Finally I noticed some of you guys with more then one dac and a good verity of other components speakers and headphone’s I think most here look forward to your comments .

 

[cglin222]

Managed to get a Mothership 02 from Burson so i could tidy up the space, less clutter etc. R26 birthday, 3 months The amp on top is intentional, works best for me, better airflow for it as well

So does the Ferrum oor + hypsos just fit within the space, I was looking at it too, but not sure if it would fit the feet, since mothership is only 205mm wide.. and I tried measured the feet for ferrum it seems to be exact 205mm apart, so not sure if it would fit, since burson also have that raised edge. If it just fit, i might order one too,
Thanks!

 

[VanHai]

Gustard R26 will be on sale for $1402.49 tomorrow 11/01/22 at https://shenzhenaudio.com.

 

[Kaere]

I'm waiting for my R26 but I quickly read that the best connection is the Lan, except that my CD player doesn't have one...

Do I also need a U18 or C18 for my CD player or networks?

 

[NoaHimesaka]

I'm waiting for my R26 but I quickly read that the best connection is the Lan, except that my CD player doesn't have one...

Do I also need a U18 or C18 for my CD player or networks?

C18 yes, U18 doubt. Though both are optional. U18 is mostly for "cleaner" (you mileage may vary) USB connection. Just use coax, optical, or AES/EBU.

 

[Odezra]

Zeos just posted a review - he couldn’t hear a major difference with the ares ii .. unclear as to burn in times for the Gustard. Posting for reference (don’t shoot the messenger).



I am still thinking myself on pulling the trigger and getting this. I am currently using a chord mojo 2 / poly 2 as a dac / steamer into my speaker system (willsenton r8 / Buchardts). Do people here think the Gustard will be a significant upgrade?

 

[ray12345]

Zeos just posted a review - he couldn’t hear a major difference with the ares ii .. unclear as to burn in times for the Gustard. Posting for reference (don’t shoot the messenger).



I am still thinking myself on pulling the trigger and getting this. I am currently using a chord mojo 2 / poly 2 as a dac / steamer into my speaker system (willsenton r8 / Buchardts). Do people here think the Gustard will be a significant upgrade?

This guy is comparing DAC by "volume matching" via decreasing 7db digital volume of the R26 XLR output to compare against RCA output of another DAC, enough said ..... does he even know decreasing the volume digitally decreases the dynamics and sound quality of the output? unless one is so poor not able to afford a preamp, I will never recommend using the digital volume.

 

[Forgisound]

This guy is comparing DAC by "volume matching" via decreasing 7db digital volume of the R26 XLR output to compare against RCA output of another DAC, enough said ..... does he even know decreasing the volume digitally decreases the dynamics and sound quality of the output? unless one is so poor not able to afford a preamp, I will never recommend using the digital volume.

I agree. Digital volume control seriously degrades sound quality on the R26. If the other DAC is at maximum volume, the comparison is not fair.

 

[565321]

This guy is comparing DAC by "volume matching" via decreasing 7db digital volume of the R26 XLR output to compare against RCA output of another DAC, enough said ..... does he even know decreasing the volume digitally decreases the dynamics and sound quality of the output? unless one is so poor not able to afford a preamp, I will never recommend using the digital volume.

Every bit we lose results in losing 6 dB of dynamic range and more noise in the signal. Basically, every bit we lose will raise the noise floor by 6dB. I feel relatively safe in saying that you probably won't notice 2-3 lost bits. Thus, going -12 or -18dB or so on your digital volume with a 16-bit DAC probably won't hurt the sound much.
Volume matching is more important to the comparision than a bit or two. Even if there isn't any difference between the XLR and phono output on the R26, it's always good to test like for like to avoid irritating people.

 

[Forgisound]

@Forgisound @Zombie27 This is a Gustard R26 DAC THREAD. Why are you talking about cables, isolators, etc? Go to appropriate forum for that. Fight elsewhere.

I tried to reproduce the listening experience of the R26 by using the recommended isolator. I don't want to discuss insulators or cables in general. I especially don't want someone telling me what I should hear based on their theoretical knowledge. I am sorry that I accepted such a discussion in several posts. Man learns while he lives.

 

[565321]

I tried to reproduce the listening experience of the R26 by using the recommended isolator. I don't want to discuss insulators or cables in general. I especially don't want someone telling me what I should hear based on their theoretical knowledge. I am sorry that I accepted such a discussion in several posts. Man learns while he lives.

Minimum is to do an A-B test or a blind A-B test. That's the normal procedure to substantiate any claims about differences.

 

[Nada]

Basically, every bit we lose will raise the noise floor by 6dB.

That is an oft repeated but highly misleading statement with respect to digital volume control, which is the topic here. Basically in terms of digital volume its wrong. In some R2R DACS the opposite occurs.

This guy is comparing DAC by "volume matching" via decreasing 7db digital volume of the R26 XLR output to compare against RCA output of another DAC

That part of the review is not that relevant. The reviewer is pretty confusing. The main comparison was the R2R to R2R DACs when he compared the R26 with his Ares both with XLR out and the same DDC. Gustard needed just -3dB didigtal for volume matching which is inconsequential. His set up allowed rapid switching. He slightly preferred the Ares. Other listeners with different ears and gear might have very different opinions. I value every review. Some more then others. This review not so much. Some of the best reviews are on this thread.

 

[565321]

That is an oft repeated but highly misleading statement with respect to digital volume control, which is the topic here. Basically in terms of digital volume its wrong. In some R2R DACS the opposite occurs.

Do you have any well-documented technical foundation for that claim? Not from subjective "reviewers", but real technical facts.

 

[Nada]

Do you have any well-documented technical foundation for that claim? Not from subjective "reviewers", but real technical facts.

This isnt the thread or forum to go into this. Your are a smart guy. Go educate yourself. Dont belief the myths propagated on forums. Just cause they get repeated lots dosent mean they are true. Look at the sampling theorem and measurements. Enjoy.

 

[barato]

In some R2R DACS the opposite occurs.

You wont mind giving an example then?