No, we didn't change any settings on the R26. I do agree that extended listening is also important but there a few things that I can decipher pretty quickly when trying gear. In this case the tonal and bass weight were quite a bit leaner which is the opposite direction I'd want to go with my setup as currently configured.
The Ares 12th is the new 12th anniversary edition of the Ares II (which has now been renamed Enyo). The 12th has reconfigured front panel buttons adding a dedicated NOS/OS button like the other Denafrips DAC's. It takes away a coax and optical input but replaces that with an I2S input. Inside there's been some tweaks made, the most noticeable being larger and reduced number of capacitors.
No, we didn't change any settings on the R26. I do agree that extended listening is also important but there a few things that I can decipher pretty quickly when trying gear. In this case the tonal and bass weight were quite a bit leaner which is the opposite direction I'd want to go with my setup as currently configured.
The Ares 12th is the new 12th anniversary edition of the Ares II (which has now been renamed Enyo). The 12th has reconfigured front panel buttons adding a dedicated NOS/OS button like the other Denafrips DAC's. It takes away a coax and optical input but replaces that with an I2S input. Inside there's been some tweaks made, the most noticeable being larger and reduced number of capacitors.
I am delighted with that part of your experience, which talks about how the speakers performed with the R26. I would expect something like that. Those speakers are almost without a crossover, if I'm not mistaken. It's the same with me, I have a crossover 6 dB/oct, with the smallest possible phase deviations. Which means that the electrical signal is very faithfully converted into sound pressure. The only limitation is the quality of the driver and cabinet. The sound from the R26 is also big, beautiful, alive. If the headphones sound thin, either leave the existing DAC, or check whether the reason is the headphones or the amplifier. Financials aside, which I can't get into, I think you'll be happier with the R26 and amp/headphone swap. Because when you correct the excessive brightness of the headphones/amplifier by installing a less resolute, closed DAC, you are doomed to lose musical information.
Ecco perché ho chiesto in precedenza quali sono i parametri che cambiano dell'R26 dopo la fine del rodaggio... qualcuno potrebbe rimanere deluso dal suo suono troppo presto...
When I got home, I listened to some of the same tracks with the Ares II and honestly felt like it was best match. Not as smooth as the Pontus II, but seemed to have a weightier, more dynamic sound which brings the AWAS to life.
The Denafrips Ares is an outstanding DAC. Its organic weighty sound will be hard to beat if thats what you like. How the Ares does such a full timbre without an active output stage is a design wonder.
I think you are right that no amount of play time is going to change a DACs fundamental voicing. Youve made a great decision not to buy an R26. Or a Pontus. Well done.
Because when you correct the excessive brightness of the headphones/amplifier by installing a less resolute, closed DAC, you are doomed to lose musical information.
Except hes using the Ares which as demonstrated by linearity measurements, is a more highly resolving R2R ladder DAC then the R26. Yes. The Ares outperforms the R26 technically. Some DACs have the ideal combination of resolution without etch or glare. Listening invites a deep dive into the music as the details dont leap out and bite.
I want to share quite a bit my impressions on the two most hype R2R devices lately - Gustard R26 and LADDER Schumann
This is the very first impression, since I have only had the R26 for three days, and I received the Schumann yesterday. Both devices are in burn-up mode (proprietary combination of white noise with frequency tone bursts and pink noise mixed at different levels) at the moment, but I also listen to music to understand what is changing in sound.
First, Gustard was out of the box with firmware v1.31. Secondly, it does not emit any extraneous noises and hisses (220V mode), which I am very happy about.
Interestingly, Gustard sounded very good and confident out of the box. For example, Musician Pegasus sounded sluggish and unconvincing out of the box and took a couple of weeks to start spreading its wings.
Schumann out of the box sounds very soft and smooth for my taste. If nothing changes with the device warming up, then this softness is unacceptable for me. I like it when the attacks are sharper, when the bass is more defined and dynamic. At the moment, the bass is round and velvety. Yes, it sounds a little "tube" or "analog" but I like a clearer, biting and faster bass.
This is the main difference between the two devices at the moment - Gustard is more technical, more digital, sounds like a more progressive device, Schumann is more rustic, primitive, smooth, soft, more analog.
But I can definitely say that Schumann is much more interesting than Pegasus. And if you are choosing blindly between Pegasus and Schumann, then I would buy Schumann. I find Pegasus not worth the money while Schumann sounds like a higher end DAC.
Yes, if you compare Schumann and Gustard, for me the sound of Gustard is more mature, more original, more exciting, more aesthetic, special and I will choose Gustard (remember, this is still a burn-up period!). But if we compare Schumann as an independent device, then it sounds very worthy even now. It has a full-bodied sound, overall good dynamics, I don't hear any roll-off anywhere in the frequency range yet, high frequencies are not as good as Gustard's, but still at a high level with excellent resolution. Schumann has a powerful, deep bass, and at the moment electronic and heavy genres are preferable to listen to even on Schumann than on Gustard. Schumann's vocals are well defined, it's somehow focused here.
I hope that over time Schumann will get rid of the extra softness and velvety, but maybe that's what some people need.
Again, Gustard is much sharper, faster than Schumann, has more defined musical images, its sound is more like Delta-Sigma at the moment, and Schumann sounds more like a vintage multibit perhaps.
What I especially like about Gustard is the black background, focus and positioning, rich sound with overtones, overtones, etc., very cool high frequencies, they are somehow full-bodied here, not at all thin. Bass and mids are also very good. If someone doubts that there will be a poor bass, then you can be calm - the bass is very deep, powerful, biting, fast, it is very impressive. Due to the sharp attacks Gustard sounds like a device from another league. I think that this is the cheapest device from the high league. I think that Denafrips Ares 1-2, Pegasus, Toppings up to the 90s, SMSL and so on are all from the same league, and R26 is a step up in a higher league.
This is the very first impression, since I have only had the R26 for three days, and I received the Schumann yesterday. Both devices are in burn-up mode (proprietary combination of white noise with frequency tone bursts and pink noise mixed at different levels) at the moment, but I also listen to music to understand what is changing in sound.
I want to share quite a bit my impressions on the two most hype R2R devices lately - Gustard R26 and LADDER Schumann
This is the very first impression, since I have only had the R26 for three days, and I received the Schumann yesterday. Both devices are in burn-up mode (proprietary combination of white noise with frequency tone bursts and pink noise mixed at different levels) at the moment, but I also listen to music to understand what is changing in sound.
First, Gustard was out of the box with firmware v1.31. Secondly, it does not emit any extraneous noises and hisses (220V mode), which I am very happy about.
Interestingly, Gustard sounded very good and confident out of the box. For example, Musician Pegasus sounded sluggish and unconvincing out of the box and took a couple of weeks to start spreading its wings.
Schumann out of the box sounds very soft and smooth for my taste. If nothing changes with the device warming up, then this softness is unacceptable for me. I like it when the attacks are sharper, when the bass is more defined and dynamic. At the moment, the bass is round and velvety. Yes, it sounds a little "tube" or "analog" but I like a clearer, biting and faster bass.
This is the main difference between the two devices at the moment - Gustard is more technical, more digital, sounds like a more progressive device, Schumann is more rustic, primitive, smooth, soft, more analog.
But I can definitely say that Schumann is much more interesting than Pegasus. And if you are choosing blindly between Pegasus and Schumann, then I would buy Schumann. I find Pegasus not worth the money while Schumann sounds like a higher end DAC.
Yes, if you compare Schumann and Gustard, for me the sound of Gustard is more mature, more original, more exciting, more aesthetic, special and I will choose Gustard (remember, this is still a burn-up period!). But if we compare Schumann as an independent device, then it sounds very worthy even now. It has a full-bodied sound, overall good dynamics, I don't hear any roll-off anywhere in the frequency range yet, high frequencies are not as good as Gustard's, but still at a high level with excellent resolution. Schumann has a powerful, deep bass, and at the moment electronic and heavy genres are preferable to listen to even on Schumann than on Gustard. Schumann's vocals are well defined, it's somehow focused here.
I hope that over time Schumann will get rid of the extra softness and velvety, but maybe that's what some people need.
Again, Gustard is much sharper, faster than Schumann, has more defined musical images, its sound is more like Delta-Sigma at the moment, and Schumann sounds more like a vintage multibit perhaps.
What I especially like about Gustard is the black background, focus and positioning, rich sound with overtones, overtones, etc., very cool high frequencies, they are somehow full-bodied here, not at all thin. Bass and mids are also very good. If someone doubts that there will be a poor bass, then you can be calm - the bass is very deep, powerful, biting, fast, it is very impressive. Due to the sharp attacks Gustard sounds like a device from another league. I think that this is the cheapest device from the high league. I think that Denafrips Ares 1-2, Pegasus, Toppings up to the 90s, SMSL and so on are all from the same league, and R26 is a step up in a higher league.
I want to share quite a bit my impressions on the two most hype R2R devices lately - Gustard R26 and LADDER Schumann
This is the very first impression, since I have only had the R26 for three days, and I received the Schumann yesterday. Both devices are in burn-up mode (proprietary combination of white noise with frequency tone bursts and pink noise mixed at different levels) at the moment, but I also listen to music to understand what is changing in sound.
First, Gustard was out of the box with firmware v1.31. Secondly, it does not emit any extraneous noises and hisses (220V mode), which I am very happy about.
Interestingly, Gustard sounded very good and confident out of the box. For example, Musician Pegasus sounded sluggish and unconvincing out of the box and took a couple of weeks to start spreading its wings.
Schumann out of the box sounds very soft and smooth for my taste. If nothing changes with the device warming up, then this softness is unacceptable for me. I like it when the attacks are sharper, when the bass is more defined and dynamic. At the moment, the bass is round and velvety. Yes, it sounds a little "tube" or "analog" but I like a clearer, biting and faster bass.
This is the main difference between the two devices at the moment - Gustard is more technical, more digital, sounds like a more progressive device, Schumann is more rustic, primitive, smooth, soft, more analog.
But I can definitely say that Schumann is much more interesting than Pegasus. And if you are choosing blindly between Pegasus and Schumann, then I would buy Schumann. I find Pegasus not worth the money while Schumann sounds like a higher end DAC.
Yes, if you compare Schumann and Gustard, for me the sound of Gustard is more mature, more original, more exciting, more aesthetic, special and I will choose Gustard (remember, this is still a burn-up period!). But if we compare Schumann as an independent device, then it sounds very worthy even now. It has a full-bodied sound, overall good dynamics, I don't hear any roll-off anywhere in the frequency range yet, high frequencies are not as good as Gustard's, but still at a high level with excellent resolution. Schumann has a powerful, deep bass, and at the moment electronic and heavy genres are preferable to listen to even on Schumann than on Gustard. Schumann's vocals are well defined, it's somehow focused here.
I hope that over time Schumann will get rid of the extra softness and velvety, but maybe that's what some people need.
Again, Gustard is much sharper, faster than Schumann, has more defined musical images, its sound is more like Delta-Sigma at the moment, and Schumann sounds more like a vintage multibit perhaps.
What I especially like about Gustard is the black background, focus and positioning, rich sound with overtones, overtones, etc., very cool high frequencies, they are somehow full-bodied here, not at all thin. Bass and mids are also very good. If someone doubts that there will be a poor bass, then you can be calm - the bass is very deep, powerful, biting, fast, it is very impressive. Due to the sharp attacks Gustard sounds like a device from another league. I think that this is the cheapest device from the high league. I think that Denafrips Ares 1-2, Pegasus, Toppings up to the 90s, SMSL and so on are all from the same league, and R26 is a step up in a higher league.
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