[BShaw]

Yes, I do agree with media converter and ethernet switches and Clocks as subtle add on but if we get this level of performance improvement then should we rather upgrade or get better streamer first or should we get network and clock tweaks first.

Personally, I’d do the FMC and clock, it’s a pretty dramatic upgrade for $500 whereas a better streamer will cost a lot more and still not have the advantages of fiber and possibly a better clock.

 

[Forgisound]

Personally, I’d do the FMC and clock, it’s a pretty dramatic upgrade for $500 whereas a better streamer will cost a lot more and still not have the advantages of fiber and possibly a better clock.

I use OCK-1 and today I ordered a 5 bit LHY switch.

 

[iSpartan]

NOS Off
Mid Filter

 

[pankar0]

A little help please. ...
I M trying to update the firmware Not the gustarender..

I push the click here button and then the right of them to write "NeΦΗ" and I M waiting but nothing seems to proceed. . What I M doing wrong. .??

 

[winged creature]

A little help please. ...
I M trying to update the firmware Not the gustarender..

I push the click here button and then the right of them to write "NeΦΗ" and I M waiting but nothing seems to proceed. . What I M doing wrong. .??

After hitting click here and it seems like its stuck, turn on the power at the rear. It will complete after.

 

[pankar0]

After hitting click here and it seems like its stuck, turn on the power at the rear. It will complete after.

thanks...everything work's..!!!!

 

[Jake2]

Just to be clear, are you saying the SW8 switch has more effect and more value than the external clock? Or are you saying they must be used together to achive your results?

Fair question, as I didn't directly address this in my post as it would've been even longer. I extensively AB'd clock on/off as well as SW-8 vs standard switch in various combos. The clock brings greater improvements by itself than the SW-8 by itself, though their character is slightly different. The switch more about a more relaxed sound and flow with slightly better dynamics, the clock outright resolution, dynamics, soundstage, as well as less edginess etc. The combination of the two is synergistic, greater than the sum of the parts. e.g. If OCK is say+2 over the R26 alone and SW-8 alone is +1.2, the two together is +4.5 (numbers just for illustration). Noting of course the SW-8 doesn't in any way 'feed' the OCK-1 - it only provides a better quality digital stream to the R26, which, with the benefit of greater precision from the OCK-1's better timing, is better able to exploit the quality data to lay out the holographic soundstage I described.

If there is such a stark difference in sound with better network switch and clock, does it mean the noise filter of streamer inside R26 and it’s clock implementation of DAC is mediocre at best ? I can understand subtle change in SQ but few impressions here are suggesting stark change

I'm not sure I'd reach to that conclusion, and if I did, you should conclude the same for your Metrum Ambre as well, as that was the streamer Alpha Audio used for this test, making the same observations re the SW-8 vs other switches. Unsure what DAC they used for this test, whether it was the Pasithea or not. Anyway this was a test of the differences between switches, how much they differ and impact the downstream system. I consider the fact that my system based around the R26 - particularly with the OCK-1 in play - can resolve these differences in the same manner Alpha Audio did with their $50k reference system a high compliment indeed. [bolding not addressed at you Kumar402 - just making it an easily visible positive takeaway from anyone skimming my long post!]

I think the built-in streamer was a nice addition to the price point Gustard is after. Of course they can add a more powerful streamer w/ better performance. But we're talking also economies of scale here. Besides I think you already know that the tweaks we we're discussing are general and are used too on higher priced equipments.

If you have a Streamer, do suggest try the tweaks we have duscussed. Some are not generally that expensive.

This. As I've said many times I think the R26 has an excellent streamer. What this shows it has the capacity to further 'scale up' with investment in external clocking and a better switch. There's an awesome optional upgrade path for those who want to go down that road. FMCs are what I'd try first.

I think Streamer is a better part of this device. The weakest part is Clock. The second weakest part is 1-bit DSD DAC, which is actually a bonus with R2R dac. Although I love more DSD files, even with a little noise.

Agree re streamer. I definitely wouldn't call the internal clock weak - I mean it's a $1.5k DAC, Gustard did the best they could at this pricepoint with an implementation of the clock and K2 PLL that competes with or betters many DACs up to the $3k mark and beyond. However with a quality external clock like the OCK-1 it's gotta be soaring past those $3k DACs to be competitive with those around the $5k mark and beyond.

The switch is more of a system foundation upgrade. Any device you use it with would see an upgrade. Saying that it’s a weak part of the R26 streamer is not correct. Similar to getting really high quality speaker cables. You wouldn’t say that a speaker isn’t good because you are using cheap cables.

Agree. Better upstream switch/network stream benefits every networked part of a system, in my case including the streamer in my TV - which got so much better (albeit it still needed reclocking by the Ifi without which it was still cr*p) - and I presume my Mac Mini M1 running Roon/HQP.

Personally, I’d do the FMC and clock, it’s a pretty dramatic upgrade for $500 whereas a better streamer will cost a lot more and still not have the advantages of fiber and possibly a better clock.

Absolutely. The FMC is the no brainer, better bang for buck option. For all I know it is 80-100% of the performance of the $500 SW-8 switch. And +1 re the OCK-1, it's a market disrupter democratising previously very expensive effective external clocking by bringing it within reach of folk who want to spend < $2k all up on their digital front end.

 

[denti]

So if one wanted the best DSD DAC (no conversion to PCM), what choices are there? Note that I don’t care about having streaming or built-in headphone amp.

 

[Spitfire]

PCM NOS off
Filter Low - I can hear the sound stage width just collapse cycling through Low, Medium, Fast

Delock Network Isolator 6 kV RJ45; I hear no change whatsoever, even with 2 in series

Just ordered the Netgear ProSAFE GS108E - Netwerk Switch
I needed a new one anyway and according to the test by www.alpha-audio.nl it's pretty good sound & measurement wise

 

[Nada]

So if one wanted the best DSD DAC (no conversion to PCM), what choices are there?

 

[Forgisound]

I received a 50 Ohm BNC cable. I just connected it, it probably has to burn in. However, it seems to me that with that cable the sound is better with a square clock signal than with a sine wave.

 

[BShaw]

I received a 50 Ohm BNC cable. I just connected it, it probably has to burn in. However, it seems to me that with that cable the sound is better with a square clock signal than with a sine wave.

Which cable did you get?

 

[Forgisound]

Which cable did you get?

Nothing special. Cable based on RG400 wire. From AliExpress. Maybe I'll get a better one, when I've convinced myself how much better the square clock signal is than the sine one for me. With silver wire of unknown impedance, the quadrature signal did not work well.

 

[fullbass]

Can you try to use USB input if it works by you?

hey, i had a chance to check it (playing local file 192kHz via USB) out for you now



Audirvana Studio / MacOS
Gustard firmware - 11 Jun 2022, renderer v1.34

No stuttering at all

 

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

So if one wanted the best DSD DAC (no conversion to PCM), what choices are there? Note that I don’t care about having streaming or built-in headphone amp.

There are so many.

Have a read here on basic understanding how DSD is done on DACs (be it Delta-Sigma, R2R, FPGA, Discrete):
https://positive-feedback.com/Issue78/dsd.htm

Database of DSD DACs that accepts DSF/DFF directly (i.e., not converted to PCM upfront, before the DAC) :
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rHcXP7PExksxZfkif3Rv2CT1Y_ESpNSv2b0nkKlBySk/edit#gid=0