GUSTARD DAC-R26 Balanced Decoder R2R+1Bit Dual Native Decoding Music Bridge

[Jake2]

Great stuff - glad I could help!

Re HQP, if I were looking at it getting into it today I’d get a Mac Mini M4, insane performance and compactness, silent running. Can do DSD512*. with challenging modulators and filters that are well beyond my M1 16Gb Mini, which topped out at DSD256 with limitations, though still does PCM768 well which is all I need it to. Though if you were happy with just PCM a latest gen RPI may manage it. *Yes the R26 has DSD playback quirks of background hiss on some sample rates, but hey it’s fun to have the capability to experiment with DSD vs PCM. Check out the HQP thread for advice from advanced users who hang out there.

 

[Caspian36]

Is HQ player worth it?

 

[Jake2]

Many, incl me, think so, in my case for the improvements it brings for its cost (incl server hardware) relative to the rest of my system. YMMV. Trial it and decide for yourself. This is the way.

 

[BShaw]

I ditched Roon for Jplay ios a few months back after Marcin rolled out HQP compatibility. It’s designed to be as resource-light as possible and I think it sounds a bit better than Roon. Using Qobuz. I do miss Roon’s album suggestions a lot but that’s it.

 

[Jake2]

Great stuff - glad I could help!

Re HQP, if I were looking at it getting into it today I’d get a Mac Mini M4, insane performance and compactness, silent running. Can do DSD512*. with challenging modulators and filters that are well beyond my M1 16Gb Mini, which topped out at DSD256 with limitations, though still does PCM768 well which is all I need it to. Though if you were happy with just PCM a latest gen RPI may manage it. *Yes the R26 has DSD playback quirks of background hiss on some sample rates, but hey it’s fun to have the capability to experiment with DSD vs PCM. Check out the HQP thread for advice from advanced users who hang out there.

@mango lassi I realise I might have overstated the capabilities of the M4 base model, sounds like it still can’t run harder modulators like 7EC-Super with DSD512, only with DSD256. See here.

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/m4-pro-mac-mini/284772/58

 

[mango lassi]

@mango lassi I realise I might have overstated the capabilities of the M4 base model, sounds like it still can’t run harder modulators like 7EC-Super with DSD512, only with DSD256. See here.

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/m4-pro-mac-mini/284772/58

Thanks for the clarification on the M4 base model limitations. I haven't gotten that far yet with HQPlayer – I just started experimenting with JPlay and so far I'm very happy with it as an iPhone-based controller for TIDAL.

But your point raises an important question I’m still debating:
Is the investment in HQPlayer hardware and software really justified for the Gustard R26?
If I were to spend $2000+ on a dedicated HQPlayer server setup (M4 PRO, license, etc.), I’d honestly consider moving to another DAC in a different league altogether instead of trying to optimize the R26 beyond.

I still haven’t been able to test HQPlayer properly because my PC is physically too far from the R26 – so I’m not in a position to evaluate how big the sonic difference from upsampling would really be.

Curious to hear: How big is the improvement from HQPlayer upsampling on the R26 – is it subtle or game-changing?
@Jake2 I noticed you also own the LAiV Harmony
How does the Gustard R26 combined with HQPlayer compare to the LAiV Harmony on its own?

Would you say the R26 + HQP setup gets close, matches it, or even surpasses the Harmony in certain aspects? I’m asking because the investment in HQPlayer (hardware and software) is getting close to the price of a new DAC like the Harmony – and I’m trying to decide which direction makes more sense.

 

[Jake2]

Curious to hear: How big is the improvement from HQPlayer upsampling on the R26 – is it subtle or game-changing?

A bit of a cop-out, but the answer is… it depends. For me subtle, but satisfying, and more expensive to achieve in DAC upgrade terms. What’s the rest of your system? And what’s the likelihood of upgrading your DAC or system in the next X years?

But yeah, there’s potential for over-capitalizing fer sure. Some folk already have the computer hardware, so it’s ‘just’ the question of the (more expensive than it used to be!) USD350 one off license fee. As I suggested to another chap, there’s a free trial to give it a whirl. That’s what I’d recommend. PCM, the R26’s strong suit, is an easy load for a processor to upsample so any old laptop should be able to do it to PCM768, and as long as its on solid wifi it should work from anywhere in the house.

 

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

As @Jake2 had said, it depends on your setup scenario. For me due to space constraints, I setup everything on my Manstation (work + play station). So will end up using PC anyways. So with it (PC), I control everything. Playing audio, video, games, work etc...

Me, am using Roon + Hqplayer. How good it is? So far for me its better than: (Win) Jriver, Jplay, Foobar. (Dap/Android) USB Audio Player, Onkyo HF, Nuetron MP, BubbleUPnP.

 

[mango lassi]

Thanks for sharing, that’s a great comparison. I’m still testing things out, but I also use a single PC setup for work not for audio — my listening room is separate, in my home office runs on a ThinkStation P3 Ultra with an i9-12900.

I started with JPlay for iOS, which already gave me a solid Tidal Connect experience (unlike the native app on iOS). But I’ll definitely give HQPlayer a try next. Since PCM upsampling is the R26’s strength and it’s relatively light on CPU, the ThinkStation should handle it no problem.

My current chain: Gustard R26 → FM 255 MKII clone pre → Galion TS A75 → Dynaudio Audience 72 + Aperion Super Tweeter MKII. Not ultra high-end, but resolving enough to hear changes in cables and digital sources. Maybe I should try HQP with NAA.

 

[sendler2112]

Maybe I should try HQP with NAA.

I find NAA to offer the best sound for the Gustard DACs compared to USB from the same laptop with a Supra Excalibur.

I also find that upsampling in some form, HQPlayer for me, sounds best. Although I still go back and forth as to the merits of converting PCM to SDM on the X26III. Which should be SDM native. I still find that that the HQP modulators are so resource intensive that even the newest offering's sound might still be not as good as it might get with further tweaking of the code.

 

[mimas2]

What is NAA?

 

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

HQPlayer NAA (Network Audio Adapter) is a component that acts as a bridge between the HQPlayer desktop application and a DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) over a local network. It essentially separates the HQPlayer's processing engine (running on a computer) from the audio output, sending the prepared audio stream to the NAA, which then delivers it to the DAC. This setup can improve sound quality and offers flexibility, especially for wireless or DSD playback.

Source: https://signalyst.com/network-audio-adapter/

In essence, NAA acts as a dedicated audio output device, taking the processed audio stream from HQPlayer and sending it to your DAC.

 

[mimas2]

Thank you

 

[sendler2112]

What is NAA?

Passion For Sound did a brief explanation of the different methods of getting signal into your DAC.

 

[mimas2]

Oki