Gustard R26 Streamer Ready R2R DAC Review
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- Gustard R26 R2R DAC ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️¾
Price: 1659USD
amzn.to/3CInsvR , bit.ly/3r5EtJa
Pros: Engaging Sound, Great Features, Quality Build.
Cons: Needs A Little More Punchiness.
Sound Stage: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Stereo Image: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Highs: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Midrange: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Bass: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½
Build Quality & Features: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Price: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½
Demo Music by Grace Mahya: ebay.us/5WV1Ny
Associated Equipments,
Gustard R26 DAC: amzn.to/3R2EMzM
Audiocrast Isolation Footers: amzn.to/3WtiKsW
Sony HAP-Z1ES: amzn.to/3ckCZ5w
KLH Model Five Speaker: amzn.to/3HBeu40
Musician Aquarius DAC: amzn.to/33Wzan9
Denon PMA-SX11 Integrated Amplifier: ebay.us/NllM5G
Denon DP-47F TT: ebay.us/mVSTSZ
Denon DL-301MKII MC Cart: amzn.to/3P2WH8O
, ebay.us/liwkG4
Viborg Silver RCA Cables: amzn.to/3KTmZHj
Audiocrast Jumpers: ebay.us/PGa9hx
Oyaide Neo Class A USB Cable: amzn.to/3uGFAi4
Mogami AES Cable: amzn.to/3q5RYaV
Mogami 2549 XLR Cables: amzn.to/3KGq0ej
Belden 8402 XLR Cable: ebay.us/730SXI
PS Audio AC-12 Power Cable: ebay.us/LCeF6V
Oyaide Black Mamba Alpha AC Power Cord: ebay.us/5T2uZP
TBR Custom Speaker Cable: • Making High Quality Sp...
TBR Custom AC Power Cables: • Easy DIY Shielded Audi... , • Audiophile Grade Power...
Hey!
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Closest to listen my Sound Demo is with
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Video Timeline
0:00 Features
2:13 Menu
5:53 Review
13:34 Listening Notes
18:30 Sound Sample
Thanks for putting in the time to do this review. The vast majority of reviewers give the Gustard R26 great marks, but very few comprare it with lower end DACs. I have the Bifrost 2/64, and only one of the reviewers compared it to the R26. It was one of the few who didn't like the R26 as much, and he said it is not worth the upgrade from the Bifrost 2/64. I would be interested in more reviewers comparing to lower end DACs, as most people considering the R26 (or other similarly priced DACs) are looking to upgrade.
Wow, nice sound.
Great sound!!! I love all except highs are a bit too hot for me, but I guess its the JBL's
Good to see u back dude! You look fresher with the new haircut lol :D
Thanks 😊
Thanks for sharing your experiences! Glad you’re liking the L100s. I had OG ones with quadrex grilles and just sold them a few months ago. I replaced them with the 4314b’s which are much more linear, though I understand why one would want the L100 magic for the classics
New L100 do not sound like original especially L100 Classic 75th, Personally I’m not a fan of original sound, thanks
Thank you for your review. Unfortunately I bought the R26 and received a used product. I advice many people to check if their product was already opened and used.
Looks great
Well done!
Nice presentation 👏.... !
Good luck with your new audio room .
I wish to see your honest review of the new Klipsch RP600M 2. 👍
@Ran Scorpion I will try to request one, thanks
I like your new hair style.
I just went dacless, sounds much better than denafrips ares ii
Thanks for sharing review again! I have seen in many videos that you mentioned even if the DAC with preamp has volume control function, it is still recommended to set the DAC to output a fixed volume and use a passive preamp to adjust the volume separately, which will result in better sound quality (not discussing the improvement in sound preference by adding a preamp or Dac direct to power amp). My question is, there are also various designs for passive preamps, do you have any recommendations for high-quality and affordable passive preamps?
Hi, thanks for watching, please see this video
Hard To Beat Topping's Best A70 Pro Pre-HPA Review
czcams.com/video/erCV1B2eScE/video.html
thanks for excellent review. is it possible to connect Airplay2 through r26?
In your listening notes you appreciated the NOS feature but in your recording you had NOS turned off? Sounded great btw!
Yes but It does sound great either way, thanks
When you standing can you move over so the product is in the shot
Hello,
are these ely bruny in the song?
Could it be that the right side of their stereo is more muffled than the left?
I listened with headphones and it sounded very relaxed otherwise and clear.
How is the streaming function with the R26?
Supposedly it doesn't really work with Tidal yet, is that true?
Good luck with your channel and thanks for the review.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
The R26 makes a great impression.👍👍👍👍
Hi, all were Japanese musicians in this song.
I haven’t noticed one side is more open than the other one as mentioned in my listening or monitoring with the headphones.
Streaming is as I mentioned in this video limited to what streamer you pair with it, probably they will keep on upgrading the firmware for more streaming capabilities in the future, thanks
Nearly pulled the trigger but will wait for one more comparison. Hopefully it will be the Sonnet Morpheus which is about twice the price. At a friend's house, it felt like the performers were in the same room right in front of you.
With which DAC you mean the performance was like in front of you?
@@beslemeto The Sonnet Morpheus in my friend's room felt like the actual performers were in front of me. My own room did not have the same effect due to lack of room treatment.
@@mannyf5570 What treatment does the job? Those wall sound isolations or something else?
@@beslemeto My friend has curtains covering his two front/side corner windows, plaster in front wall, real wood floors and cork completely covering his rear wall. He uses two diffusers behind his speakers. When you clap, there is no reflection of sound in his 13x18 room, almost completely dead compared to my overly live listening room.
Guessing the type of sound is similar to Holo Spring?
듣다 보면 이 테스트 음악에 빠져들었음. 아쉽게도 타이달에는 없음. 원곡 가수가 부른게 있어서 그걸 듣지만요
Congratulations on the work you offer! I like the r2r sound but the experience with dg r7 audio was not successful because for electronic music it is slow for me. Someone tried the R26 with fast music, how does it behave? thank you
According to soundnews review it sounds good with electronica music.
It is good to listen but sometimes you will want more.
I’m sure this has been asked before so forgive me. Where can I get more info on the isolation feet you use for your components? I didn’t see them linked in the description. Thank you.
No problem, it’s from Audiocrast I will add it in the description, thanks
Hello sir, thanks for sharing with us, your experience with this new dac. Do you have an idea of the precision resistance values used in the r26 dac? Most hiend r2r dacs use 0.005% so, it would give us a good idea if you could get this information.
It use R2R chips, no Discrete resistors!
@@akhtarizod5802 from my point of view, all r2r DAC use discrete resistors, Moreover, we could see all of them when you open the cover. What do you mean by r2r chip?
Not sure what chip Gustard uses , But I have Lite Audio DAC 83 which uses 4 BurrBrown PCM1704UK resistor chips, This is my go to DAC toe tapping music experience much better than Danafrips Pontous MKII and LKS top of the line dual Saber chip DAC.
Why does my R26 power button blink twice then pause , then it repeats again over and over...is this normal while in standby
Simply use the LAN input and Roon will detect the Gustard. Sounds great!
I read that the music sounds better via LAN than USB, your take? Do you listen with headphones or speakers?
@@BillyKueekSG LAN sounds better for sure on my system. With USB my source is a mid-level gaming PC... But with LAN it's using the internal streamer to speak to my dedicated Roon Core (Mac Mini running nothing else).
I listen with both speakers and headphones. But I'm more a fan of speakers. Speakers are Genelec G3, headphones are a variety including Focal Clear, Sennheiser 650, Sennheiser 8xx, Audeze LCD-2 Classic. It sounds good on all but I listen to the 650's the most.
@@JordanPhegley thank you for taking time to reply. The Genelec G3 are gorgeous. I use mainly headphones. I only have one-piece portable type speakers such as the Creative T4 in my study room with all my DACs, amps and headphones, Audio Pro C10 in my bedroom, Marshall Acton II in my daughter’s room, an old Bose Sound Touch hanging around and the TV uses the LG S95QR 9.1.5. sound bar system. I do have plans for a pair of active speakers in my study room when I get around to clear it up, make space and some treatment. I have to try Roon soon. For speakers, I am researching and currently reading up on the KEFs.
@@BillyKueekSG Sounds good! Are you looking for active speakers or passive?
@@JordanPhegley I am looking at Active speakers, don’t have the space for floor standing or passive because I’ll then have to get amps and probably a rack plus my wife may kick me out of the house 😂
I posted a comment 1 month ago to ask how the R26 compares to the other R2R DACs and saw your comparison video, thank you! I have bought the R26 3 weeks ago and loving it. I play music from my MacBook Pro, via USB to the R26. When I play DSD via Pine, the screen on the R26 shows PCM. How do I get it to show DSD? I noticed this same thing with my other DAC amps
Mac can’t play DSD without converting to PCM by software, so you’re playing DOP (DSD over PCM) which means you’re losing great benefits of listening to native DSD which your DAC is naturally capable of, which is the best sound quality in digital format.
Personally I only use Mac for streaming background music and discovering new artists etc.,
@@Tharbamar thank you so much for replying to me. So this is why the R26 and the XDuoo XA-10 (I bought after watching your review in which you said you are keeping one yourself so I figured it must be good enough and I really like the AKM sound of this unit) show only PCM. I have 15TB of FLAC, WAV and DSD music. Would PC be a better for playing these music so I get to listen to native DSD? I remembered you recommended me to try certain speakers which I made a note somewhere, I am reading up on the KEFs active speakers. I plan to get a pair of speakers after I make some space in my study room which is where I do live streams and zoom, listen to music with my headphones, DACs and amps.
Yes PC will play DSD files natively.
@@Tharbamar thank you
@@Tharbamar Only after some specific settings. 😉
I am interested in buying this DAC. Can I use Apple Music on my iPhone as a stream source?
Would really like it if you had compared this dac with others around the same price point. And would also really like it if you could review the new Ladder Schumann dac. 😀
I will have comparison with Schumann soon, thanks
@@Tharbamar great! 😀
@@Tharbamar by the way, you can throw the Musician Pegasus into that comparison :)
yeah, i have a smsl vmv d2. i am realy happy with it...but realy would like to know how different they realy are.
@@JoseFerreira-zb7wh I originally wanted to buy the Musician Audio Pegasus or Pontus but after several negative online comments about its QC and terrible customer service, I am looking at others like this R26
Do you plan to do a second part to this review? This dac can do more than a regular DAC with its Bluetooth/LDAC and Ethernet port. It means, we can listen Tidal by using BubbleUPnP in your cell phone without using any streamer!.
Not at this time, thanks
Do you have to pay monthly fee for using tidal?
How do you use bubble upnp in your phone with this dac? Sorry I am new to this
And it works like Tidal connect
Thank you for this review. A comparison between this Gustard DAC and the less expensive MusiCian Audio Pegasus DAC would be welcome. Also, I take it that you did not compare the USB input to the i2s input? RCA VS XLR?
This DAC really helps to bring out what this speaker is capable of. The recent comparison of the KEF and this speaker did not have this component in the system did they?
You should try Naim reference DAC ND 555 with external power supply
Great video...thank you!! I bought the DAC and think it's great! Big step up from the DAC in the Bluesound Node and my integrated amp. Quick question...when I turn it off, the power button flashes twice then pauses, flashes twice then pauses and keeps doing this. Is this normal?
Mine does the same thing with the light, Thanks
Most standalone DACS will be a big improvement over the Bluesound Node. This should smash the Bluesound out of the ball park!
Better than Hugo TT2? Thx
I have been sitting here switching between YT videos, your Pontus II and R26 videos with Grace singing Kiss of Life... I own this SACD, I know it and love it.
I can definitely hear the separation and larger dynamics in the R26 vs the Pontus, but I also hear more of that sound I get from a chip based DAC. I can also hear the added gain the R26 adds, I don't know if I like that. I have a mid sized room, with a pair of KLH Model 5's and two SVS SB3000 subs, the Denafrips Hades and Thallo amps using the new Node to stream to an Ares II via USB.
I like the Ares II, but after hearing the Cayin RU6 Dongle DAC in my system, I was blown away at the difference in sound, much better separation and a larger sound stage from the Cayin, it is an incredible sounding little DAC. But, it still retained much of that feeling I get from the Ares II, with no digital sound like I perceived in your R26 demo.
Then the other issue, playing SACDs. I use a digital breakout box from my Oppo out to my Ares II via digital coax. With the R26, that is not possible, as DSD files can only be played via USB. Now I would have to start ripping my SACDs to a drive, something I personally do not want to mess with. And then Roon... I have the Mac mini already in the system, so I guess I could ditch the Node and use the streamer in the R26... More work and time... I have a hard enough time with my mother's Roku player and HDMI connections... Adding more stuff just makes things prone to having to fix all of the time.
But now we are back to the sound. And that concerns me. I cannot handle anything that has that chip or digital sound, even including some digital preamps. They literally give me headaches. I could really hear that gain in the R26, and I know what too much gain sounds like in my room, and it is not pleasant.
I do have a Schiit Freya S solid state preamp, along with the XTZ Edge A2-400 amp, those pair nicely with the Ares II, and is what I use when I want to rattle the dishes in the kitchen. But, for general relaxing music, the sound of the Cayin RU6 is my now go to DAC, as it is that much better than the Ares II, but it does not play well with my Node, another issue that I am trying to address. But, the Cayin is a dongle DAC, hence, I am here.
I want a better DAC, but which one? The Pontus II, that I can essentially plug into my system and just start listening, or the R26 that is going disrupt my system and bring in more stuff to to make music. Then the gain on the R26 and that delta sigma sound I have heard scares me. The reason I really like the Denafrips gear for casual listening, it is Zero gain, just pure and clean Class A/B mellowness...
Long winded, I know, if any of you made it this far, any thoughts?
Do you prefer it over the smsl d300 with the amazing rohm chip?
I would say X26 is more forgiving but for the money D300 is still great choice, thanks
@@Tharbamar In what way do you mean that? R2Rs tend to deliver sound that is less cookie cutter.
Thank you for the review. How does it compare to Denafrips Pontus II? Which one would you prefer to buy and why? Thanks!
R26 is better according to all reviews i have read!
@@beslemeto I can only find two reviews. This and SoundNews, who had nothing but the highest praise. I would like to see a few more reviews before I splash out this sort of money.
@@beslemeto Reviews are just reviews. When the Pontus came on the market, the reviews said it was great and better than other DACs. It's the same with the R26 now. It's hype and nothing more. You have to wait at least 6 months for reliable reviews.
@@goga6652 It's not just reviews.I've been reading many articles where people praise R26 better than Pontus 2 and even Venus.I know it is all about preference, but R26 seems to be really good for the price.The guy in SoundNews was a fan of Musician Audio Aqua which is almost double the price of R26 and now he says R26 is the best DAC under 3K.I believe him and he looks very decent guy.The best would be if we could have a trial period for all these great DAC's and see which one is more suitable for our personal taste, but sadly there are no such options.Especially Denafrips does not even offer a return!So before you buy read articles and compare them to the reviews on CZcams to see if they match and pay attention to the characteristics the users and reviewers are praising!Cheers!
@@beslemeto R26 is not better than Pontus. It's just different. I think Pontus is better for metal/electronic music, because it is more precise, neutral and has shorter overtones. R26 is much more musical (plastic, longer overtones), warmer and will be a better option for jazz/rock/soul. Finally, it all depends on your system. Probably the R26 will sound better in brighter systems (transistor amplifiers, bright speakers), and the Pontus will work better with tube amplifiers (neutral speakers). Cheers to you as well :)
Sir how do you compare this to musician pegasus?
You said you preferred NOS on in the review. Why then you recorded the sample music with the NOS off?
I just wanted to share with NOS off to let people hear how over sampling is effectively working, thanks
So you preferred the oversampling sound now?
@@user-nf4ob5rq4o you must be confused, I clearly stated I like NOS feature "On" it means Not Over Sampling.
I was not confused. I simply don’t understand why you didn’t record the music the way you like it (no oversampling)
Just to show how much over sampling is working effectively compared to original music.
Hey man love channel and the DP-47F, what feet do you have below it?
Thanks, please see detail in this video Comparing Isolation Products and Pure Silver RCA Cable Experience
czcams.com/video/96qXArY3v1g/video.html
I find the bass a bit boomy. It could be in the recording
It’s sounds pretty bright ,here’s a little tip, put a decent aftermarket power cord on this dac
Even more so a 20 mm 2.5 amp slow blow Synergistic Research purple fuse ,
Or better still the Audio magic -M1 fuse. Both add even more detail with better image density and
Naturalness give the fuse a solid 200 hours to fully settle in .
I heard that too, it is the gain. My ears are very sensitive to certain gain stages and delta sigma DACs. That is the first thing that caught my ear, and it was immediately unpleasant. I was ready to pull the trigger on the R26, but now seriously considering staying with Denafrips an going with the Pontus 12th...
Hy. You use on your R26 fuse 2.5A slow blow? What fuse has stock? Thx
some said it even better than denafrips venus. and near to terminator plus quality. do you agree on it?
In certain frequency range but not entirely. Thanks
Which is your preference, this Gustard R26 or the Musician Pegasus?
I liked both but in my system R26 is slightly warmer, Pegasus is a bit better in bass control and refinement. Thanks
Hello for you topping d90se is better than this r26 or r26 is better ? For clarity and best overall quality and sound singature with an hypex ncore 1200 dual mono (apollon audio) power amp and maybe with a topping pre90 preamp in the future with infinity kappa 9.2 series 2 speakers.
firstly, i have choiced the d90SE with pre90 preamp from topping but i have seen this r26 gustard and i hesitate a lot now, i have currently a topping dx7s and a marantz nd8006 but i want 2 dacs one with xlr (like topping d90se or gustard r26) and other on rca (my current marantz more warm sounding).
could you help me to choice ?
Which is the best between this 2 ones ?
Topping D90SE is more transparent and clarity is a bit better, I will have A26 & R26 comparison in a few days, thanks
@@Tharbamar Thanks i will stay with topping d90se and pre90 :)
So, finally.. which one do you recommend if someone has USD 3000 budget for R2R DAC. Gustard R26 (cost just for USD 1650) or Musician Aquarius, or Denafrips Venus II ?
Any of DAC from your list with external clock will be game changer.
@@Tharbamar What external clock do you recommend? I have never dealt with such equipment.
Tried it with a tv or CZcams watching? If , are there any delays?
No problem at all.
Did you get a chance to pop the hood? These R2R DACs many are made in same Chinese factory. Same as Denafrips and Musician Audio
Carbon copy Chi Fi
@ Sean B seems like Gustard is using own proprietary parts.
@Joseph Ward, Not exact copy like you may think, here is my question what about major home appliances from so called first world brands? and or TVs?
Everything has changed, you know those major brands don’t even have own factory anymore.
Truth is that’s how is going to be whether you like it or not.
If this R26 DAC was made by let’s say PS Audio you’ll be paying 4K USD easy, so sound is that good.
@@thomasward00 Not carbon copy. Look at the topology of Denafrips and Gustard and they look very different. R26 has 2 toroidal transformers one for digital, one for analog.
How does this compares to Sonnet Morpheus, Denafrips Pontus II & Rockna Wavelight?
Will find out, thanks
One reviewer claims this is better than pontus
I feel this DAC is funner then Pontus. This DAC has tons of detail and air! The Pontus sounds freaken analog....I have already real analog so.... I enjoy the r26 for the crazy detail and air which my analog is missing! No air in the Pontus just silly smooth music...that got boreing fast. Although with pontus you'll never get fatigue just like analog
@@Montreal_Audio_Systems thanks for infofmative review....yeah pontus hava a very warm midrange and sleepy sound, even compare to other r2r dacs. And its most warmer dac from all denafrips line
it's softer because your are running NOS On
when i use the R26 LAN or USB I'm forced to raise the volume all the way up on
my amplifier...this is not normal....If i switch inputs to my optical
with the volume knob so high i could blow my speakers...I have the
latest USB Driver and firmware 1v4 installed...what could be wrong...Please Help
Please check if attenuation is ON, set it to Auto..
@@gauravgoel8092
there is only on or off ?
@@briancampbell7712 ok, then please try with OFF and see if the issue is resolved..
@@briancampbell7712 is the issue resolved...
@@gauravgoel8092
Everything is good thanks...I think it's something to do with different audio signals...maybe something to do with dts or the lack of from my panasonic tv...I'll let you know later...I've been testing the latest Oled TV's
Hello, have you listened to Keith Jarrett The Köln Concert on this DAC? What impressions if so!
Hi I haven’t, I will try it, thanks
does R26 require burn in? how many hours? does it improve a lot?
Reply to myself:
Yes. It improves a lot after 2-3 hundred of hours
Expansive breaks the bank
I'm wondering how this compares to the SMSL VMV D2 dac
I have the same question. I try VMV D2 from local dealer and is awesome. M400 is far from him.... (My setup: Leben cs300f + Spendor Classic 2/3)
@@Pekroo I ended up getting the Gustard R26 because of two different people who have heard it vs the VMV D2 and said the R26 is significantly better. I was worried about heat after reports of the Gustard X26 running hot for many people, but the R26 barely even gets warm. After about 30mins it hardly even gets warm.
@@picklesandufos7860 I worried about trebles in r2r dac. When I tried Denafrips Ares 2 my setup has big roll off in high frequency.... since then i'm afraid of r2r dac's and that's why i ask. Is the same on r26 with upper tones?
@@Pekroo I have Gustard r26, Violectric V550, and HE1000v2 phones. It all sounds great. lows, highs, I had to bump up the mids a tiny bit but that's just because of the HE1000v2
@@picklesandufos7860 thx, probably I buy r26 without listening him... 🙂
Do you recommend to keep this unit on all the time ?
Yes, I like to keep my DAC on all the time if I’m not out of town.
@@Tharbamar how to you use the PCM filter ? Mid slow ow fast ?
20:32, what is the title of this song ? thanks
Kiss of Life, from Grace Mahya hybrid SACD Last Live at DUG Tokyo. If you like that song, buy the CD, there is not a bad song on it, and her band is incredible. One of the better recordings I have heard in years, Sony did a good job. Just wish it was available for streaming in DSD. I did talk to Grace, and she said Sony was "thinking" about it if I remember correctly.
Does anyone know if this R26 dac runs hot? The Gustard X26 pro runs quite hot, wondering if this dac does too
no
The ESS 9038PRO DAC chip is known to run hot, and the X26PRO has 2 of them. This DAC has no DAC chips, as it uses resistors instead. ESS 9038PRO is a great chip, but the heat is a drawback for some.
I'll reply to my own message as I have the R26 now, along with a Violectric V550. The R26 doesn't even get warm, it's awesome. The V550 does get a little warm after a while but neither get hot, which is great news.
@@picklesandufos7860 So how does it sound?Do you use it in speakers setup also? ty
@@vinylseeker867 No, it's just a headphone setup with R26, to a Violectric V550 amp, powering HE1000v2. It all sounds amazing throughout the whole range. I just EQ the midrange to get it a little more present, and boost the low end a tiny bit. It's all great. I'm not a good audio reviewer. I can't describe nuance, but there's not a thing I would change . It sounds better than the previous setup I had: Meze Empyreans on a Burson Conductor 3XR
Can you please tell me how this DAC compares with the Denafrips Terminator 2 DAC?
T2 is a more natural, quieter and more refined in sound quality, thanks
balanced connected?
1:50
Thanks for this detailed review! For the reviewing or anyone who has tried this DAC: How does the R26 do with classical music and in accurately recreating natural/organic instruments? And is it ever sibilant with harsh treble peaks?
which dac - in your opinion - would be the best in terms of bass punch and quality (a like deep - but not slow nor muddy - very punchy, well textured bass that I can feel around the room, precise snare drum kick etc):
Gustard A26, R26 or maybe Smsl su10 or d400ex?? or something else from similar price range (1000-1500 usd) ? This is what I care the most - satisfying bass performance .
ps. My power amp is mcintosh mc352 (350 watts per channel) or I also sometimes use 805/2a3 tube mono blocks (around 35 watts / ch) + vintage jbl 4425 speakers, so its very much into that mcintosh + jbl sound territory...
Based on your comment I would say A26 or D400EX, thanks
@@Tharbamar Thank you for the reply :) And how would you place D400EX compared to DO400 ? Is it a real step UP, (wider , bigger, more detailed sound) or they are very similar sounding DACs? is D400EX worth more bucks ;)?
Mostly power supply and cosmetics, I think DO400 can give D400EX run for the money.
👍🇵🇱🇵🇱👍👌
I had an Gustard X26 unit. Good punch but wrong timbre. Not recommend!
Complimenti !!
Meglio R26 o A26
Grazie
i watched this video and purchased R26 dac... that was a mistake... lets start from begining ... (Firmware was 1.3 latest)
1. First 2 hours it was grainy and grey soundign, - tragic...
2.later sound cleaned from grain, but remained grey, withous "color " in midrange.
3. Later i noticed electric hiss from front panel, very annoying and audible in quiet room, this noise is present in standby mode also ! if you want sleep in the same room , its bad idea :)
4.the good in this dac is : good dynamics, realistic instrument placing, and tonality, but dont expect tube dac sound with liquid signature sound ,from R26 sound pretty dry, harsh and grey in "color". bass is good, mids grey, highs are sterile and a little mushy,but in slow jazz hights are ok, in fast music they become not clear .
5. some songs play ok, some terrible, best soundet classsic without vocals.For example Hugot TT , destroyed this dac in almost every aspect, but bass was better on Gustard,posibly due to dry sound signature.
6.Usb in - worst sound
7.LAN in - sounds better than USB, but then starting song 1-3 dropouts (buffering ? ) on 1gbit LAN... bad bad bad...
8.BT in - in works good, sounds ok.
9.Coax in - sounded best with good transport,in my situation it was Dante DIO.Even showed some colors in midrange :)
10. remote few times hang up.. need to remove/reinstall baterys ...
Finalizing, dac was returnet to seller, for this price i expected some nicer sounding product, and stable buffering in roon/upnp .
You got the streaming part all wrong.
IT IS A STREAMER. You DO NOT NEED another streamer. This is a Roon endpoint as is recognized in Roon. If you don’t use Roon use Mconnect for streaming control.
Plug Ethernet cable into R26 and then R26 into amp. Done!
@Cameron Rector, What you don’t get is this is pre-production model it doesn’t recognize by roon by the time I tested.
If you said that it was a pre production unit then I missed it. The way you described the streamer function gave the impression that it wasn’t a streamer by itself.
Maybe wait to review a product or add updates to products in the future.
soft sound. LOL.
Thank you for the Chinese for bring such quality product at a 3rd world prices. Go China!
Made in China 🇨🇳
Let me know if you don’t have any Made in China products in your household.
@@Tharbamar that's not the point.
@@Tharbamar 😅
@@CarlVanDoren61 Exactly, made in china is not the point. Sound quality and build quality is the point.
Paid advertisement.
WOW Bruce Lee 😮
Enviously