GIANT KILLER? Gustard R26 DAC Review
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- Опубликовано: 10 июл 2024
- Plenty of hype around this one. Some belief the Gustard R26 is the best DAC under £3,000, maybe even £5,000. Are they right?
Link to Shenzhen Audio webpage
shenzhenaudio.com/products/gu...
Link to my Patreon
/ abritishaudiophile
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Time stamps
0:00 Intro
0:53 Design & features
3:19 Technical insights
5:57 Sound quality
8:56 Setup & partnering equipment
12:46 Conclusion
Thank you, Tarun. I so thoroughly enjoy your reviews. Please keep up the good work.
Thank you my friend 😊👍
Prudent, accurate, realistic review as always. Thanks!
Thank you Sean 😊👍
Thank you Tarun. Killer review as always. Most likely my next dac. I had AudioGD and Denafrips in the past and i have a TDA1540 dac now. It will be fun to compare it with R26.
Thank you buddy 👍
Qutest obviously , Thanks Tarun for amazing video … your simplicity in review makes at least my future choice of equipments easy .. can’t thank you enough.
Thank you Atri. Much appreciated 😊👍
Thank you Tarun, another outstanding review.
Thank you Vernon. Very much appreciated 😊👍
Hey Tarun - thanks for reviewing this! It’s all over the forums, Facebook groups and the like. At this (and higher) levels it’s about learning your personal taste, which you speak to quite well. I compared my own Pontus 2 directly against a Spring 3 (L2) (coincidentally the exact same unit you reviewed), and the May DAC. They were more resolving, but as you point out they do lack a bit of that warmth and richness - although both were excellent. I recently listened to a Chord Dave - which does to my ears seem to walk a very fine line between detail and richness. Super resolving and yet engaging. I would love to see that DAC in the mix on your channel (I am sure a Patron could lend you one.. haha). I also think sources get overlooked here. When I upgraded to my Pontus 2, shortly after I upgraded my BlueSound Node 2 to an SoTM SMS-200 ultra neo. The result was as dramatic as the DAC change. A DAC can only work with what you feed it - your Aurelic is a great benchmark of performance, and I do think folks overlook that because transports are 1) not cheap 2) not as cool as a DAC or an amp. Anyway hope these comments are helpful! Thanks as always; it’s great to see how your channel has evolved over the past couple of years :)
Hi Alex, great to learn about your experiences. Mine pretty much match yours. Thank you for the support 😊👍
A credit to your previous videos that I knew what most of the parts inside were and that they were well implemented on this unit. Thanks!
Thank you BC. That is a great compliment 😊👍
I see a Gustard in my future… Thank you again Tarun for another enlightening review. Top notch!
Thank you .Much appreciated 😊👍
Stellar review. Concise presentation. Cool, calm and very informative. I have what I consider a modest but solid system. This thing blew my mind. Walked into my partner's office, smiled gleefully and nodded yes. The search is over...at least for now. Thank you.
That is great 👍
A really interesting (I mean that in the most complementary way) review... My impressions, from some of the more thoughtful audiophile Facebook groups etc, is that most people claiming "giant killer" are those that have upgraded from SMSL or TOPPING etc.
I really liked the nod to the VENUS, as in, "hold on son, you've got a way to go yet"...
Still, it's pretty rare that an "outstanding" is given by this particular, honest and trusted reviewer..
Thanks Tarun! 👍😁😁👍
Thank you for the kind words my friend. Very kind of you to say 😊👍
Looks like a winner! Great review… thank you!
Thanks for watching 👍
I am looking forward to Gustard A26 review and also their U18 DDC. Thank you for an excellent review.
Thank you 😊
Hi Tarun - love the channel.
Great review - for what it’s worth I have this dac and have found you can squeeze a little extra performance out of it by using the LAN, and separately the NOS modes sound with via external upsampling via hq player. I have no issues with Jazz, classical etc. The dac is a great all rounder for the money. The streamer does have offer a positive impact on the sound quality versus say usb which is not galvanically isolated
Using it with the Buchardt sk400 mkii’s and the r26 (based on your previous reviews) and there is great synergy there
Thank you Derek. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
Thanks for your review of the R26, I am really tempted by this dac. I would love you to review the A26 as well, as another reviewer said he preferred it to the R26. Decisions decisions!
Thank you 😊
I went from ares 2 to r26 and what a difference it made! I’m not even exaggerating, it elevated my whole system to new levels I never thought a dac could. Happy to see all the trustworthy reviewers loving it too.
Thank you for sharing your experiences Rob 👍
What exactly did it change and why did you feel the need to change in the first place?
@@doifeellucky speed, clarity, soundstage, instrument separation, transients, bass control, resolution and air were improved on with the r26. It’s a whole different level.
@@robk5745 Thanks. My current setup probably isn’t good enough to really notice those things. I’ll upgrade my speakers and amp first.
When using as Roon end point with MQA FILE, the unit displays OFS 176 4x rather than MQA 1764x. What’s the difference. Remove DSP and MQA will display
Great review! I have this piece and am hearing it the same way you are. With it being an R2R, I was expecting more body and warmth. It's a bit more clinical than I had expected.
Thank you Paul. It definitely sits on that side of the spectrum 😊
Clinical, I’m not hearing that at all, maybe a bit more matter of fact but not clinical, still has warmth and spatial cues of a classic r2r. Not soft like soup like the ares 2 though lol
Ahhh,, ABA Friday,, 💖🥰💖.
As always a top shelf review from the master reviewer. ⭐
Reviews of the Schumann Ladder and Musician Pegasus DAC,s would be interesting.
Cheers, thanks and have the best of weekends Tarun,, 🍻😎👍👍
Thank you Irene. So very kind of you 👍❤️👍
Tarun, thanks for the review. The Mytek Liberty 2 gets my vote for future testing.
Thank you Richard 🙂
Thanks for the video, Gustard A26, a within-brand comparison between R2R and chip-based
Thank you. I shall request it when the schedule clears 😊
That's a beautiful topology. Very nice. Great review . Happy valentines day 💓. Have a great day. 👍
Thank you Trey 👍
Wonderful review as always, thoughtful and detailed and balanced (very British :)) approach. Might I recommend you review the Sonnet Pasithea if you have not already. Cheers.
Thank you kindly. I appreciate the suggestion 😊👍
nice review brother!!!
Thank you 😊
Hello Tarun thanks again for another excellent review! I would love to see you review the Geshelli Labs J2 AKM DAC as well as the Schiit Yggdrasil. Oh and one more the Gustard A26.
Thank you. I appreciate the suggestions 👍
You now have me interested. As I said in Bristol Hifi show, I'm looking for my happy ever after retirement system and this may be worth examining as my DAC. Thanks again again for your excellent reviews
I don’t think many will be disappointed with this one. Thanks again 😊👍
Splendid review once again Tarun! - also nice to see that you wait a bit with some of the - perhaps less relevant - features. Personally I think that it is probably a great DAC, but too many features are there that I would most certainly not use, and I am a minimalist.
A great DAC to review is the Musician Pegasus - I would really be interested to see where you place it; I have one - and I think that it aims for the people that like a good no nonsense NOS R2R DAC - but it 'secretly' aims for the people that have a musical taste for, well pop, rock and metal, so recordings/masterings that are often a bit compromised.
Thank you my friend. I would like to review the Pegasus 😊👍
Hi Tarun, thank you very much for this great review! It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the Merason Frerot DAC and the Graham Slee Majestic DAC.
Thank you Vicente 👍
Thanks! Good review.
Thanks for watching 👍
Another great video with well reasoned arguments and concise information.
My system comprises PrimaLuna Evo300 integrated amp, Rega Planar 3, Lindemann Limetree Network II, Marantz CD6002 CD player, Nakamichi LX3 (circa 1983), and Klipsch Palladium P-37F floor standing horn mounted speakers. Overall I am very satisfied with the sound given the room dynamics. I recently added several IsoTek power cords (Initium on the Marantz and (importantly) a Premier on the amp)....WOW! mind-blown and what a difference - improved musicality, staging, depth, space, details, and so on. No looking at an iterative upgrade to further improved sound details, lower noise floor, improve stage, etc. So am considering an upgrade to the DAC/Streamer (currently Lindemann) and am looking at the Auralic Altair G1.1 and trying to stay within a budget of up to $AUD5000 (UKP2600, USD3400). Given my system (tube amp) my questions are:
1. am I better off with a discreet R2R ladder DAC OR a digital DAC??
2. merits of a combo DAC/streamer versus discreet components??
3. brands/models of DACs you feel would be best/better suited to my system.
Thanks in advance and will appreciate any insight you can offer.
Cheers Tony
Thank you Tony. I currently have the Altair G1.1 in for review. That review should help to address some of your questions 😊
That’s a very beautiful layout!❤
Agreed 😊
As always your reviews are comprehensive and well articulated. While somewhat off course (albeit related, DAC-wise) if you have a chance to review the Ares 12th, I definitely wouldn’t dismiss it outright based on how much press the Ares II has already garnered.
Having lived with the Ares II in my system (Musical Fidelity M5si, LS50 Meta, and Paradigm sub in a nearfield setup) for over a year and recently upgrading to a Ares 12th + Denafrips Iris via I2S (the newly added connection on the 12th, source being a Mac Mini running Roon/Qobuz), the difference (with approx 300 hours burn in time) has shaken me from the once-impressed-now-complacent experience of the Ares II to realizing that the new 12th + Iris (via I2S) is absolutely something special. And yes, this addresses Ares II shortcomings of bass quality/quantity, soundstage depth/width, evenness of delivery, and detail retrieval all to a margin that is not subtle.
Thank you for the kind words James. The Ares 12th is currently here running in in a secondary system 👍
I really enjoy my R26, great review! One thing to point out is that even though the Venus has better bass weight and a bit better soundstage, its twice the price.
That is true. Well said 😊
I’m sure there are trade offs too, denafrips dacs are pretty soft sounding in general, and that presentation doesnt work well in all set ups. R26 is more middle ground that way, and will work well in more systems imo
Can I ask how is the soundstahe depth? It seems people are polarized on it. Some say it has great depth, whereas some say it's lacking depth
@@radiofreealbemuth i had this dac for over a year, compared to similarly priced it has good depth. Once you go higher end (not necessarily more expensive alot of great dacs that are older) the depth doesn’t seem as nearly as great.
Nice Review Tarun. You’ve moved me towards the Venus II. I think it’ll warm up my very resolving ATC 19 actives. However the Gustard sounds cracking for the price.
Thank you Ajay 😊
Listened to this review on my R26! Thanks for putting this together. I highly suggest you try the LAN input, it's a noticeable improvement over USB. The R26 doesn't have USB isolation so noise can be an issue. Both noise and jitter is not an issue over LAN whereas it is for USB.
Thank you. I hope you enjoyed the review. I liked the IIS through a DDC the best 👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 That is the whole point to these newer DACs in my mind. II2 is the purer connection! 👍🏼
thank for another insightful review,as always. it would be great to hear your thought on earmen tradutto dac from serbia
Thank you 😊
I have a Spring 3 currently being built for me... this review makes me a little reflective about that!
Save your money and buy this and apply the difference towards the bliss. Just sayin...
The Spring 3 remains a great DAC for the money. Especially, if you need the optional balanced analogue preamp. The build is better on the Spring 3 and I suspect they are sonically similar. Be happy with what you have ordered 👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks Tarun, you're quite right. I'm delighted. Aesthetics and engineering appeal is all part of it, and on those fronts I have nothing to complain about. I very much expect the sound to match its other qualities.
I have r26 for 4 months now and I'm absolutely love this dac so much detail clarity big sound stage
I use it as roon end point and sound is amazing you don't even need external ddc when you use roon endpoint it's my end game dac very well done gustard.....
Thank you for sharing your experiences AP 😊
@alirez do you use the app to control the volume for you use this with Roon? And does it work well?
Can I ask how is the soundstage depth?
Thanks for the great review which I think added differentiated perspectives on fit and match with music genres and other pieces of equipment such as amps and speakers. I went from “nothing” to an RME ADI-2 when embarking on headphone track. I later got the Gustard R26. With the RME I prefer my Denon AH9200 headphones Liston sing to pop and country but with the Gustard and external (cheap) headphone amp I much prefer my Sennheiser HD820 for jazz and classical music.
I would recommend reviewing Gustard A26 which I’m considering in another rig.
Thank you Carl 👍
Hope that the Gustard A26 is on Your review list :) Also a biger toe to toe comparison of R2R dac's would be appriciated !
Thank you. That has been a popular choice and I shall request it for review when my schedule clears 😊
Thanks for your informed reviews. I would like to see a review of ifi and Cambridge Audio DACs.
Thank you 😊
Great, pointed review Tarun, thanks! Would love to see you get your hands on a Mola Mola Tambaqui sometime soon and put it up against the rest although I do realise it is in a different price bracket
Thank you Sujay. I am organically working my way up the price points. I hope to get to it in time 👍
Been curious about this for a little while now. Seems to be generally well received, and comes in at a fair price with ton of features. I think your comparison to the Denafrips DACs gave me a sense of what to expect from the R26.
As for future reviews, would like your take on an Audio-GD DAC.
Thank you Min 😊
sp3000 is less technical but more pleasing and need no tweak/upgrade at all, its real buy plug play enjoy
sony is abt same quality as sp3000 but magically works very well with um ciems
or slightly better i guess
Hi Tarun, thanks for guiding music enthusiasts with your insightful reviews! I started with the Chord Mojo's , moved to the Ares Enyo. Did like the analogueness of the Denafrips but did miss the clarity and resolution of the Chord dacs. The Ares seem to chew off a bit of the top-end too! I have the R26 in now , after considering your as well as other reviews and it does make up in detail, clarity and does not roll of the top-end as does the Denafrips Ares. I would expect the performance to improve considerably after burn in. I bought my R26 from The HiFiCat based in China. They take care of VAT, customs and is part of the advvertised cost. I bought mine for £ 1360.00 and was delivered in ten days. Looking forward to your further reviews. Thanks again!
Thank you Marshall. Great to learn about your experiences 👍
Tarun, we all thank you once again for the excellent review !
Chi-fi DAcs unfortunately, is something not everyone can audition in audio stores, and especially for some of the ... 'unlucky' ones (fi myself) who happen to live on a Greek island, away from the hifi / hiend audio happenings of Athens :) A few months ago i watched your video review of the Denafrips Ares II. Would be great to hear from you also your thoughts of the all new 12th edition, as well as the also new Gustard A26.
Thank you. The Ares II is here running in 👍
I am very VERY happy with A26 and of course curious if I should demo R26. I’m frankly exhausted of demoing units but have FOMO. THE R26 is just $150 more but would hate to ship unit back go thru break in only to find minor differences.
@@jmp622 I hope to find out for myself at some point 😊
Great review as always.
Sounds like a brilliant compromise for the best of both worlds to be honest. I personally really like top end details, despite being more of a bass hound in my earlier day's. Amazing really how China is really stepping up their game, few years ago China Hi-fi was to be the subject of ridicule and wasn't really taken seriously at all, quite the turnaround.
Thank you. There are some great Chinese brands these days 😊
For me the R26 replaced a Denafrips Ares 2 and my immediate impression was how much more detail was in the music and a realization of how much I had been missing. The other big thing for me is that it does not really favor any particular music genre. I realized that with the Ares I was listening to more accoustic and music based around vocal performance as that was where it sounded it's best. Rock, metal and electronic had been neglected as the Ares did not suit those genres sounding slow and thick. The streamer section is clean and very serviceable, probably in the ballpark of a Bluesound node but I find my Zen stream to sound a bit more detailed and lively. Great review from Tarun, as usual.
I sold my Zen stream since the streamer in the R26 using Roon is so good.
Well said, found the same impressions going from ares to r26. My whole system elevated past expectations with the dac upgrade!
Thank you for sharing your experiences Andrew 👍
Well, no surprise here, and more expensive piece of gear is always supposed to outperform the cheaper one.
Ares ii is just ok.. There are many DAC's better
Hi Tarun,
Thanx once more for the great review. I was trying tons of DACs in the area of 1000 Euro (RME, VMV, Schiit, etc) but wasn‘t really happy with the sound also the more affordable R2Rs (Ares 2, musician) are in my opinion not allround enough and missing the snappiness of e.g the VMV D1 SE.
Then I stumbled across the R26, which almost makes all sorts of music sound good (and it is a pain to find good gear if your are listening to all genres). And reminded me that the old British philosophy of investing in a very good Frontend still holds true also in the digital domain.
The R26 needs a lot of burn in - initially I found it slow especially for electronic music, but this has changed over time. However I am missing some bottom end and find it too detailed. But this is mainly due to matching issues with my slightly leaner sounding system. That‘s why I will follow your recommendation and try the Pontus.
I would love you to review the Musical Fidelity M6x which has a similar price tag as the Pontus and sounded very impressive, with a very realistic presentation. Even though a very good implementation of the ESS chips, it could at times sound slightly harsh. But I think for some systems (maybe more the rather laid back ones) the Musical Fidelity could be a great choice.
Would love to hear your take on the MF.
Keep up with your fantastic work.
Thank you Bernd. Very much appreciated and great to learn about your experiences 🙂👍
Thanks for a reasonable and fair review. I see a lot of pumping for this R26 online. When I compared the R26 with built in streamer against Aries 12th, Ladder Schumann and Pontus II fed by a PI 4 I2S connection I found it scored at the bottom of the list. The sound was slightly veiled and lacked the dynamics of the others. Not a huge difference but enough to be easily distinguished.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
ruclips.net/video/BYTlN6wjcvQ/видео.html
Nice vid!
Be nice to see you review s.m.s.l su9-pro. Keep up the good work 👍
Thank you, Tony. I appreciate the suggestion 👍
Great review thank you! I would love to hear your thoughts on the Hifi Rose RS 150b. Thanks again Stephen
Thank you Stephen. That is on my radar 👍
Thanks Tarun. I hope you will also review the A26.
I hope to 😊
This DAC replaced my Terminator II. Tonal verisimilitude was equally convincing between the two DACs in my system - but the R26's soundstage dimensions were more expansive. Resolution was much better as reported here versus the Venus 2. The Terminator was fed I2S via a Hermes DDC, the R26 gets I2S via a Singxer SU-6 DDC and slaved to a LHY OCK-2 master clock. I think results widely vary with different gear/systems obviously. For me the only DAC I've owned and had in my system that I prefer is my Lampizator Baltic 4 tube DAC - and that DAC is $7K USD. Simple math will tell you the R26 is a good buy, but as Tarun has said, and I agree, results will be system dependent and will ultimately depend on your sonic preferences, hearing ability, music genres you prefer, etc. As always Caveat Emptor.
Hello Michael , I see you comment on every r26 review , do you work for Gustard,😂.
I’ve recently purchased a pathos inpol Heritage and feeling it’s showing the weakness in the r26 . Sounds a little underwhelming.
I was looking towards the Terminator Dac , can you honestly say it’s not as good as the r26.
Thanks
@Nathan hifi if you read what I write carefully, you will figure out I'm doing my best to share what my experience has been with this DAC in my system because I'm trying to save people money - this is a d*** expensive hobby if you haven't noticed 😆. That all said, Tarun has a different take on the R26's sonic signature. Also, apparently, it seems the R26 might not be your cup of tea. Different strokes for different folks. If you have the $, a Terminator is a damn fine DAC, buy one and see for yourself how it compares in your system and then share your experience so maybe you can help someone else make a better purchase decision. The internet definitely needs more people doing that than the trolling that's seemingly become the norm.
Thank you for sharing your experiences Michael 😊
Hey Michael, thanks for sharing this detail. I have a Pontus 2 (fed via a good SoTM source over USB). I am considering adding the Sinxer you mentioned. I hear very good things - and at the price it’s exceptional. Did it make a huge difference with your Terminator/Venus? Did the external master clock make a further difference? Let me know your thoughts. Are you also running the same clock signal to your streamer/network switch? (Both of mine accept MC signals but I havent’ played with that yet)
@Alex Herceg the LHY clock and the Singxer DDC feeds the R26, the two DACs I was comparing were the R26 and the Terminator II, not the Venus (Tarun used his Venus II as a comparison in this video). The Terminator was fed by a Hermes DDC, it didn't need a clock as its internal one is excellent, indeed the Hermes was slaved to the Terminator. Yes, the Singxer makes an appreciable sonic improvement, but unfortunately it is not compatible with the LHY clock and my switch does not have a clock input.
Loved the review! Certainly sounds like an R2R that is right up my alley. A review of the Gustard A26 would be really interesting. Another option I would like to see is the Soekris.
Thank you Ryan 😊👍
Haha! The same idea about Soekris came to my mind... greetings!!!
Hi Tarun. Thank you very much for the review, I was very curious to know your opinion about the R26.
I would like to see your Ares II 12th Anniversary and the Ladder Schumann reviews.
Thank you Paulo. The Ares 12th is here running in 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 👍😀
Another great review, Tarun. I will check out the R26. I'll even forgive you for the "sound quality" section, which flags up as "sound quantity" 😉
Thank you. I missed that typo 😂
Great review again Mr.Tarun👌👌👌.
Appreciate if you can review Schiit Audio Gungnir or Yggdrasil OG DAC.
Thank you my friend 👍
I do like your channel. I like the way you explain things. I like that you look inside the product. As you said, the Gustard layout is just draw droppingly neat. It may be time you took the scariest leap. If you want the channel to grow,...........think you know what I am going to say. Vinyl. Each year vinyl sales are on the increase and I am a vinyl lover. When you buy physical media, it's not just about the music. It's about the feel and touch. It's about the artwork on the sleeve. It's about the annoying part of cleaning and looking after the product and building a collection. Please give it some thought. 👍
Thank you Peter. That is something that I have discussed quite a with my Patreons. I have decided that I would like to rebuild my vinyl collection and get a turntable but it will have to wait until I can get into my dedicated room so that I can leave a turntable permanently setup 👍
Thanks Tarun. Been an R26 owner for four months. Lovely DAC, especially using LAN and Roon - the best. I sold my Venus and Lumin U2 Mini based on R26 hype and liked the idea of money in my pocket and a one-box solution. Fast forward, I honestly admit that the R26 is a slight decrease in *some areas of the sound, mainly vocal realism. However, I have since upgraded my speakers (DeVore) and amplification (T+A) and those differences have narrowed. I don’t miss my Venus-Lumin combo. It was overpriced. I took the money and bought better speakers. It’s basically a wash now. What a journey this has become! Keep listening
Which T+A amp did you purchase?
@@spigdon The A200, 125 wpc. It’s super linear, transparent…. really holographic. And I’ve been a tube amp owner throughout my journey.
Thank you Brian. Great to learn about your experiences 😊
@@bdmcn Cool, yes I'd been eyeing the A200 to pair with my Athena pre and R26. The A200 has some trickle down power supply tech from T+A's HV series. Interesting that you're a tube user and really like it.
@@Wharariki I will say there are things I’m starting to realize are missing: top-end shimmer/sparkle, mid-band textures, some realism … it’s been a good experience simply because the A200 gives me better layering and soundstage.
Nice review good job 👍
Thanks! 👍
Great review. Wd quite like to see a review of newer Pontus 12th or one of the Merason dacs
Thank you. The Merason is on my radar 😊
Thanks Tarun, I’d like you to review the Schiit Bifrost 2/64 DAC. Relaesed last year it is the updated version of the Bifrost 2. There is an official UK stockist (although stock is often slow to arrive from the US where it is made). It is available for £850 and I am split between that and the Ares II. The bonus of an easy warranty makes the Schiit a very appealing option, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on it from a sound perspective.
Thank you Mr K. The U.K. distributor wasn’t keen to send me anything to review. I have Scott McGowan’s email. It may be time to contact him again when my schedule clears 😊
Tarun, great review thank you. Answering your question please review Soekris dac 2541. It is also available as motherboard for DIY-ers and is beloved by electronic digger's community. I am super fancy to hear your comparison to the gear you compared to GustardR26... My Best!
Thank you. I appreciate the suggestion 👍
Great review as always! I am curious to know your thoughts on comparing the Gustard R26 DAC vs the RME ADI-2 fs DAC?
Tks and keep up your great work!
Vince
Thank you Vince. The R26 is more resolving than the ADI-2 with a deeper soundstage and more precise imaging 🙂👍
Your review is well balanced as usual : technical insight vs sound quality, comparison to other similar devices. With regard to the post sales support of this Gustard DAC, I wonder whether it can be on par with the excellent service provided by Vinshine in Singapore ( global Denafrips distributor).
Thank you my friend. I am not sure what level of support Shenzhen Audio offer 😊
Great review !
Gustard a 26 review would be interesting
Thank you 😊
Thanks for this Tarun, for me the R26 is probably the best DAC under £2K.
I only replaced it with a Metrum Jade with DAC3 modules.
The R26 performance goes even higher when fed via I2S from the Gustard U18 USB bridge/DDC.
Did you also use it as a Roon endpoint, (thru Ethernet)?
I'm curious if the U18 is worth it, as I find the sound quality exceptional already, when using Roon/LAN..? :)
Thank you. I found my Denafrips Iris DDC make quite a bit of improvement through IIS too 😊
@@5starmaniac I don’t use ROON yet. In what way does using Roon connection to R26 make a difference.
@@jmp622 Roon provides a 100% stable flow of very high quality sound, using ethernet!
Far better than USB directly to the R26. (I haven't tried a high quality DDC though.)
Apparently, Fibre media converters between the router and the R26 gets rid of most noise coming from the router, cables etc, and enhance the experience even further.
I've ordered FMCs so Im really looking forward to test this! 🤗
@@5starmaniac I am trying Roon. Down side is leaving my MacBook constantly connected. I’m not pulling trigger on Roon nucleus at this point. With nucleus do I need to have hard drive for it? I do not download files, so is the hard drive serving any other purpose?
Another great review from TARUN ✨ I really like to see a review on Aqua HiFi DACs…
Thank you Hamid. Much appreciated 😊👍
Hi Tarun, thanks for another exemplary review! Very interested in what you would think of a Schiit Modi Multibit. Cheers, J
Thank you J. Much appreciated. Tricky to get hold of in the U.K. but I will try again 😊
I enjoyed your review, especially the comparison with Venus II. Cheers! 🍻
Thank you buddy 👍
This guy is the reason I bought the r26 😂🎉
Really nice to see another reviewer gives credit to his fellow pro. Guys, I love both your vids, you both implant your personal style and approach. Keep up the great work :)
Interesting video, enjoyed greatly. The amount of dacs available is a minefield for me. Names that I have never heard of, obviously specialists in their particular field.
I would love to see a video of what dac(s) could be recommended as an upgrade in an 'everyday' sort of system. I don't consider myself an audiophile by any standards but I do consider myself a music lover and have always had a 'reasonable' sort of hifi system. Currently using an audiolab 6000a in a Home Theatre 7.1 system with a denon x3700h and a emotiva a2 power amp, my source being a xonar essence stx in my media centre pc.
Thank you. I would like to review some more accessible DACs as well 😊
Dear Tarun, thank you for this great review! Would you prefer the Gustard R26 or the Denafrips Ares 12th for the Exposure 3510 Integrated Amp?
Hi Tarun! Very informative review as always. Seems this dac Is very good, It would be nice a comparison with gustard delta-sigma counterparts. A26 or x26 pro. Be careful with the dac Rabbit hole! Thanks
Thank you. Noted 👍
🎉Thanks Tarun for another excelent review. Do you think this Gustard Dac is a good match for my Proac’s D20R speakers and Naim Supernait 3? I’m looking for better high details and bass definition. Thanks!
Thank you Milton. I depends on what DAC you are comparing it to. The R26 certainly has both of those characteristics 😊
Hi, your reviews are always on the point. As you asked for a suggestion of dac you should put a ear on is Rockna Wavelight dac. What you thinking about? Thank you
Thank you. Much appreciated. That is on my radar 😊👍
wow, nice build!
It is very nicely laid out inside 😊
I replaced my Ares II with the R26 and experienced the drop in sound stage depth, holographicness, and tonal balance that you allude to in the review. However, I stuck to the R26 as I listen to a lot of pop and electronic music where the detail retrieval was spectacular. I have managed to get back most of the SS depth and holographicness by hooking up the R26 to a Tripp Lite 1000HG medical grade isolation transformer.
That is great Vijay 👍
Sounds like a smart move.
That's the (green) guy.
The SMSL SU-10 seems to be a considerable upgrade from earlier SMSLmodels. Might be worth reviewing and comparing / contrasting with R26. Thanks for the fine reviews.
Thank you. I appreciate the suggestion 😊
The SU-10 is one of the best DAC in the market but you won't hear any difference with the SU-1... The fidelity of the SU-1 is already well above your listening capability. In engineering, the ADC / DAC is a well mastered technology, it's becoming on the commodity level... This Gustard R26 is good, but not better than the SU-1 (the DAC part).
Not much into DACs but it will be interesting to learn more about the two new Cambridge Audio DACs that were introduced recently. Granted they are for a more entry level audiophile but still, how it would compare to others at a similar price may be beneficial.
Thank you. I appreciate the suggestion Scott👍
Thanks for the balanced review of a hyped product! I'd love to hear your verdict on the Ares 12th; is there a valid reason for it in the Denefrips range?
In case you haven't seen it. ruclips.net/video/bKXm8m62BmM/видео.html
I personally really like the Ares II.
Thank you Peter. The Ares 12th is currently here running in 😊
Sounds like my cup of tea. Would like to here that with acdc"s back in black . Hells bells with a bit of crossover cranked well up can make your hair stand on end.
Cool 😎
Greetings. I've enjoyed your reviews. A different approach without going overboard. I've noticed you've reviewed a couple of Burson Audio components. I'd like to hear your impressions of the Burson Audio Composer 3XP Dac with rollable OP amp options if you can get to one. Regards.
Thank you. I would like to review some more Burson products in the future 😊
Hi
This was a very interesting review - thank you.
As you asked for requests to test, the Denafrips 12’th series (upgrades) would be good candidates here, as you had most of them for review already and should be able to draw the parrallels to previous models.
Thanks
Thank you. That review is coming soon 😉👍
Hi Tarun, I really think it is now time to bring the Chord Qutest (back) on te table for comparison. With good powersupply (like Farad Super3 for example). In the high end setups you now have at home, I think you will be surprised what it’s capable of (clarity, but also 3D soundstage…)
I would lie to do that of Chord would send me one 😊
Great review. If possible please review Schit Yggdrasil
Thank you 😊
Great review thanks. Please, can you review the T+A DAC 200? Different price point but seems to be a giant killer in that neighborhood. Many thanks for your consideration and keep up the great work.
Thank you Asok 👍
When you look inside a DAC like this, you can only marvel at the work that has gone into it.
It is impressively put together 😊
Thanks Tarun for your as usual considered and balanced review. I have an R26 which is my first R2R DAC, prior to which I had only had Delta Sigma DACs. So great to get your perspective from having listened to many DACs, as to where the R26 sits on the spectrum of DS to R2R.
Do you mind me asking what DDC and/or R26 internal streaming protocol(s) (eg. Roon or UPnP) you used with the R26, as anecdotally at least over on HeadFi the latter do not all perform equally well. A limitation of its modest streamer hardware and firmware implementation perhaps.
For what it is worth I have found very satisfying improvements to the palpability of the R26's vocals and its soundstage depth and width when using its internal HQ Player NAA renderer/streamer by adding an external clock (the LHY OCK-1) and a high quality switch (LHY SW-8). I speculate that part of this may be due to the external clock likely improving the temporal precision of both the R26's DAC and streamer sections.
I've had further improvements still from adding a second switch upstream and little grounding boxes throughout the front-end digital and network chain - less glare, a blacker backgound and a more calm and organic presentation. Many other users have found similar benefits from using fibre media convertors to add galvanic isolation before feeding ethernet to the R26. I have no idea whether the R26 is more sensitive than your average DAC/streamer to improvements to the upstream digital chain, but very sensitive it certainly is.
Although I doubt my R26 would now be mistaken for a Denafrips I feel it has taken a step or two in that direction in terms of tonal weight and presentation if not outright warmth per se. To be fair I imagine the Denafrips DACs and/or external network streamers would also benefit from similar tweaks, though this might manifest a little differently.
Just my 10p from my experience in case it aids others.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you Jacob. I didn't use the internal streaming module in the R26. I prefer to stream from my Auralic Aries Mini.
It has been reported that the internal streamer is comparable to the Bluesound Node in sound quality but not in the UI.
I ran the signal through my Denafrips Iris DDC and the IIS into the R26. This was noticeably better than direct via USB, optical or coax 👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks for the clarification Tarun. I too found the R26’s I2S input, in my case from a Gustard U18 or Singxer SU6 DDC fed USB via an Ifi Zen Stream, better than direct via USB, optical or coax.
However I find the internal streamer to sound better still in my setup (R26 externally clocked, HQ Player via R26 NAA renderer, LHY Audiophile switch etc). It really is surprisingly good - very, very good indeed. I don’t doubt the internal streamer can be bettered via an I2S source by using even higher end USB & I2S cables and/or external network streamer - but my experience and that of folk who have clearly bettered it via I2S tells me that wouldn’t be a cheap exercise.
Yes, I did like very much this review as I have enjoyed many more before. I'm already subscribed.... Would you consider the SMSL SU-10. I'm curious about how that dual-chip architecture performs at that price. Thanks
Thank you my friend. I appreciate the suggestion 👍
Hi Tarun - I'd much like to see you turn your attention to either the Border Patrol DAC SE-i or the Lab 12 Reference DAC. The Border Patrol DAC is interesting because its measured performance isn't stellar but the sound belies the numbers. I've owned one for years. The Lab 12 has generated some positive comment online as a tubed ladder DAC. Granted that both of these products are a bit obscure. Thanks for the excellent Gustard R-26 review. You've a way of describing sound quality that invariably has me thinking "yes, I understand what you mean".
Thank you Gary. I am not sure if I can get the Border Control DAC here 🤔👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 The founder of the company is British-born Gary Dews. He's an exceptionally nice person. It might be worth the try but I take your point. All the best - Gary.
@@garyalexander5686 thank you Gary. I will reach out 🙂
🙋♂️ HERE TO SUPPORT YOUR CHANNEL 🤗👍💚💚💚
Much appreciated 👍
Would love to see u do a review on the jays audio DAC
Thank you 😊
Great review. Your last remark, regarding the type of music (jazz, vocals), leads me to think that this is not the DAC for me. I am considering the Terminator II 12 ed. So... regarding your request, yes please consider reviewing it.
I didn’t understand that comment as well. All I listen to is Jazz and acoustic. This Dac beat out the Venus 2 I was auditioning.
Thank you Giovanni. System matching will influence preferences between the R26 and Venus II as much as anything. Acoustic, vocal centric, jazz and classical recording sound thinner on the R26 than the V II with diminished soundstage width and depth. The R26 is more resolving of details though. In the end it come down to personal preference 😊
Excellent review as always Tarun. Would love to see you get a hold of the Gustard A26. Quick question do you think the Musical Fidelity M5SI is enough integrated to take advantage of a unit like this? I’m thinking of the A26 with my JBL4309 & M5SI. Thanks
Thank you. On paper, the should be a good match but there us no way to tell without trying 🙂
Nice review, Thank you.
How about a review of the Audio Note Dac 0.1?
Thank would be cool 😊
Yes! Really curious to know what your impression would be.
Really have to audition it in the (near) future. It’s an interesting concept.
I’ve been using tubes for quite a few years but recently switched over to the Sugden A21 SE which sounds amazing in my setup but I do miss a bit of that holographic magic and the Audio note might just bring some of that back.
Right now I’m using the original Altair as streamer/DAC which has a USB out so I’m able to use it as a streamer only to give the Audio Note a ‘clean’ signal.
Keep those reviews coming! Love the way you look at Audio equipment👍🏻😃
Peter.
I've had the R26 basically since it came out. It's an End Game R2R DAC at a reasonable price competing with TOTL DACS
Thank you for sharing 😊
I almost forgot: there’s a DAC company: 432evo that creates DAC and it’s tuned to 432HZ=A . Very interesting. Melody Gardot’s Currency of Man was recorded tuning the A music note at 432 Hz. It might be interesting to see a review on this one as well 😊
Thank you Hamid. I shall check it out 👍
Hi Tarun. Would be great to have your review of new 12th anniversary Venus as well as the Terminator DACs from Denafrips.
Thank you. I hope to do that 😊
Certainly sounds worth a listen! Sound aside, numbers and code are a horrible way of naming products, and secondly, this DAC looks much better inside than
out (really enjoy 'under the bonnet'). I do wonder if in future DACs could be more upgradeable (software and/or hardware) - rather than chasing technology with
another expensive box. Thanks for the review, good to hear your voice back on song!
Thank you. Definitely over the worst 👍
Hello! The Chord Dave dac would be interesting to review since it claims to be the best dac in the world ... I am a fan of the Chord company and personally think that the R&D department do a really good job and their products are very well engineered and designed and offer performance in some areas where simply other manufacturers just copy one another...
Thank you for the suggestion 🙂
After watching and reading many R26 reviews I'm still not convinced this will be my first R2R DAC. It would be nice to have the clarity together with the warmth and fullness ..maybe this is just not possible, the fact that I'm liking the timeless design of Denafrips 10 times more is not helping 🙂
Luckely I'm still enjoying my D70s and who knows what will pop up next..good review but a little shorter as usual 😉
Thank you. It is hard to get exemplary resolution and warmth 😊
Hi Tarun, the DAC I would like you to review is the DAC in the Hegel 390.
Thank you Richard 😊