Ok i received my R26 brand new and fonctionnal. I paired it with the Gustard U18 DDC to connect through IIS. Before the U18 was in, the sound, compared to my Denafrips Pontus II, was wider, punchier and more 3D without being forward. It reminds me of my Chord Mscaler/Qutest combo but with more meat on the bone and a sense of liquidity the Chords lacked. With the U18 in place, the musicians are inside my room, playing for me. This amazing vividness gives music its enjoyment and visceral emotion. I'm quite amazed by this unit after owning severals DACs from Delta Sigma to R2R. Thank you for this review ! Without it, i was about to make a loan to buy a Holo May. I don't know the may but the Gustard is amazing ! Truly !
I'm so glad that people started realizing the Giant Killer than Gustard made at such an affordable price. I have a Chord Dave as well and while that one is better...it is only by a little better, making R26 the biggest bargain I ever experienced from the land of D/A converters.
@@Soundnews And it's on a burn in process so it should get better ! The U18 is a must to retrieve the last bit of greatness from this dac. Dave is probably better but lack fluidity as i recall it... Did you ever try a external clock ?
I took the plunge and purchased the R26. I literally just received it and set it up. Coming from the Schiit Yggdrasil I am thoroughly impressed. The Yggy is excellent and very musical but has a more intimate sound stage and dynamically it is definitely trailing compared to the R26. If burn in really is a thing with this then I expect it to get better as time goes. This is without a DDC though I am looking at the Singxer SU6 but I question if $1000(CAD) is worth it when I don't perceive any noise or jitter.
I bought the R-26 based upon the reviews and the build quality. I'm coming from a Denafrips Ares ll which is an awesome DAC for the money. The x26 is in a different League though tighter bass refined mid-range and more holographic. I was a little on the fence on whether or not I wanted to upgrade because the Ares ll was so good. The musical presentation of this DAC will have you listening to your whole music collection again and then discovering things you've never heard before. I am very pleased with the R-26 and would highly recommend it to anyone in the market for a new DAC.
The truth is I was interested in the pontus 2. Originally my decision to buy the R26 was based upon the reviews but now that I own it I know I made the right decision. At this point I feel it's an endgame DAC.
@@JstfdbyJesus 👍 I love it when a plan comes together! Ultimately, I always make my own decisions for equipment, but usually, as long as I research it fully, keeping an open mind, and not rushing into anything, I’m usually satisfied with the outcome..unless, of course, something of interest comes out after the fact, which happens that way sometimes.
Great review sir!!! It is amazing that such stellar gear today is available at near pedestrian prices!!! Only a few years ago 5 figures were needed get inti this performance category 👏
Very good review from you, Thank you! I recently bought a Gustar r26, it has only worked for about 200 hours and the sound is very musical, just amazing for the money it costs.
Thank you Sandu for this review. Your opinion inspires my trust and respect for many years. I bought an R 26 DAC and after listening to it I legally agree with every word of yours. He's great. It's worth every cent. The Gustard R 26 opened up the world of music for me anew. I launched a playlist of my best favorite music and each track gives me new impressions and pleasant emotions. It's such a grand sound, so breathtaking, it's a different world of music. Save me... I can't stop for 3 days now... I don't want to press stop... I want to drown in this vast sea of music.
This is how I feel, man. First impressions are mind boggling... I'm planning on replacing my amp with a Trafomatic Head 2. And this will be another opportunity to get good impressions. There are no boundaries for perfection.
I agree with everything said here! Sent back my A26’Z needs break in to realize differences. The midd are so beautiful. You will listen for hours going thru your library to challenge it
Believe the hype, really!!! Like many, I have had hit and miss results going on reviews but this piece of kit is an absolute bargain no question. Mine just arrived the other day and even on startup it sounded great, but like many have said, it needs about 100 hours running in, although mine is literally improving by the hour shortly after getting it up and running. Even at this stage it is astonishing, finding a way to present incredible musical detail but in a very balanced and natural way. Again, as others have said, it has an incredible sense of "air" and dimensionality with fantastic soundstaging. I came from a great little budget dac, the Geshelli J2, but wanted to try an R to R dac, although I didn't necessarily want to spend the very big bucks for the Holo models or higher Denafrips. Whilst I haven't heard those dacs in person, I can't honestly imagine they will be that much better, if at all, than this Gustard, which is end stage for me in all honesty. And a couple of tips. Assuming you are going in via PCM, I found the sound to improve noticeably if you set the PCM NOS to ON. This bypasses the internal FIR filters sending the signal direct to the ladder array (to my mind, a bit like a tone defeat on an amp). This will disable your variable volume control and also the PCM Filters, but overall I was happy to sacrifice those for the better sound. Btw, the PCM Filer control is useful though if you want to tweak the sound character of the dac, and no doubt users will experiment with the filters and the direct NOS signal to see which they prefer. I imagine setting DSD Direct to ON will have similar results if you use DSD material. Also, I have never really bothered with Bluetooth, but even this functionality is amazing in that the receiver is incredibly stable and the sound is astonishing bearing in mind the limitations of the format. I have yet to try the USB or Ethernet inputs, but no doubt they will be stunning too. And apparently in the coming month or so there will be a firmware update to include Tidal Connect, happy days. I run the unit with a great little Primare DD15 CD transport, but am looking at other options to further improve things as the transport definitely makes a difference if you are using CD. And if it helps, in testing transports I was seriously underwhelmed by the Audiolab, the current mid price favorite. The same goes for the Leek and even the more expensive Cyrus transports. As I say, I may explore more exotic transports but the Primare is great for the money. Finally, Gustard Support are incredibly responsive and helpful, I have raised a number of queries with them via email and they have been great. Anyway, I hope this helps if you are considering this piece of kit, just buy it, you will thank me!
@safaria666 Well I demoed it against some other transports and was somewhat underwhelmed by the Audiolab, Leak and even the much more expensive Cyrus transports. They didn’t seem to offer a lot more over a good quality integrated player. In the end I went for the Primare 15 transport, which is excellent. I am currently looking at the Nuprime 9 transport as a back up as it has some interesting features. I fear for those with thousands of CDs like me, it will be necessary to purchase a couple of transports for the time when they aren’t readily available in the future due to streaming.
Superb review as always brother! Great job, I feel Gustard is doing God's work along with SMSL and Topping in terms of bringing truly great sounding audio products at mostly prices that everyday working Joes can actually afford and enjoy at very high levels! Great channel. :)
Sandu thanks for the detailed, honest reviews. I bought Musician Pegasus based on your reviews from way back and I know that it got beat up on in forums, from other reviewers based on rumours or things outside of how the unit performed. Glad you stuck to your guns because the DAC lived up to the hype and your review. Fully trust your opinion and review this time around. Credibility and mad respect brotha! :)
I had the Pegasus and it was surpassed by cheaper digital dacs. I sent it back after I a/b compared it to several other dacs for over a month. I'm going Mini dsp before spending money on another Dac.
@@klepp19 my favorite less expensive DAC has been the Geshelli Labs J2. It works best with brighter equipment like class D amps. For Softer, more laid back equipment, the SMSL 400 does a good job at countering that sound. I believe some of the newer DACS are probably better than either of those like the Gustard x26 pro. I think at this level you are actually buying a Pre amp. Knowing what I know, I would probably buy a minidsp instead of a DAC and buy the DAC absolutely last.. Another point thats never mentioned is that synergy is king. You need to find equipment that match your set up. I typically try to keep it simple such as bright, lean, and clear vs soft and lush (doesn't mean not clear). I still need to listen to the d300 though.
I sure appreciate your honesty and you dare to speak your mind comparing and mentioning brand and models. My sincere appreciation to you. I depend on reviews to make decisions before I place an online order. Here in Singapore, there’s no return policy unless it’s faulty on delivery. In fact, even brand new units that fail to operate as it should after receiving, cannot be returned so buyers have to pay more to sent items back to factories and pray that we can trust them to fix it properly before sending back. I’ve read that some Musician Audio’s customers had units sent back but “went missing in mail” which is infuriating. One customer was advised to under declare the value to $20 and yes, that parcel went missing. Beyond the challenge of depending on reviews with no return policy even for faulty units, very few shops offer these units for tests in their shop which is already difficult for someone like me, with Physical disabilities so I only rely on honest, good and straight reviews. Appreciate this sir!
As a Tiger I Tank owner I agree with the new elegant design. If musicality and warmth with diffuse substance is your thing this dac is AN AWESOME R2R. From what I heard the X26 pro is stil punchier and more detailed, but everyone has it's own preferences. Very detailed, technical and full of positive vibes review, Sandu, we can all take a little bit of your energy in our lifes. Great honest analysis!
@@vagomaniac I don't know. I have not recieved this DAC yet but it is on order. My understanding from this review is that the R26 is just as articulate and detailed as the X26 with a better sound stage and midrange presents. Maybe I missed something and need to re-read it. I thought you were comenting on having heard the 2 dacs so I wondered what mode you were listening in. Now I am just confused. When I get it I will give it a try and see if it outperforms my currnet DAC. If not it goes back.
@@michaelgrissom6103 I got mine after just 6 days, I never expected shipping faster than CONUS! To my ear, this is the best of both worlds. Denafrips and Kitsume try to get a soft, smooth and warm analog sound. Here, it’s got the speed and clarity of the SABRE chips, but the warmth and linear nature R2R delivers. I had a Pontus II to demo a few days, I much prefer this. Focal Kanta 2’s, BAT amp/pre, Aurender N100, so decent midrange system.
It seems like you need a DDC to get the best of it, like Gustard U18. Personally, i cant go back from R2R tec... can't find the same emotion and naturalness...
@@radiofreealbemuth I only used speakers with it but the noise floor is amazing, the unit is definitely worth more than it’s asking price, sounds is phenomenal if you need a bit of r2r action in your system
@@radiofreealbemuth it’s a bit warm sounding because of the r2r but it’s quite neutral and has a big soundstage and lots of nice detail. Audiolab 8300a
Your review, Sandu, triggered me to try out the R26 as a replacement for an SMSL M400. I already tried the X26 following your enthusiastic review about this one but this unit was not doing much for me (maybe my copy was somehow a bad one). So knowing about all your other very kind and glowing reviews I was a little skeptical, if your praise was really justified. Owning the R26 for less than 24 hours I’m totally convinced, that it is. Even without any burn-in time at all the R26 owns the M400 in every aspect. I can totally understand your “being stunned whilst the first listen” part of your review. That was exactly what I felt. And if you still say this given the experience you have, this is truly a testament of the R26 quality. Thanks for your reviews!
@@briansage9388 Hello Brian. I can only speak for my system, but there the answer is definitely yes. I’m using my DAC in pre-amp mode only feed with FLACs by a raspi based DDC via coax. My DAC is conected via XLR into a PS Audio BHK 250 into modified Infinity Omegas. In this setup the R26 was an significant improvement. The sound is cleaner, more spacious, has a better decay and is even a tad more dynamic. The R26 is also a very fun sounding unit having a slightly warmish timbre - like the M400 felt for me. After about 6 weeks of burn in I can state, that the volume decreased a little with still plenty headroom, the sound did not improve significantly and that if you reach the limits of my Infinities the M400 had a slight edge when sub bass is concerned. I'm however still very pleased with the R26 and don't regret switching.
@@josch614 OK. Thanks for info. It was the R2R Nos that got my attention. I heard good things about it and this dac was mentioned and I'm just now hearing about it.
Good man! Always tell it like it is! Honesty and Integrity are the most important standards in life. Be true to yourself and your heart and you will have no regrets in life. Thank you for your Video's I would love you to compare this to Holo Audio - Spring 3 DAC - Spring V3 KTE +Preamp Module. Thank you.
Great review and awesome recommendation. I just received the R26 and it is an incredible DAC. I also have the X26 pro, and the R26 bests the X26 pro by a good margin. R2R DACs present music so much more naturally.
Can you please be a bit more specific..I'm on the fence of selling my X26pro for the R26..I listen jazz and classical mainly through Harbeth SHLs+40th speakers..thanks!
@@quinto34 I liken it to speaker cones and domes. With metal woofer cones and tweeter domes you get that unnatural sound. With paper, polypropyleen, and kevlar cones and silk and other non-metallic tweeters you get a more natural sound. I think the sound is more natural with the R26 vs the X26 pro. I don't hear the Delta-Sigma ringing in the R26. The music is more involving. The PrAT stands out as excellent. I listen to Jazz quite a bit too. The R26 is worth the upgrade IMO. Perfect for Jazz, Rock, Instrumental, Classical, and Hard Rock. I'm listening to Ben Wolfe, The Enforcer right now. Sounds so nuanced and detailed. You can hear the each pluck of the bass. The trumpet is stellar with that ring of the trumpet cone, you can feel it coming off the speaker cone with the correct timbre. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the review. I love that you are willing to adjust your outlook as you continue to review evolving technology. Normally you mention burn-in time when reviewing R2R DACs. How long did it take to burn-in the Gustard R26 Discrete DAC?
Hi mate, I think I've mentioned in the video that I had two weeks for burn-in and one week for listening in my stereo/headphone setup. In about ~100 hours it completely settled it
Sandusaid 2 full weeks or 350 hours , and use agood aftermarket Power cord , and fuse these made a Big improvement 20 mm 2.5 amp slow blow synergistc research purple fuse
Thank you for this video, very enjoyable and informative. Would you consider doing a review of the P26 preamp from Gustard? I'm very interested in this unit but there are hardly any reviews online.
I would also love a good review of the Gustard P26 preamp. When my Gustard R26 connects directly to my class D purify power ampwith XLR, i need to reduce the digital attenuation down to lower than -30 dB, loosing a lot of sound quality. So a good unity gain preamp would help. I am considering either the gustard p26, or the Denafrips hestia which has good reviews but is a bit costlier. Thoughts?
Just wanted to say that after watching your review I ordered one. I had been looking for an upgrade to my Ares II. I normally don't buy something based on a single review but I have grown to trust Sandu's reviews so I pulled the trigger. Received it two days ago (very fast from Aoshida). All I can say is Thank You Sandu! Your review nailed it and this is exactly what I wanted. I plugged into my Burson Soloist 3XP with the SuperCharger and a smile immediately crossed my lips. Everything sounded punchier and more detailed. Tried with Arya Stealth, Audeze LCD-XC, Sennheiser 660s & 600. Dare I say it? This may be my endgame. Plus I want to spend money on actual musical equipment like hardware synths and drum machines (more fun than just software based music production).
Hi David, that you for your kind words. You won't find a better R2R DAC even at thrice its price. I ordered a Silver unit just a day ago, so I could use it the living room (stereo setup) with the rest of my electronics.
@@Soundnews I also ordered and received a silver unit after watching your review and it is truly excellent. It's a nice upgrade over my Singxer SDA-6 Pro. It pairs well with my Denafrips Artemis headphone amp. Cheers !
@@Soundnews Great review! 👏👏👏Let me ask you a question about the R26 preamp functionality. In your X26Pro review you felt the variable output was lower quality than your Matrix Audio element X. Is the R26 preamp output better performer than the X26Pro? I´m asking cause I´m planning to use the R26 direct to Power Amp to get higher transparency, 3D and purity but I don´t want to get a thinner or lean sound. Thanks!!
Hi,I also have an Ares II and wanted to upgrade,but can't decide between R26 and the Pontus II.So,it's that good in comparison with the Ares II? I'm using my dac with P5 preamp and A21 amp from Parasound!
Hello Sandu, I was impressed with your review of this dac so much so I’ve purchased it. I have a Lumin T3 in my system. Would using this dac with the Lumin be somewhat of an improvement? Thank you for the work you do.
Your review helped push me to buying this over the Denafrips and Holo Audio DACs I was considering. Huge shoutout to Aoshida Audio, the R26 *arrived in 6 days!* Ordered Thursday arrived Wednesday. Right out of the box, it's apparent this is a contender. A little raw and a little lean, I don't find it soft at all. The imaging is pinpoint and lots of air around instruments. Wide and deep soundstage. Aurender N100 feeding it, _balanced outputs_ to BAT pre & amp feeding Focal Kanta No2's. I'll just keep it running throughout the day. Nice fit/finish for price. Not nearly Denafrips or Kitsune level, but less than half the price. That let my buy a new phono stage and power supply.
Hi Sandu, Can you comment more on differences with the Musician Aquarius? Another reviewer commented that bass was better than R26? Excellent review, thank you so much
Thank you Sandu for this review that probably in the best on the web, for your experience and compared the other DACs your have listen, do you think this one that produce less fatigue to listen ? or there are are better candidate in this price range ?
nice review man , looks like i got to save up again . Any headphone amp reccomendation for this DAC ? . My options here are Audio-GD master 19 or Burson soloist 3xP or maybe Topping A90D for a cheaper option .
Thank you for your unboxing review. I also watched your video on the SMSL M500 MKIII, and I eventually purchased it. I have been using it for three months now and have been completely satisfied with its performance, especially considering its price. However, I have been contemplating an upgrade recently, and I would like to ask if switching from the M500 MKIII to the Gustard R26 would be a significant improvement in sound quality. Thank you.
Again great video. I'm in the market for a DAC and was wondering how you would compare the Gustard R26 with the new Ladder Schumann? Heard the Ladder is a small step above the Musician Pegasus. What do you think?
Great review :) As ususal! Will definetley do an audition of the R26 when I will have a chance. No I just have some hope for a big Dac cpomparison, R26, Holo Audio Spring, Denafrips, Smsl D3 to name the least, and maybe even Dogde Tube 7 - that would be epic.
I have my limits you know... I wish I would have all those units on my table. After I'm finishing these reviews, maybe such units are going back to their owners.
@@Soundnews I understand, but maybe some day. Some shop would do a big rent/drop at Your house, From a marketing staind point is always a bouns. Still keep up the good work 😎
After your review I was sure I would get the Singxer SDA-6 Pro - As a PURE XLR DAC (I don't need any features) - just PURE XLR SOUND - what dac do you recommend? R26/SDA-6PRO or something else in this price range? THANKS for all you do! Best regards.
SGD1 is still pretty good and it's one of those ESS-DACs that I can still tolerate. It lacks brightness and it isn't thin sounding. Pretty good unit at that price.
Great review and very tempted to pull the trigger on this DAC. Cannyou advise that this will work with the Innuos ZEN server?. I am currently using the ZEN connected to the DAC in my Primare pre 60 preamp. Many thanks
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?
Hello Sandu. great review. are you familiar with the PS NUWAVE sound? If so, can you compare it with the R26. what would be the differences if I replace by ps dac with the R26?
Hi Sandu I mainly listen to DSD 512 upsampled thru hqplayer via PC using Tidal. I currently use the gustard x26 pro for this. I understand r2r dacs benefit more for pcm. Do you think there will still be an improvement as what you have described i.e less ringing soundstage etc if I switch from x26 pro to r26 if I always upsample only to DSD 512? Appreciate your inputs.Was your test tracks played on pcm or you also noticed the improvement on native dsd? Thanks!!
You are definitely the best Dac reviewer on RU-vid your words are very easy to understand and a great explanation of the sound would you say this gustard it’s better than the denifraps Pontus dac?
Took a look at the description section for this video. Sando lists his current favorite components in the description section of all his videos. That list is fluid, the list for this video, will be different than his videos from 6 months ago.
By any chance, do you know how the Gustard R29 compares to a Benchmark DAC3? I am trying to make the switch into R2R and currently own a Benchmark DAC.
Add a Synergistic research 20 mm- 2.5amp slow blow fuse , fuse is directional ,fuse direction reading L to R facing up . Tweak geek sells AQ fuses the yellow are pretty good purple even better ,and they show fuse orientation. Use a decent aftermarket power cord It truly makes this dac that much meter still , just give it a solid 200 hours , the dac Play it 2 weeks 24-7 to fully run it in , the Isotek runin cd is a great runin cd And track 3 use 3-4x a week as a 5 minute sweep tune up i. Magnetic fields tend to drift , this CDs cleans things up ,listen before ,and after this has won several awards in the past.,Happy 🎶 listening.
Very nice and detailed review ! I currently have the Singxer SDA-6 Pro that you reviewed a few months ago. Do you feel the Gustard is a nice upgrade over the Singxer ? Cheers
@@Soundnews I ended getting an R26 and indeed it's a massive upgrade ! I see that Gustard now have an A26 dac with AK4499EX. Looking forward to a review of this new unit and on how it compares against the R26 ! I would like Gustard creating an "H26" flagship headphone amplifier ! Cheers
@Soundnews did you test with and without a dedicated pre-amp in the chain? My point is to understand is the pre amp section in any good or if it's better to have a pre-amp. Thanks
Your review inspired me to order one! I just experienced the Zen Stream feeding my HiFiMan EF400 R2R into my 2-channel system via XLR. Beautiful sound, ZERO listening fatigue but a little "soft" and missing the pinpoint placement of my Matrix Mini-i Pro 3. Based on your listening notes (and I run Roon) I am excited to "burn-in" this DAC and hope it is "just right" for me. Thanks again for the RU-vid review and your excellent online review. QUESTION: has anyone tried it with Roon yet???
@@JeffreyTham I absolutely love the R26. So smooth in my room/system. The filters on the R26 between OS/NOS (slow/mid/fast) are audible differences and I change them based on recording if needed. I really have zero listening fatigue. I plan to run another ethernet cable to my listening room and do a proper A/B since Roon will allow multiple end points. But, to sum up, I like the Matrix a lot, I just like the Gustard SO much more!
@@Temmple I do own the Zen Stream but only tried it with my HiFiMan EF400 (which is R2R as well) headphone amp. I am currently using the R26 as a Roon endpoint via the ethernet port. VERY happy. I also purchased a Cayin CD player/transport with I2S but unfortunately the L/R channels are swapped. I may try the Zen Steam when I get less busy.
This review came at the perfect time. I'm in the market to upgrade my system closer to endgame and was very much desiring the Musician Aquarius based on your previous review, but it wasn't in my budget. I was going to settle for the Pegasus & then this review comes out with a very encouraging comparison to the Aquarius & T+. You sold me on this DAC. Ordered!
I was in the same boat. About to order the Holo Spring 3 and saw this review. Decided to save a grand and try this out. If it is as good as Soundnews says, and works in my system, then I'm done.
@@klepp19 yes, I've had it for about 3 months. Paired with u18ddc + LHY Audio OCK-1 10Mhz clock + gustard c2 cable. Running IIS into Burson Audio soloist 3X GT. This setup was a huge upgrade from my Topping a90/d90 mqa stack. I have hd800S + HE1000se. HD800S low end came out like I've never heard before on my previous stack. Makes it a much more balanced headphone. HE1000se full sounding and hyper detailed. I didn't mess too much with the LAN option as I don't subscribe to Roon/Audirvana or other media platforms to take advantage of it. I did get trial passes just to try it out. A friend of mine that A/B'd LAN vs IIS felt the LAN was better to his ears by 5-10% at best.
Thanks for the review. Do you know what kind of resistors gustard use in that DAC? I cannot find that specification in the web. Usually it is 0.01% or 0.005,% for hi quality dac. The precision resistors is an important feature for r2r DAC...
For your speakers setup do you use a dedicated preamp or did you use the dac as preamp? And how have you setup the ahb2 monos? I have read that vertical biamp is the way to go for them
Hey Josh. I was born in a post-soviet state and I believe I saw a NFL game for the first time when I was already in school, when VHS cassettes started circling around in the 90-ties. I watched too little of it to form a favorite team and obviously we had only soccer and basketball teams. Sorry, no fav NFL teams
@@Soundnews Hey Sandu (I should've asked in my first response when this released), do you feel a DDC like U18 and etc., is a must have in this case, regarding this DAC? I'm assuming you're saying so, but just want to fully clarify? 🧐
@@bigjt37 Hi Josh. I find the digital input board so good that a dedicated DDC will marginally improve its performance, if anything at all. A DDC would be a huge upgrade for an entry to mid-level DAC, but that's not the case with R26. U18 won't mandatory ;)
Hi Sandu! I have been waiting for a R2R DAC with a good pre-stage! As I understand it to connect this DAC directly to a powerstage is a good idea? In menu settings you say if I put it in NOS mode the volume does not work. But is not the NOS mode the best mode? Thanks for the review.
Wow what a great review, looking forward to reading the written content which is low key your best work! Have your heard Holo spring or May KTE before? I really enjoy the Holo r2r nos presentation. I also just purchased an Aqua La Voce S3 r2r Dac which is quite great for it’s used price point.
Given the horrendous experience I had with their European distributor, which called me names via email after I mentioned that Holo May loaner will be compared to a Rockna Wavelight...I don't think I will ever have a Holo Audio review, unless Holo Audio themselves can send me one for evaluation.
@@Soundnews wow that is terrible. I deal with Tim with kitsunehifi and he’s great but I think US only. Really is terrible the EU dealer responded like that. That is the stuff that you hear of snobby high end 2 channel / home theater dealers. Holo will be coming out with a Volot / Hypsos + Oor / soloist 3gt competitor in the next 3 months.
Hi! Thank you for the review. What will you choose. The R26 or the new Eversolo dmp-a8. I’m looking for the best sound for my tidal streaming. I have the node x coax through fiio k9 pro ess for my meze empyreans in one room. But I would like streaming in my stereo setup too in another room. Focal aria 948, preamp, amp c73 and m73 from Pioneer. Sources are vinyl, pd-73 pioneer cd player, minidisc and casette too. I know. I’m a nostalgic old school sometimes. Thank you!
Hey Sandu - have you had a chance to listen to any Holo Audio DAC? From the other reviews I've read, Holo seems to do just about everything right from a design and implementation perspective, but I'd be curious to see some more subjective reviews (comparison to Denafrips, Gustard, etc would be nice!).
Whats the point in asking this when he said he prefers this over the Terminator+ Well maybe your not familiar with that, it's Denafrips flagship DAC, over 6k if I remember
Hello, Your review is superb, it is full of technical and musical details. I own a streamer Eversolo A6 standard version. I will only use the R26 DAC, do you think it will be a good association. Did you use an internet switch during your test or did you directly connect your RJ45 internet box to the R26?
How does this compare to the SMSL VMV D2 dac, and you mentioned heatsinks on this. So this thing runs very hot like the X26 pro then? Also, did you hook this DAC up to a PC or a TV and test if there's an audio delay on the inputs? Denafrips dacs suffer from an issue with their FIFO buffer on the inputs. There's enough of a delay on the inputs that if you use them on a PC or with a TV, the sound will be delayed slightly behind the video.
Thank you for the review, it makes me want to buy it! Is it possible for you to properly explain the streaming functionality? I don’t understand what it actually offers, and I can’t find it anywhere. Cheers
As usual on many reviews, and even on the manufacturers sites, they forget to explaning the functionalities ! Is this unit a "streamer" ....a "pre-amp" ....or just a DAC ? I searched and up to now I am very unsure !
Great review thanks! I'm confused by the streamer portion though - I'm using a Bluesound node w/Qobuz subscription for all of my music - would I be able to access that directly with the R26 without needing the node? Would I need a Roon account as well?
I recieved this Dac last week. I’m still burning it in but man what a great Dac. The Dac I was using was the smsl m400 and one reviewer said you have to go up to the 3-4k area to get a big jump, nope this Dac for 1649usd is a steal. How long was your burn in period? How many hours for you? Thanks. FYI- Scorpions! Seeing the in a few weeks with Thundermother!
In the first week I was pretty much settled, about ~8 hours a day. The second week there weren't that many changes, only minor ones in the bass. In about 100 hours, it will be putting everything on the table. Please let us know, how it compares to M400.
The R26 wins in all aspects compared to the smsl m400. I use a tube amp and tube pre amp with canton Chrono sl 536.2 and with this combination the R26 is a perfect match. The m400 is a good Dac but this Dac is better in every way. Maybe imagining is about the same but that’s to be expected. Thanks!
Thank you for your valuable advice. I just bought the discreet Galard 26R. For better clarification, I would like to know if the addition of Gustard U18 DDC brings a significant improvement or in what percentage. To see if I add it to my list. Any other advice is welcome. Merci encore. (Juste en anglais) ;)
If there is any jitter or noise the ddc helps eliminate that. Think of it as a giant input that outputs the data in the dacs language. No computer noise no jitter.
Hi. I bought an R26 based upon your review, and I am deeply satisfied. The bass improved significantly after 300h of burning-in, and now R26 exceeds X26 pro in all aspects. I am quite surprised how MQA sounds great when Full-decode mode("MQA passthrough" should be selected on the source device, and "MQA" should be shown on display, not "OFS"). I hope you test it and give me some comments about it!
Indeed it does take a long, long time to burn in. At first it sounded similar to my delta-sigma DAC, a bit more distant with _possibly_ a wider soundstage. After a few days I was worried until I saw people mention give it at least 100 hours. So I basically ran it nonstop for over a week, and noticed a huge difference. Now about a month later, it's better still. The best part of the R26 is it has all the speed, bass and slam of the best delta-sigmas, but has the buttery smoothness and air of the ladder DACs. I find this to be much better than the Venus II (store demo) I had tried in my system a few months back - and found it to be a bit dark and recessed compared to my Topper, just with compelling midrange in comparison.
Hi mate. The sound difference is minimal at best. Except for the voltage difference and a slightly better channel separation via XLR, they both sound good to me. I used its RCA outputs with the Enleum AMP-23R with outstanding results and I never felt the sound degrading.
@@Soundnews Many thanks Sandu for helpfull info, so I will use both, rca into my Kinki speaker amp which is single ended and xlr into headphone amp, so I dont need to make a special splitter xlr cable, great work from you👍👍👍many thanks..
Hi Sandu, how do you manage to use I2S that is not Ps Audio compatible? I use a streamer with I2S that is PS Audio compatible and I cannot connect it. Thank you for your help.
Hi Sandu, There is usually a tradeoff between detailed and tonal richness (meat on the bones). My only experience with R2R was the Denafrips Ares II which I promptly sold for lack tonal richness. I currently own Loxjie D50, while it didn't change my life, it offers enough detail without sounding too thin and clinical. You've established that the R26 is very detailed, is there a tradeoff in the ''meat on bones'' department compared to other high end DACs? Edit: OK I just read your written review which I guess answers my question. What I'm looking for above all else for system synergy is detail yes, but most of all tonal richness. Endless features are at the very bottom of my list. I've found that sometimes the most technically impressive components are the least musically enjoyable when actually listening to real music.
Mike, you are right. There were always tradeoffs with R-2R units, even with end-game units like Denafrips Terminator Plus and Musician Aquarius, but as I've mentioned at least 3 times in the R26 review, I didn't felt a single con with it. To me, this is perfection. I won't change a single thing about it. This is how I would design a DAC at this price point. I fact I want to work with Gustard on at least a single project, after hearing their X26 and R26.
I've read this comment yesterday, laughing uncontrollable on the street, people were giving me weird looks, wifey wanted to know the joke too. He is INDEED a true Genius. Folks, this man deserves kegs of beers, he called me "the DACMan" back in the day and it somehow stuck with me...I kind of like that nickname, thank you for it!
Hello Sandu I want your opinion, I m in the market for a new dac for my headphones setup.. before this review I an ready to pull the trigger for the X26 pro... now I m a little confused... My big problem is that I m listen only MQA from Tidal.. and I don't know If the R26 is for me. Can I listen MQA with the R26. ?,?? Which of two do you believe is best match for me..?? Thanks in advance.!!
Ditch Tidal and get Qobuz, you'll get a ~10% improvement (no kidding). X26 PRO versus R26 depends solely on your upstream equipment and preference. Both are legendary units, but for me...R26 has something that X26 PRO will never have.
Just ordered one after ur review, saying it’s even on par with the DENAFRIPS terminator plus is a huge statement! I have Iris DDC feeding the Pontus II so we will see. I also have on loan a Auralic Vega DAC which is superior to the Pontus II without a DDC. It’s going to be interesting for sure….
