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Gustard R26 finally excels via I2S input!

I'm on the lookout for a long-term choice of DAC. I'm trying to find a good DAC, not too expensive, with a promising sound, and then have Igor Kuznetsoff mod it. 

I heard great things about the Gustard R26 and bought one a few weeks ago. I fed it from an Aurender N100 through the USB input. It seemed sleepy, not exciting, not compelling, especially compared to other high end DACs I've been listening to lately (all of them more expensive than the R26). 

Then I got a PS Audio DirectStream DAC Mk. 1 at a good price, and it had a more interesting and refined sound than the R26. But living with it for a couple weeks, I couldn't shake the feeling it was leaving me cold, ultimately. I tried a bunch of configurations, such as different inputs or different firmware.

I heard that the PS Audio really shines through the I2S input. I had to get a DDC (Digital-to-digital convertor) to go from USB to I2S. The one I chose was a Gustard U18. I also needed to choose an HDMI cable. I chose the Transparent HDMI. 

So the PS Audio sounded better through I2S but there was something wrong with the sound still. Different cables and firmware setting pushed around the sound to different things, but all of them ultimately felt analytical and not musical.

Then I thought, wait a minute... the R26 has an I2S input which is compatible with the U18... let's try that.

Wow! So much better than the USB input. It's not sleepy at all and has good microdynamic resolution, compelling quiet notes, and toe-tappingness, not to mention good macro-dynamics. 

The piano leading edges are a touch hardened, but Igor's mod can probably fix that. I think this is the DAC I'm keeping. Unfortunately this is a more expensive solution as it requires the purchase of the U18 and a good HDMI cable, as well as having Igor do some upgrades to the U18. 

But at least it doesn't seem to need an external 10Mhz clock. I know people on the forums who've spend many times more on the clock and cables around the R26 than the R26 itself. 

 

magon
4 responses Add your response
mikhailark
85 posts
 

Same with Denafrips. I run Terminator II via Hermes DDC and I2S. I had same impression as you on standalone Gustard.

boulder_bob's avatar
boulder_bob
4 posts
 

My setup is more modest than many here, but my Gustard x26 pro sounds better in the I2S input using a VERY inexpensive Douk Audio DDC with a good LPS and an inexpensive HDMI Cable

jastralfu's avatar
jastralfu
221 posts
 

I run a Denafrips Pontus II with a Hermes DDC via I2S.  Before the addition of the DDC I thought the DAC was excellent but the after the DDC took it to another level.

baylinor's avatar
baylinor
1,254 posts
 

My journey is an extension of yours. I started using I2s to connect the Jay's cdt2-mk3 to Gustard X26 PRO. Used a Tubulus Concentus cable, which I thought couldn't be beat. Then I came across the very interesting concept of the Snake River aes cable and to my surprise the Jay's sounded just as revealing as with the Concentus but with a more solid presentation which is very much in line with my choice of music, mainly rock and electronic. That opened the door for using the Gustard X26 PRO I2s connection for something else. I had been using the Innuos ZENith mk3 connected to the X26 pro via Network acoustics eno III usb cable. The result was excellent but it had a tendency to accentuate the low frequencies more so than the Jay's and I always had to adjust my subs to compensate between the two. The sound was good either way but I had a slight preference for the Jay's which sounded a little more airy, yet plentiful in the low end. Of course to use the Innuos via I2s I had to get a DDC. Got the U18. And bingo, the sound of the streamer took it at least to the level of the Jay's, even with a slightly larger presentation. In fairness, I use the C18 master clock to clock the LHY SW-10 ethernet switch, the U18 DDC and the X26 pro DAC in chain gang fashion via square outputs. I now use strictly the NOS setting as I no longer feel like I benefit from oversampling at all. That's how clear everything sounds. And I'm now done. But I have said that many times before lol. It's a journey allright. Big part of the fun. However, the house of stereo is what makes it all possible for me. With every update I make, I know that it will sound as good as it possibly can. And if it doesn't sound better, I sell it without thinking twice about it.

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