No I2s on the Chord. Maybe the x26 pro would have been better for you. Not a fan of r2r, at least the Aries 2 I used to own.
Gustard R26 - good but not the one
I have owned a Chord Qutest for quite some time, maybe 5-years. I power it with a SBooter power supply and feed it USB from a SoTM SMS200 Ultra with SPS500 power supply. Overall it sounds great. It's been a great purchase.
But 5-year old DACs are getting long in the tooth. As Ferris Bueller said, "digital tech moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
So, I've been looking at new DACs as a possible replacement. It's tough because the Qutest is pretty darn good for it's price and bettering it takes a leap in spending.
The Gustard R26 R2R DAC has been widely praised all over the internet and it went on sale 10% off the other day (8/26/2023). So, I picked it up on Amazon with free Prime Shipping and 30-day free returns.
This was more of a learning experience than anything else. I'm sending it back 3-days later, but I wanted to say it is a fine sounding piece of equipment. IF I had not spent a long time with the Chord Qutest I would have been over the moon for the R26. I did run it continually for the 3-days it was here - not fully bedded in, but close.
It's well built, super sturdy, easy to live with, great sounding and very versatile. There was not a huge difference from the Qutest, but the Chord was just that much better to my ears and I don't want to spend $1,460 to get not quite as good sound quality.
The streamer was super convenient and sounded fine. Not SoTM great, but certainly sounded fine.
It has one flaw. when you switch inputs, and there are lots to choose from, it totally drops the input you've been on. You have to reestablish the entire setup in your player. Using Roon > HQ Player that meant going into HQP's preferences and selecting the Gustard anew.
So, that's my take on the Gustard R26 - very good but not Qutest good.
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I’ve had the R26 for about six months or so and I’ve heard it pass through several different break-in stages. There isn’t just one. I believe there’s upwards up five. Very odd but maybe not for an R2R. Anyhow, overall I think it is a very fine DAC, especially at the price point. Will it be a permanent resident in my system for 13 years like my old Cary DAC? No. Because I’m definitely a Weiss fan and feel that even at that price point, such a DAC is worth it. I just wanted to see how good you could get for sub-2k range so this was merely an experiment. At least, in my system, it is really quite amazing. Lots of playing with the settings and disabling and enabling of features. And it is worth noting I don’t use the onboard streamer. I have an external dedicated streamer (Moon MiND 2) that serves the purpose. It is true that using that tiny, low-cost computer chip for a streamer is absolutely the weak point in the R26. That said, the combined cost easily gets you into the $4k range where other dacs can handle that duty just fine. But I’m not getting rid of my streamer as I am fond of dedicated pieces that serve dedicated purposes. That said, my experience in particular is far better than one would have using the R26 as a sole streamer/DAC combo. Think that in a very important anecdote for anyone considering this particular DAC. It is indeed very good and very well worth it at its price point. And definitely a good one you can use while saving your dimes for a “grail” DAC. Just avoid the streamer and get an outboard piece. As for the sound, in my system, soundstage is impeccable. Couldn’t believe what I was missing. There is a slight loss of that analog sound as compared to the Cary. I think it is more of a low end tonal thing where the Cary has an edge up. But the bad response is right, we’ll controlled and brings out everything available in the recording. Don’t downplay this DAC. It is the best one you can get for the money. Not the best DAC by anything means, but if you don’t have $10-15k, or more, for a high end DAC, give it a shot. If you hate it, return it. I ordered mine directly from the supplier in China. Great response times and they got the unit to me in good time. Not super fast, but it made it here in perfect condition and the damn thing seems like it would take a bullet and keep working. Very impressive build quality. If you’re curious, it is worth a shot. |
This is probably the 1st time that I observed a used Qutest dropped below $1k. Grab it while you can if the quality is that gooooooood. Personally, I think the Chord DACs are overpriced for what they are but maybe they are worth every penny given the sound quality. https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650015131-chord-qutest-dac/
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Great comments. I am narrowing my DAC choice from my current Atom+ to the Qutest, Mojo, or Bifrost. I am not sure id there is that much difference in what I am most sensitive to, (female vocal and false horn edginess) in any of the Delta Sigma ( DO300, E70 etc) over my cheap JDS. I want to hear how short, if at all, a Mojo is to a Qutest and the basic character difference to the Bifrost. Rummor FPLA prices have come down so Chords may drop a little. |
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