Gustard R26 new R2R DAC

[davide256]

1 hour ago, EMINENT said:

Gustard sent me the manual upon request.

hope they got to writing it in English 😁

[botrytis]

Well, I will be getting back home around the time mine is supposed to be delivered. Going to be an interesting weekend......

[botrytis]

Here is a pdf of the manual...

5f6470fb8ec18.pdf

[davide256]

On 7/22/2022 at 12:32 PM, botrytis said:

Here is a pdf of the manual...

5f6470fb8ec18.pdf 1.36 MB · 17 downloads

 

 manual is for X26 ESS chip DAC vs R26 R2R.

[botrytis]

I know I caught that.

[botrytis]

Well, I put it in my system. Very subtle differences from the TEAC UD-501 I was using. I will listen more this week.

 

I had to use the inverted setting for the XLR connection - FYI.

 

Windows 11 automatically recognized the Gustard R26 - no drivers needed.

[botrytis]

So far, it seems the Gustard is a little sharper sounding with more bass extension.

[davide256]

16 minutes ago, botrytis said:

So far, it seems the Gustard is a little sharper sounding with more bass extension.

Schmaltz factor? 😁

The 2 R2R's I've tried do better on string instrument and voice timbre but trade off with less treble resolution and sometimes stridency

with massed upper register violins compared to FPGA or ESS chipped DAC's. Good for R. Strauss pieces but not so good for Tchaikowsky pieces

[botrytis]

16 minutes ago, davide256 said:

Schmaltz factor? 😁

The 2 R2R's I've tried do better on string instrument and voice timbre but trade off with less treble resolution and sometimes stridency

with massed upper register violins compared to FPGA or ESS chipped DAC's. Good for R. Strauss pieces but not so good for Tchaikowsky pieces

 

I find your Schmaltz comment condescending. Please refrain as people might take it different from me.

 

Not this one. I find the treble and voices just fine and a little better than my TEAC, which is no slouch for an old design.

 

I have played some of my go to recordings and there is just more of everything. The cymbals are so spot on.

[rafa]

15 hours ago, botrytis said:

So far, it seems the Gustard is a little sharper sounding with more bass extension.

Let it play at least 300+ hours and then compare. Should be more interesting after good while.

[botrytis]

5 hours ago, rafa said:

Let it play at least 300+ hours and then compare. Should be more interesting after good while.

 

What nonsense. Prove that 300+ hours is needed. That is so idiotic, that means if you only listen 2 hours a day - 150 days? That sounds more for your ears than actual break-in. Why do people believe these urban legends?

[botrytis]

If you can't hear a difference immediately, waiting 300 hours will change nothing.

[davide256]

5 minutes ago, botrytis said:

If you can't hear a difference immediately, waiting 300 hours will change nothing.

mmm, I think long break in applies only with discrete manufacturing where you end up up with lots of film capacitors in

the signal path. For solid state devices made with micro soldering techniques all thats needed is to leave it playing

over night, can sound harsh at first listen without some burn in. I did once add some VCaps to a tube pre, they took a

ridiculously long time to break in ~ 4 months. No patience for anything like that again.

[botrytis]

2 minutes ago, davide256 said:

mmm, I think long break in applies only with discrete manufacturing where you end up up with lots of film capacitors in

the signal path. For solid state devices made with micro soldering techniques all thats needed is to leave it playing

over night, can sound harsh at first listen without some burn in. I did once add some VCaps to a tube pre, they took a

ridiculously long time to break in ~ 4 months. No patience for anything like that again.

 

What nonsense. IF there is break in, one could measure the difference. No one has shown any data that 'break in' is real.

 

 

If this were true, EVERY CONSUMER electronics would go through the same thing. It is nonsense.

 

[davide256]

1 minute ago, botrytis said:

 

What nonsense. It there is break in, one could measure the difference. No one has shown any data that 'break in' is real.

 

What you are talking about is utter BS.

did you get lost somewhere? this isn't ASR

[botrytis]

1 hour ago, davide256 said:

did you get lost somewhere? this isn't ASR

 

ASR is its own cult; I don't subscribe to any of them (I think along the lines of @Archimago). I thought we were going to be objective and talk about this logically. I guess that is an issue here now.

 

I am done with this conversation. Have Fun.

[rafa]

23 minutes ago, botrytis said:

I am done with this conversation.

Thanks.

[EMINENT]

I went through a phase of loose bass, bumping up and tightening Q value with higher low shelf boost and then after backing off. Mood or device changing. I don't know.

[davide256]

On 7/27/2022 at 2:24 PM, EMINENT said:

I went through a phase of loose bass, bumping up and tightening Q value with higher low shelf boost and then after backing off. Mood or device changing. I don't know.

Possibly the recording? What were you listening to?

[Filodream]

I received the r26 Gustard a little while ago and I immediately noticed a strange thing.. could you please check if your units make the same? 

Starting with the power switch on the rear of the unit set to off, set it to on (don't turn the dac on, leave it on standby) and place your ear near the knob on the right side of the front of the dac.

Can you hear a noise?

My knob makes a noise that changes as it turns. There is a "noise sequence" that repeats itself in a loop:

_first step high frequency noise (I can only hear it with my right ear)

_second step noise similar to that of a radio transmitter (I can hear it with both ears)

_third step silent

 

Noises are heard only by paying attention and approaching the unit in a quiet environment.

Every noises from the knob stop if I turn the dac on.

 

 

[EMINENT]

13 hours ago, davide256 said:

Possibly the recording? What were you listening to?

Nah.. Same test tracks I always use. I also noticed through the days a weird effect in HQP to my favorite sinc MX filter so I had to explore others. I really liked MX on the X26, with the softness and more spread out R26, it lost the mid forwardness I had become use to.

 

Just a few...

 

Charli XCX - Move Me

Charli XCX - ILY2

Bassbin Twins - Way Out

Santero - Drop The Bomb Feat. Credit To The Nation (Deekline vs. Product 01 Remix)

[davide256]

2 hours ago, EMINENT said:

Nah.. Same test tracks I always use. I also noticed through the days a weird effect in HQP to my favorite sinc MX filter so I had to explore others. I really liked MX on the X26, with the softness and more spread out R26, it lost the mid forwardness I had become use to.

 

Just a few...

 

Charli XCX - Move Me

Charli XCX - ILY2

Bassbin Twins - Way Out

Santero - Drop The Bomb Feat. Credit To The Nation (Deekline vs. Product 01 Remix)

And you were using HQP in NOS mode? Some DAC designers are calling output NOS even though  they have added processing. I was corrected on that with Soekris

( upsampled R2R) and disappointed with the Ares II NOS mode (linear interpolation filter)

[EMINENT]

49 minutes ago, davide256 said:

And you were using HQP in NOS mode? Some DAC designers are calling output NOS even though  they have added processing. I was corrected on that with Soekris

( upsampled R2R) and disappointed with the Ares II NOS mode (linear interpolation filter)

Yes, same as X26 was in NOS mode too for all my testing. I think that was found to not be just a filter but not certain. 

[matthias]

2 hours ago, davide256 said:

Some DAC designers are calling output NOS even though  they have added processing. I was corrected on that with Soekris ( upsampled R2R) and disappointed with the Ares II NOS mode (linear interpolation filter)

In defense of Soekris he never claimed his DACs are NOS (afaik in contrast to Denafrips)

 

Matt

[George Hincapie]

On 6/28/2022 at 11:49 AM, rafa said:

Hopefully doesn't sound like Denafrips

 

Show me on this Bear where the naughty R2R DAC touched you...