Awesome review, detailed and clear. Thanks! i have at home the Gustard R26 and the Denafrips Pontus II and in my humble opinion talking about Sound Quality i can not say who's the better of these two amazing dacs it's a matter of equipment match. I can say that i prefer the R26 with the Wharfedale Lintons and the Pontus with Sonus Faber Grand Pianos. But talking about value the Gustard is crazy, Streamer, DAC, remote, functionality... amazing!

Great video as usual! I was surprised how so many of the earlier reviewers overlooked the Lan connection. It’s definitely superior, especially with a FMC conversion! Add a little magic from poly-sinc-gauss-long and it’s truly special.

Excited for the HQplayer video!

Excellent review as usual sir ! I got the R26 soon after it came out and I'm very pleased with it, it was a nice upgrade over my previous Gustard A18 and Singxer SDA-6. Cheers

One of the best reviews channel on KZfaq 👍.

Thanks for comparing native oversampling vs upsampling via HQPlayer. I’m very excited for your HQP review. Not many YT reviewers are covering this wonderful software.

Very nice review, Lachlan, I own this DAC and absolutely LOVE it!!! I agree with everything you wrote, including about the LAN and HQPlayer upsampling observations. Cheers!

I am old school and only listen to CDs through my audio Lab CD Transport via a 75 Ohm silver coaxial cable. And I have to say I love the results. It's so smooth and natural sounding . The better the recording the better it sounds. I love it. No need to spend more. A great sounding DAC.Good review bye the way. Thanks

Great review! R26 is a wonderful DAC. Connecting it with Aune XC1 external 10Mhz clock improved the sound noticeably, too :)

Great review as usual ...Thanks Much !.......

I bought the Gustard R26 right when it came out and loved it. I eventually sold the R26 once I got the Gustard A26 as it was just a more satisfying DAC to my ears for the music genres I mostly listen to like Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Metal and Blues. The R26 is maybe a warmer smoother DAC compared to the A26 which has a tad more detail, punch and slam type qualities going on to my ears. I'ver got the A26 paired with the newest version of the Burson Soloist 3XGT with a Lokius tone control in between and it's easily the best synergy and DAC to Amp combo I've ever experienced for my music genre's. My main 2 headphones at the moment are the HE1000V2 (V3)Stealth Magnet and a Stabilized Auteur Classic. I've been selling off a big chunk of my HP's and gear as I'm now in that end game territory with Gear and HP's. Maybe I'll spring for a Stabilized Caldera at some point in the future if Zach does another November event with some stabilized Caldera in the lineup. And the last thing I'll add is something that Ace already has touched on. I'm now a firm believer that anything over the $2K Range with Audio gear and headphones is seriously entering into that diminishing returns territory. I've been to the top of the mountain with Susvara. Couldn't drive it properly. The easy to drive HE1000V2(V3) Stealth has given me way more enjoyment than the Susvara ever did for $4K cheaper. I had the TT2 & M-Scaler for a few weeks before realizing it was a mistake and way too analytical for me. Luckily I sold them without taking a beating. I would take the Gustard A26($1500) & Soloist 3XGT($2500 Pre order price) paring over the TT2 & M-Scaler every day of the week and twice on Sunday. $4K for the A26/Soloist 3XGT.... vs almost $12K for a new TT2 & M-Scaler. That's a difference of 8 GRAND!! There is nobody on the planet that could convince me the Chord TT2 & M-Scaler setup is $8K better than the A26/Soloist 3XGT combo. I mean if you've got the funds... spend your money however you like. My 2 cents here is for those who are trying to get the best bang for the buck. I've now tried enough HP's and Gear to realize that staying in the $2K-$2.5K Range will deliver you at least 90% of what the massively more expensive TOTL HP's and Audio Gear are doing. Nice review as always Lachlan

New subscriber here. I’ve had my R26 for about 6 months. I’m using it as a Roon endpoint. It really matches the qualities I look for and presents them with a smoothness and ease. The soundstage is tall, wide and especially deep. It’s a great bargain especially considering it’s also a streamer. A DAC like this would have cost at least twice as much 2-3 years ago.

I use my R26 with an upgraded SR Purple fuse, Gustard U18 DDC, and LHY OCK-2 external clock. Each of these things didn't make a huge difference on their own (although noticeable,) but once combined, it's a combination that I believe can compete favorably with basically anything. The sound is absolutely phenomenal. This DAC also sounds incredible in a chain with a tube amp or preamp.

I really appreciate you including the HQPlayer considerations, given the NOS mode. That is a big differentiation consideration for NOS DACs. FYI, I read that in order to apply filters, this DAC runs the r2r output through delta sigma stuff for oversampling...dunno if true. But if so, it might be that NOS is the only way to get pure R2R sound. Worth trying DSD with HQPlayer

great review

I have HQPlayer and love it. Looking forward to your review of it. Maybe you could compare the value of HQPlayer vs expensive cables at some point.

I love how you describe how the DAC sounds, its voicing, tonal balance ect... I would really like your take on the Musician Audio Draco DAC. It is supposed to sound unique, even to its siblings. The Draco is 2/3 the price of the Pegasus. Thank you for this excellent video. Keep em' coming!

Another fantastic review. I'm sure many here would love an entire video dedicated to native NOS/OS and upsampling vs hardware and software. I have avid audiophile friends who, even myself at times, still conflate and confuse the differences. One swore he was upsampling through an app and believed it so until I illustrated that just their web browser was keeping them from streaming at a higher bit rate. As far as the DAC - I have had this DAC for a few months as my network streamer. I found (believe there are some others that can attest?) that the DAC does "warm" up in sound slightly after around 100 hours of burn-in. What i wasn't expecting, is that its soundstage widened noticeably. It's difficult to put into words but I would suggest this as a possibility for those who prefer the accuracy of the solid state sound but prefer the smoothness of an R2R minus the high end glare. This unit takes some of the better elements of both worlds.

Great review as usual Lachlan! have this DAC for months now and loving it. Just tried to upgrade the firmware with my Mac but was unsuccessful. After clicking on imager, I can’t find the DAC listed on my Mac in order to move on to Write so I am stuck there now.

Great review. Looking forward to your review of the HQ Player. I couldn't figure out how to use it with Roon.

Giddy up Gustard! Really looking forward to the A26 review as my main genre is electronic music so I want the detail. My Gustard X16 has been a trooper but the RCA output is starting to do strange things from time to time so the next DAC is in the planning and I can't afford a TT2.

I owned the R26 after owning the Denafrips Venus. I preferred the R26 in all areas except the vocals, which I think you imply or mention. It was just thinner in my system, and for that, I moved on to another R2R DAC, but this time Tube, in the Audio Mirror NOS Tubadour IV.

Great review! I have the x16 which I purchased for $400 CAN. It sounds very good. I can sell it for almost the full $400 after 2 years of play. Gustard makes great product, reliable will built. Even there least expensive.

Great review ! I own this DAC & I found it a game changer! I agree all of the inputs sound great, my experience with DSD are from downloaded files & SACDs and the dynamic range and sound quality was elevated. I have limited use of LAN but following your review I will be looking into implementing this soon.

And again, nice review as always. Would love to audit a r26, but can’t find a shop here selling them, and buying this kind of equipment without listening is to expensive.

Hello and thanks again for another great review.. saw lots of your videos lately :) how would you compare the R26 dac vs the new Eversolo Dac dmp a8 that you reviewed lately ? Much appreciated 🙏

I wanted to add my first R2R DAC for my ZMF's and I had in my mind the R26 and Spring 3 KTE. The R26 seems interesting for half the price, but has lot of features I will not use like MQA, streaming, as well the many ports it has. In other hand, syncing between audio and image is important to me, and its proven than R26 works perfectly, but I could not find too much information about this on the Spring 3, just that the KTE version has improved USB module. I keep thinking and thinking...

Thanks!

I bought this when it first came out and honestly it's ridiculously good. yea there's probably be better but it'll cost multiples of this and the best thing about gustard is you get insanely great value for the money. The build quality alone, weight and internal parts quality is top notch

I have the R26 feeding a Violectric HPA V550 feeding HE1000v2's. Before that I had Meze Empyrean's but sold them because.... (the bass was great, but the midrange was recessed/veiled/not as clean). Before that I had HD800S but sold that as the bass was too lean and the soundstage a bit too diffuse. HE1000v2 is perfect, except for a very very minor nitpick of a very slight lack of dynamics/slam, but it's still good in that department, just not the best. (However, little tip for Hifiman owners, push the headphones forward on your ears, so the back of the cups are touching the backs of your ears. This improves the bass and gives a sweeter more tonally rich midrange) Anyway, I came to the comment section to mention two things about the R26 that are awesome. Well, lots about it is awesome, but 2 things out of the ordinary are awesome: 1) It doesn't get hot, or even warm. This is great in warmer climates if you don't want your components heating up the room eventually 2) It doesn't have a delay on it's USB input like all the Denafrips DACs do. Even admitted by Denafrips, they have a delay (200-300ms or so) on all their DAC's. Has to do with how it's oversampling is processing they said. Well you don't notice this delay at all if you're just listening to music. BUT, if you have this sound rig hooked up to a PC and you sometimes play FPS shooters, well you don't want your sound delayed behind your graphics. Ya see, I was originally gonna get the Ares 2, but then I learned about this delay. From what everyone is saying, the R26 is better anyway, so it all worked out.

Added a cheap optical SFP -> RJ45 transceiver + ifi quiet power supply for some noise isolation (less than $150 total). The results are pretty impressive. The LAN input got even better... considering something like the uptone ether regen.

Wala Spot on Review!! I love my r26. I am using it with i2s coming from DDC gustard18. Feeding DDC with usb from computer. I found this to be superior especially with my dynaduio evoke 10 and rel subwoofer. to me there is better definition in low end. The network connection is really good but i really struggle with the aps eg using chord network cable, using qnap music software and using r26 as a renderer. However, qnap music app has limitations and don't find it to be user friendly. I have got apple eco system so cannot use bubble upnp.

Great review! Wish this review had been around when I bought my Pegasus. I am really digging your sweatshirt in the video. Can you tell the company or where you got it? Thank you! Never mind saw the links in description!

I am watching this review again cos each time I watch the same video of yours, I learned different things. It’s kinda like you listening to the same song but each time you are focused on listening to a particular instrument. For now, I first have to find a way to upgrade the software and then try LAN (have never done this before, all music sources are from my MacBook Pro or my 20TB HDD of hi res music via USB”. I do not have a “real player” so I am using Pine or VOX now. I am considering Roon or Audirvāna, whichever that I can use the R26 LAN and has app for my iPhone and iPad Pros. I can’t subscribe to Qobuz as its still not available for Singapore. I am Ah be getting the U18 DDC any time now. I hope I have clearly explained my situation so I hope that I can get help from anyone who is willing to take me through step by step. Thank you in advanced, whoever my “savior” is. 😂

Hey, I'm writing this comment before watching this video all comment based on my personal experience I ordered R26 and had Denafrips Ares 2 first I noticed was not good enough instrument placement for me, something felt off in the soundstage I also didn't like much timbre ( my first thoughts in 2 days listening ) I also have Singxer su6 with i2s gustard doesn't have pin layout config, I was sitting all day to set up dad playback via i2s and got so frustrated that I returned after 2 days Ordered Pontus 12th and I'm a happy owner now... With the Gustard unit, I had huge expectations and it didn't win the fight with my Ares so I was pretty disappointed not mentioning cheap wobbly volume nob where you accidentally click staff

Ordered Gustard R26, will replace Cambridge CXN. hope it's a good upgrade!!

Great review. Having had the Gustard R26 for a couple of months, the LAN input sounds warm (slightly rolled off treble) to a degree, but the iFi Zen Stream/USB input combo appears to have more treble energy, better soundstage depth and width, and deeper bass. I suppose what I’m saying is that a good streamer can take the sound quality further than with the LAN input. Then again, maybe it’s just my listening preference. 😅

Thanks

Thanks for the review. Seems to be a very interesting choice for many. I am curious about the quality of the selection wheel (also volume control?) - I think that these things aren't that robust - and often break early - and with that shorten the lifespan of the whole unit.

Very curious how the Gustard A26 sounds since I read it have one of the best dynamics and transient response . I hope you can get an A26 soon to review it

I am very curious to see what you think about the A26. I have a Gustard X26 Pro and except for the A26's streaming capability, I can't see a reason why the AKM chip would suddenly sound better than the ESS. However - what the AKM chip offers is DSD Direct; the ESS chips always do some form of processing/modulating the signal (which, to my understanding, has its benefits also, namely - a well-implemented volume control), even in NOS mode which only disables internal oversampling filters. I am thinking that the A26 could be a perfect device for HQPlayer users because it will take the incoming HQPlayer-upsampled-and-modulated DSD as it is and given how well Gustard DACs are designed (discrete components, linear power supplies etc.), at least on paper this should be an ideal way of squeezing the most out of upsampled DSD. My X26 Pro already sounds phonemenal when fed such signal, if the A26 has the potential to be even better then it could be a mind-blowing experience.

Good review. Really curious as to what difference the equipment you are using for HQPlayer and it s difference would make in that comparison. In my experience, using a Ryzen 5950x, 4080 card with 64 gb ram. Running HQPlayer in DSD 512/1024, I found the MScaler isn't even close. IMO, the hardware matters more than you are giving it credit for here.

I thought i2s was supposed to be the best connection these days, how does the LAN upstage it both sonically and technically? Thanks

I have an EverSolo Z8 and I am planning to get an A26. I hope you can review the A26

Try to review the Eversolo DMP-A6 "Master Edition" please

I had ended up going with the Yggy OG after having encountered an offer I could not refuse on a used unit. I am hoping however people were able to score a deal on the A26 or the R26 as those are available at a much lower cost. Shenzhen Audio had Black Friday promo pricing on the both of them. Definitely into the multibit DAC sound with my lively speakers; I don't know if the resolution or the imaging or the soundstage depth is even the best you can get for under $3000. None of that matters to me. I was content not chasing the best resolution. The way the music is presented, is unique to me as a newcomer to R2R. The music sounds more like a performance and less like a mechanical presentation of a recording where the equipment is going out of its way to get my attention.

Excellent review. Amazing value proposition. What are your thoughts on the Gustard R26 compared to the HoloAudio May KTE given how close it came to the Chord TT and MScaler?

Yeah, I'm a smoother sound kind of guy. Think I'd like this over the TT + Scaler.

I play original DSD super high resolution material using USB and IIS2 and have clock as well as USB isolation unit. Nothing and I mean nothing sounds as good as DSD except vinyl. Cheers

I would be interested in the review of guatard H26. Thank you.

I suspect that you will find with oversampling to DSD (256 and above) in HQPlayer, using the "EC" modulators, is an entirely different thing than Roon's DSD oversampling!

Sounds like there is bliss to be found in the manifold of features.

I recently purchased a Gustard R26. I had an Eversolo Z8 before which also sounded nice but R26 has more depth and live energy on vocals and acoustic instruments. Wider soundstage and a sense of more air. I also use it in LAN mode with Roon. I was wondering if there is a Tidal Connect update ?

Great review! How is the tone and timbre when recreating instruments in classical music and jazz genres?

Great review! Wondering about the LAN option. I'm already using a Pi2design (version 1) streamer I really like, but only goes up to I2s. Is the LAN card assignable regardless of the input, or does it have to be through the Ethernet port? Or, it would have to be through streaming via the Gustard? I might have already answered my question here, just that it seemed as if it was possible by what you were saying.

Would like your opinion on the A26, curious about that one. From what I’ve been reading it sounds more to my taste than R2R dacs. Considering a Bifrost 2/64 as well since it seems to be a bit more neutral than typical multibit/r2r/ladder DACs.

I'd like to see a review of the Merason Frerot

IMHO DSD is only usable on this DAC with HQplayer and DSD Direct mode. But in that mode it is magical.

If you connect R26 via LAN and use Roon, will it be possible to control the volume in the Roon application? Or will I be able to adjust the volume only on the power amplifier? Will the DoP 64 and PCM sound over the coaxial channel and LAN be good if you use a DAC loop (Hegel H390)? What level of cables should I use with R26?

Thanks for all you do!! Oh dear. This or the DMP-A8 as my endpoint for Roon? So many decisions 😂😂

Great film about r26. I have a gustard x16, and I am completely clueless as to where in Australia to purchase a IIS cable for it. You mentioned during your extensive testing that you used an IIS cable. Where from and what brand please? Keep up the splendid work.

yessss, I have one, but I curious to find out what you think. I was blown away by its performance, coming from an aune x8 with upgraded op-amp.

Great vid but how does it compare to the Pontus II? Thanks

Hi sir, So far all your suggestions worked very well for me. Recently I got Burson soloist 3x GT by selling A90D.and as you said burson is epic. Please help me to understand: if i upgrade my topping E70 dac to this R26, is the difference noticeable? Do i get the same amount of improvement when compared to the improvement what I got from A90D to burson upgrade? Thanks again.

As I understand it, the Gustard A26 that uses the AKM 4499 chip*set* - and that is a delta sigma filtering / oversampling chip and a multibit/R2R chip?

Uh, will there be a review of the SPL Phonitor XE that see in the background? Possibly also of its Dac section if you've got that on hand! I'm especially curious as to your experiences of it with planars (it has a gain switch on the bottom, mind you) :-)

Would this be appropriate to pair with my Rotel RB1582-MKII and Polk R700’s? Or should I look for something more like a Denafrios Ares / Ladder Schuman / Musician Greco or a $500-$1000 SMSL/Topping? I have this system paired with a Bluesound Node at the moment so I view that as the bottleneck at the moment

Gustard A26 or should I go all out for the Aqua La Scalla mkll❓this way i feed my Linn Klimax pre amp with some tubes before the Yamaha M2 amp🤔❓

I’m curious what do you think about the spl diamond dac. It’s impossible to find a review of this dac.

I have no frame of reference for most audio equipment. What's the relative performance gap between this and something like the E30 or Modi? 50%? 60%?

Not a complaint. Just asking as you initially mentioned the Pontus ll, where do you place this in relation?

knew you would love this one. I am going to get R26, A26 and stack them undernath my P26

Could you please comment on whether you feel the Bitfrost 2/64 or the Gustard R26 has the better soundstage?

I like wide , holographic soundstage and warm sound. WHat should I get around $1000 ?

Excellent review! I read that the A26 is a bit more technical but loses in the staging department quite a lot. I saw that you have a Phonitor XE on the table, did you happen to pair them? I happen to be using the R26+Phonitor XE and the soundstage is absolute huge ! Both devices perform incredibly on creating a huge stage.

How exactly do you connect in to lan? Can you conne t it directly to your pc/laptop with a lan cable? Or do you need to make it part of your lan network via the router?

Mate absolutely try the A26, is will be closer to the tt2 in many ways i think. It would be nice to have a small stereo set up because not all of your viewers are headphone users ☺️

Any opinion on the MUSICIAN Aquarius R2R DAC vs the La Voce S3 Discrete DAC? Thanks!

Danke!

I'm confused: you say Roon will see the internal streaming module as an end point, but this does not appear to be Roon Ready per Roon Labs. If the streaming input sounds the best, it would be helpful to know which protocols it supports (DLNA/UPnP, Airplay1/2, RAAT, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect...) and whether said support is official/certified or not.

That's Ladder dac getting high praise , try testing that

What budget streamer can you recommend to use R26's LAN input? I see many streamers has LAN input and USB/SPDIF/I2S-outs but no LAN-out to feed R26 LAN-in? Am I wrong?

Definitely a winner at this price point. The a26 would be a fantastic comp as well. So many great dacs in the $1k - $2k range that really kills the value prop of upgrading. You have to spend so $5k+ to get a noticeable improvement.

You should do a sound comparison vs bifrost 2 both on usb input!

Also, is the Z8 DAC the same as the DAC in the DMP-A6 or better? Cheers

Hi, How do you compare this Gustard R26 DAC to Topping D90SE and SMSL SU-10 DAC. I have the Topping D90SE DAC and would like to upgrade my DAC. Does the Gustard R26 have streaming capabilities? Thanks in advance.

Will you do a Review vs A26?

What is the sound difference between A26 and R26? Just FYI: I like Topping E70 Velvet very much and think the difference to A26 is marginal. A26 is punchy and very clear but I like less punchiness and still good resolution from E70V. E70V is softer/maybe even fuller to a degree which I like. A26 filters do not seem to make much of a difference to me (maybe because I am using Sonos amp).

How does it compares to D90SE in terms of resolution, dynamics and mids/highs clarity? And how can I play audio files from my HDD through built-in R26's LAN?

For best sounds performance how would u connect a USB storage with I2S connections to this DAC for playing Flac files.

How would you compare the Gustard R26 with the Pontus II?

Is it worth it? Or Ares 12th is reasonable choice price wise

please consider reviewing the border patrol se i dac. 1500$ r2r tube rectified handwired in usa.

Does Gustard supply it's own App, to stream with ? If not, how do connect it to LAN?

Anyone listened to the R26 vs the T+A DAC 200? I would *imagine* the T+A is quite good and should be better, but am curious if anyone has direct experience?

Passion , I have the jotunheim 2 and was going to buy bitfrost 2/64 , I thought about trying my mojo 2 , using strictly Asa dac with the jotuneim 2 , I did and oh my it sound full body nice separation and good mids and bass , so now I'm thinking since this mojo 2 is a good match I can save and don't buy the btf 2 What do you think ? If you haven't tried that together please try it

Dear bro shall we connect this dac to our Existing cd player your suggestions please🙏

Watching KZfaq videos or music from computer over USB - produces 3-4 seconds delay. Video and voice are out of sync. Is there anything that can be done to sync video with vocals/sound?

How does the R26 compares to the Pontus 12-1?

How does the DAC compared to May or Spring?