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Post by julesd68 on Feb 3, 2023 11:18:34 GMT
Welcome Gonzo, do tell us about the rest of the system and your music preferences...
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Post by John on Feb 20, 2023 10:27:05 GMT
Well the DAC has passed the Martin test. It has enough grip and detail to satisfy and not have him wincing. Using a external clock is critical to achieve this.
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 20, 2023 16:42:39 GMT
So, could the R26 be modded for further sonic deliciousness?  |
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Post by stellabagpuss on Feb 20, 2023 17:12:14 GMT
So, could the R26 be modded for further sonic deliciousness? Something l've wondered, and would say yes, various components changes that's Tony Department. Myself l've focused on internal sheilding and sheilding of cables, sadly l've got to wait a while before l can report back. |
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 21, 2023 12:02:36 GMT
So, could the R26 be modded for further sonic deliciousness? Something l've wondered, and would say yes, various components changes that's Tony Department. Yes, talking of the boy HD Music & Test I wonder if he has done some more testing of the A26 and reached any DACtastic conclusions? |
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Post by HD Music & Test on Feb 21, 2023 13:27:53 GMT
See I'm getting my name banded about again I say my good fellow I shall share some thoughts with you.
I am a fan of AKM chips, this dac is so far head of the 26pro in terms of listening pleasure, It's very close to the upgraded A22 of John's I worked on for Brett.
So which one would I choose out the R26 and A26 both a very good in their own ways, if you value detail, better fuildity and dynamic constrast more then the A26 is for you, its so much layered and tonally correct than the 26 pro, and a great may other dacs right up to around the 3K mark
If you love being immersed in the music, carried aweay with the right, correct textural rendering and musical reproductiuon then the R26 is a better bet.
Having workled on them both now and taking therm right out to their true potentials I prefer the R26 its a close as you are going to get towards a Rockna sound for sensible outlay.
The A26 is also a great dac its different but as good with its presentation, way more natural and flowing than any sabre implementation I've listen to.
Just think when the good dac manufacturers get their teeth into the new Velvet AKM chips we are all going to be in for a treat.
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Post by Clive on May 8, 2023 15:08:04 GMT
With the talk of the R26 renderer on the LB thread I took the opportunity gifted by a dank bank holiday to finally give the renderer a go.
I had very early firmware so first off I updated the R26 to 1.21 and then I discovered 1.4 so I imaged that. My set up usually runs with my Lindemann Bridge powered via a SuperCap PS, Ethernet comes via Cisco AOC fibre with the clean side SFP media converter also SuperCap powered. The Lindemann only provides SPDIF output, I use coax…I know some will prefer USB with a DDC. Of course my LB clock is in use too.
I was very pleasantly surprised how easy the renderer was to get working. I used bubbleupnp with Qobuz and local network files (DLNA). I’ve played music with via LAN / renderer for about an hour and then compared a few tracks with the Lindemann. There are differences, they aren’t huge but so far my view is the R26 renderer sounds more “solid” with greater presence. On some high-res material I get the occasion dropout..not sure why yet but it’s not much of a issue. Edit - I’ve read it’s an issue when changing sample rates, maybe 1.42 fixes it.
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Post by nicholas on May 8, 2023 16:00:19 GMT
With the talk of the R26 renderer on the LB thread I took the opportunity gifted by a dank bank holiday to finally give the renderer a go. I had very early firmware so first off I updated the R26 to 1.21 and then I discovered 1.4 so I imaged that. My set up usually runs with my Lindemann Bridge powered via a SuperCap PS, Ethernet comes via Cisco AOC fibre with the clean side SFP media converter also SuperCap powered. The Lindemann only provides SPDIF output, I use coax…I know some will prefer USB with a DDC. Of course my LB clock is in use too. I was very pleasantly surprised how easy the renderer was to get working. I used bubbleupnp with Qobuz and local network files (DLNA). I’ve played music with via LAN / renderer for about an hour and then compared a few tracks with the Lindemann. There are differences, they aren’t huge but so far my view is the R26 renderer sounds more “solid” with greater presence. On some high-res material I get the occasion dropout..not sure why yet but it’s not much of a issue. Edit - I’ve read it’s an issue when changing sample rates, maybe 1.42 fixes it. Using HQPlayer with Jussi's new modulator take the already excellent player in the R26 to a whole new level. |
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Post by Clive on May 9, 2023 12:58:59 GMT
The unofficial 1.42 firmware release does on first listen does seem to have fixed the internal renderer’s stuttering when changing sample rate. I’ll take a listen later to check out the new UPnP media renderer, which is supposed to improve the sounds. 1.42 |
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Post by nicholas on May 9, 2023 14:26:59 GMT
The unofficial 1.42 firmware release does on first listen does seem to have fixed the internal renderer’s stuttering when changing sample rate. I’ll take a listen later to check out the new UPnP media renderer, which is supposed to improve the sounds. 1.42Are you using an external clock with your R26, Clive? edit: Woops, should have looked at your equipment list before asking a dumb question! I found that using the network player with an external clock produced an excellent all around result competitive with some of the better streamer/DDC combinations. |
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Post by John on May 9, 2023 16:23:43 GMT
I want to try and understand why I get such different results to you guys
So my set up is
Router that has grounding box on it
Media converter lan to optical to lan
If Zen Stream
Gustard R26 via USB
Gustard to power amplifier via XLR
If I try via the R26 the only difference is no Zen stream and connected straight to the lan input via the media converter.
The sound I get from lan is 2 dimensional and not listenable
I use bubble via Qobuz
I have upgraded to the latest firmware
I don't want to use room or go back
I have never used hqplayer and presume pointless using my laptop to use the player as too much noise
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Post by nicholas on May 9, 2023 17:05:10 GMT
Perhaps playing around with the settings on the R26 might improve your SQ. I'd have a look at the PCM filter, NOS and DSD settings on the R26 and see if toggling them around a bit might make a difference. My filter is set to gentle, NOS on, and DSD direct on as I'm using Roon/HQPlayer.
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Post by julesd68 on May 9, 2023 17:07:54 GMT
What's the issue with your R26 John?
Sounded amazing last time I visited.
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Post by John on May 9, 2023 17:14:36 GMT
Cheers
I am not able to use nos as I don't have a preamplifier as fixed only output in this mode
I am using PCM
I have been told the internal streamer performs better with the way you are using but no intention of using roon
Filter settings are not going to make a big difference in my experience as these are subtle and difference is not subtle
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Post by John on May 9, 2023 17:16:32 GMT
What's the issue with your R26 John? Sounded amazing last time I visited. There is no issue with my sound Just a lot of people like the internal streamer but in my system is unlistenable and was hoping to find out why |
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Post by John on May 9, 2023 17:22:17 GMT
It has to be something to do with the system setup
Maybe when Clive reports back I get a better idea
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Post by Clive on May 9, 2023 17:27:53 GMT
It has to be something to do with the system setup Maybe when Clive reports back I get a better idea Give me a couple of hours…. I wonder whether the firmware you have is an early version. That’s all I can think of, I’ve no idea whether the original firmware sounds different to 1.4. The only way I know to check the firmware version is naming of the renderer in bubble. |
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Post by John on May 9, 2023 17:29:31 GMT
Have the firmware updated
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Post by Clive on May 9, 2023 19:27:04 GMT
I’ve had some more time with 1.42 on the internal streamer and compared with the Limetree on coax.
1.42 sounds good, a bit more detailed than 1.4, some extra life, really quite vivid. Reverting to the Limetree has the complication of it upsampling. The sound in reality isn’t that different. Both are good. 1.42 still drops out sometimes, the Limetree is more solid in this respect. Maybe there’s a buffer in the Limetree.
Certainly the sound with the internal streamer/renderer is not 2D, it’s a tad better than the Limetree expect with a few tracks, possible due to upsampling. Which I’ll use will depend on how many dropouts 1.42 suffers and which UI I’ll prefer to use. Swapping between the two is simple enough.
John, I can’t fathom why we get such different results, our setups are not so different.
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Post by John on May 9, 2023 20:21:37 GMT
The only thing is I have a lot of grounding cables coming out from the DAC and perhaps I get cross talk. Whilst going to the zen stream I keep away from these cables.
Its all I can think off
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