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Post by John on Feb 26, 2024 13:57:09 GMT
I guess the other question you need to ask is how willing you are you to follow a similar route like Martin or myself and extract everything you can from the DAC
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Tobias
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Post by Tobias on Feb 26, 2024 14:19:16 GMT
Right.
I am definitely willing to play around with external clock as many have done here, for example, which is another case for the Gustard´s i guess.
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Post by John on Feb 26, 2024 14:56:33 GMT
Then the Gustard R models are going to be the way to go with this and best to avoid the Topping and SMSL range as you would not be able to add a external clock unless using a DDC
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Post by John on Feb 26, 2024 15:11:41 GMT
Another route to consider I have not heard either product but seems good value
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Tobias
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Post by Tobias on Feb 26, 2024 15:27:58 GMT
Another route to consider I have not heard either product but seems good value Thanks john! I have actually considered those as well. BTW, that reviewer is an example of someone that is way to sceptic about noise in the digital domain, by the way.  He just plugs his streamers (if he even use streamers?) into a router with cheap ethernet cables, which i find quite mindboggling considering how much time he spend with HiFi gear.  |
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Post by John on Feb 26, 2024 15:33:46 GMT
I agree
It makes me often wonder how they can have patron members, when they do not try out for themselves. This means paying members only get a limited view of what is possible.
These days I take YouTube reviews with a big pinch of salt.
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Post by MartinT on Feb 26, 2024 17:32:40 GMT
I take most reviewers with a pinch of salt (and all of ASR's junk output).
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Post by wannarock2 on Feb 26, 2024 18:21:06 GMT
I take most reviewers with a pinch of salt (and all of ASR's junk output). , that hurts ..  |
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Post by HD Music & Test on Feb 26, 2024 18:53:45 GMT
Quick answer Tonight the dacs these ess chips etc are in is a custom programme and has four independent clocks internally with each own power supply plus a quality fully discrete i/v stage
What these do is remove the hyper leading edged detail that projes the illusion of ultra detailed. Now they have the real 3d to go with the leading edge and present a far more balanced sound
So with good understanding if the chip you can work it right right in voltage mode rather than being a current dump
The big caveat would be the price a wee bit more than the usual suspects
But at long last there is very positive steps forward now with this chipset
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Post by HD Music & Test on Feb 26, 2024 18:54:55 GMT
Asr bigoted zealots of sinad lol
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Post by MartinT on Feb 26, 2024 21:28:42 GMT
The big caveat would be the price a wee bit more than the usual suspects It doesn't need big bucks, the Gustard implementation does it well, doesn't have the ESS IMD hump and responds extremely well to the tungsten cube mod. |
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Post by John on Feb 27, 2024 5:49:58 GMT
I would argue that both the X26 and R26 require a good bit of money spent on them to get them performing at the levels we enjoy. Good grounding, eliminating as much internal and external electrical noise, the use of a external clock, and good isolation to hear them at their true potential, this transforms the DAC's.
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Post by MartinT on Feb 27, 2024 8:01:25 GMT
I would argue that both the X26 and R26 require a good bit of money spent on them to get them performing at the levels we enjoy. Good grounding, eliminating as much internal and external electrical noise, the use of a external clock, and good isolation to hear them at their true potential, this transforms the DAC's. Spot on, John. Obtaining a high quality DAC doesn't just stop at the purchase. The only way you'll hear what it's really capable of is to attend to all of the above plus power management. |
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Post by John on Feb 27, 2024 15:31:25 GMT
I guess the question arises what the best value route to that level. A more expensive DAC or the upgrade path to a DAC that has the potential to perform at a lot higher level.
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Post by MartinT on Feb 27, 2024 15:43:51 GMT
Interesting point. For me, if I took the very best DAC available and plugged it into my system from 2 years ago, I doubt that the sound quality would be anywhere close to what I have now. So that would seem to answer your question, but with a sample of one!
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Tobias
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Post by Tobias on Feb 27, 2024 18:54:32 GMT
Sometimes life takes turns you didn´t expect. It looks like i got hold of something completely different, which is more than the DAC alone. (amp + dac) Dion Audio ST100 Anniversary Edition www.alpha-audio.net/nl/review/review-dion-audio-st100-anniversary-edition/I think it is better for me to buy something exotic and hold on to that and upgrade the unit over time instead (it´s not new). I can´t say that it is as good as a R26 (from a pure DAC perspective) but it has a soul instead, i believe. It will be the centerpiece on which i have to fit speakers to. |
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He just plugs his streamers (if he even use streamers?) into a router with cheap ethernet cables, which i find quite mindboggling considering how much time he spend with HiFi gear. 
📶NAS > Gustard x26p DAC > Benchmark LA4 Pre-Amp > NAD M22-V2 Amplifier > Revel F228Be Speakers
