Gustard R26 R2R DAC with roon

[BDWoody]

Ur Smsl M400 sounds just fine. If you want better sound use a equilizer and maybe HQPlayer for upsampling.

I've never seen any actual evidence that HQPlayer improved the sound of anything. Lots of claims, but we keep asking for more. So far, no luck.

 

[Veri]

I've never seen any actual evidence that HQPlayer improved the sound of anything. Lots of claims, but we keep asking for more. So far, no luck.

Archimago's article is probably the closest we'll get. In any case I don't see any reason why I'd bother.

 

[ilan5555]

Ur Smsl M400 sounds just fine. If you want better sound use a equilizer and maybe HQPlayer for upsampling.

I don't have EQ, I use Mano MK2 player with that, connected to Denafrips preamp and amp...

 

[ilan5555]

Although it was used, open and I believe malfunction (music almost without body), I did hear something more open than SMSL and a little more details.
I'm looking for something like this.
I read in a forum that SMSL SU-9 has a design flaw.
I'm thinking about something with great details.
Maybe Musician Pegasus or Ladder Schumann?

 

[Snoopy]

I don't have EQ, I use Mano MK2 player with that, connected to Denafrips preamp and amp...

Could have just used a raspberry pi for 1/10th of the price. Not using EQ is really wasted potential

 

[Snoopy]

Archimago's article is probably the closest we'll get. In any case I don't see any reason why I'd bother.

Plenty of people seem to really like it I'm limited to the upsampling options that roon provides but I will give HQA a chance some time.

Surely it makes more sense than using audiophile streamers and overpriced R2R DACs. Or going from one perfectly fine DS DAC to the next one and expecting a bigger soundstage or more "authority" because of a audiophile transformer.

 

[Veri]

Surely it makes more sense than using audiophile streamers and overpriced R2R DACs. Or going from one perfectly fine DS DAC to the next one and expecting a bigger soundstage or more "authority" because of a audiophile transformer.

Well sure maybe. IMO it's doubtful the end result is actually audible, so I'm not sure I'd bother. But if this is all part of some OCD on 'theoretical perfection' or skipping the purchase of very pricy Chord products or scalers that promise superior results through stupidly steep sinc filters... then yeah you do you.

Like I said, I just don't know if I'd personally bother with any of this. My DACs are fixed set on 48kHz and when either OSX or my Windows solution of choice handles 44kHz in some less than perfect way, I really don't hear the difference. But that's me.

 

[ilan5555]

Could have just used a raspberry pi for 1/10th of the price. Not using EQ is really wasted potential

Agree.
The Mano mk2 is overrated.
I saw a review and stupidly bought this product.
Asked the seller to help me get rid of it but without any help.
900 euros to the garbage for being stupid.

 

[ilan5555]

Although it was used, open and I believe malfunction (music almost without body), I did hear something more open than SMSL and a little more details.
I'm looking for something like this.
I read in a forum that SMSL SU-9 has a design flaw.
I'm thinking about something with great details.
Maybe Musician Pegasus or Ladder Schumann?

Anyone can give an advice on an affordable dac who can match the Gustard R26 quality?
I cannot buy it again because I received a used product and no one at shenzenaudio, neither at Gustard can tell me what I will receive in my next order...

 

[migo77]

Thank you! I’m a complete dummy with this on this, won’t dare to think about modifying inside the R26. I use Pine Player for my collection of DSD, FLAC and WAV music, have 15TB of it. Otherwise, I stream Apple Music. So after connecting a LAN cable to the R26, I purchase say Audirvana for my MacBook Pro and it’ll read as? Currently it’s Gustarender - 1x3 Airplay. Can you advise me if I should update the firmware? Also, how do I do that? I’d love to read to find out but this thread is now over 200 pages, it’s a full time job to read it lol…

According to change log software version 1v4 for streamer part of R26 solved some loud pop at beginning of DSD playback, when you encounter such a problems you could bother to update. It is hard to give you advice about player on OSX, I'm Linux user. My good old friend uses OSX and now experiments with HQ player and Roon. Source is Tidal. For local files playback can be HQ player good choice especially if you are after EQ or other sound modification.

 

[migo77]

Anyone can give an advice on an affordable dac who can match the Gustard R26 quality?
I cannot buy it again because I received a used product and no one at shenzenaudio, neither at Gustard can tell me what I will receive in my next order...

I didn't liked R26 and went back to X26Pro with RPi2 renderer with the same functionality like R26 but with added Tidal connect.

 

[ilan5555]

I didn't liked R26 and went back to X26Pro with RPi2 renderer with the same functionality like R26 but with added Tidal connect.View attachment 255921

Thank you very much.
I'm afraid of Gustard if they cannot confirm that they send new products.
But maybe I'll try the x26.
What you didn't like on the r26?
And, how do you have tidal connect?
I'm searching for it a long time but cannot find how to do it in a easy way.
Thanks!

 

[migo77]

Thank you very much.
I'm afraid of Gustard if they cannot confirm that they send new products.
But maybe I'll try the x26.
What you didn't like on the r26?
And, how do you have tidal connect?
I'm searching for it a long time but cannot find how to do it in a easy way.
Thanks!

I had music playback stuttering with R26 on LAN and USB, it was mostly present with MQA files playback. SoC used in R26 is equipped with 128M RAM only and is heavily swaping on SD card, and LAN playback stuttering occurs during RAM swap out. This will be hard to solve for Gustard I think with more features coming to R26 LAN renderer. I've configured my RPi swap less and with read only SD card. I've used this guide for Tidal connect integration: https://gist.github.com/NoaHimesaka1873/8ef2396d5296765c37170e54c4ab1745 but there are more guides available for RPi.

I've compared Topping D70s + my RPi with R26 LAN and it was the same for me, so no R2R magic for me. Later I've feeling that instrument details in crowded orchestral recordings especially instruments playing in background with low intensity was not so clear. But that may be only negative bias due not so good multi-tone measurements of R26, but I think I can't hear that random garbage at -95dB... For peace of mind (and playback stuttering problems) I've bought my X26Pro back from new owner. I was using my R26Pro over one year and was happy with it, but wanted to hear that R2R magic... Doesn't worked for me...

 

[ilan5555]

I had music playback stuttering with R26 on LAN and USB, it was mostly present with MQA files playback. SoC used in R26 is equipped with 128M RAM only and is heavily swaping on SD card, and LAN playback stuttering occurs during RAM swap out. This will be hard to solve for Gustard I think with more features coming to R26 LAN renderer. I've configured my RPi swap less and with read only SD card. I've used this guide for Tidal connect integration: https://gist.github.com/NoaHimesaka1873/8ef2396d5296765c37170e54c4ab1745 but there are more guides available for RPi.

View attachment 256022

I've compared Topping D70s + my RPi with R26 LAN and it was the same for me, so no R2R magic for me. Later I've feeling that instrument details in crowded orchestral recordings especially instruments playing in background with low intensity was not so clear. But that may be only negative bias due not so good multi-tone measurements of R26, but I think I can't hear that random garbage at -95dB... For peace of mind (and playback stuttering problems) I've bought my X26Pro back from new owner. I was using my R26Pro over one year and was happy with it, but wanted to hear that R2R magic... Doesn't worked for me...

I understand. I also had a LOT of stuttering when using the R26 streaming option. DSD was impossible.
I did hear a lot of difference between my R26 and my SMSL M400.
More details, more air.
It was a little harsh for me, lack of body, but maybe I received a malfunction unit.

I tried to follow this guide you sent me but it's very complicated, specially to install Linux on Windows.
Do you have something simpler for normal human beings?

Thanks!!

 

[migo77]

I understand. I also had a LOT of stuttering when using the R26 streaming option. DSD was impossible.
I did hear a lot of difference between my R26 and my SMSL M400.
More details, more air.
It was a little harsh for me, lack of body, but maybe I received a malfunction unit.

I tried to follow this guide you sent me but it's very complicated, specially to install Linux on Windows.
Do you have something simpler for normal human beings?

Thanks!!

You can try to boot Ubuntu Live DVD/USB flash and do it there.

 

[d3l]

Anyone had chance to listen to R26 and A26 back to back?

 

[d3l]

Ordered R26. Lets see how I like the R2R sound.

 

[ilan5555]

You can try to boot Ubuntu Live DVD/USB flash and do it there.

Thank you. I will try it

 

[migo77]

Thank you. I will try it

When something goes wrong, don't worry. Run original Gustard 1v4 flash that will re-flash whole SD card and redo your changes. I also recommend to disable Roon-bridge service to save RAM when you are not using it. I was able to get stuttering less playback on LAN with tidal connect and disabled roon integration.

 

[Snoopy]

When something goes wrong, don't worry. Run original Gustard 1v4 flash that will re-flash whole SD card and redo your changes. I also recommend to disable Roon-bridge service to save RAM when you are not using it. I was able to get stuttering less playback on LAN with tidal connect and disabled roon integration.

If it's that bad it would make more sense to use a raspberry pi with the DAC