Gustard A26 DAC & Streamer Review

[amirm]

@amirm I have a question and instead of writing a wall of text I illustrated it. I don't quite understand your threshold of hearing line. What are your thoughts on this?

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You are on the right track. The only difference being that based on research of live unamplified music, peak SPL is around 120 dB. Use that for reference, and limit it to 115 dB dynamic range of the hearing and you get to the -115 dB. You can see my digest of the relevant AES papers in this article I wrote: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dynamic-range-how-quiet-is-quiet.14/

And no, room noise does not invalidate this analysis as I show in that digest.

 

[amirm]

BTW, the suggestion for the line came from comments in my last youtube video on "speed reading DAC measurements." I always say that -115 dB so folks suggested I draw a line to make it clear.

 

[PeteL]

Place the iPad next to the DAC using an 30cm cable, and dedicate an iPad for this. You have $1500 to play with after all.

I hear you, but what I mean is that you'll still have to walk to your Ipad to select music right?

 

[sarumbear]

I hear you, but what I mean is that you'll still have to walk to your Ipad to select music right?

What’s different with this device?

 

[igfarm]

I find that adding this line may be a good Idea, but calling it the "threshold of hearing" is not. If we want to promote science I think we need to be rigorous with terminology and this isn't. This is an In house mathematical calculation of proven inaudibility under any circumstance of anything below that but semantically it is not threshold of hearing. Threshold of hearing refer to audiology and anything other than a SPL value does not make sense. It goes against a century of using that term for something else, like Fletcher Munson for example. I find this confusing and actually everybody have a different threshold of hearing.

It shall be called then "The Ihmcopiuacoabt Line"

 

[dogmamann]

Again, hell overpriced. Appreciating this for this price = praising boutique hifi products!

 

[Kaameelis]

PS: adding threshold of hearing line was a good idea.

Not very. It is about 120 dB from threshold of pain to threshold of hearing and this gap is heavily frequency dependent. Who is listening music at threshold of pain?

 

[Trell]

Who is listening music at threshold of pain?

Some music of painful to listen to at any volume level, so in that case the threshold is quite low.

 

[VQR]

The Gustard added cream to my listening experience: compared to a bog standard streamer like the Pi2AES or the (bleh!!!!) Allo Boss 2, the Gustard attacks, liquidates, and beats all over the sub-$1000 competition. Still, the internal digital to analog decoder is inferior to standalones, especially the Chord DAVE + M-Scaler.

-Someone on Ad-fi, probably

Can’t take that comment too seriously, as his system may have needed what the A22 provides. With his comments about the chord it’s not too far fetched, I don’t got any disdain for Chord dacs. But I will say with certainty the m scaler prior to Amir’s review sounded like poopoo.

I own a couple streamers and I know he didn’t attack the Pi2AES. But that’s a superior streamer for the price.

I actually wrote that comment as satire. Apologies for the confusion.

 

[mocenigo]

OK, It is DSP then, It process the digital signal, but I tought you meant the reconstruction filter, which is at the end of the conversion chain.

It is not a DSP. It is a multi bit delta sigma modulator.

 

[VintageFlanker]

It is about 120 dB from threshold of pain to threshold of hearing and this gap is heavily frequency dependent. Who is listening music at threshold of pain?

How exactly some -115dB Noise and THD would have anything in common with threshold of pain (and "120dB from it")?

 

[SuicideSquid]

Again, hell overpriced. Appreciating this for this price = praising boutique hifi products!

Can you provide a link to a product with comparable features and performance for a significantly lower price?

$1,500 for the features and performance this product provides, along with its aesthetics and build quality, seems about right to me. Couple this with a pair of Genelecs or Neumann KH150 speakers and a universal disc player and you've got an elite, state-of-the-art sound system for a hair over $5,000.

 

[VintageFlanker]

Can you provide a link to a product with comparable features and performance for a significantly lower price?

What about overall build quality & reliability? Not that I know much about Gustard on that field... But something I know for sure is that Topping sucked so far, I regret.

As @muslhead said,

apples and bananas

Again, some may get out of their heads that x product @120dB SINAD would be any equal to y product @120dB SINAD...

 

[Astoneroad]

Again, some may get out of their heads that x product @120dB SINAD would be any equal to y product @120dB SINAD...

Can you cast a little light on that statement? Thanks. (My avatar is French, so go easy on me... lol)

 

[glc650]

Specs from @Audiophonics also say "Roon Bridge", which I assume act the same as "Roon Endpoint"...

It says bridge on Gustard's site as well. Roon bridge is a step below RR but probably close enough for most people.

The Bluesound Node 2i does pretty much everything with a superb app and costs one third of this product.

There's a reason for that. I doubt its DAC measures any where close to the A26.

I do think for the price the A26 should be Roon Ready level of integration. I have a Matrix i2 that is fully Roon Ready in this price range but it probably measures a couple steps below the A26.

But what I want much more is a full DSP section incl. parametric equaliser, crossover etc.

miniDSP already has products like this which are a completely different category than a DAC with built-in streamer.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

Thanks, @amirm. I was thinking about getting one to measure, you just saved me quite a lot a work.About that. I was surprised that such a company could announce a streamer with Roon Ready certification. Doesn't seem to be already the case...

What does Roon work with?

roon.app

This notion of "Roon Ready" has come up before as Important.
Is "Roon" usage so very widespread?
Should one particular player's (Roon) compatibility be a benchmark for judging all hardware?
Should all hardware manufacturers cosy up to Roon in future?
Shouldn't just be adhering to DLNA, UPNP or other established protocols be enough for hardware manufacturers?
I understand that many (I believe Amir included) do use Roon regularly, but many others don't (me).
Roon has its own way. For example, deliberate inability of folder play is but one. Regular monthly (rental) payments for continued use is another. Both red flags for many.
I am gonna guess that Foobar has far wider reach than Roon, yet no-one expects any hardware to be Foobar ready! Indeed, the reverse is true.

 

[glc650]

This notion of "Roon Ready" has come up before as Important.
Is "Roon" usage so very widespread?

It's more than just a notion if you use Roon and prefer RAAT over all the other options. If you are not a Roon user then there are plenty of alternatives that handle UPnP/DLNA/AirPlay/etc. or streaming services better.

 

[VintageFlanker]

Can you cast a little light on that statement?

That I'm tired to read over and over, "the xxx DAC does the same at a fraction of the price"... No, it does not. It doesn't have the same features at all, nor the inputs, nor outputs. It has nothing in common regarding build quality and internal components. And no, we don't chose a product (which can't be summarised by its analog output performance) based on a single SINAD number.

I am gonna guess that Foobar has far wider reach than Roon, yet no-one expects any hardware to be Foobar ready! Indeed, the reverse is true.

Well... Has foobar taking control of internal volume of an amp or DAC ever been a thing ? Does foobar include any algorithm for customised suggestions? A working search function to begin with? May foobar support plug n' play multiroom playback? Does it melt both local files and Qobuz + Tidal in the same library?

So far, another apples and oranges comparison, I regret.

It's OK if you don't like Roon. Then don't use it. Problem solved. AFAIC, I personally hate foobar2000, which I used for years before buying Roon. The same way I don't understand playing music through folders in 2023. Both belong to the stone age of computer audio playback, IMHO.

 

[Snoopy]

It's OK if you don't like Roon. Then don't use it. Problem solved. AFAIC, I personally hate foobar2000, which I used for years before buying Roon. The same way I don't understand playing music through folders in 2023. Both belong to the stone age of computer audio playback, IMHO.

Many people still have the mentality that software has to be free. Probably that's why so many are still stuck with software players that are not really different from using foobar and VLC player 15 years ago.

Looking at the alternatives (jriver, foobar, Plex, picore, volumio etc) not much has changed really. But I hate the feeling of browsing through folders .. FTP server style.

 

[Deleted member 51584]

It says bridge on Gustard's site as well. Roon bridge is a step below RR but probably close enough for most people.


There's a reason for that. I doubt its DAC measures any where close to the A26.

I do think for the price the A26 should be Roon Ready level of integration. I have a Matrix i2 that is fully Roon Ready in this price range but it probably measures a couple steps below the A26.


miniDSP already has products like this which are a completely different category than a DAC with built-in streamer.

ASR reviewed the Bluesound Node 2i here:

Bluesound Node Review (Streamer)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the 2021 Bluesound Node wired and wireless streamer and DAC. It is the next generation from Node 2i which I reviewed a while back. The Node costs US $549 and was kindly drop shipped to me by a member. In case you don't know, Bluesound is from the...

www.audiosciencereview.com

It had 18 bits of resolution and some high measured noise that is well below audible. So for me that's a win, for ASR a fail. Plus ASR failed to get the BluOs app to work, I used it faultlessly for 3 years. So different perception.

I was reading earlier this evening that ASR considers peak SPL 130dB and 115dB DR is needed. My limit is 100dB and I'm reaching for the volume control to turn it down. 60-65dB DR does me fine, usually a lot less. The A26 may measure slightly better, but it doesn't seem to be of any practical benefit or merit paying 3 times the price for a product with grossly inferior streaming capabilities.

The node 2i is probably the classic modern budget audio product that measures well enough and offers a fantastic user experience, being one of the few companies to offer a brilliant home-built app that does just about everything. I can see why ASR might not like it, but it's not broken from the viewpoint of its vast customer base, which included me, and offers spectacular value, especially compared to this.

Plus, if you're in the UK and Gustard fails, you're screwed. There is no UK stockist of Gustard, all shipped direct from China, and from Audiophonics.fr you have to pay shipping to France and negotiate Customs. Read their TrustPilot reviews for non-EU returns and you would never buy from them. Bluesound, take it back to Richer Sounds and they'll fix it or replace it. When I bought it, Richer delivered it free of charge the same day.