Digital Dilemma
I purchased an inexpensive Onkyo C-7030 CD Player more as just a transport, but also to use as a benchmark to compare to streaming music on-line. With intentions to get the streamed content to sound as good, if not better, than the CD player could muster.
After sitting my wife down for a listen (she has better ears than me) and playing Tidal, Quboz and then the same tracks on a CD, the CD was the clear winner every time. It also seems the CD playing without using the Gustard R26 DAC didn’t even sound all that much better than when played through the CD Player only, bypassing the R26. That doesn’t say too much for the R26 DAC or alternatively, it says a lot for the DAC in the CD Player!
I am using the R26 as the renderer via a LAN connection that is optically isolated. There are a few filters and adjustments on the DAC, but tweaking those still didn’t get the sound quality up to that of the CD Player.
A lot of you say you have achieved streaming that sounds as good as your analogue systems. What do you think, do I need a betted DAC?
@navyachts +1001 what @soix said. KISS. That's why I was recommending the one box solution. Right now on Audiogone I see a Lumin T3 (new..discounted) an Aurender 200 (good price) and A HiFi Rose (also good price). Entering here may be all you will ever want. Plug, play and chill. To Roon on not to Roon is the question and that done right will also add a few K. I'm a very happy Qobuz user and use Roon for a whole house system but not for the big rig.
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@wsrrsw - so no streaming on your "Big Rig"? |
I purchased a new R26 DAC a few months back from the distributor, to replace my Benchmark DAC3. When it arrived, I ran a digital signal through it for about 150 hours to allow it to break-in, for it sounded quite boring, soft, and lacking in detail when it first arrived. After the 150 hour break-in period, it continued to sound the same, and never improved. I was quite shocked at just how terrible my R-26 sounded. I tried it as a streamer, as well as just a DAC using a good transport and excellent digital coax cable. The results were the same. I also tried it in a friend's system, with the same poor results. I ended up sending it back to the seller for a full refund. I then purchased a new $800 SMSL DAC (D400EX), which sounds fantastic, and quite a bit more enjoyable than the Benchmark DAC3 that it replaced. I really feel that the new R26 DAC that I received must have been a "lemon" from the factory, for all the reviews on it are very positive. The one I received sounded worse than any of the cheapest $100 CD players from the 1990's that I have ever heard. You may have received one of the "lemons' from Gustard as well. |
@bigshutterbug - interesting, but I think the R26 sounds good, I just need to refine my overall streaming set up. |
@navyachts I use a Singxer SU-6 DDC and avoid the LAN input, I use a Lumin U1 (the U1 mini's big brother) out to the R26 via the DDC into either the I2S or AES inputs. The R26 internally reclocks the I2S input signal using an external LHY OCK-2 masterclock. Also i have a fiber optic pathway between the ethernet switch and the Lumin. As mentioned, in MY system, every link in the chain including cabling makes a difference. The R26 as set up in the above mentioned way produces a fantastic soundstage, sonically very resolving but not fatiguing. Hopefully you did not get a defective unit, QC seems to be a problem for a lot of manufacturers these days - and not just Chinese manufacturers. |
