Gustard R26

+1 @sgreg1 

I think direct-to-ethernet is a really cool feature ... especially at this price point. From what I've been reading, the R26 even without the LAN connection is worth the asking price. The LAN is just icing on the cake. It also saves you several hundred dollars that you would have otherwise spent on buying a nice USB cable. It'll be nice to hear from someone who has compared it to >$1000 streamers. I know it competes favorably with below $1000 streamers like Bluesound Node, ifi, etc.

Well, I purchased a Pontus II from another a'gon member. I also ordered the Gustard R26 from Amazon, arriving next week. I will compare the two in my system and either return the R26 or resell the Pontus depending on what I like more.

I got the R26 this week. Not that impressed with it. Tried it against my various other equipment...Aries 12th, Pontus II, Ladder Schumann using a variety of streamers and amps. It sounded veiled, lacking dynamics and loose bass. All the others were noticeably better.

When I got the A26 a couple weeks ago I was actually pleasantly surprised. It sounded really good. It was just my preference for R2R that made me decide not to keep it.

I know the R2R DACs take time to settle in but the Aries and Ladder DACs are also recent purchases with only a few days of use so far....

Anyway for those looking for an all in one streamer DAC I would definitely go with the A26 over the R26 based on the initial experience with them.

Of course there are lots of other brands to consider. Matrix Audio I2 has not been mentioned but is in the same price range and that has a decent headphone amp and wifi built in.

@calieng It’s really not fair, nor rigorous, to assess the R26 basically right out of the box.  Give it at least 100 - 200 hours before making any conclusions. 

@soix 

Yes running it in for a while may help but the other DACs were new too (except Pontus). And I did leave R26 on for more than a day to properly warm it up.

I heard enough to know I will not keep it. I just wanted to hear for myself what all the fuss was. And what I heard was in line with some other online reviewers comments comparing the R26 to A26.

I have had my Pontus II for a few years. There has been very little sonic change since purchased new. I think R2R DACs sound better once they are warmed up but after 100 hours I do not know if there is much difference. Maybe a small amount for capacitor forming and transformers breaking in. What did make a noticeable change on the Pontus was the recent firmware update. Way more than aging for 100 hours.

What surprised me was how good the little Aries 12th sounded being driven by the PI 2 Design I2S connection! Best bang for the buck of any combination I have listen to so far. Very clear and dynamic sounding.