Gustard R26

@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. 

@calieng Well, if it just takes some time to let it burn in more, and it’s free, why rush to judgement? Several people here have posted they preferred the R26 to the A26 and I’ve never seen the reverse. Or maybe you’re just, different.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  You be you. 

@soix 

Why pump the product?

I am an engineer. I have run testing labs and worked for the federal government, military, nuclear energy....I am trained in testing and evaluation.

I have heard what I need to hear.

Anyone who really wants to evaluate it thru a high quality system like I did is welcome to their opinions. But how many have really evaluated it carefully against multiple other products and a variety of setups? And how many are just repeating what they watched in a Youtube video?

I for one do not need to worry about this product any further.

By the way from a technical point of view the R26 DAC board hardware is similar to the Aries with 2 ladders. The Pontus provides 4 ladders to average out errors.

We should not expect a product to perform past its design. The power supply for the DAC board is also closer to Aries. 

You can compare the differences below. R26, Aries, Pontus. Also take a look at the power supply filtering in the Pontus. So the comment about the R26 beating a Terminator I think can be tossed out as internet pumping. 

I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say with some run in time it could be equal to the Aries with a streamer attached but I think Denafrips software is more refined so maybe not.

Here also is a gut shot of the Ladder Schumann.

It also is a 2 ladder DAC.

So a fair comparison is between Aries, Ladder, and R26. Pontus is in a class above with 4 ladders.

What was not fair in the test I did was using Lumin U1 Mini, Innous Pulse Mini, and Pi 2 Design Mercury 2 streamers all with LPS against the R26 built in streamer. That may be the issue not so much the R2R DAC itself. But then why buy the R26 if not for the combo DAC / streamer.

I should not rain on anyones parade who is enjoying this DAC. It is still better than many. Just not to the level of the hype IMHO. Your mileage may vary.