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Gustard R26 - different sound signatures in different units

The Gustard R26 was recommended to me this year by reputation through a guy who hadn't heard it but knew people he trusted who recommended it. 

Now I've listened to a few R26's now with mixed results. It's been a journey and I made some dumb mistakes by not paying close enough attention. 

The first R26, new from Amazon, sounded dull and uninteresting, not extended on top. I was driving it through USB. I exchanged that R26 for another one, which sounded similar, but then I discovered driving it from the U18 DDC through coax (I have a very good coax digital cable) and the sound signature was totally different.. lively and extended on top. 

Then I found a used R26 on EBay for much less than I had paid for the new one from Amazon, so I returned the one to Amazon and purchased the one from EBay. It sounded brighter than the one I had returned, but at first I didn't mind. Maybe was more detailed. Strangely, the display had a micro font compared to the first two I had.

For a time I didn't do any serious listening. I was more involved in my piano playing and composing hobby. I eventually went back to the R26 I got from EBay and realized it was much too bright. I wondered if it had old firmware, given the micro font on the display. I tried upgrading the firmware, but there was no change in the display or sound.

I ordered another R26 from Amazon. This one sounds completely different than the one I got from EBay. It has about 120 hours on it so far. The problem is that it has shrill/unpleasant sibilance. I'm not saying it's particularly bright. The R26 from Ebay is brighter yet doesn't sound shrill. So the this new R26 probably still has some burn-in time needed, but the shrillness hasn't diminished at all over the first 100 hours. Maybe it's even worse.

Anyone have a similar experience with any of these?

magon
magon OP
49 posts
 

@audphile1  Yes I made some mistakes, in particular not spending enough time critically evaluating the R26 I got from EBay. But keep in mind the R26 from Amazon is returnable, and I can probably sell the R26 I got from Ebay (I would be honest with them and say it has a bright sound signature, though not objectionable, could be just the thing for a person who likes rock etc.). 

The other issue here is that I plan on having the R26 custom modded by a guy who does amazing work. The base model only has to be "good" but it will be "great" after the mod, I have good reason to hope for. 

Right now the newest R26 is not "good" however, due to the shrill highs. But I'm probably evaluating it too soon. I'll probably refrain from a conclusion before 300 hours of burn-in. Some sources say ladder DACs take a long time to burn-in.

The EBay R26, when driven from a DDC (U18) with an Aurender N100 as the USB source, has some remarkable qualities. Unusually good dynamics and musicality for a DAC in its price range. I evaluated several other DACs this year, including more expensive ones (including a Terminator, a Schiit Yggdrasil and more) and none of them were as musical or dynamic as the EBay R26. 

 

 

magon OP
49 posts
 

@alexberger thanks for the tips. sounds wise.

bigshutterbug
383 posts
 

I purchased one new many months back, and gave it 10 days time to burn-in. The sound never changed during that time. It was very ill-defined, rolled off on the top, and lacking in dynamics. I have never heard a DAC or CD player that sounded that bad before. It was worse than the sound from a used, first generation Sony Playstation I bought for $30 many years back. After returning it, they claim it sounded "fine" of course. Gustard must have some quality control issues. 

sls883
386 posts
 

@bigshutterbug I’m sure a few units with issues get through or could get damaged internally in shipping. I shipped a conrad-johnson preamp and it got knocked around enough that a bunch of capacitors came loose.

Did you try different filter settings? The fast setting has the most detail. The default setting is medium, I believe, which does sound dull to me.

Did Gustard say it was fine, or the reseller?  Which input did you use?  I was not overly impressed with the coaxial input. It improved a lot with an Acoustic Zen cable.  I mostly used the USB and I2s inputs. 

magon OP
49 posts
 

@bigshutterbug I would also like to know what input you used. What you are describing sounds like the USB input on the first R26 I bought. Switching to the I2S or Coax inputs with a U18 DDC was an entirely different sound signature, much more lively and extended, much better dynamics. 

I don't find that the filter settings make much difference for the large differences in sound I've heard between units. This older R26 I bought from EBay is much brighter, no matter the input, than the more recent R26's I've tried. It's much brighter no matter the filter setting. The later R26's through the USB input were dull no matter the filter setting.

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