*DAC

@yyzsantabarbara well, they do have the 15 day trial period, I think I'll give it a shot. And I think I'll nix the Lumin as I don't really need the pre-amp for now ad if the LIM's DAC is just as good, why spend all the extra cash. Thanks!

@navyachts If one of the reasons is to eliminate a preamp and also stream then go for the Lumin X1. The Lumin X1 is one of the very best streamers (use fibre). It is also an almost perfect volume control which also works with the streamers output. I used that with my PeachTree GAN1 (amp/DAC) since it has no volume control and only a SPDIF input. The Lumin X1 is amazing for these reasons alone.

In terms of sound quality, I could tell a very small improvement in clarity with the LIM using my RAAL SR1a earphones. Now most things are not as resolving as those phones so you may not even notice.

The Schitt Yggi+ MIL DAC is also getting some love with some new thing they did. I have not heard it. In my situation I have a better volume control than the X1, with the Benchmark LA4 preamp, my streaming is also comparable with the Sonore OpticalRendu.

If I did not use a preamp, I would likely have stuck with the X1 in my office system. I normally hate a DAC doing volume.

One cool thing about the LIM is that it has 3 live outputs and in my office system I use all 3 of them with the following 3 systems.

• RAAL VM-1a tube headphone amp (bought this amp again)
• Schitt Mjonlir preamp | Schitt Aegir amp | RAAL TI-1b interface | RAAL phones
• Benchmark LA4 preamp | Sanders Magtech amp | Magnepan LRS+

Super happy with these 3 systems in my office. The Schitt works perfectly with all 3.

@yyzsantabarbara so you liked the Schitt Audio Less is More than the Lumin X1 DAC? I have the Aurender N200 and Gustard R26 DAC and was thinking of stepping up to a (used) X1 for a couple of reasons, but you think I should give the LIM DAC a try first? Wouldn't the "More is Better" be better? lol

@deep_333 how about a Niagra 3000?? I only have 3 components to plug in and I see one just came up for sale on USAM for under $2K. It’s 3 years old.

@navyachts , the 3000 should work just fine too...think of it as a sonic upgrade for all and any of your front end components and amps, including the Gustard (hence, a much better return on investment ).

Make sure that you plug any power amps on the outlet dedicated for poweramps (with the current reserves), it should sound better than the wall when you play any demanding tracks.

@deep_333 any thoughts on how the Niagra compares to the Puritan line equivalents, like the 156 model?

@deep_333 how about a Niagra 3000?? I only have 3 components to plug in and I see one just came up for sale on USAM for under $2K. It's 3 years old.

@dz13 - thank you, but I do think I will upgrade my speaker cables at least. choices, choices, choices, lol!

@navyachts If you are happy with what you got, you are there. Out there, here be dragons. 

@deep_333 +1

Thx

I am down to the last piece of the puzzle. I am very happy with the sound of my system at this point, so I’m not sure if the DAC needs to be improved on. What I am looking for is to hear those background subtleties in the music a little more pronounced. The strum of a guitar, the stroke of the piano keys, the clicks, ticks & tingles that accompany the music. I do here that now, I just wondered if there is a way to elaborate on those background sounds (details) a bit more.

@navyachts , looks like you are just about ready to chase your tail.... That gustard is about as good as it gets these days.

- Put your dac and ALL front end components on a AQ Niagara 5000 or 7000, which would be a higher return on investment upgrade w.r.t to subtleties pursued.

- Treat the room, not just put up a couple of panels for decorative purposes.

If that still didn’t cut it, it’s about time to discard brand loyalties, ditch whatever speaker you’ve got and start looking into "higher" resolution speakers.

Or...you could just have a couple of vodka shots/calm the squirrels in your head before listening (cheap fix).

@audphile1 Well, I finally got around to taking the FMCs out of the equation and oddly enough, the system sounds better with them in place, at least to my ears!

Another thing I found was moving further back from the speakers sounded better. They are only 6.6’ apart due to space limitations and I was sitting 10 feet away. If I sit 15’ away, things sound better.

I will play around some more on the weekend, but I would say at this point the Gustard R26 is performing well. I would love to try some other DACs I just need to figure out on just how to do that!

There needs to be some sort of a DAC Club, so people could swap DACs around and try some different products out.

@nrthomas2 at twice the price the Mystique should better the ANK!                   Ya had me going for a minute though when you mentioned "Mojo" I thought you were talking Chord Mojo...LOL

Well, I've had my Mojo Mystique Y AM dac for a few days. It certainly brings out more of the recording than my ANK 4.1x. I wouldn't say it sounds better but it is more resolving. The Mystique is still settling in so we'll see.. hear. One of my current favorite tracks is Ambrose Akinmusire's ROY - it sounds gorgeous through the ANK, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up when I heard it through the Mystique.

And, cables do matter. I had a pair of Mojo Audio silver interconnects hooked up to my ANK when the Mystique arrived. I did not like the all Mojo combination. I'm not a big fan of silver but they did sound good with the ANK. I put in my usual Audio Tekne cables and everything immediately sounded right.

Norman

@carlsbad2 @axeis1 Thanks guys. The Chord products get rave reviews and was considering the TT2 and the Mscaler combo and yes, I will get to those cables...    one day!

@navyachts  Recent reviews by TAS are the PS Audio Direct Stream Dac MK2 are  that it is an amazing Dac .. It's List Price is $8K  and I believe there is a 30 day MBG. 

My digital setup is an Auralic Aries G2.2, Chord Mscaler and Chord TT2.. cables are Shunyata Sigma USB ,a pair of Shunyata Sigma Spdif v.2  Shunyata power cords.

I took a peek at you system very nice, Except your cables suck. Sorry just being honest.  I'd look at Shunyata for power. Venom EF, or what ever you budget is. Delta NR.. Speaker cables Shunyata's are very good as are AudioQuest, Audience AV, Wireworld.. I truly think you will be blown away by how much performance you haven't been hearing.

Assuming you live in the US, I would strongly recommend that you talk with the folks at The Cable Company. and Borrow some cables to try. You will be very impressed. Ask for John.. good luck!

I've never heard a Gustard but I stepped up early on to a Chord DAVE and indeed it provided the detail, realism and accuracy that you describe.  My DAVE will be listed for sale as soon as I get around to it as I have moved to the next level with a Lampizator Golden Gate 3.  The soundstage is astounding.  the sounds you hear that have never been resolved before will have you looking up and smiling.  The DHT preamp section will make the music sound more real, more close and just immaculate.  

So if you're the kind that likes to upgrade, save yourself some money and upgrade 2 steps at once.

Jerry

@jjss49 👍

@jjss49 @yyzsantabarbara They say there are noticeable differences between the X - R & A 26 DACs, so I can see where the confusion lies. I would love to try both the A26 and the Yiggi+ LIM (not to mention a 1/2 dozen others that are out there)

i have not tried (nor am i inclined to try) the gustard dacs other than the r26... i have been fairly skeptical of these chinese companies in shenzhen cranking out endless dac model variations seemingly every month using a common chassis

but about a year ago there was truly a groundswell of positivity about the r26 from all the usual sources of hifi marketing/hype, so i tried one on a lark (bought it used so i could resell in a jiffy if it didn’t please) but to my surprise (and a bit to my dismay), it has, it does -- it is just a wonderful sounding streamer dac that really fits my use case perfectly (roon)

all a long way of saying that even in our lofty world of high end hifi, ’being stuck with a gustard r26’ in one’s system is no hardship in the least -- one truly needs to go deep into nosebleed territory to beat it sonically

Thanks @rikkitik I’d still like to kick up a notch from the Gustard line, just not that many “Try Before You Buy” outlets around to do so. Also, just stuck my dad in one of those pricey, senior care homes, so I may be living with my R 26 for sometime to come. That’ll give me some time to try some of the suggested tweaks.

Though I haven't heard the X, a friend purchased an "A", so I have heard that one. It is more detailed than the "R", but in a somewhat of a "dry" presentation. It gets all the notes, but with somewhat less "tonality"(?), and less "soundstage". YMMV

His system is different than mine for sure. Parasound JC 1+/JC 2, and Triton 1R's. He also has a "hot rodded" Gen Va.

@jjss49 @yyzsantabarbara They say there are noticeable differences between the X - R & A 26 DACs, so I can see where the confusion lies. I would love to try both the A26 and the Yiggi+ LIM (not to mention a 1/2 dozen others that are out there)

I found the Gustard X26 Pro (not the R26 which I never owned) much warmer than the Yggi+ LIM. My Office system is the Magnepan LRS+ speaker, which is a tinge on the bright side of things. The Yamaha NS5000 speakers in the Livingroom is a tinge warm. The Yggi+ plays very nicely with both. I would not use the X26 Pro with the NS5000.

When I used the X26 it was with a super bright system and the X26 cooled it down. Interesting, that same system with a new implementation of a key part allows me to use silver cables. I had to use copper before.

On Wednesday my friend, who worked with the Schitt guys, is coming to my place. I am buying one of his amps. He has some golden ears, and I am very interested in his take on the Yggi+ and some other gear I have.

He is going to hate some of my gear, but as they say, "different strokes for different folks."

Some interesting comments on this review.
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil Less is More Review - Reviews - Audiophile Style

BTW - the Yggi+ LIM can be demoed at home for 2-weeks. After 2 days I threw the shipping box away.

different strokes for different folks of course but in my experience i prefer the r26 over the yggy lim... i feel the lim rolls off the highs a bit much and slurs leading edges of transients while the r26 is more extended and ’faster’ without being harsh, all the while providing excellent sense of scale and soundstage - i actually prefer the old yggy over the lim as it plays a cleaner/purer sound to my ear, not artificially warmed up/softened/smoothed -- but i can see the lim being more suitable to lively sounding systems needing some ’calming’ -- klipsch, tekton, zu, focal owners for instance

That Theta mentioned above was done by Mike Moffet.

Theta DS Pro Generation V digital processor | Stereophile.com

@yyzsantabarbara OK, I will check out the Schitt Yggi+ LIM soon!

@rikkitik as a few have mentioned here, maybe my system just needs a little tweaking. Dealing with some family issues at present but will try to address as many suggestions as I can as time permits. 

Thanks all!

Do some research on the much cheaper Schitt Yggi+ Less is More. It was designed by a guy named Mike Moffet. I was telling a friend about the DAC 2 days ago. He is in the HiFi business, and he told me I was the 4th person that said great things about the LIM to him.

He also told me that he had a long conversation with Mike Moffet years ago when he did a project with Schitt and he thought MM came across as a digital genius.

I had the Gustard X26 Pro. It was bettered by the Musetec 005. It was bettered by the Lumin X1. It was bettered by the Schitt Yggi+ LIM. In fairness, the X1 is also an incredible streamer.

A used X1 at around $7.5k maybe a great choice using fibre optic streaming directly into the X1. Just need a very low-cost network switch with fibre support. If you only stream (no analog sources) then the X1 becomes even more attractive with the amazing Leedh volume control on the DAC. It is the ONLY DAC I heard that did volume close to the level of my Benchmark LA4 preamp. The Yggi+ does not do volume but I think it is a better DAC.

It’s funny, different systems, different results..... I bought an R26 simply for streaming, because (I thought), my sample rate converter (Mutec 6) had died.

I’ve owned quite a few DAC’s, Yggy, Holo KTE3, AMR 777SE, and more. I have recently been using a "hot rodded" Theta Gen Va (hence, the Mutec converter). I bought the R26, and was pleasantly surprised with the tonality/musicality, combined with the level of detail. So much "quicker" than the "old" R2R sound.

In my system, the R26 has an abundance of what you are missing in yours. All the "inhales", lips parting, pluck of strings, that initial "stick" of fingers sliding on strings, transients, decays, ALL present in a non "hi-fi", musical way. Plus a soundstage even more expansive than the old/new Theta.

Different systems, different synergies.

(For reference, my system...... Don Sachs DS2, bi-amped, Wells Innamorata II (mids/highs), CJ 2500A (lows), highly modified Tyler H3’s).

@paulcreed I have read a bit about the DDC on the Gustard R26 thread but it gets a little confusing when it comes to the i2s cable. It sounds like it’s difficult to match up for some reason? I will try to decipher this better, time permitting. Thank you.

@nrthomas2 yes, I definitely want to change out some cables, @audphile1 had some good suggestions, I just need to figure the exact, best option for my Martin Logan speakers first, so I will have to go back and read his comments. Thank you as well.

Yes, cables can have profound influences on sound quality. I used to think that cables had less impact on the overall sound quality of my systems than a component change. Now, I think of them as a component change. 

I’m sorry I did not read all the post, someone may have already suggested this. If you can add a DDC a nice usb and a silver or very nice short I2s cable. This will help dig much deeper into the recording. Everything will be more pronounced and natural.
 

I was going up upgrade my dac but gave this a shot first and very amazed at the improvement. I would not skimp on the cables at least the i2s/hdmi.

@ryanvt Gold note comes up a lot, thanks for your suggestion. I will look into this further, for sure!

Have gold note ds10 and evo power supply as Roon End point and it is end game good - sounds fab on my full range and monitor systems.  You can get the units on sale or used/ demo.   The power supply color is immaterial since placed at least a shelf below and to the left of the streamer/ DAC.   If you have a great preamp just use streamer/ DAC.

• I highly recommend checking out Mojo
• Audio. Ben will answer his phone and spend much time with 
• you. As you'll see, Ben has garnered countless awards.
• He has discounted models available. For cables, Zavino, not cheap.
• Cerious Technologies. Great company, great products.Audio Envy, 
• less expensive, very good products! On ans on and on.
• Good luck, and call Ben.

No. Not cheap:) But, having been in this hobby for many years I think his prices are more than reasonable. It is easy to make lateral moves in any given price range. I'm not interested in lateral moves these days. I love the sound of my ANK dac and realize that to get more music (via a dac change) I will likely need to spend at least 5k. Given my current system this seems like rational decision. I'll let you know how things go.

@nrthomas2 OK, got it. His stuff ain't cheap! Let me know how it sounds compared to what ya got. Thanks.

My apologies for being vague. Mojo Audio is the company. Benjamin is the owner's first name:) I just preordered one of his new Mystique dacs. 

@nrthomas2 sounds interesting but there's no links to anything on his website?

https://benjaminaudio.com/?fbclid=IwAR3_wKJOFsp323YQ1c5N9-S8JjFsQ51Ox29g8RWG56TZwBsNvbn-dQB3GjI

@geleary123 thanks for the heads up on Bel Canto, sorry for your troubles.

I'm in a similar place as you.. very much liking the sound of my system but still considering moves to make for hearing more into the music. I just ordered one of Benjamin's new Mojo Audio dacs after being very impressed with his power cables and interconnects. My Yamamoto amp is a keeper. My Sonist Concerto 3 loudspeakers continue to readily reveal component and cable changes. No complaints with an ANK 4.1x dac, however, the things I've read about the Mojo dacs have peaked my curiosity. I listen mostly to jazz.

I want to say that my experience with Bel Canto has been a joke as far as customer service goes No phone calls excepted email only  My dac bel canto 3.7 with not work with a direct c to USB cable into Mac Book  they offer no advise at all  They could have said to try a STREAMER Bingo I am selling my B. C dac ASAP

Just try it without the fiber converters first before you do any upgrades. I’m curious what it’ll do in your system. Whenever you have time. 

@audphile1 @jetter ok, thanks for hangin' in with me, I will definitely do these upgrades soon.

Oh yeah thanks @jetter! +1 on Supra. Forgot about that. I used it as well. I even tried the Audio Sensibility version terminated with the Telegartner RJ45 connectors. 

I've used Supra and LinkUp in my humble system.  They are both excellent, but for me the Supra synergy with my system won out.

If you do decide to try the Supra, be sure to buy the CAT 8+ from eBay seller zendada.  He has free shipping, versus one of the other sellers is in England with a hefty postage charge.

LinkUp Ethernet cable from amazon is very decent. I toss it in once in a while.
I mainly use Purist Audio Design though. Audioquest Vodka and Diamond are raved about on these pages. I haven’t tried these in my system but I can immediately hear the difference between the LinkUp and the Purist…will be interesting to compare Purist to AQ..

@audphile1 thanks, will do! Off to AZ to look after my Dad, I'll try this when I get back. Any suggestion on ethernet cables? 

@navyachts I agree USB sounds better with the N200 but would also like to add that the fiber converters degraded the sound in my system. I’d say try and remove them, go straight into the N200 with a good Ethernet cable and see if you still like the fiber converters after you hear it as is. 

@jjss49 thank for the perk! I do have the Ethernet in to my Aurender N200 going through a pair of fiber media converters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp20Ju-ABoE then from the N200 into the R26 with DH Labs cable. I have tried both USB and coaxial and I think USB sounds better. Although I found the renderer in the R26, feed by ethernet, to sound very good as well. I don’t think the N200 sound $4000 better than the R26 but I can’t really tun back now (thanks ghdprentice)

Any other suggestions (as in better front-end improvements) would greatly be appreciated!

my 2 cents

the r26 is really excellent, one would truly need a mega system to hear significant sonic benefit to pricier dacs - i feel it strikes a wonderful balance between uber clarity and musicality, and it has very good spatial qualities

i would work on getting the feed into the r26 is clean and pure as possible to let it be at its best before getting on the dac merry go round (the front end improvements would benefit most other more expensive dac choices as well)

i use the r26 in a roon based system, it is truly excellent

@redphu72 I am not sure I understand the question, which I see you have also posted in another DAC discussion. It might be best to start a new post as many here have moved on.

Hello all.  Im in a similar situation.  Would upgrading to a preamp solve the issue and take the DAC out of the equation.