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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?

128x128navyachts
audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,134 posts
 

I can’t even keep up ,whst I think is expensive say $12 k in digital total  it’s nothing to many who spend like a nice turntable setup $40-50 k 

oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,825 posts
 

I will second the DH Labs Mirage USB.    Excellent cable 

luisranger2bn's avatar
luisranger2bn
14 posts
 

CD’s is a compressed digital info,High Res digital streamer or digital lossless files not plus CD’s 16/44.1 upconversion to high res DAC,lossless or streamers is vary bits and oversampling,the only thin i say if you listen digital streaming or digital lossless files when use a multibit dac that’s another story.

riie
219 posts
 

Yes

antialiased's avatar
antialiased
43 posts
 

Do not get a better DAC. R26 is quite good with it's external clock input.

You need 10mhz Master Clock LHY OCK-2 with a good 50ohm Master clock cable (Messi & Paoloni, Times Microwave etc.) for that R26.

Use the R26 internal streamer as the master clock will clock the the streamed source as well.

That will align the planets. Trust me.

In terms of upsampling filters the R26 is better fed a pure NOS signal. If you had the A26, then I'd recommend using the upsampling filters as the delta sigma DACs take to those better in lowering the noise floor and creating overall smoothness.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide. New DACs are always fun.

 

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