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?
Sounds like something was wrong with it. I wouldn't buy from that dealer again. They'll probably box it up and resell it. A $100 dac shouldn't sound like what you described. Stupid question, but did you check the voltage switch? I don't even know if it would work. A guy on another forum couldn't get sound from his new X30. The voltage was set on 230V. |
Mine has the tiny font. I updated the firmware and I thought it would enlarge the font, but it didn't. I suspect the price drops are a result of competition and the fact that their development costs are covered. And like you said, it's no longer a new exciting product. Maybe they've made product changes over time. I don't know. I suppose anything is possible. Gustard will reply to emails if you send them one. It would be interesting to get their opinion on what might be happening. |
@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. |
