@arafiq I read your review comparing the R26 with the Pontus II. I’m in a similar situation now, more than a year later, and hope you could clarify a few points to help me make an informed decision.
(1) Does the Pontus II you had back then have the original firmware (prior to V1.4)?
(2) Have you ever updated to V1.4 and, if so, how were the changes in sound signature?
(3) Have you ever tried DDC with Pontus II and, if so, how were the changes in sound signature?
(4) I mainly listening to Jazz and classical music. How Pontus II handles Complex Instrumentation in Classical Music. Does the Pontus II perform well with orchestral complexity, capture subtle dynamics and maintain coherence in dense arrangements? Having a R2R architecture, does the Pontus II offer a natural timbre, making strings and woodwinds feel lifelike, and manage to retain warmth and clarity even in highly intricate compositions?
Appreciated for your feedback.
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@arafiq
I appreciate your insight. However, I later realized that the Pontus' NOS mode isn't truly NOS until the 15th version. Even the 12th version is an emulation (though close). I’ve decided to pause and dive deeper into this technical aspect before fully committing to an R2R DAC. Regarding the DDC, I’m inclined to skip it and, if needed, consider a higher-end model like the Venus instead. I recall Tarun mentioning that combining the Pontus II with the Iris could offer a Venus-like sound. As I get older, I prefer to have fewer components on the rack.
The R26's sound characteristics continue to improve over time. The initially weaker bass that some people critique has become weightier. I value controlled, nimble bass over quantity, but it still needs to have a weighty initial attack. The R26 is quite neutral, yet not as natural-sounding as I’d like. We'll see.
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I think, altogether, I have put more than 100 hours on the R26. Today, I did a side-by-side listening test using the MXN10 as both a streamer and a DAC. With my Cambridge Azur 851A integrated amplifier, I could switch back and forth between the R26 and the MXN10’s internal DAC, allowing me to hear the differences almost instantaneously. I needed to do a bit of volume matching (+/- 3dB). With MXN10 as the streamer (Wharfdale Linton & Burchardt S400 mkII), both have quiet background, sound transparent, good SS, decent bass BUT R26 does not outperform my $400 MXN10’s DAC.
BTW, the R26’s streamer through the mConnect renderer sounds awful—much worse than the MXN10 or iFi ZS, those low-end streamers (price-wise). Well, time to move on. Following the highly raved Eversolo A6, this is the second higher-end streamer/DAC that has disappointed me.
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As I mentioned earlier, the bass improves, which is the first noticeable change within the first week. The piano notes gradually settle as well, but the timbre and overtones of the violin sound unnatural and somewhat raspy. Sibilance isn’t well-controlled either and I'm not sure if it could be further tamed (feedback please). I have the time and patience, but I don’t want to wait 200–300 hours only to find that the tone is still unnatural, as some have reported. That’s quite a lot of burn-in time for this R2R DAC.
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Both Cambridge int amp and streamer are endorsed by Stereophile so there is no need for concern. I stand by my previous statement, i.e., at this point, R26 sounds good but performs at most as well as MXN10 internal DAC. Both are neutral but I expect the R26, with its r2r topology, to sweeten / smooth the midrange / treble better than the ESS-based delta sigma DAC in MXN10 but it doesn't.
Give Maria Duenas's II. Larghetto Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, in her 'Beethoven and Beyond' album a listen (24/96 in Qobus) and let me know how you feel about the violin timbre.
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I tried Ifi ZS which has isolated asynchronous usb with R26 already and it does not resolve the issue. MXN10 sounds better (than Ifi) so I stay with it.
Maybe Audirvana sounds better than MConnect, but I doubt it can make that big of a difference. The reason I call it awful (sorry for the strong wording; how about "at best average" used by the other gentelman here) is that it costs over $1k more yet sounds worse than the MXN10, iFi Zen Stream, and Wiim. Both my primary (humble) and secondary (still humble) systems can easily reveal the sound quality disparity.
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@deep_333
I am not sure if you actually own Linton or had given it a fair trial. The trerrific soundstage, flat response (see below) and nimble bass are the three main reasons I kept them for a good two years and might be many more years to come. Look at the flat in-room response from Erin's measurements. Lack of details, might be, but that is not the trait I had concern with.
The concern I am having is related to the elevated treble beyond 10khz. The tactic is to mitigate it is to toe them out a bit but that does not fully address the issue. That is why I am looking for a DAC that could do the trick, starting with r2r DAC. I acquired Saga 2 when it was announced and like it. But the Cambridge Azur 851A's preamp could sweeten the sound as good as Saga 2 if not better. I had tried AKM chips-based DAC but sound is a bit too warm for me.
I will give R26 one more week and, if not working, move onto the next which might be Qutest, gumby (as you have suggested) / yggi or hybrid or pure tube DAC like Black-Ice.
I could eq the treble region too but not really like what wiim pro + sounds in comparison (w/ MXN10). Additionally, eq sound does not really sweeten / liquify the sound I found.
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@sls883 I need to apologize for claiming the R26 streamer's performance was awful. I believe there’s a glitch in the unit I currently own. For some unknown reason that I haven’t yet identified, the LAN output weakens to a very low level. When I increase the volume, the sound is indeed 'awful' and I jumped to a conclusion after experiencing it once. The streamer in the R26 actually sounds as good, if not better, as the MXN10 and better than Ifi ZS. Fortunately, this glitch did not affect the volume level when I evaluate R26 as a DAC. As you know also my unit has another clicking noise glitch.
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@sls883 I planned to send it back because of the clicking noise. It turns out the volume level was not an issue. It was caused by the DSD toggle on/off and I just need to remember to adjust the volume up to 'fixed / maxed' level. Before sending it back, I want to fully evaluate it to see if I need a replacement or different kind of DAC. X30 is definitely under my radar but TBH it is outside my budget limit I am willing to spend at this point without fully exploring all options.
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@sls883 I used "med" but tried "slow" to mitigate the brightness. It does have some effect, but not significant enough, and it adversely impacts the details. "Fast" is a bit too much for my system. NOS is not a preferred option for R26 I found.
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My chain of signal is as follows: MXN10 (optical)-> R26 (xlr, gatham star-quad cable) -> Cambridge Azur 851A (Belden 5T00UP 10awg speaker cable) -> Linton.
Linton has an elevated treble and is less forgiving of relatively poorer recordings. The R26 is neutral; any shortcomings should be attributed to the speaker, not the R26. I just hope that an R2R DAC like the R26 could help tone down the brightness.
I tried a better recording (by Nemanja Radulovic), and the sound through my system was much improved. It's still a bit bright for my taste, but much more liquid and refined.
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Alright, I’ve had the R26 for about three weeks now, with at least 200-250 hours of playback time. It sounds pretty good—neutral and rich—but not as natural-sounding as I’d prefer.
That said, the other two DACs I own—the Cambridge MXN10’s internal DAC and the SMSL D6s—perform just as well as the R26 in areas like detail, tonal balance, soundstage, instrument separation, and bass. To my ears, all of these traits range from very good to excellent. All these three DACs are able to preserve these sound traits in the recording pretty well.
However, when you consider the price, there’s an almost ninefold disparity between them. So, is the SMSL D6s exceptionally good for its price, or is the R26 just comparable to a highly capable entry-level Delta-Sigma DAC? Is the R26 simply overhyped?
My signal chain is mxn10 -> DAC -> Cambridge Azur 851A or Parasound A23 -> Wharfedale Linton or Buchardt S400 mkII.
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