Gustard R26

Keeping my eye on this one. But have learned that you want to see at least 2 credible reviews... one mans meat can be another mans poison. Its at the right price point to compete with Denafrips Pontus.

@sgreg1 

This article may be helpful to you

@baylinor 

I dabbled with an Aries II but sold it because it wasn't true NOS, its linear interpolation rolled off treble at CD rate. But it did have the hallmark of a NOS DAC in the mid range which is correct instrument timbre. The usual compromise with less expensive R2R DAC's is softer dynamics and treble resolution vs an OS DAC. For me the correct timbre of NOS wins out vs the OS strengths so I hope the R26 will come close to a Holo Spring 3 which is what I had been considering for next DAC purchase

@sgreg1 

Pretty happy with an SRC-DX as DDC and plan to use coax. Since I2S isn't standardized for pinout, interoperability is a PITA