Gustard R26

@arafiq Point taken and totally get and respect that.  I’m not a fan of the Gustard’s look either, especially in silver.  Yuck.  But I do think getting something that performs at the level of the R26 that also looks good will cost multiples of its price — think along the lines of the Denafrips Terminator, etc.  Ouchee!

I am going to wait for the non streaming R2R Gustard that will surely release in few months after they’ve drained our pockets for the R26. I don’t want to pay for a capability I cannot easily use. I’m sorry but a “streamer” that can only be connected via lan these days… really? No thanks.

Additionally don’t doubt for a minute smsl isn’t in the basement developing a $1,000-1,500 r2r that will likely be the flavor of the month soon. Dacs and ddc’s is where the $$$ is these days the level of performance is going to skyrocket for good value dacs etc.(it already has really). I could be wrong…but I don’t think so.I’m enjoying my popcorn.

@balooo2 

A streamer you can’t easily use! What is hard about plugging in a wifi extender. Run a piece of cat 6 to the R26, download Jplay and you are up and running using a lan port that sounds fantastic. If you don’t wan lan R26 has Bluetooth, usb, coax, spdif what more do you want?

I’m sorry but a “streamer” that can only be connected via lan these days… really? No thanks.

funny, this is the only kind of streamer i am interested in.... courses for horses, eh?

@sgreg1 I never knocked on the coax,usb,spdif nor Bluetooth connections or complained about lack of nor their function you are putting words in my mouth.
“What more do I want?” A truly wireless streamer makes more sense for me if you are happy with your purchase buying the r26 good on you. I,me, myself don’t want a streamer that is not wireless.I’ve got enough wires and noisy stuff going on. My entire internet world in my home is wireless,I like it like that…I’ll save my $$$ and wait for the non”streaming”version or a true wireless one which is sure to come along soon. The r26 requiring a lan connection is not for me, simple.I don’t want pay for a feature I don’t want and will not use I expect the non streaming version to be less expensive and can wait for it.
Different strokes.

@balooo2 

I did not intend to come across as being critical sorry you took it that way. Wireless will never give you the same sound quality as lan. Most people who will buy the R26 are chasing the best sound they can achieve with their system. I my self will not sacrifice quality for convince. Enjoy the music!

there are many streamers and streaming dacs that use wireless and even bluetooth input... amazon and alibaba are littered with them, many dirt cheap, there are also some more pricey ones, with rather higher sonic aspirations

but this is a thread about the r26 from gustard, and it needs a hardwired network input for its streamer feed... 

@sgreg1 No offense taken,no worries. What I find odd about your best sound perspective via lan is you stated  "What is hard about plugging in a wifi extender. Run a piece of cat 6 to the R26" Ok... what is the source feeding the wifi extender? A wireless input is going into the extender, so where is the logic of the lan being superior using a wifi extender? It simply is not so.Additionally the lan you have signal is highly dependent on the quality of the internet service and last mile/ feet installation to your modem. I know a little about this and I've seen some off the charts internet noise in congested areas (and non congested areas with poor install) a quality wireless router cleans a lot of that up fact, but thats for a different topic. My point in this case is lan does not guarantee a better signal for music streaming especailly if your lan was poorly installed and or the componets in the wall and box are old and degraded...food for thought. I have a fiber optic high speed servce which gives a consistant 100+ Mbp safe to say I'd put my wireless setup against any lan that was installed 4 years or more ago; one last thing to consider do you KNOW what cat wiring is in your walls? I'll bet its not cat 6.

@jjss49 And I am discussing the Gustard r26,most reviews I’ve read state they did not test r26’s streaming capabilies because they don’t stream via lan.In fact I have not encounted much commentary regarding the streaming experince (none on this thread either) only SQ. I almost pulled the trigger on r26 last week when it was on sale knowing i would not use the "streaming" function but decided to trust my gut and wait for a revised version and not pay for something I will not use. I bet most folks who purchased one use it solely as a dac,I did’nt know this was supposed to be a rah rah session for those who purchased an r26. I’m simply offering my perspective about the r26 just like everyone else that commented.

I sent a friend of mine a Matrix Audio I-3 mini Pro almost 3 years ago. It was only yesterday that I setup this DAC with a headphone amp and headphones at his place in Florida. He did not want to figure out how to put it all together.

He really does not have wired in either his home or office, just WiFi. The Matrix is maybe the most flexible DAC for streaming. It has Wifi support along with BlueTooth (via an iPhone for him). We were able to get music playing in minutes and have his musical experience improved from his prior iPhone speaker to a pretty nice headphone setup. I told him the way he was using the new setup was like putting 87 octane gas into a Ferrari, but it was still better than what he was doing before.

I owned the Matrix mini i-3 Pro at one time and I tested it out the Wifi. I was amazed at how good it sounded when it WORKED. When it did not work I had to restart the DAC. I think this was related to the WiFi’s inherent quality at my home. It will be interesting to see you it works for my friend.

Wifi has some advantages (no wire into the DAC carrying noise) that I would expect it to sound good. I have 3 different Fibre Optic streamers so I know what a decent setup sounds like.

I did’nt know this was supposed to be a rah rah session for those who purchased an r26.

i don’t follow, this is a discussion thread on a ’flavor of the month’ dac, getting lots of internet push, seemingly a decent performer, if one accepts the reviews

competing as they are in this crowded field, they try to offer good performance and a compelling feature set, so bundling in streaming capability is no doubt viewed by the maker as something a buyer/user would likely positively value or they wouldn't have done it ...

but as i read what is here, this ain’t no rah rah here about the r26 (and i ain’t got no horse in this pony race)

but if it doesn’t work for you, then move on, lotsa fish in the ocean...

@jjss49 Nah I’d rather not move on, I’ll just hang out here and rattle your cage 😀

One would think you owned Gustard...Just here to discuss the Good the Bad and the Ugly and why one would consider a purchase or pass, again this is an open forum; If you can’t handle that YOU should move on.

Do you have any first hand experience regarding the performance and ease of use of the R26 streaming function?...If so please do us all the honor of your enlightenment, if not what do you care what I think? I'm not banging on the R26 as stated I came close to buying one, merely saying it is likely in my opinion they will release a version without a streamer at a lower price point and that would work best for me and I'll wait for that version,good grief

A wireless input is going into the extender, so where is the logic of the lan being superior using a wifi extender? It simply is not so.

@balooo2 There are many here who use an extender to provide a wired connection to the streamer and find it superior to using Wi-Fi — and yes, I was skeptical at first too for the same reasons as you, but here we are.  Maybe @ghdprentice can chime in here as he uses an extender with his very expensive streaming setup.  Some people say using a mesh system is better than an extender, but it’s also a bit more expensive.  Sometimes things in audio don’t seem to make sense on the surface yet still provide meaningful improvements.  The good news is just trying running an Ethernet cable from an extender is pretty cheap to try out, so why not?

@soix I have used more extenders in the past than I can count some where better then others. As it turns out I have a very robust mesh wifi setup in my home; Asus RT-AX88U as the main router link to my modem and three RT-AX86U Pro's mesh chained around my home incredibly robust I highly recommend the Asus AiMesh system one of the best I've come across pricey but worth every penny.

Thank you for the insight.

@soix

The good news is just trying running an Ethernet cable from an extender is pretty cheap to try out, so why not?

i think this troll would rather come here and type his garbage ... probably an april fool’s day joke, and the joke is on us... so he has awesome mesh through his house, can even recommend the best mesh to all here reading... but doesn’t have a lan out for his dac... sheesh 🙄

@jjss49 Scratching my head as to how we went from Wi-Fi to having a mesh setup. If you have a mesh system why not just run a cable?  Something’s amiss here. 10 minutes I’ll never get back.

@soix @jjss49 Now we are name calling...A MESH system is a type WI-FI system.They are not two different protocals it is baffling how commited you are to something you obviously know nothing about.to the point of name calling.

It truly amazes me how ignorant some of you are pretending to know what you're talking about and abosolutely don't. My wireless routers are not in the same room as the system I would use the Gustard in is that so hard to comprehend as a possibility??? And in this case fact. Equipment should serve me not the other way around.

And since we are going there and I tried being polite...an extender is just that an extender it does not improve wifi signal in any way simply extends it.They've sold "boosters" in the past but that was merely snake oil.YOU will not get LAN quality (if you think that means anything) from a wi-fi extender additionally like anything else that depends on the quality of the extender output as well many cheap extenders will output lesser signal than the source point, you'll get on the internet but thats about it, sheesh

I cannot understand why you two cannot accept I am not interested in running a lan line from another room or incur the expense of an extender and simply want to wait for a wireless or non streaming R2R from Gustard. Lastly did it ever occur to either of you that I may already have excellent separate streamer(s) boxes and perfer to keep it that way? I already have several and really like them and not interested in paying for and duplicating an already 3X owned  function,no you did not ask if or how I currently stream just insist I accomadate the Gustard and than attack.

Thinking  wireless mesh is different from wi-fi says it all, you guys are scary...

@balooo2 Do you run an Ethernet cable from your mesh node to your streamer? You keep leaving pertinent pieces of information out of your posts, which is why we’re confused here. Or were we just supposed to magically know that you’re running a mesh system? When you say you’re using Wi-Fi no one will then assume you’re using a mesh system, which is a big difference. You don’t even seem to understand that if you run a mesh system you don’t need to run a line from another room, which is the whole point. Duh. Whatever. This is a mess. @jjss49 I agree this is troll city — too many inconsistencies give it away. I don’t believe you’re even running a mesh system or you would’ve mentioned it earlier and understood it obviates the need for a long run of cable, and I’m out.

@soix No I do do not run cables from my WIRELESS streamer(s) to my mesh node (which by the way is simply a wireless router that can be daisy chained) a simple google of the Asus AiMesh would have cleared that up for you and what I'm talking about.But you are not really interested in learning anything just presenting yourself as a know all. My streamers are AGAIN wireless and that is all I'm interested in is truly wireless streaming. You are assuming MESH actually means something more then a daisy chained wireless router system.Most new wireless routers offfer the feature of creating a MESH system if you have more then one unit; and if you are tech savvy they really don't need to be the same brand to create a MESH WIFI system. Yes I understand I can put one of my MESHED WIFI  wireless routers in another room DUH, but I have them placed  to offer the best coverage for my entire home which is why I have 4 of them and do not want to minimize signal in another part of my home for a freakin $1500.00 dac. I spent quite a bit of money, time and trial and error on my routers to have the coverage I want and really need in my home for me and my family, disrupt that for a dac? Who's the fool here?

Equipment should serve me not the other way around. I'll say it one last time...

I DO NOT WANT TO PAY FOR A FUNCTION I WILL NOT USE. A LAN BASED STREAMER IS NOT FOR ME, HOWEVER THE REPORTED SQ OF THE R26 IS COMPELLING THUS MY INTEREST AND REASON FOR BEING ON THIS THREAD I WAS TEMPED TO PURCHASE ONE LAST WEEK ON SALE. I AM ASSUMING A NON STREAMING R26 IS ON THE HORIZON. THERE ARE VERY GOOD WIFI BASED WIRELESS STREAMERS OUT THERE, I ALREADY OWN 3. I HAVE A VERY ROBUST WIFI SETUP IN MY HOME,EVERYTHING INTERNET BASED IN MY HOME IS TRUE WIRELESS "AND I LIKE IT LIKE THAT". I WILL WAIT FOR A NON STREAMING VERSION OF THE GUSTARD R26 OR A WIRELESS ONE. Did any of that deviate from what I've been saying from the begining?

You don’t know what you’re doing nor what you’re talking about.  Peace out. 

@soix I've come to the same conclusion about you.

All the best.

I currently have the Gustard A-26 on loan for the weekend, my first experience with this brand used in a speaker based system TeKton Moab speakers , Boulder 866 integrate with DIY server , the Gustard is really quite good bang for the buck I could live with it. 

@in_shore

there are reviews that compare the A26 with the R26. It all comes down to which sound you like. If you like the delta sigma sound then the A26 is nice. If you like the r2r sound the the R26 is nice. Both offer great sound and option for their price points. I know from first hand that the R26 responds very well to tweeks and upgrades to allow it to compete with dac’s in the $5000 and $6000 range. Will be interesting to see if the A26 returns the same results from the tweeks. Enjoy the music and ignore the noise from the trolls.

SGreg you could be sort of right about the Gustard dac competing against dacs in the 5-6K my buddy with the Boulder 866 integrate and TeKton Moab speakers is happy with the Gustard for now , he bought the Gustard just to get him through a transition period until he made his mind up over integrates and possibly separate dac.
We listened to a Boulder digital 866 model with built in dac he borrowed from a dealer wether it was just better compatibility compared with analog Boulder with the Gustard the digital Boulder was clearly better sounding. 
In any case I think it would be interesting to hear the Gustard with clock I can have his A26 for $900.00 clocks I’ve looked at ranging in prices from $200.00 to 1500.00 who knows it looks like fun to me with little investment.

I bought the Gustard A26 a couple weeks ago for one of my headphone setups. I wanted to see what all the hype is about....

For wifi I have good results with this basic bridge:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5RCZQH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Anyway I thought it sounded very good and well built. Very punchy and good width of sound stage. Then I swapped for one of my Denafrips R2R DACs and realized I need to return the A26. R2R is so much more organic sounding and much better soundstage.

I'll give the R26 a try instead to see how it compares. 

But Gustard did a good job with these. I like the style of the A26 better than the R26. Good value for what you pay for them. 

System matching is important but if you really want to compare the sound quality of DACs try listening to them thru a good headphone amp. It gives you a lot more detail that can be lost in room acoustics with speakers.

@kairosman

 One thing that I think can get lost in the discussion is all in cost. I have made the comment myself that this dac will compete with others costing $5000 to $6000. Truth be told the R26 costs $1600 US and then to squeeze out the performance we talk about the all in price is pushing $2600 to $3000. Guess what has to be assumed is the comparison to others that the same upstream mods are in play so a $5000 dac is pushing $6000 all in and $6000 dac is $7000 all in. Hope this does not trigger our lan troll.

@sgreg1 yup in order for the comparison to be fair we have to assume a $5-10K DAC will need to be optimized to the same degree, and actually the extra cost is more like $1.5K in my setup. On another note, it is fascinating to me that the way in which the incoming digital signal is routed/clocked/converted/filtered/amplified inside the DAC is either obfuscated and/or misunderstood by me and most other folks who are into digital playback... why don't we demand to know what this process end-to-end looks like for each DAC PRIOR to purchase lol? Seems important info if one wishes to optimize one's source chain, no?

@sgreg1 Why dude?

If you conduct yourself in a respectful fashion I’ll do the same. Veiled attacks and name calling is cowardly the other poster has nothing to do with you and others disagreeing with me. No need to drag someone else into whatever you’re still feeling. Grow up,I’m over the lan thing you should be too.

@calieng 

Anyway I thought it sounded very good and well built. Very punchy and good width of sound stage. Then I swapped for one of my Denafrips R2R DACs and realized I need to return the A26. R2R is so much more organic sounding and much better soundstage.

I'll give the R26 a try instead to see how it compares. 

I'm looking for a reasonably priced dac for my second system in the home office. Been doing a lot of research and it sounds like your assessment about Denafrips sounding more organic holds true even in case of R26. For example, the British Audiophile guy likes the R26 for its treble, soundstage, and speed but he thinks if you want more solidity in the midbass region and below and prefer a more organic sound, then Pontus is still the way to go. This is not to say one is better than the other ... horses for courses. Since my taste leans towards jazz, vocals, blues, etc. I'm thinking I'll be happier with the Pontus. The R26 is great for electronic, rock, pop, etc. 

Another reviewer compared the R26 to the new Denafrips Ares 12th Edition and said he would go with the Ares due to the same reasons I outlined above. Interesting problem to have. Of course, I'm saying all this without ever having listened to the R26 so take it with a giant grain of salt :)

@arafiq 

I just got the LADDER Schumann DAC and was really impressed with it. It sits above the Denafrips Aries 12th that I have for resolution. It seems to be a little more analytical sounding but is also very musical. I might even consider it against the Pontus II depending on what it is driving.

Right now I have the Aries 12th, Pontus II, Venus II, and the Ladder all doing a great job in my stereo and headphone systems. Using Lumin U1 and U1 Minis all with LPS. The are primarily running into Icon Audio, Woo Audio, Feliks, and AmpsandSound.

Have a Innuos Pulse Mini inbound to try as well as a PI 2 Mercury V2 streamer. Will check out the Gustard R26 as soon as able.

It's all about system matching!

This reviewer, who I hold in high regard due to his knowledge and breadth of equipment reviews, compares the Gustard R26 favorably to the Denafrips Terminator.  That speaks volumes to me, FWIW. 

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/a-new-point-of-reference-gustard-r26-discrete-r-2r-ladder-dac-review/
 

I’d also highly recommend a DDC that will allow you to take advantage of the Gustard’s i2S input.  I did this with my Musician Pegasus DAC and it was a game changer.  Hope this helps, and best of luck. 

Other reviews have said A26 is better.

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/gustard-a26-dac-review-can-it-get-any-better/

Flavor of the month.

Denafrips lives long and prospers. 

I stopped believing online reviewers a while ago. It is good to get some details but their opinions are next to useless. One of them loves it and another hates it.

Case in point - Steve Huff gushing over the Willsenton R300 - amp of the year. I bought one and yes I was keen on it at first then I compared it to some other tube amps - I realized half the music was missing - no symbol crashes that were clearly evident on another amp....etc

These reviewers may mean well but in the end they are there to make money thru views on YouTube and some I believe get freebies or kick backs from the vendors and manufacturers.

I would rather trust the opinions on here.

@soix Like they say, horses for courses. I know Sandu has a lot of fans here, but just looking at his equipment and preferences I can tell that we are quite different when it comes to the type of flavor we like in our music. I respect him a lot and think he's one of the better ones out there. But his choice of amps (Benchmark) and speakers (KEF) tells me that he prefers a more neutral tonality. Nothing wrong with that, but I know that our tastes are quite different. 

Another reviewer compared the Gustard R26 to Denafrips Ares 12th Edition and preferred the Ares. Go figure! 

And Steve Huff ... well, the less we say about him the better .. lol!

Steve Huff is turning into a hermit!

I was laughing at him because he spent $1k for a power bar to improve his stereo when he actually had preamp ground loop hum. I left him a comment to let him know...

Anyway he seems like a nice guy....used to like his camera reviews. He should stick to photography.

@soix

Gustard engineers have said they put a lot more into the lan port than the usb and coax inputs. From many owners who have done comparisons it seems with good mods to the upstream signal going into the lan you can achieve better sound than a ddc and I2S input. This is not saying lan is going to be better on all dac’s but with Gustard right now it is until they upgrade the other inputs. The mods include fiber media converters, wifi extenders, mesh systems, upgraded switch and external clock. What I like for myself is by making the upgrades the R26 is still very musical to the point I can listen for hours on end with no fatigue. That to me is key I have heard to many systems that do sound hood very detailed but after an hour I have to walk away and reset. This is not my case with R26 I have to walk away because it’s 3am and need to get some sleep.

I heard a rumor about a version of the R26 without the built in streamer.  Any truth to this?  I would be interested in a DAC only version for sure.

Without offense to anyone reading this imo that would not be very logical. That would be taking a step back from where the R26 is today. What is a consumers biggest fear when making a substantial purchase! That after you click buy, by the time you receive the item it will be outdated tech. Gustard has really built the R 26 to address a very wide client base sll for $1600. Almost anyone could buy the dac and have a great sounding source right out of the box and plugged into their existing system no further equipment needed. I could see it being an option say if current R26 was $3000 and building a stripped down version would sell for $1000 to bring in a whole new market. To take the current R26 and remove the lan to sell for $1200 does not sound like a good business decision. To save a couple $100 for an input you might regret not having in the future I guess is for each individual buyer to decide on. This is like living where I do in the cold. You always take extra coats with you as you never know when you will need them. To have and not need is good but to need snd not have leaves no option. Again no offense to anyone and to each their own choice. Enjoy the music!

+1 @sgreg1 

I think direct-to-ethernet is a really cool feature ... especially at this price point. From what I've been reading, the R26 even without the LAN connection is worth the asking price. The LAN is just icing on the cake. It also saves you several hundred dollars that you would have otherwise spent on buying a nice USB cable. It'll be nice to hear from someone who has compared it to >$1000 streamers. I know it competes favorably with below $1000 streamers like Bluesound Node, ifi, etc.

Well, I purchased a Pontus II from another a'gon member. I also ordered the Gustard R26 from Amazon, arriving next week. I will compare the two in my system and either return the R26 or resell the Pontus depending on what I like more.

I got the R26 this week. Not that impressed with it. Tried it against my various other equipment...Aries 12th, Pontus II, Ladder Schumann using a variety of streamers and amps. It sounded veiled, lacking dynamics and loose bass. All the others were noticeably better.

When I got the A26 a couple weeks ago I was actually pleasantly surprised. It sounded really good. It was just my preference for R2R that made me decide not to keep it.

I know the R2R DACs take time to settle in but the Aries and Ladder DACs are also recent purchases with only a few days of use so far....

Anyway for those looking for an all in one streamer DAC I would definitely go with the A26 over the R26 based on the initial experience with them.

Of course there are lots of other brands to consider. Matrix Audio I2 has not been mentioned but is in the same price range and that has a decent headphone amp and wifi built in.

@calieng It’s really not fair, nor rigorous, to assess the R26 basically right out of the box.  Give it at least 100 - 200 hours before making any conclusions. 

@soix 

Yes running it in for a while may help but the other DACs were new too (except Pontus). And I did leave R26 on for more than a day to properly warm it up.

I heard enough to know I will not keep it. I just wanted to hear for myself what all the fuss was. And what I heard was in line with some other online reviewers comments comparing the R26 to A26.

I have had my Pontus II for a few years. There has been very little sonic change since purchased new. I think R2R DACs sound better once they are warmed up but after 100 hours I do not know if there is much difference. Maybe a small amount for capacitor forming and transformers breaking in. What did make a noticeable change on the Pontus was the recent firmware update. Way more than aging for 100 hours.

What surprised me was how good the little Aries 12th sounded being driven by the PI 2 Design I2S connection! Best bang for the buck of any combination I have listen to so far. Very clear and dynamic sounding. 

@calieng Well, if it just takes some time to let it burn in more, and it’s free, why rush to judgement? Several people here have posted they preferred the R26 to the A26 and I’ve never seen the reverse. Or maybe you’re just, different.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  You be you. 

@soix 

Why pump the product?

I am an engineer. I have run testing labs and worked for the federal government, military, nuclear energy....I am trained in testing and evaluation.

I have heard what I need to hear.

Anyone who really wants to evaluate it thru a high quality system like I did is welcome to their opinions. But how many have really evaluated it carefully against multiple other products and a variety of setups? And how many are just repeating what they watched in a Youtube video?

I for one do not need to worry about this product any further.

By the way from a technical point of view the R26 DAC board hardware is similar to the Aries with 2 ladders. The Pontus provides 4 ladders to average out errors.

We should not expect a product to perform past its design. The power supply for the DAC board is also closer to Aries. 

You can compare the differences below. R26, Aries, Pontus. Also take a look at the power supply filtering in the Pontus. So the comment about the R26 beating a Terminator I think can be tossed out as internet pumping. 

I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say with some run in time it could be equal to the Aries with a streamer attached but I think Denafrips software is more refined so maybe not.

Here also is a gut shot of the Ladder Schumann.

It also is a 2 ladder DAC.

So a fair comparison is between Aries, Ladder, and R26. Pontus is in a class above with 4 ladders.

What was not fair in the test I did was using Lumin U1 Mini, Innous Pulse Mini, and Pi 2 Design Mercury 2 streamers all with LPS against the R26 built in streamer. That may be the issue not so much the R2R DAC itself. But then why buy the R26 if not for the combo DAC / streamer.

I should not rain on anyones parade who is enjoying this DAC. It is still better than many. Just not to the level of the hype IMHO. Your mileage may vary.

I am an engineer. I have run testing labs and worked for the federal government, military, nuclear energy....I am trained in testing and evaluation.  I have heard what I need to hear.

That’s great.  Good for you.  That has nothing to do with audio equipment evaluation.  I’ve professionally reviewed high-end audio equipment for 17 years, and if I ever submitted a review after a week of listening I would’ve been fired.  Add that to the fact that no one here prefers the A26 to the R26 and I think it’s fair to say your conclusions are suspect.  Reviewing any new piece of audio equipment and making any firm conclusions in the first week is ludicrous.  Period. 

@soix

I too find it a little strange that an “engineer” who will argue up and down that it all one’s and zero’s is saying a more costly dac is better because it has double the ladders “to correct the errors”. Also to compare the A to the R also makes no sense. One is r2r the other delta sigma. They are to very distinctly different sounding tech that will depend on an individuals preference of the sound signature they like. Claiming people are only parroting you tube reviews? All the comments snd sites I have read come from people who actually own the dac. I will never push anything on others but only try to offer my opinion and how it works for me.