magon
Responses from magon
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? The Gustard C16 external clock has an OCXO with its own power supply. The R26 has a crystal but not at the level of an OCXO, and it's rare to find a DAC with a separate power supply for the clock. That's part of the benefit of an external clock. ... | |
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? I love the PS Audio DS Dac's beauty and musical expressiveness. If I could find the right headphone with it, something more balanced than my LCD-2 yet with an equally beautiful midrange, I would go with the DSD no question. I've just run out of ti... | |
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? @audphile1 I did put Igor's best PC on it. The members of the N.J. Audiophile Society tell me it can compete with $5K power cords. Of course this might be introducing Igor's signature again, but I don't think so, because the weirdness all went awa... | |
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? I got a hold of a Cardas Clear USB (the top of the line Cardas USB, $450 new) and it works beautifully with the PS Audio. Good resolution, beautiful timbre, and all the bass and brightness problems are solved. In the previous comment I mentioned ... | |
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? @audphile1 Whoa... went to an iFi USB cable (maybe $150 when I bought it 7 years ago) and the brightness in the PS Audio is gone! The strangeness in the bass is gone. It's still a bit bass-light compared to the two Gustards I've had in my possessi... | |
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? @audphile1 While I do recognize that my system might have some kind of "signature" as a whole that is obscuring these components, I've had a very good experience with Igor's mods. I started with just his power conditioning (but all stock compone... | |
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? @audphile1 I suppose it's possible, but if my system has a characteristic tonal balance, why would it be too dark on one DAC and too bright on another? But curiously enough, a lot of my system is modified or custom by the same guy who modified t... | |
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? @audphile1 You're talking about my R26 right? Mine doesn't seem to match the descriptions of others' R26s. Like the imaging. I suspect mine is broken. I got a Gustard 10 MHz clock, the $750 or so model, from Amazon, could return. After an hour of... | |
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? @kairosman I'm using custom cabling (interconnects, power cords, USB cable) by the same guy who modified my x20pro... it's very good stuff. His friends in the N.J. Audio Society say it compares favorably to multiple-$1000 commercial stuff, but I'v... | |
| What did a good 10 MHz clock do for your Gustard R26? @kairosman I'm starting to suspect I have a bad unit. This is my second attempt to purchase the R26. The first one was very dark to the point of sounding broken. This one is better but still soft in the top octave, and the problem with imaging is ... | |
| I see the issue with ABX blind testing When we consider whether audiophiles have analytical ears and/or can remember sound qualities for lengthy periods of time (i.e. much more than a few seconds), let's consider two professions whose skill with sound is undeniable: (1) musicians, and ... | |
| Opinions on PS Audio Direct Stream DAC (Mk 1) @shooter41 Do you have aftermarket cables on your Hifiman or Focals? I have a very good cable by Igor Kuznetsoff of the NJ Audiophile Society on my Audeze phones. I tried the Focal Clear OG recently but had only the stock cable, and it wasn't anyw... | |
| Opinions on PS Audio Direct Stream DAC (Mk 1) I'm the OP. I've listened for a while and given it a few hundred hours of burn-in just in case that was needed. I'm giving up on it for two reasons: too bright, and weak bass (poor pitch definition). I'm using it with a headphone system, mostly: a... | |
| LCD-2 from 2011 I got a used LCD-X, 2021 version. It's a good match for a DAC I have on hand for a trial period, the Gustard R26. My older DAC, a modifed Gustard x20pro, was pretty bright, so that could have emphasized the peakiness in the LCD-2. In any case I li... | |
| Gustard R26 ladder DAC sound signature - comments? @audphile1 It could be system synergy, but I have several headphone amps, headphones, USB sources, 2 other DACs, and so forth, so I can triangulate on the signature pretty well. @bigshutterbug Interesting! Did you try to purchase another one? |