Audio-Gd R-28 impressions thread
sajunky
Headphoneus Supremus
Send the unit to the authorised dealer for repair. There might be a fee if you didn't purchase from them. One is locally in Italy, but many people got a quality support from MagnaHiFi or Audiophonics. Shipping charges should not be extensive, all within EU.
aravaioli
100+ Head-Fier
I highly recommend MagnaHiFI. Only great experiences with them.
Patswalker
Head-Fier
Just got the R28 NOS. It's part of my end game desk top trio. I have it next to the Mojo 2 and the Geshelli J24499 ex w/Sparkos dual SS2590 pro opamp stacked with Archel 3 Pro. The R20 NOS is such a wonderful pairing with those other two. Such lush yet wonderfully clear sound. Couldn't be happier.
svmusa
100+ Head-Fier
Curious if Archel 3 Pro is warm sounding? Warm I mean a bit smoother highs? I have 2021 R28 AIO version and enjoy the sound but I can use a bit softer treble to my ears.
sajunky
Headphoneus Supremus
A partial answer, as I can't say about Archel.
Warm sound is usually associated with added 2nd harmonic distortion which is pleasant to our ears. Smooth hights are not related. You have smooth hights, as it is a feature of R2R DAC, especially NOS. Trebles are harmonically consistent with base frequencies. Delta-Sigma DACs for comparison may even have warm sound, usually much lower harmonic distortions, but hights are harsh, fatiguing, it is typical. It is a different type of distortions than 2nd harmonics. I call it false harmonics.
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Patswalker
Head-Fier
I agree 100 with what sajuniy says. I don’t think the Archel 3 pro is warm in comparison to the R28. I got the R28 to be the warm lush musical device on me desk. To my ears, from clinical and precise to warm and lush the devices I have on my desk go like this. Chord Mojo 2 is the least warm and most percise. Geshelli stack is in the middle. Audio GD R28 is most warm and lush. So the Geshelli stack sounds warmer than the Mojo2 but not anywhere as warm as the R28.
That said, I have only listened to the Archel 3 Pro connected to the Geshelli J24499ex dac with those wild Sparkos opamps. So I cannot speak to the warmth of the Archel 3 Pro alone in comparison to the R28
The question is are you only listening to the headphone amp portion of the R28. If you are using the R28 only as a headphone amp bypassing the dac portion you’re still listening to a Class A amp and to me class A amps will be almost all the time be warmer. So when comparing the Archel 3 Pro to the Audio GD amp only I would expect you to find the Audio GD under most if not all conditions to be warmer. That said, when compared to amps similar to the Topping amps I would expect the Archel 3 pro to be more warm. I don’t have any topping amps to test but I have had them and I remember being impressed but bored.
I’ll say this. To me class A amps are amazing and great but to be there is a class A sound. And I don’t always want that. I only have Audio Class A amps. I would put my hear of the Geshelli sound in between Topping and R28. But again, I know nothing of what the R28 sounds like only as an amp and what the Archel 3 pro sounds like only as an amp. I only know R28 with the R2R dac sound behind it and the Archel 3 within the Geshelli stack.
Patswalker
Head-Fier
To me the Archel 3 pro is less warm and less rolled off in the highs than the Audio GD R28. To me it is a great middle ground between the Chord Mojo 2 and the R28. R28 being most warm lush and rolled off out of the three and Chord Mojo 2 being the least.
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Louisiana
500+ Head-Fier
How do you bypassing the DAC Part?
The R28 does not have an input for an external DAC, or have I misunderstood something?
sajunky
Headphoneus Supremus
It does, both RCA and XLR inputs for the internal pre-amp.
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Louisiana
500+ Head-Fier
LOL!
I didn't know that.
Thank you.
I immediately connected my Euforia, which is connected to the Cyan2 - wow.
Patswalker
Head-Fier
The Archel 3 pro is a headphone amp only. The R28 is a headphone amp + R2R dac but you can use only the headphone amp section of that R28 without using the R2R dac. So I was asking if you were doing that, using only the headphone amp section of the R28 or if you were using the R2R dac part as well. From what I understand the dac section is essentially the Audio GD R-1 dac. In the past it has been. I am assuming it is the same with the R28 NOS because the R-1 NOS dac and R28 NOS dac/amp came out concurrently.
Daniel4IEM
100+ Head-Fier
Anyone have experience with this setup and HFM HE1000v2 (non stealth)?
Daniel4IEM
100+ Head-Fier
According to Audio-gd, “R28 NOS belongs to class AB”
Patswalker
Head-Fier
And it sounds SO good that within a week I started saving up for one of the higher end R27 models to run my two channel listening room. It really is incredible. To me it what class an item is barely matters next to how good it sounds.
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