Wow another new product from Gustard ! They are on fire ! I recently bought the R26 which is a very nice upgrade over my Singxer SDA-6 Pro (AK4499). Would also be curious to read comparisons of the A26 against X26 and R26 ! I would also like to see Gustard coming out with a premium headphone amp that would match the 26 series dacs !
I have anxiously been looking out for a serious DAC that uses the new AK4499EX + AK4191 AKM chip combination, separating the digital and analog DAC parts. The A26 even does it dual mono (2x AK4499EX). And with the addition of the LAN streaming option, I could not resist and ordered one.
For reference: I am now using an Audio-GD R8HE Mk2 (R2R) + DI20HE in parallel with a Merging Hapi (D/S) with Ravenna.
Wow another new product from Gustard ! They are on fire ! I recently bought the R26 which is a very nice upgrade over my Singxer SDA-6 Pro (AK4499). Would also be curious to read comparisons of the A26 against X26 and R26 ! I would also like to see Gustard coming out with a premium headphone amp that would match the 26 series dacs !
In what aspect do you consider the R26 to be an upgrade over the Singxer sda-6 Pro ?
Like you I own both.
From a feature point I agree with you, as the R26 includes a streamer, but sound-wise I think they both are very good in there own way, only different.
I bought the R26 as an addition to the sda-6 because I wanted to experience the ‘ladder’ sound.
For streaming upsampled pcm (via HQPlayer) I prefer R26
For streaming upsampled dsd-direct (via HQPlayer) I prefer sda-6. Also its usb input is better imo due to it’s galvanic isolation.
In what aspect do you consider the R26 to be an upgrade over the Singxer sda-6 Pro ?
Like you I own both.
From a feature point I agree with you, as the R26 includes a streamer, but sound-wise I think they both are very good in there own way, only different.
I bought the R26 as an addition to the sda-6 because I wanted to experience the ‘ladder’ sound.
For streaming upsampled pcm (via HQPlayer) I prefer R26
For streaming upsampled dsd-direct (via HQPlayer) I prefer sda-6. Also its usb input is better imo due to it’s galvanic isolation.
I also plan to keep both. I used both SDA-6Pro and R26 through USB playing flac files. The SDA was a nice upgrade over my former Gustard A18 by being more musical while remaining detailed and dynamic. The R26 cranks up the musicality by a few notches and the soundstage is broader compared to SDA. The fast and mid filters bring quite a dynamic sound for an R2R while the slow and NOS are more muscial and have more soundstage depth but a slower pace.
Does anybody know what the '5 Sound' menu option means on the A26?
There are two choices, 'Monitoring' and 'Listening', but I notice no difference when selecting either.
While the x26 pro is amazing in its own right, I don't think any of the first 4499ex dacs will be too great since everyone will have very little experience with its implementation. The original x26 wasn't great IIRC. I think later this year or in 2024 we will start to see what the 4499ex can really do once people figure out its quirks and the best way to implement it.
I really do hope someone figures out a way to make the new AK shine. I feel like R2R has been making more strides and improvements than D/S has. But I partly blame that on the fire AK had and ESS being lazy with making any kind of improvements. The 9039 doesn't look like much of an upgrade at all, the AK at least is trying to do something different which I can appreciate if successful.
Does anybody know what the '5 Sound' menu option means on the A26?
There are two choices, 'Monitoring' and 'Listening', but I notice no difference when selecting either.
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Id suggest waiting for more reviews.
