KGUSS GUSTARD A26 DAC MQA Dual AK4499EX AK4191 with Streamer/Renderer XMOS DSD512 PCM768K MQA384K IIS Balanced Audio Decoder(BLACK)

Gustard A26 DAC: (Bought on Amazon)I recently purchased the Gustard A26 DAC on Amazon, and let me tell you, it's been a revelation for my listening experience. The first thing that struck me was its sleek design. It looks fantastic on my audio rack, and the touch controls for on/off are a nice modern touch.The sound quality is truly exceptional. The A26 boasts fantastic channel separation, creating a wonderfully detailed soundstage. It allows you to hear every nuance of the music, and even subtle flaws from the original recording become apparent. This level of detail is outstanding to my ears.While the included plastic remote is functional, a metal one is more suitable at this price point. However, that's a minor quibble considering the outstanding sound this DAC delivers.One thing to consider is potential future service needs. Since the A26 is a high-end piece of equipment, finding a technician qualified to work on it might be tricky depending on your location. This is a common issue with high-end DACs, as I experienced with my previous Audiolab M-DAC+ in which the left channel went out and is almost at the same price point. That said, the fantastic sound quality and build quality (based on online images) make me confident this DAC will last for years to come but only time will tell, especially considering my tendency to hold onto my audio gear for a long time.Overall, the Gustard A26 is a superb DAC that delivers exceptional sound quality and a sleek design. The ease of purchasing it on Amazon with their return policy adds peace of mind. While the remote could be more premium and potential service needs are a consideration, the A26's sonic performance far outweighs these minor drawbacks. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a high-fidelity listening experience.

To say a DAC is good without comparison is worthless. I have now owned a number of DACs including the R26, Cayin iDAC 6 MKII, Eversolo DMP-A6 Master Edition, Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0, also the built in DACs in the Cambridge Audio Edge A and a Denon PMA-A100 amps.I have a decent pair of speakers and a very well-respected high-output tube amp that are very capable of revealing the sonic differences between the DACs. I have this week spent a few hours directly A/B testing the A26 against a much more costly Cen.Grand DSDAC. Whilst the DSDAC is ultimately the better DAC, and it should be, it costs £2500 to buy, it is not by a huge margin. If you must have the 'best' DAC then yes, there are others that are better but honestly, if you are sensible and want to save that extra money then simply buy an A26 or R26 and be happy. I am absolutely sure you will be more than happy, and you'd need to spend considerably more (£2500 on something like the Cen.Grand) to improve upon these two DACs, and even then the improvement is subjective. As for comparisons between the A26/R26, its been too long since I changed my R26 so I cannot in all honesty compare from memory but suffice to say the R26 was equally as impressive.Compared from memory to my other DACs, the Cayin iDAC 6 MKII is a special DAC and one that holds a place in my heart. However the A26 is more revealing and lifelike but at the expense of losing some of the Cayin warmth and intimacy. Compared to the inbuilt DACS of the Eversolo DMP-A6 Master, the A26 is the better DAC but again if its ultimate value for money you're after then the DMP-A6 Master is very good indeed considering what you are getting. Compared the the Cambridge Audio Edge A and Denon PMA-A110. The Cambridge was ultra clean sounding and hologaphic but for my taste was just a bit too clinical and I found the sound starting to irritate me after long listening. I didn't get that with the A26. I would say the A26 is better, same for the Denon. I would say the Denon and Cambridge amps are on par.

I have heard such excellent reviews for this DAC so I decided to try it. I gave it over 100hrs of burn in time before I started to critically listen. I was quite disappointed on my system it sounded very analytical. It pulled out all the information and the soundstage was good. But it was cold and analytical I just couldn't engage with it. I want a DAC that does all of the above and has my foot tapping to the music. This is not that DAC. It doesn't engage me I get bored listening to my music on it. So unfortunately OK for many but not for me I am returning it.

I was perhaps a bit skeptical about this DAC despite the rave YouTube reviews. I bought it for a second system and have the Chord Quetest in my main system to which I can compare it.Well, the Gustard A26 lives up to the hype and has a permanent spot in my second system. I hear the full spectrum of music reproduced faithfully with no irregular emphasis or bump to any specific area of the frequency range. Bass, midrange, top end - it's all there and only limited by the capabilities of your speakers. This DAC motivated me to go out and upgrade my speakers, and now it sounds even better.I tried Topping DAC's but had no luck finding any emotion in the music using them - sounds weird, I know, but I've read similar comments about the Topping DAC's so maybe I'm not crazy.Anyway, I highly recommend auditioning this DAC if it is in your price range, or even slightly above or below it. I think it outperforms more expensive DAC's and is a big upgrade over most of the $1K DAC's out there. It scales well also with better gear, which is always a sign of quality engineering of audio gear.

Audiophile level sound and well designed unit with built in streamer. Very happy with the purchase