R2R DAC FIGHT! - Denafrips Ares12th VS Gustard R26 - Who's gonna win?

A couple of additional points for you: 1. Humming...The R26 did hum to begin with, which was blooming annoying! (And no, I don't have a ground loop!) I reached out to Gustard to ask them if the unit was faulty and they said to update the firmware...which I did (awful update client btw and not at all intuitive in my opinion - you can tell they aren't a software company!) Anyway, post firmware update and the Hum is almost gone! Bonkers! It's noisier than the Denafrips, but not audible from 4 feet away, so now a non-issue for me. 2. Uneven feet. You may have seen me complain in my YouTube short about the R26 having uneven feet, making the unit unstable. It doesn't have uneven feet, BUT having a heavy duty power chord in the back causes it to sit on three feet rather than four. Not a biggie to be honest, but worth mentioning.

Thank you so much for this review! I just love the way you keep your perspective when you review components, extremely valuable when spending $$$.

Thank you for the review. Both DAC’s I’ve been interested in. This helps my choice a lot.

Great work thanks, I bought the denafrips ares 12th about 3 months ago and I'm very happy with it 😀

Thanks for the review - excellent presentation and comprehensive breakdown, very useful.

Interesting review. I feel you missed the best parts of these two DACs. The I2S input of the Ares 12th and using the LAN input to stream Roon on the R26. I sold my Pontus 2 and didn’t buy the Venus 2 I was demoing when I tried the R26. The airiness and weight of the music that the R26 had was unbelievable. I will say that it was very very close to the Venus 2 SQ wise, but is $1500 cheaper and has a rock solid built in streamer/renderer. To upgrade from the R26 you are starting at $5000.

Good review, liked your clear cut style. I'm not particularly interested in a Dac right now, I use a Auralic G1 and will step up to a G3 when the time comes, but your clear delivery and conclusions were welcome. Earned my sub, I look forward to more !

Hi Dave, thanks for the review! I own the Ares12, it has a wider soundstage, and a smidge better high as comparison with the built in DAC of my McIntosh c50.

As usual, this is another excellent review! Not only very pleasant to listen to, but you use a very down to earth presentation. In reference to your comments about adding a DDC, from my experience, the Denafrips Iris is inexpensive enough not to ruin anyone and it delivers a huge impact on the Ares. I suspect it would help other DACs as well... The new Ares 12th may benefit even more from the I2S connection, however I have no I2S on Ares 2 so that will have to wait. As a reviewer though this could be a good acquisition. Cheers! 🍷

thanks David, you rock!

The R26 in my system beat my Terminator II - the Termi has been sold on. The only DAC I own currently that I prefer over the R26 is a Lampizator Baltic 4 that cost me $6K - and I only SLIGHTLY prefer it for timbral authenticity and resolution. FYI, my system is $60K, so differences between swapped components are instantly apparent. The R26 is the first component I've owned in this crazy $ hobby that truly deserves the "giant kilker" label. Pretty soon no one will need to spend big $ to get killer sonics, we truly are at the dawn of the golden age of hifi.

Excellent review.

Great review!

Awesome review showing the sub £2k dac battleground is now filling with serious contenders. Way different place than 5 years ago when the Qutest launched

I love both of these DACS, but the R26 connected to an OCK-2 10Mhz master clock blows me away in NOS mode <3

I was down to these two R2R’s before I read this review. A large soundstage is my first priority so I want with the 26. It does not disappoint in that department, it so enveloping. I personally don’t find a lack of low end dynamics or midrange clarity. I control it using Roon and imo they work very well together. In fairness, I haven’t heard the Aries. One example, On the Dunes by Donald Fagen, a track I’m extremely familiar with. It has to be heard through the 26 to be believed.

Great review! I did a head on comparison with the R26 against the Pontus 2. I preferred the R26 for almost everything except vocal texture. The Denafrips did a better job with that. In terms of soundstage, imaging, clarity detail and dynamics I preferred the R26. It goes to show how system dependant these comparisons are. The one thing I do agree with you on is the bass on the R26, my old chip DAC had more impactful bass than the R26. I did find the bass in the R26 to get significantly better after 200 hours.

I had the R26 from November to January, and the Ares II since mid 2019. The R26 was impressive at first, but its inadequacy was too glaring. As you say. the frequency response seemed hollowed out. It will dig real deep, but would miss a lot in the mid bass. Lean but can make the ground tremble. It was weird. The imaging and holography were off the charts, but that isnt why I listen to music in the first place. Its nice to have but I want a full sound first. Got rid of the R26, and bought a Denafrips Venus II. Quite happy with it. The Gustard R26 is like a beauty queen date that is a hairdresser by day. A great novelty, and nice to show off. Has some quirks. The Venus is the pretty girl in college thats on the track team. Great bod, good convo, and chill to live with :) Blusound Node 2i, Denafrips Venus II, Allnic L3000 preamp, Kinki EX-M7 amp, Devore Fidelity Gibbon X speakers.

It's all relative. The soundstage width and depth from my Ares 12th-1 is amazing when compared to the two chip-based DACs that I was using. I'm enjoying it very much because music sounds more musical now with vocals and instruments actually sounding lifelike. I haven't heard the R26 but based on your review I would probably like it too, the only issue being finding enough space for it in my rack.

Great video. awesome dacs you have there. One thing I gotta note is many people have said the R26 is quite better when use as a streamer via the ethernet connection.