DCS Vivaldi
- Thread starter MylesBAstor
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Thanks Barry. Seems it may be related to rest of system as you very well said. I do not know if there is a burning in period for clock, perhaps after a while of using, I may do another try for dither.
Now that I am home for the holidays, this is on my list of things to do. Will be trying Roon via my Synology NAS and via MAC mini to compare against the current minim server and LUMIN app for playback.
I also started playing with power cords based on some feedback in this thread earlier. From day one I had been using a Shunyata Alpha Digital, but just switched to a Kubala Emotion and getting a slightly warmer presentation. Will give it a more serious listen once I get a few of my wife's house tasks done.
I have compared Roon to JRiver on both my Vivaldi system and another using PS Audio DSD. In both cases, I thought JRiver had better resolution, less haze, and slightly better refinement in the bass region. On the Vivaldi Upsampler, I was using JRiver on a CAPS server connected via USB to the Upsampler. For the PS Audio system, I used their Bridge II for a network connection. I also have compared Roon via Bridge II to the PS Audio with an Aries w/ femto clock connected AES. The Aries uses their own Lightning server to my NAS. The Aries also sounded better to me than Roon.
So I basically use Roon for convenience or to check out new music before I buy it. But for serious listening, I use JRiver or my transport for best SQ.
Thanks for sharing that. Ironically the guys at JRiver would tell you that the playback software can't make a difference - e.g. bit perfect is bit perfect.
I would think that you should try Roon via ethernet into the Upsampler. A USB connection isn't ideal.
perhaps...but basis my experience not all USB connections are created equal....and in my listening USB properly treated was superior to ethernet to VUP....
in either case I suspect that the quality of the plumbing matters enormously..and that proper attention to cables/isolation/routing.....can resolve both to being exemplary.
I have been thinking of trying Roon (with my Synology 713+) as well, but I had read (in the instructions) that Roon recommends NAS with 4GB of RAM, while my unit has just 1GB. Also, would need to add SSD...., so these requirements have slowed down the timing of my experiment a bit. Any experience/comments on running Roon on NAS with less than 4GB?
I replaced 2gb card with 8gb in my Synology 716+ii. $35. I am also using hard disks (WD red pro's) vs SSD's. Thinking about switch to SSD and see about performance or sound quality...anyway my 716+ii works great with roon...it's just that softness to the sound...
By softness do you mean soft transients, lack of punch, both - or something different?
I've had zero issues using Roon with HQ Player as the output zone feeding a a Sonore MicroRendu. The sonics are terrific, and not remotely "softer" than bit perfect out of J River and other similar players. The user interface and basic usability is outstanding.
Actually, it is JRiver that I use over USB into my Upsampler via WW Platinum Starlight cable and PS Audio LanRover. I'm not convinced the LanRover actually improves the USB but it didn't do any harm, unlike some other devices I've tried.
For Ethernet, I use AQ Diamond cables into a dedicated GB switch that is isolated from the rest of my network via Blackbox.
My Vivaldi clock is now over 100 hours, no idea it requires burning in but I am sure new clock cable and power cord for the clock require some. I gave dither another try and am not sure if it relates to burning in, but it was easier for me to accept it this time. Surprisingly, there was more energy and better timbre definition. It also reflected over soundstage and layering such that instruments were more 3d and staging was deeper. I first thought the presentation with dither was more forward and tonality moved to a bit bright side but careful listening proved it was energy over all frequency spectrum including lower frequencies. Seperation has also been better as if my audio setup was enabled to resolve more into music. I am still surprised to hear such major differences with dither and will test it at different volume levels to fully accept and consider it as default listening parameter.
Again I am really curious to know other feedbacks which relate to experimenting dither. I will be sending DCS an email asking more information than a brief note at its user manual.
This is from DCS website under FAQ section:
How does the Dither feature on dCS Master Clocks work?
With a Master Clock in the system, the Transport, Upsampler and DAC use their internal Phase Locked Loop (PLL) circuits to lock to the Master Clock. PLLs use a phase detector to determine the frequency difference between the incoming clock and the internal clock, then adjust the internal clock slightly so that the two clocks are at the same frequency – locked. Unfortunately, phase detectors are not very sensitive to the very small frequency errors found near the lock point.
The Dither feature modulates the edges in a very controlled way, causing brief phase errors that give the PLL something to work with. Short-term, this means that tiny errors are corrected more accurately by avoiding the dead zone. Medium term, the modulation averages out, it is filtered out by the PLL and does not affect the Clock accuracy at all. It might seem crazy, but it works!
I emailed them for a more detailed feedback over dither, will share it here if they revert.
Thanks number 95.
Very much in line with my experience with the Scarlatti clock.
Enjoy!
Spurred by Number95's posts....I like dither on. What I thought at first was tightness...seems to be a more careful articulation of the notes. The textures i noticed in the bass appear to be better everywhere...
Experimented with redbook cd and didn't like dither. At high listening levels I also had mixed results with dsd. I gave up using dither. Sorry for taking forum users time. Btw, I wish everyone here a happy new year!
Follow-up of the DCS Vivaldi 2.0 at TheAbsoluteSound site: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/dcs-vivaldi-version-20/.
Nice so see Jacob Heilbrunn also enjoys the fantastic recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos by the Freiburg Baroque in the Harmonia Mundi label.
Nice so see Jacob Heilbrunn also enjoys the fantastic recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos by the Freiburg Baroque in the Harmonia Mundi label.
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