Breaking news from DCS….
- Thread starter Stereophonic
- Start date
No. I am anxiously waiting for my unit to be upgraded. In fact, after a few weeks with the APEX it is hard to go back to the non-APEX. I was promised my unit will be upgraded as soon as possible. Fortunately I am benefiting from occasional loans from my distributor.
It is hard to explain in words the difference, other than the usual superlatives. I am used to tube sound - can't afford the best solid state I have ever listened, the latest D'Agostino 400 MXR with the matching preamplifier. But I would say that the APEX moved to the explosive side of the best tubes , keeping the accuracy and realism of the solid state.
I received my "Apex-upgraded" Vivaldi DAC back from dCS, two weeks ago and have about 80 hours of burn-in so far.
Two immediate things I noticed:
1. It's louder! I had to adjust my 'normal' listening volume on my D'Agostino HD preamp, from 12 o' clock, to 11 o' clock!
2. The bass is more extended with greater power and authority!
The overall system noise floor is lower and fine detail is highly resolved, without sounding 'hifi', in fact the sound of the system is very natural and more musical.
Two immediate things I noticed:
1. It's louder! I had to adjust my 'normal' listening volume on my D'Agostino HD preamp, from 12 o' clock, to 11 o' clock!
2. The bass is more extended with greater power and authority!
The overall system noise floor is lower and fine detail is highly resolved, without sounding 'hifi', in fact the sound of the system is very natural and more musical.
My Vivaldi DAC is currently out for the upgrade. Looking forward to getting the unit back and hearing the improved SQ.
I just got my Vivaldi DAC back from the APEX upgrade. Very few hours break-in so far, but it sounds very promising.
I play mostly acoustic music, classical and jazz, from solo instruments and voices, through small ensembles, to larger orchestras and choirs. I also attend lots of concerts in halls and clubs around the world, which helps assessing how my system delivers at home.
My first impressions on the Vivaldi APEX is that there is more meat on the bone, the sound appear very realistic, is very pleasing to the ear and more "analogue" and musical than any other digital source I have ever heard. Resolution and dynamics is maintained from the 2.0, but it is warmer and the bass has more authority. Of the things I played yesterday, I particularly liked Melody Gardot´s Sunset in the blue. Her voice was breathtaking, but I wish she had skipped the sweet background strings ...
Looking very much forward to how it will develop, with more break-in.
I play mostly acoustic music, classical and jazz, from solo instruments and voices, through small ensembles, to larger orchestras and choirs. I also attend lots of concerts in halls and clubs around the world, which helps assessing how my system delivers at home.
My first impressions on the Vivaldi APEX is that there is more meat on the bone, the sound appear very realistic, is very pleasing to the ear and more "analogue" and musical than any other digital source I have ever heard. Resolution and dynamics is maintained from the 2.0, but it is warmer and the bass has more authority. Of the things I played yesterday, I particularly liked Melody Gardot´s Sunset in the blue. Her voice was breathtaking, but I wish she had skipped the sweet background strings ...
Looking very much forward to how it will develop, with more break-in.
An update to my previous post …
I now have well over 100 hours playing time on the Vivaldi APEX and my enthusiasm for its qualities is just growing. However, it is important to stress that my assessment is based on the Vivaldi stack in my system, in my room, with its acoustics and power supply etc. How it sounds in a different room, with different power conditioning, amplifiers, speakers and cables, may be a different story.
Some reviewers seems to have sonic memory that lasts (almost) forever and they refer to things they heard years ago and they have an ability to describe the sound of one specific component. I cannot do that (I don´t believe they can either ...). My memory has its clear limitations, so I cannot continue to judge how APEX sounds, compared to the 2.0 version anymore. I can only say that the 2.0´s (very minor) tendency to be a bit clinical and a bit "digital" is totally gone and the sound is warmer. I need to spend time with all new components, to figure out how my experience with them are over time, keeping everything in the system unchanged. A/B testing is giving me little, beyond being fun to do every now and then. In my view we always listen to a complete system and the challenge is to compose a system of well matched components. A consequence is that I never listen critically to any component outside my own system. I do listen to other system setups in their surroundings, to assess how that system sounds, compared to mine, but that is something entirely different. My conclusions as of now, is that the combination of the Vivaldi stack, Ypsilon PST 100 MkII pre amp, Ypsilon Hyperion power amps and Magnepan 20.7 speakers (the biggest bargain in the entire HiFi industy) is a match made in heaven. I am very happy with it.
My first impressions of the APEX was that of a very pleasant, high resolution, dynamic and warm, to almost dark, sound. The bass register had more authority. On some recordings I almost felt that this dark tendency created a hint of bass «muddyness», both in classical and rock recordings. But now, after a fair amount of burn-in time and many hours of listening, I can clearly say that there is no muddyness. Listen to Andris Nelsons fantastic recording of Shostakovich Symphony No.9, with the Boston SO (he recorded all the Shostakovich symphonies on DG and they all sound great. I have never been a DG fan, but these are outstanding). If that does not sound great on your system, you have work to do ... The sound stage is large, defined and well balanced, with a lot of authority. The combination of resolution, dynamics, positioning of the various instruments, 3 dimensionality, with lots of height, depth and feeling of space, is fantastic.
Solo instruments, like violin, cello, piano and guitar have extremely lifelike sound. As an example, you can clearly hear the difference between the more sharp and raw Vuillaume, played by Vilde Frang and Anne Sophie Mutter´s sweeter and fuller Stradivarius.
I have also been through quite a number of jazz, blues and rock recordings. Amongst my favourites are Miles Davis; Kind of Blue, Patricia Barber; Café Blue, Stevie Ray Vaughan; The sky is crying (Little wing), Deep Purple; Made in Japan, Pink Floyd; The wall and many more. I can only say that I have never had a similar sound experience anywhere before. I´m going into my music room just after work and my wife comes in some time after midnight, wondering if I have time to sleep. Next evening, the story repeats itself
I now have well over 100 hours playing time on the Vivaldi APEX and my enthusiasm for its qualities is just growing. However, it is important to stress that my assessment is based on the Vivaldi stack in my system, in my room, with its acoustics and power supply etc. How it sounds in a different room, with different power conditioning, amplifiers, speakers and cables, may be a different story.
Some reviewers seems to have sonic memory that lasts (almost) forever and they refer to things they heard years ago and they have an ability to describe the sound of one specific component. I cannot do that (I don´t believe they can either ...). My memory has its clear limitations, so I cannot continue to judge how APEX sounds, compared to the 2.0 version anymore. I can only say that the 2.0´s (very minor) tendency to be a bit clinical and a bit "digital" is totally gone and the sound is warmer. I need to spend time with all new components, to figure out how my experience with them are over time, keeping everything in the system unchanged. A/B testing is giving me little, beyond being fun to do every now and then. In my view we always listen to a complete system and the challenge is to compose a system of well matched components. A consequence is that I never listen critically to any component outside my own system. I do listen to other system setups in their surroundings, to assess how that system sounds, compared to mine, but that is something entirely different. My conclusions as of now, is that the combination of the Vivaldi stack, Ypsilon PST 100 MkII pre amp, Ypsilon Hyperion power amps and Magnepan 20.7 speakers (the biggest bargain in the entire HiFi industy) is a match made in heaven. I am very happy with it.
My first impressions of the APEX was that of a very pleasant, high resolution, dynamic and warm, to almost dark, sound. The bass register had more authority. On some recordings I almost felt that this dark tendency created a hint of bass «muddyness», both in classical and rock recordings. But now, after a fair amount of burn-in time and many hours of listening, I can clearly say that there is no muddyness. Listen to Andris Nelsons fantastic recording of Shostakovich Symphony No.9, with the Boston SO (he recorded all the Shostakovich symphonies on DG and they all sound great. I have never been a DG fan, but these are outstanding). If that does not sound great on your system, you have work to do ... The sound stage is large, defined and well balanced, with a lot of authority. The combination of resolution, dynamics, positioning of the various instruments, 3 dimensionality, with lots of height, depth and feeling of space, is fantastic.
Solo instruments, like violin, cello, piano and guitar have extremely lifelike sound. As an example, you can clearly hear the difference between the more sharp and raw Vuillaume, played by Vilde Frang and Anne Sophie Mutter´s sweeter and fuller Stradivarius.
I have also been through quite a number of jazz, blues and rock recordings. Amongst my favourites are Miles Davis; Kind of Blue, Patricia Barber; Café Blue, Stevie Ray Vaughan; The sky is crying (Little wing), Deep Purple; Made in Japan, Pink Floyd; The wall and many more. I can only say that I have never had a similar sound experience anywhere before. I´m going into my music room just after work and my wife comes in some time after midnight, wondering if I have time to sleep. Next evening, the story repeats itself
I have only about 8 hours of listening with my Vivaldi APEX since it was returned at the end of last week. My Initial thoughts are consistent with others who have updated their units. The first thing that jumps out is a better developed low end. In some ways it sounds like I upgraded my amps rather than my DAC. I am guessing this has something to do with the upgraded analog output stage. Dunno. I seem to hear more space around instruments too.
I was impressed by the turnaround time "once" my name came up on the upgrade list. I dropped the unit at my dealers on a Tuesday who shipped ti to dCS and the update was completed and returned in time to be back in my system just over a week later on the following Thursday.
I was impressed by the turnaround time "once" my name came up on the upgrade list. I dropped the unit at my dealers on a Tuesday who shipped ti to dCS and the update was completed and returned in time to be back in my system just over a week later on the following Thursday.
Wow...quick turnaround time! Congrats and enjoy. Sounds like a superb upgrade for DCS owners.
So a few changes for me. 1) I've moved, so a completely different room. 2)I've been in this room now for about a month getting used to it. 3)sent my Vivaldi off yesterday for the Apex update 4) have my dealers Vivaldi Apex DAC in my system now (~12 hours warm up, he has several 100 hours playing time on it). I have to each the comments about. Especially, it improves what I didn't think needs improving !
Fortunately for me, my dealer was able to drop by one afternoon a couple weeks ago and perform the Apex surgery in my home. It took a little over an hour to get it apart, change parts and put it all back together. The hardest part was removing the connectors from the back plate so that the Apex labeled plate could be installed. For the innards, he simply replaced the circuit board.An update to my previous post …
I now have well over 100 hours playing time on the Vivaldi APEX and my enthusiasm for its qualities is just growing. However, it is important to stress that my assessment is based on the Vivaldi stack in my system, in my room, with its acoustics and power supply etc. How it sounds in a different room, with different power conditioning, amplifiers, speakers and cables, may be a different story.
Some reviewers seems to have sonic memory that lasts (almost) forever and they refer to things they heard years ago and they have an ability to describe the sound of one specific component. I cannot do that (I don´t believe they can either ...). My memory has its clear limitations, so I cannot continue to judge how APEX sounds, compared to the 2.0 version anymore. I can only say that the 2.0´s (very minor) tendency to be a bit clinical and a bit "digital" is totally gone and the sound is warmer. I need to spend time with all new components, to figure out how my experience with them are over time, keeping everything in the system unchanged. A/B testing is giving me little, beyond being fun to do every now and then. In my view we always listen to a complete system and the challenge is to compose a system of well matched components. A consequence is that I never listen critically to any component outside my own system. I do listen to other system setups in their surroundings, to assess how that system sounds, compared to mine, but that is something entirely different. My conclusions as of now, is that the combination of the Vivaldi stack, Ypsilon PST 100 MkII pre amp, Ypsilon Hyperion power amps and Magnepan 20.7 speakers (the biggest bargain in the entire HiFi industy) is a match made in heaven. I am very happy with it.
My first impressions of the APEX was that of a very pleasant, high resolution, dynamic and warm, to almost dark, sound. The bass register had more authority. On some recordings I almost felt that this dark tendency created a hint of bass «muddyness», both in classical and rock recordings. But now, after a fair amount of burn-in time and many hours of listening, I can clearly say that there is no muddyness. Listen to Andris Nelsons fantastic recording of Shostakovich Symphony No.9, with the Boston SO (he recorded all the Shostakovich symphonies on DG and they all sound great. I have never been a DG fan, but these are outstanding). If that does not sound great on your system, you have work to do ... The sound stage is large, defined and well balanced, with a lot of authority. The combination of resolution, dynamics, positioning of the various instruments, 3 dimensionality, with lots of height, depth and feeling of space, is fantastic.
Solo instruments, like violin, cello, piano and guitar have extremely lifelike sound. As an example, you can clearly hear the difference between the more sharp and raw Vuillaume, played by Vilde Frang and Anne Sophie Mutter´s sweeter and fuller Stradivarius.
I have also been through quite a number of jazz, blues and rock recordings. Amongst my favourites are Miles Davis; Kind of Blue, Patricia Barber; Café Blue, Stevie Ray Vaughan; The sky is crying (Little wing), Deep Purple; Made in Japan, Pink Floyd; The wall and many more. I can only say that I have never had a similar sound experience anywhere before. I´m going into my music room just after work and my wife comes in some time after midnight, wondering if I have time to sleep. Next evening, the story repeats itself
My listening impression is similar to what others (on this thread) have said about Apex upgrade. More substance/body/tone, more soundstage height/width/depth, lower noise level and more musically engaging.
My Vivaldi DAC drives my tube amps directly - no intermediate preamp.
I do find it interesting that to listen to the difference between well recorded and produced CDs versus some that are simply transfers from master tapes.
Well, I am a little late to the party, no thanks to local customs who had my unit (outwards + in wards) for more than 3 weeks .
Zero hours break-in & on 0.6V output, Sibliance on poorer recordingings greatly reduced. This is one of the things high on my wish list due to the fact that the Focal is rather brutal & unforgiving in this respect. Bass is more authorative & tuneful. Did not realise that this aspect of playback could be furhter improved. Soundstage seems better but I cannot really be sure as my memeory not that great. Thumbs up !
.Zero hours break-in & on 0.6V output, Sibliance on poorer recordingings greatly reduced. This is one of the things high on my wish list due to the fact that the Focal is rather brutal & unforgiving in this respect. Bass is more authorative & tuneful. Did not realise that this aspect of playback could be furhter improved. Soundstage seems better but I cannot really be sure as my memeory not that great. Thumbs up !
One thing to be aware of is that in changing the analog board, the folks at dCS seem to have altered the output level optimization. I’ve been told that prior to the APEX upgrade it was optimized at 6v. The APEX is now optimized for 2v. Though this will not affect users who had always used 2v, it did impact me. My preamp doesn’t allow for gain manipulation, but didn’t have any issues with being overdriven resulting in clipping. And it sounded better when set for 6v rather than 2v. Now having tested both output levels the clear winner is 2v.Well, I am a little late to the party, no thanks to local customs who had my unit (outwards + in wards) for more than 3 weeks
Zero hours break-in & on 0.6V output, Sibliance on poorer recordingings greatly reduced. This is one of the things high on my wish list due to the fact that the Focal is rather brutal & unforgiving in this respect. Bass is more authorative & tuneful. Did not realise that this aspect of playback could be furhter improved. Soundstage seems better but I cannot really be sure as my memeory not that great. Thumbs up !
I don’t buy that; my Rossini Player APEX still sounds best at 6v, but dCS states they don’t optimize for any particular output voltage.
Note your analog section needs to break in all over again, so you may want to try leaving yours set at 6v for a while.
I received my APEX upgrade a few months back, so it’s had many hundred of hours of “break in”. Glad your Rossini is fine using 6v, and that’s particularly important if what you’re driving (say, an amp) needs it. The information I received within the past week via dealer, another dealer rep, and other confirmation re: optimization says otherwise. And both my dealer and many customers I’ve spoken with attest to the results of making this change. I will say they all are using the APEX DAC with preamps, which in the past were set to 6v. So, the ears have it.
So am I.
As before the APEX upgrade, it sounds better with stronger bass and a slightly wider and deeper soundstage at 6V rather than 2V feeding my KX-R Twenty.
For that matter, my old Wadia S7i also sounded better swinging more voltage, regardless of whether it was going through the KX-R Twenty or not.
dCS has stated several times on their own discussion forums that your selection of output voltage is completely up to you and what sounds best in your system configuration and they don't recommend use of any particular setting:
Now obviously dealer and owner opinions may vary from that of the manufacturer, but it goes to show they don't design or optimize for any particular output voltage.
Personally, in addition to the sound quality, running at 6V output gives me a wider range of volume control.
Those who prefer the 2V setting may find that they prefer the sound of their preamp adding gain rather than providing attenuation, or if not using a preamp, that their amps are designed for a lower voltage input signal.
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Always interesting how systems behave, when taking in changes in components. The APEX, set to 6v, had already provided a more solid bass foundation, but with more layers which brought a less "fat" bass. I think this was true throughout the musical spectrum. Did get a wider soundstage, and blacker background (lower noise floor), along with more musical and truthful representation of voices and instruments.
When moving to 2v the soundstage got wider still and taller and deeper. A Cappella vocals became far more distinct with greater separation and pinpoint accuracy. Just far more convincing. Another thing is that I was brought closer to the stage in lots of classical performances, particularly small ensembles.
And as I listened to a specific rock favorite - Little Feat's "Waiting for Colombus" the opening track held a very particular surprise. As the backstage vocalizing began and the band was introduced, the audience, which could initially be heard was no longer a bit diffuse but came alive in the right channel, and then as the curtain opened, the rest of the audience emerged in the center and left channels as well.
So, the audio cues, including more pronounced reverb on many vocalists, became far more apparent. All in all, changing the output voltage made a big difference in my system. Just goes to show, all of our components are sensitive to upstream changes of all kinds.
When moving to 2v the soundstage got wider still and taller and deeper. A Cappella vocals became far more distinct with greater separation and pinpoint accuracy. Just far more convincing. Another thing is that I was brought closer to the stage in lots of classical performances, particularly small ensembles.
And as I listened to a specific rock favorite - Little Feat's "Waiting for Colombus" the opening track held a very particular surprise. As the backstage vocalizing began and the band was introduced, the audience, which could initially be heard was no longer a bit diffuse but came alive in the right channel, and then as the curtain opened, the rest of the audience emerged in the center and left channels as well.
So, the audio cues, including more pronounced reverb on many vocalists, became far more apparent. All in all, changing the output voltage made a big difference in my system. Just goes to show, all of our components are sensitive to upstream changes of all kinds.
As could be expected Jacob Heilbrunn reviewed the Vivaldi APEX in TAS - https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/dcs-vivaldi-apex-digital-to-analog-converter/
I quote a short appetizer from the review:
"This past summer I had the good fortune to attend a performance at Washington’s National Cathedral of Brahms’ German Requiem, which was dedicated to the people of war-torn Ukraine. Where I was seated high up in the balcony, with a bird’s-eye view of the orchestra and chorus, it was hard not to be wowed by the sheer grandeur of the cathedral. The sound effortlessly expanded into space, whether it was the soloists or the mighty brass section.
Listening to the dCS Vivaldi DAC with the new Apex upgrade vividly reminded me of this concert for a variety of reasons. Foremost among them was the ability of the Vivaldi Apex to reproduce the sense of air in concert halls or recording studios, allowing it to position an instrument or singer firmly in the soundstage and to capture a wealth of ambient detail (down to the degree of hall echo produced by a performer) with well-nigh uncanny accuracy. Until now, no digital system in my experience has succeeded in capturing this phenomenon as well as analog playback. The Vivaldi Apex does. Just listen to a Beethoven piano concerto—the DAC has the piano resounding so emphatically in the hall that it constitutes the very essence of sonic realism. In situating instruments so incisively in the actual venue, it takes a big step toward digital playback that is not simply improved but gobsmacking in both its precision and emotional power. "
I quote a short appetizer from the review:
"This past summer I had the good fortune to attend a performance at Washington’s National Cathedral of Brahms’ German Requiem, which was dedicated to the people of war-torn Ukraine. Where I was seated high up in the balcony, with a bird’s-eye view of the orchestra and chorus, it was hard not to be wowed by the sheer grandeur of the cathedral. The sound effortlessly expanded into space, whether it was the soloists or the mighty brass section.
Listening to the dCS Vivaldi DAC with the new Apex upgrade vividly reminded me of this concert for a variety of reasons. Foremost among them was the ability of the Vivaldi Apex to reproduce the sense of air in concert halls or recording studios, allowing it to position an instrument or singer firmly in the soundstage and to capture a wealth of ambient detail (down to the degree of hall echo produced by a performer) with well-nigh uncanny accuracy. Until now, no digital system in my experience has succeeded in capturing this phenomenon as well as analog playback. The Vivaldi Apex does. Just listen to a Beethoven piano concerto—the DAC has the piano resounding so emphatically in the hall that it constitutes the very essence of sonic realism. In situating instruments so incisively in the actual venue, it takes a big step toward digital playback that is not simply improved but gobsmacking in both its precision and emotional power. "