dCS new flagship

[bonzo75]

While my Continuum Caliburn is stellar, when I upgraded the Rossini to Apex level, the digital got a lot closer to the turntable.

With your system, I believe that.

 

[Amir]

I think the real honest answer here is:

It depends on your taste, but not about performance..
(we all prefer different sound signatures)

80's chip were actually really really good, but that time digital was not yet at the stage where full potential could be extracted out from them. Advances in even last 10 years have been significant in diyaudio to push further and further these old chips,
Supercapacitor power supply, recloking with SC cut double OCXO, 4 x 1541 boards to have divided mono signal, simultaneous mode not asynchronous anymore, DEM clock 50 mhz and uncountable others.

This is what my friend Supersurfer writes about his fully modern 4 chip tda1541A dac against DCS Vivaldi with master clock:

"

I m using a quad TDA1541A in fact. Based on the very nice design of @ryanj 3D pcb design.
And it is the best dac I have ever built and heard. I have had some quite expensive high-end dacs next to it, with the most expensive being a dCS Vivaldi with master clock unit. The performance of the dCS was quite shameful next to my old Philips dac chips. It was no comparison, the owner of the Vivaldi said within 20sec after start playing that the difference is ridiculously big and I agreed. The focus, naturalness and lifelike experience was much bigger with my diy dac."

The r-2r TDA1541 is very special DAC, It also has hidden codes.

I think the sound quality of DACs depeneds on many parameters like PSU, analog Outputstage, time domain response … just the dac chip does not tell us all the story.

comparing dCS Vivaldi vs DIY 1541 tube dac needs a high performance reference system, I think tube nos dacs have quite different presentation to dsp dacs like dCS.

 

[tima]

As an old world vinylista, after I siphon off the grousing about price, this is an entertaining thread. Look at the evolution of digital audio technology over the past 50 years. It is hard to keep up.

Wadax, dCS, Taiko, MSB ... others?

DACs, Servers, Clocks, Power Supplies, Switches, Routers, Transports ...

I had little idea about the rise of expensive proprietary cabling systems coming on scene for the various multi-box digital 'empires' of recent times. Thus far much of the high-end has been 'democratic' in the sense that you can mix different components to create a system. (PC computing vs Apple) Will the trend toward manufacturer specialized cables and interfaces change that going forward?

 

[matsurus]

The r-2r TDA1541 is very special DAC, It also has hidden codes.

I think the sound quality of DACs depeneds on many parameters like PSU, analog Outputstage, time domain response … just the dac chip does not tell us all the story.

comparing dCS Vivaldi vs DIY 1541 tube dac needs a high performance reference system, I think tube nos dacs have quite different presentation to dsp dacs like dCS.

Hi, the I/V stage was transformer based not tube, but im not really disagreeing what you are saying, as it is a matter of taste anyway in the end..

 

[Stereophonic]

This statement seems misguided at best. dCS has from the start set out to make a true reference digital source. Isn’t the Varese a continuation of that mission?

I will answer as briefly as I can.
No !!!
DCS's mission is to survive the financial crisis of 2022.
They were losing money to the point of kicking John Quick out of the company and leaving US distributors without support.
I know dCS very well from the times where they reigned together with Esoteric. Curiously, Esoteric has also stopped occupying the space he had due to a series of consecutive errors that have also made him lose his way. In any business field, it costs a lot to create a prestigious brand but very little to lose it completely.
The world has completely changed. Rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer. This means that demand of top systems grows regardless of price.
Brands are reacting logically to that demand. But the way of reacting is what reinforces the prestige of some and the opportunism of others. Look at this image of Munich 2024.

Nothing new, Wilson, d'Agostino and Dcs. The usual trio. But there are differences:
- Wilson is reinforcing its presence with new uber speakers ( Chronosonic ) based on a solid product line.
- Dan d'Agostino with Relentless line.
An example of creating a prestigious brand. He broke the market launching Momentum line and moving his offer on both sides. Progression at the bottom and Relentless at the top.
- Now look at the position of DCS in the system. The most than well-known and amortized Vivaldi Ring Dac? With the hasty renovation (Apex) to save the 2022 furniture?
Seriously speaking. I wouldn't even value the acquisition of the new Varèse for half the price.
They arrive late, desperate and with sad opportunism.

 

[dcathro]

Are you joking? 80s CD technology sucked and was much farther away from analog than current DAC technology.

While my Continuum Caliburn is stellar, when I upgraded the Rossini to Apex level, the digital got a lot closer to the turntable.

LOL, No I am not joking.

Yes, 80's cd players sucked, but the multibit DAC chips have huge potential. The early Philips swing arm laser optics were, in my opinion, unmatched for reading CDs.

It is quite amazing just how musical these early implementations can be made to sound.

 

[Amir]

Is there any information about dCS transport?

I think transport quality is as important as DAC

 

[CKKeung]

Saw them at the Hong Kong Hiend & AV Show today afternoon.
However, silent display only.

 

[Stereophonic]

Saw them at the Hong Kong Hiend & AV Show today afternoon.
However, silent display only.


View attachment 134695

Maybe they haven’t find yet Wilson, d’Agostino and Transparent fellows….

 

[matthias]

View attachment 134695

The Vivaldi stack looks much better

 

[DasguteOhr]

LOL, No I am not joking.

Yes, 80's cd players sucked, but the multibit DAC chips have huge potential. The early Philips swing arm laser optics were, in my opinion, unmatched for reading CDs.

It is quite amazing just how musical these early implementations can be made to sound.

+1
The best drive cdm 1 with rodenstock glass lence only cleanup runs forrever..so good.
My tip Cambridge cd3 with 4x TDA1541 S1 put behind a lundahl outputtransformer (I/V conversation) and you get music machine what today hard to beat trust me.

P.S looks like ugly duck, but its sounds like the beautifulst swan.