dCS Varese short review
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The "Perfect" claim was just a marketing slogan. I don't think that anyone back in the development of the compact disc considered it to be anything like perfect. They were well aware of the sampling frequency and digital noise issues,
The one aspect that was technically claimed to be perfect was the ability to copy. It was argued that analog copies suffered generational loss whereas digital copies were perfect clones.
...I sold an MSB Reference dac and digital director, in favor of the Taiko dac "card" FYI.
Sincerely I do not know what is a great "DAC". I know those I prefer and those that for some reason I respect. Be free to consider the Wadax a great DAC - I listened to it twice and consider I do not know enough about it to have an opinion, but please do not vote on my behalf. Surely we still have a lot to learn about it.
Most of the time end-game is not due to sound quality but other reasons. I owned the dCS Vivaldi for ten years - considering my rhythm of change it could be considered as end-game ... Having listened to the Varese, if dCS offer me a Varese I assume to keep it for more ten years.
Some people like to talk loud and have extreme opinions, others are not so noisy ...
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
This is hysterical let’s ask to vegans for their favorite Steak House !
Actually, I was thinking that he listens to a lot of vinyl systems and occasionally encounters a digital source in one of those systems. He also attends a lot of live music concerts. I’m also a little bit curious to learn if these SET horn systems also have digital sources. I would find his opinion interesting as it might suggest which digital source he has heard that sounds most like live music or approaches a vinyl presentation.
But perhaps like a vegetarian never eating meat, Bonzo has never heard Digital. But I doubt it.
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
This is very flawed . You are assuming the analog is correct and digital is not. Many would argue including me that this logic is incorrect .
Your opinion is just that your opinion and you and Bonzo argueing over the best diigital products is the vegan argueing over steak houses .
I don’t discuss the best analog because I don’t care and I don’t spend anytime listening to the options .
These old wives tales are truly tiresome and add nothing IMO
I do appreciate the opinions of others about which DACs they think sound most like actual music. It’s the same thing for vinyl rigs. For me, that is the only question that really matters. Then if my interest is peaked, I will make an effort to hear it for myself. I understand that others use different criteria to make judgments.
You have a point though: we are all biased, the hobbyists and the dealers alike.
Hello Peter,
How are the hobbyists biased? (Or do you just mean that hobbyists tend to be partisans for whatever products they purchase?)
I don't think you ever will buy a digital anything, but if you actually did want to I recommend you have a simultaneous, side-by-side, in-home audition of a LampizatOr DAC and a similarly priced solid-state DAC, and report your findings to us.
No, not necessarily about what they purchased. I think some hobbyists are biased based on their preferences. They may or may not own their preferences. I’m fine if you argue they are not biased. Basically, I just assume everyone thinks most audiophiles are biased so I am agreeing with what I think is the general sentiment. Of course there are some exceptions. Tang is the first to come to mind. He is perhaps the most open minded hobbyist I have seen. I liked big SS and cones until I switched to SET horn. Perhaps that makes me biased but differently from the month before.
I own a CDP but my friend is using it now. I’m waiting for streaming to get better and cheaper.
Didn't you say the high end is a very subjective hobby, Ron?
I agree, and everyone has their own sound preferences and listening priorities. That's bias. In most cases, strong bias.
That bias holds even among those who have unamplified live music as reference, even though it may be lessened to some degree. Everyone takes away different things from the live experience.
Of course, audiophiles may find kindred spirits among their friends when it comes to perception and taste, but it's to varying degree.
Indeed.
Open-mindedness and bias are different things. A person may be open-minded, but this still doesn't preclude the fact that he or she will filter everything through the bias of their perceptional priorities and tastes -- and their experiences. There are no exceptions to bias.
...hiya @Al M. It is my understanding that Taiko did design and engineer the internal dac card for the Olympus. It took a bit for me to come to grips with the idea that it could replace my 3-box MSB Reference stack. Testing was extensive here.
Did you ever own records and a record player?
It's not just perfect sound, it's perfect sound forever. Very clever phrasing, imo. The reason I heard most often cited during the arrival of digital, by audiophiles selling off their record collections for the CD format, was not about superior sonics, but their records were noisey and scratchy and CD was not. The advent of modern day record cleaning and preservation (post Discwasher) came well after the digital era had begun. It is keeping vinyl viable.
And maybe it's not a digital 'era' quite yet as digital has not replaced vinyl as a succeeding technology after how many years?. Vinyl's problem is the diminishing availability of high quality recordings of high quality performances. So-called golden era recordings are kinda like NOS tubes with the re-mastered versions fairing only so-so while original master tapes don't get any younger. One thing vinyl has going for it is a standardized media and specification for it's playback.
This continues to be a highly entertaining thread.
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