DCS Vivaldi

[Kingsrule]

Forget the bridge, get the upsamplier

 

[MadFloyd]

Forget the bridge, get the upsamplier

Why?

 

[microstrip]

Why?

First let me congratulate you and also welcome you the Vivaldi Club!

No one except the DCS people knows exactly how the netbridge will sound, but I can expect that the upsampler sounds better playing from a NAS or Tidal than the netbridge, particularly if using the Vivaldi clock to synchronize both units.

 

[MadFloyd]

First let me congratulate you and also welcome you the Vivaldi Club!

No one except the DCS people knows exactly how the netbridge will sound, but I can expect that the upsampler sounds better playing from a NAS or Tidal than the netbridge, particularly if using the Vivaldi clock to synchronize both units.

The netbridge is basically the Upsampler without the upsampling. Besides, if it requires the addition of the external clock to make the two work well together, it would truly negate that as an option for me (at least for the foreseeable future). In that sense I guess I'm not a full fledged member of the Vivaldi Club and more a wannabe.

In any case, I have a taste of the greatness that you guys get to enjoy (and the best DAC that I've ever had in my system) and I'm very grateful!

 

[Tand]

Hi MadFloyd

Congratulations with the Vivaldi Dac. The Vivaldi is very high on my list which dac to try out if I ever should change my Berkeley Ref. Anyone compared both of you lucky Vivaldi owners?

Best Tommy

 

[LL21]

The netbridge is basically the Upsampler without the upsampling. Besides, if it requires the addition of the external clock to make the two work well together, it would truly negate that as an option for me (at least for the foreseeable future). In that sense I guess I'm not a full fledged member of the Vivaldi Club and more a wannabe.

In any case, I have a taste of the greatness that you guys get to enjoy (and the best DAC that I've ever had in my system) and I'm very grateful!

As the saying goes, membership has its privileges...one of them is continuing to go long on DCS Vivaldi equipment now! In the meantime, in the overall scale of memberships, you are surely in the enviable 99.9%+ of performance...as audiophiles, we all count the fractions of the percentage...but you are truly in a rarefied space now. Congrats...very happy to see it.

 

[LL21]

Hi MadFloyd

Congratulations with the Vivaldi Dac. The Vivaldi is very high on my list which dac to try out if I ever should change my Berkeley Ref. Anyone compared both of you lucky Vivaldi owners?

Best Tommy

Hi Tommy,

fantastic system...something makes me think i may have already asked this question...but i would appreciate your notes on a few things about your system:

1. The Krell MRA...would to hear your listening notes. Have you compared with any other amps?...always fascinated by one of Dan D'Agostino's masterpiece creations
2. The QSub15...would love to hear your listening notes and also to find out HOW it changed/improved the sound of your main speakers. Did you compare to any other subs by any chance?

Thanks!

 

[Tand]

Hi Tommy,

fantastic system...something makes me think i may have already asked this question...but i would appreciate your notes on a few things about your system:

1. The Krell MRA...would to hear your listening notes. Have you compared with any other amps?...always fascinated by one of Dan D'Agostino's masterpiece creations
2. The QSub15...would love to hear your listening notes and also to find out HOW it changed/improved the sound of your main speakers. Did you compare to any other subs by any chance?

Thanks!

Hi

Thank you for the kind words.

I used to have Evolution 900 before the MRAs and they are the only I can compare directly with, especially since most of my gear has been changed a multiple times before i bought my 900 and MRAs.

With MRAs massive power they will play anything with ease. This gives a sense of natural flow in the music which sounds spooky real. They also soundstage way beyond my walls in all directions. The Evolution 900 sounds almost "constricted" in comparison.

Yes, they are very, very big and heavy and use a lot of current and there are probably amps out there with better resoluton. But I dont care. The MRAs was, and still is, my dream amp and still will be in the furure . I just got the Evolution Two connected with even more sonic bliss, so I am very pleased now.

I used to have Velodyne DD18 and Velodyne 1812 and they both sound great. But the Qsub15 is in a different league. Especially the way it blends/integrates. My M Pros plays fullrange and the Qsub is cross overed at 50 hz. In short the QSub15 is definitivt on par with my M Pros and combined they play absolutt fantastic. They project ambience and thunderous, tight bass with great ease and definition. Very adictive sound. And yes, 2 x subs would probably be even better. One day!

Best
Tommy

 

[microstrip]

Excellent: https://eudora.nativedsd.com/albums/EUDDR1605-brotons-handel-tchaikovsky

Not exactly chamber...but excellent https://eudora.nativedsd.com/albums/fernando-sor-guitar-sonatas

I'd try this one in DXD and DSD128: https://referencerecordings.nativedsd.com/albums/FR715SACD-mahler-symphony-no-1-titan

Thanks John - but these are DSD256 and DSD64 native recordings. Although very interesting music - I am getting the Cammerata, I already own the Sor guitar sonatas in LP - I am currently looking for native DSD128.

 

[number95]

Ian,

Congratulations on your Vivaldi DAC. Enjoy!

 

[PeterA]

Hi MadFloyd

Congratulations with the Vivaldi Dac. The Vivaldi is very high on my list which dac to try out if I ever should change my Berkeley Ref. Anyone compared both of you lucky Vivaldi owners?

Best Tommy

Hello Tommy. I have not done that exact direct comparison, however, fellow member Al M. and I did directly compare the dCS Rossini to the Berkeley Ref in a highly resolving Spectral/MIT/Magico Q1 system and preferred the Rossini. I thought the difference was greater than Al did. The Rossini basically sounded more natural. Both DACs had lots of resolution and few if any digital artifacts, but the Rossini sounded more continuous, smooth, and real. More extensive impressions can be found in our WBF Rossini thread. So, I would suspect the Vivaldi is even better and then you also have the many upgrade options of the entire Vivaldi stack.

 

[Tand]

Hello Tommy. I have not done that exact direct comparison, however, fellow member Al M. and I did directly compare the dCS Rossini to the Berkeley Ref in a highly resolving Spectral/MIT/Magico Q1 system and preferred the Rossini. I thought the difference was greater than Al did. The Rossini basically sounded more natural. Both DACs had lots of resolution and few if any digital artifacts, but the Rossini sounded more continuous, smooth, and real. More extensive impressions can be found in our WBF Rossini thread. So, I would suspect the Vivaldi is even better and then you also have the many upgrade options of the entire Vivaldi stack.

Thanks for the feedback Peter.

I guess I have to be prepared to dig deep in my pockets then as I understand the consensus is that Vivaldi (+stack) is better.

On the other hand, ignorance can be bliss and I can live happily with my soon upgraded version 2...(very delayed that is). But Vivaldi is tempting

Tommy

 

[jfrech]

Thanks John - but these are DSD256 and DSD64 native recordings. Although very interesting music - I am getting the Cammerata, I already own the Sor guitar sonatas in LP - I am currently looking for native DSD128.

Try this one. Tape to DSD128 https://naxos.nativedsd.com/albums/813543021964-barock

I don't have it so can't comment on the recording. 2xHD label seems to have a few right to DSD128...On a side note I have enjoyed the recordings off the DXD edit masters. I purchase them in DXD and play it back in DXD...like that Mahler from Reference Recordings...

Not chamber...but if you like Bill Evans. This is a excellent recording at DSD128 from tape. https://2xhd.nativedsd.com/albums/2...r-time-the-lost-session-from-the-black-forest

 

[Kingsrule]

Love Bill Evans

This is a great recording...

 

[Kingsrule]

The netbridge is basically the Upsampler without the upsampling. Besides, if it requires the addition of the external clock to make the two work well together, it would truly negate that as an option for me (at least for the foreseeable future). In that sense I guess I'm not a full fledged member of the Vivaldi Club and more a wannabe.

In any case, I have a taste of the greatness that you guys get to enjoy (and the best DAC that I've ever had in my system) and I'm very grateful!

No no no
I'll say it again......The clock offers very little in a Upsampler system
The Upsampler on the other hand is where it's at. Start with the power supply in the Upsampler and go from there
The Netbridge was put out for the older dCS systems...it'll be good but Vivaldi is great

 

[JimmyS]

Hello Tommy. I have not done that exact direct comparison, however, fellow member Al M. and I did directly compare the dCS Rossini to the Berkeley Ref in a highly resolving Spectral/MIT/Magico Q1 system and preferred the Rossini. I thought the difference was greater than Al did. The Rossini basically sounded more natural. Both DACs had lots of resolution and few if any digital artifacts, but the Rossini sounded more continuous, smooth, and real. More extensive impressions can be found in our WBF Rossini thread. So, I would suspect the Vivaldi is even better and then you also have the many upgrade options of the entire Vivaldi stack.

Same experience here when I directly compared both on a Spectral / MIT / Magico S3 system.

 

[microstrip]

No no no
I'll say it again......The clock offers very little in a Upsampler system
The Upsampler on the other hand is where it's at. Start with the power supply in the Upsampler and go from there
The Netbridge was put out for the older dCS systems...it'll be good but Vivaldi is great

Forums are really a source of disagreement. Just tried the listen with and without clock from the NAS (Sinology 416j, minimserver, DCS application, redbook file) through the upsampler - all is needed is switching it off and on. Voices loose some nuance, the feeling of being there and immediacy reduces significantly, the attack of plugged instruments looses speed.

 

[Kingsrule]

U can't just switch off the clock..u need to rewire the upsampler to the dac...

 

[microstrip]

U can't just switch off the clock..u need to rewire the upsampler to the dac...

Do you mean using the clock out of the upsampler to synchronize the DAC?

I will try this mode later.

 

[Kingsrule]

Yes
Universal Master Mode

I'll be interested in what you find.....