I am a dCS fan, but the Tambaqui sounded really excellent at Axpona. Bruno Putzeys is a superb designer.
Downsizing from dCS Vivaldi Stack? Is this dumb?
- Thread starter netteb16
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I am a dCS fan, but the Tambaqui sounded really excellent at Axpona. Bruno Putzeys is a superb designer.
Am traveling - so unboxed and left the Rossini on loop for 12 days - will do some critical listening when back at base.
What about the DCS Vivaldi One? - their one box, transport/DAC/streamer?
I’m late to this party.
But as much of a Linn fan as I am, if I were you, I’d keep the dCS Rossini stack. If you get the itch to throw money into your system, get the Apex mod.
I own the seven box Esoteric Grandioso stack. A few weeks ago I bought the Bladelius ASK integrated with optional DAC module. I've been listening to it ever since. I don't feel I'm missing out on anything. And the simplicity of a single box that does it all is the icing on the cake.
do you mostly stream music or is your digital library only local or a mix of both? How do you store your music?
The Grimm MU1 (streamer/DDC) is Roon-only for now. A software update coming soon will expand the possibilities beyond Roon.
I'm assuming that new software will be standard on the Grimm MU2, which is a streamer/DDC/DAC/analog volume control. I believe the launch date is this month. With an in-home demo, it might be a good way to get a baseline for other DACS (price is $18k, iirc). Initial feedback has been very favorable.
I've A/B compared the Vivaldi stack (non APEX) and the Select II in the same system using Wilson XVX. To me the Select II sounded a lot more like analog music without sacrificing speed or dynamics. I was analyzing the sound with the DCS and just absolutely lost in the music with MSB. You can imagine which one I chose.
Know what you mean about getting lost in the music with the Select II. Am currently comparing with a Rossini Apex. Out of the box - the difference between the two was marked. As it breaks-in though, I am enjoying the Rossini more and more. But when A/B ing - I hear a great track on the Select and the forget about A/B ing for the rest of the night!
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I’d love to hear where this decision making came out. I’m much more of a vinyl guy, but finally paying attention to my digital which has been an afterthought.
My leading contenders are the DCS Vivaldi apex (probably the One, although I already have an excellent transport) and the Mola Mola Tamwhatever (stupid name). I was looking at that testing on Stereophile and it’s darn near identical. I’ve now heard both (unable to do A/B) and both are excellent with different reviewers saying “best DAC ever”.
I have a close third contender - the Nagra HD X - because I am madly in love with my Nagra HD preamp. What a fine piece of kit. But I’ve heard very little objective feedback and they are decidedly opaque on the details of their chipset and software. I’ve also seen zero testing.
My leading contenders are the DCS Vivaldi apex (probably the One, although I already have an excellent transport) and the Mola Mola Tamwhatever (stupid name). I was looking at that testing on Stereophile and it’s darn near identical. I’ve now heard both (unable to do A/B) and both are excellent with different reviewers saying “best DAC ever”.
I have a close third contender - the Nagra HD X - because I am madly in love with my Nagra HD preamp. What a fine piece of kit. But I’ve heard very little objective feedback and they are decidedly opaque on the details of their chipset and software. I’ve also seen zero testing.
This was a post from last year which has to be updated.......What about Taiko Extreme with the upcoming integrated DAC? Only one box
What about Taiko Olympus with XDMI analog output board? Only one box
I found that mine took 200-300 hours to get to full speed. The Rossini Apex is a truly great DAC.
Maybe my Oppo bdp-95 (I modded) can be a good alternative to dCS Vivaldi stack.
The sound quality of dCS Vivaldi. Please play below video and hear people's voice (0~6 min). The voices are good and natural. Then click anywhere after 6 min which is all music. I hear harsh bright glare/veiled music sounds.
Another example (DCS Bartók)
Original music
Modded Oppo BDP-95
I know the large part of bright glare comes from dCS gears since I know where/how those bright glares come from and fix Oppo to sound clean. Is my modded Oppo a good alternative for dCS?
The sound quality of dCS Vivaldi. Please play below video and hear people's voice (0~6 min). The voices are good and natural. Then click anywhere after 6 min which is all music. I hear harsh bright glare/veiled music sounds.
dCS Vivaldi One
I know the large part of bright glare comes from dCS gears since I know where/how those bright glares come from and fix Oppo to sound clean. Is my modded Oppo a good alternative for dCS?
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