Originally Posted by Patrick82
People complained of my crappy source, so I borrowed money from the bank and upgraded from my Benchmark DAC1 to dCS Elgar Plus DAC and dCS Verdi Encore transport (DSD upsampling, Firewire and word clock). But it sounded bad because I didn't hear the sound of real life anymore, it was flat and boring.
Computer transport is great
The 100 times more expensive CD transport sounded worse than my tweaked computer. Even my 192kbps mp3's sounded better than SACD! After I put Magix levitation feet under the Verdi it got smoother with more low-level detail, but it still sounded worse than my levitating computer because it sounded too flat, smooth and neutral. So I kept listening to my computer instead because it's both heavier and sharper than neutral which makes it sound more like real life (the heaviness is from fat Valhalla power cord and the sharpness is from jitter).
Problem with noise through cables
My computer is connected to my DAC with a cheap Toslink and it sounds very clean. But with the Verdi, I noticed problems with the Firewire connection. Whenever the Verdi was turned on it made my system sound bright, harsh and edgy. When I put the Verdi in standby it was smooth and clean again. To further test this, I connected a stock RCA cable from the computer to the Verdi. There was horrible brightness! My system isn't grounded anywhere and the ground noise from the computer went through the RCA cable.
I also tried to listen to the DSD upsampled computer signal through the Verdi... It got smoother but it was worse overall. Having the computer isolated from the audio system gave better sound even when using 44.1kHz and cheap Toslink.
Conclusion: So, the 44.1kHz computer with Toslink sounds better to me than the 100 times more expensive dCS Verdi Encore with DSD upsampling. I also get the best sound with the Verdi turned off!
Nobody wants to buy the Verdi from me now after this review, so I guess I'm going to keep it, it may come useful in the future somehow. I think I'm going to wrap the Firewire cables in ERS Paper to see if it makes a difference.
I can tell ya that my modded amp, hd 650 and source sounds much better then anything played on my computer! And i use expensive drives in my computer, like plextor.....On the other system i have good monitors but they are no match for my home rig!
Ever tried the dCS system without the filters and stuff?! Most high end systems have some kind of filtering inside the amp sections and don't benefit from expensive filtering! If you have first class powwersections in your exuipment, like ac and dc filtering, you don't need any powerfilter or powerplant! I found out they only take away quite some detail!
Just plug it straight in and listen...
To me, it sounds that you like some kind of coloration in the sound then pure clean sound...it can sound dull and boring, but it is the cleanest sound you'll ever get....
I also read a review from one that heard the complete system and he was blown away by it! He said you can easally pick out every player in a large orchestra(and i mean really large orchestra), not much systems can do that! It could be that the dCS system is limited by the headphone, since headphones are not that good in portraying large orchestra's etc........In this case, a good speaker setup might benefit more form the system/source then a headphone... really high end speaker system are way much better then any headphone i heard...But they cost ya a fortune!
You might wanna ask NIK (nikola), as he was thinking of upgrading to the complete dCS system a while ago, so he Might have heard it.......see what he thinks.....