As anticipated, after some more listening and about 80h of burn-in of the Rossini APEX / Clock, I feel I am ready to share some (still to be considered initial) impressions of this combo in my system.
Background
I am coming from about 6 years of ownership of the Chord DAVE, of which 5 have been spent with the M-Scaler and further optimizations (OPTO DX, SRC DX, various batteries, linear PSU etc.). I truly loved that crazy chain, and honestly I did not feel it had any obvious flaws sonically. However, I felt I was ready to experiment something new and, already being annoyed by the mess of boxes and cables, I did not have the courage to make the next step in the DAVE optimization, i.e. a DC replacement like the Sean Jacobs DC4 or similar.
On the other hand, I was fully sold on the effect the DAVE crossfeed made to the listening experience of my favorite music genres, classical and jazz. Even with the most expensive DACs I tried, like the NAGRA HD DAC X, the MSB Reference, the Playback Designs MPD-8, the emotional connection with my music did not click due to the lack of crossfeed. Even the Rossini itself was not up to the task before dCS included their crossfeed / Expanse algorithms with the latest firmware upgrade. I realize this is something very peculiar to how my brain works, so YMVV.
My priorities when selecting gear for my HiFi system are (my subjective perception of) utter realism and naturalness, both in terms of timbre and spatial presentation. Hence, my ultimate goal with my system is to reproduce as closely as possible the
feelings I have in the concert hall (which I frequent on a regular basis).
Form and Function
The Rossini stack exudes top notch industrial design, like all dCS gear. Visually, while being a 2 box configuration, it is so well integrated that it presents itself as very clean and elegant.
I like the Mosaic app, a very practical way to handle all configuration aspects and music playback (e.g. when using the built-in streaming module) from a single interface. In my case, it is useful for changing the various filters / maps / upsampling options when experimenting with these settings.
The First Impression
When I first tried the Rossini at home I was immediately surprised by how much different it sounded compared to the unit I tried at the shop. I was getting a much airier, transparent sound, a cooler color palette, with a significantly enhanced resolution power. On the flipside, the weight and density I was remembering from my 2 shop auditions were somehow diminished and I was feeling a certain hash on the upper midrange which made for example piano upper registers sound a bit metallic.
I was thinking that the difference was due to my server, but the overall shift of the presentation was there also when using the Rossini as a streaming DAC (as I did at the shop). I then learnt from the dealer that my unit was just pulled out of the box with zero burn-in, and that in his experience, the Rossini needs at least 100h to settle and 200h or more to fully stabilize sonically.
I left the music playing through the DAC for the rest of the day and for the next one, and when coming back to listening 24h later, I was detecting a significant change in the sound already. So I decided to let it go and had only some brief checks for the subsequent few days when I came back from work.
After Some Burn In
After about one week, and approximately 70-80h of burn in, the character of the machine was quite different. The gravitas I was remembering from the shop was now established for the most part, the slight metallic streaks on the lower treble being resolved into a more liquid smooth organic texture.
At this point I started to have some more lengthy listening sessions, trying to acquaintance with the new sound. And a new sound it was, compared to the mDAVE setup!
The foremost, more striking holistic impression of this new sound is an unprecedented depth and layering of the soundstage. This is apparent with every filter etc. setting, but most impressively with Expanse active in combination with MAP 1. Orchestral music, from small to large scale, is an exhilarating experience.
The soundstage – while enormous – is still very naturalistic and cohesive, inhabited by instruments / musicians of clearly identifiable location and shape, meaningful respective size, all connected by a rich and complex reverberation structure.
Moving from majestic forces to more minimalistic recordings, the theatrical effect stays in place just because of the atmospheric rendition of the venue, but another trait of the Rossini surfaces to my ears: a very competent presentation of string instruments. From the oud of Anouar Brahem, to guitars (be it Julian Bream Albéniz or Al di Meola on Friday in San Francisco), to all the members of the classical strings family, the tactility of the sound, the capability to combine organic texture, harmonics complexity with the right amount of shimmer on the top end was completely persuasive.
String quartets have become even more a joyous experience than before, as they display the soundstaging and strings timbre prowess of the Rossini, combined to another highlight of this system: low-level detail retrieval. In so many tracks I was able to identify information that I was never been aware of, being a non-musical noise (ambient, a musician humming, a recording glitch) or subtle musical nuances, making listening more immersive than ever.
Vocals is another area where the Rossini stack really excels. I noticed this from my first audition, and it is definitely a huge asset of this DAC. The interesting feature here is that vocals are at the same time boldly embodied and clear, crisp. They have plumpness and agility, emotional power and directness.
Piano music has a special place for me, it is the type of music I listen to the most. Here my previous setup still holds well its own I would say. The Rossini presents a more diffused, enveloping sound, whereas the mDAVE was more compact, energy-packed, with startling attack and dynamics. The Rossini has more bloom, harmonically rich resonant decay. Interestingly, after some experimentation I was able to get possibly the best of both worlds, by playing with the settings (MAP3 + DXD + Filter 6 in this case).
With jazz and some baroque or romantic (Mahler, Bruckner) music I was exposed to the most compelling rendition of brass instruments. Again, a mix of full bodied sound, sparkle, ease of air emission that resembles the real thing at the best I heard it on my system.
Listening to the trombone inception of the Mahler 5th (Bertini recording above is my reference) coming out of nowhere is nothing short of thrilling.
Bass response with the Rossini differs markedly from the mDAVE. It is bloomier and bigger, but less tight and has less exciting attack. Double bass plucks, lower piano octaves showpieces were more enjoyable with the mDAVE, while massed double bass and cello sections in a romantic orchestra composition have more engagement with the Rossini.
Some Random Notes
The Valkyria pairs better with the Rossini than the AB-1266 TC for me, as the expansive staging projection of both the Rossini and the Abyss may become too much of a good thing at times, whereas the highly resolving power of the Rossini enhances the technicalities of the Valkyria.
Crossfeed on the Rossini is not as good as DAVE’s one to my ears. If feels somehow impaired rhythmically, and too closed-in.
However, as though I initially disliked the Expanse, I then started to get reacquainted with what almost 6 years of DAVE + crossfeed took away from my listening, i.e. reverberation content. Expanse mimics the out-of-the-head listening experience over headphones with a drastically different approach compared to classical crossfeed, and the preservation of the reverb is by far its most apparent feature, which turns out as an impressive feeling of openness, transparency and – as I mentioned – depth and layering. Still, I can feel a strong direct left and right ear sound pressure which keeps reminding me I am wearing headphones and produces faster fatiguing compared to DAVE. Therefore, I still have mixed feelings about what I prefer, currently leaning towards the mDAVE presentation for this respect, mostly for physical reasons rather than sonics.
To the credit of Expanse, I must say that it presents a lot more information from the recording – especially low-level details and ambient cues – that are masked or even canceled out altogether by regular crossfeed. Also, the presence is enhanced. This album, for instance, was a mystical epiphany.
As good as the built-in streamer on the Rossini is, the Taiko Extreme elevates the performance by a significant degree. Clarity, plankton-level contrast and resolution, transient response, purity of tone are the most apparent improvements.
Closing Remarks (for now)
Moving from the mDAVE to the Rossini APEX + Clock has changed how my system sounds more than I expected.
The sound is more majestic and muscular, the amount of information I am retrieving from my recordings is increased, the space where I am projected into is notably bigger and more structured. The rhythmic drive of the mDAVE is still paramount, and I still somewhat miss its crossfeed presentation.
I am enjoying vocal tracks and strings better than ever, both solo and large scale. I have never been a big fan of opera, but the Rossini (nomen omen) makes the experience so enthralling.
Color saturation is another definite improved area, most evidently with brass instruments. Listening to Miles Davis while typing these final notes in sheer awe.
As I keep rediscovering my library, it will take another few enjoyable weeks to reach full burn-in for both the electronics and my brain. I will post here again with some more long-term impressions when the time comes
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at one point I thought spending $5k on one component was excessive, but I’ve blown way past that mental hurdle.
