[googleli]

The dCS Vivaldi system made its debut at the Hong Kong High End Audio Show a few weeks ago.
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/hongkong2012/hongkong2012_dcs.htm
 
It will appear in New York this month or next. At US$110,000, how much would it be a step up from the Scarlatti system, which is the current flagship? With the equipment and environment at the audio show, the performance was less than stellar. The other room with the Esoteric P-02/D-02 system with Chario speakers outshined the dCS. Really need to test it on the same amps / speakers to tell the difference. Not expecting anyone to use it with headphones, but would be interesting to know how it would synergize (or otherwise) with a Stax headphone system if anyone with this budget bothers to try out. After all, you can buy 25 pairs of SR009, or 25 BHSEs, or 55 pairs of LCD3s at that price.

 

[johnwmclean]

Do they come in other colours? Silver could clash with the Picasso.

 

[Radio_head]

When you buy dCS, you buy the art to match the components, not the other way around.

 

[johnwmclean]

Free steak knife set then?

 

[Radio_head]

Were I to order the Vivaldi stack, I would commission a painter to make a set of stunning paintings of myself and the Vivaldi stack (propped up by ceraballs of course,) to match the Vivaldi stack that I own.

 

[johnwmclean]

You sir have fine taste.
Goes without saying the most expensive artists are always the best.

 

[Radio_head]

Indubitably.  Unfortunately the most expensive artists are dead so they're not around for me to give them money.  What I'll probably end up doing is getting a live artist to do the paintings, then torment them psychologically until they take their own life in dramatic fashion.  I will then spread the tragic tale of the misunderstood artist until the paintings appreciate in value to my satisfaction.  Then my Vivaldi purchase will be complete.

 

[SleepyOne]

Quote:

Indubitably.  Unfortunately the most expensive artists are dead so they're not around for me to give them money.  What I'll probably end up doing is getting a live artist to do the paintings, then torment them psychologically until they take their own life in dramatic fashion.  I will then spread the tragic tale of the misunderstood artist until the paintings appreciate in value to my satisfaction.  Then my Vivaldi purchase will be complete.

Only catch is with top modern artist you most likely end up unrecognisable and abstract....on the plus side anything they do, dead or alive, will probably cost more than the dcs.... 

 

[wink]

For that kind of loot I could buy a Pico DAC, a full set of steak knives including wooden chopping block, plus a block of flats, plus the Sydney Harbour Bridge, plus Tasmania and still have some change left over...
 
But I would still remain High-Fidelity challenged.

 

[Student_Driver]

Heard the dCS system (scarlatti perhaps) at Lyric HiFi with the penultimate Nola model and a quiver of McIntosh Amps... impressive.. but what would you expect for a $400K system....

 

[googleli]

Quote:

Heard the dCS system (scarlatti perhaps) at Lyric HiFi with the penultimate Nola model and a quiver of Macintosh Amps... impressive.. but what would you expect for a $400K system....

                                                                                                                                                                              
McIntosh amps old and new can sound quite different. The latest version of the MC275 is a beauty just to look at, and sounds amazing as well. But I am really interested in how the Vivaldi would compare with the Scarlatti. As for headphone use, I am contemplating to sell both my Zodiac Gold and Weiss DAC 202 to fund a better DAC -  MSB Platinum III (which Spritzer also uses), the dCS Debussy or Meitner MA-1. 

 

[Currawong]

Ha! I was right that it would cost over $100k.  Good gear to pick up cheap (relatively speaking) after the next stock market crash. Wilson Alexandrias at $150k could be found for a third their new price easily. For some or other young, rich Hong Kong-based businessman it could be a good bargain at $50k. 

 

 

[arnaud]

Well, this may get interpreted as envy driven hate comment but, seriously, it looks darn ugly for a 100k piece of gear. Or maybe just the pics are unflattering.

 

[googleli]

This is a pic of the Vivaldi sitting at the home of a local hifi enthusiast... 
 
http://www.post76.com/discuss/viewthread.php?tid=130171&extra=page%3D1

 

[spkrs01]

So we have dCS who has taken 25 years to make a Dac sound analogue? We have Audio Note UK not to be confused with Kondo Japan, making a $200K Dac, Fifth Element, also supposedly sounding analogue.....
 
BUY a turntable

!!! Seriously, it is getting a bit outrageous.
 
Back to Dacs, now, the Stahltek Vekian, Opus or Opus Prime Dacs are looking to be bargains comparatively and still probably the best sounding available 

.