dCS Vivaldi (US$ 110,000)

[Magick Man]

dCS Vivaldi DAC and MC delivered today, will hook them up later tonight.

*excited*

 

[Elberoth]

Quote:

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

 
They have just introduced the black version:
 
http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/assets/prodphto_VDS_System_Black_Web.jpg

 

[Elberoth]

Quote:

dCS Vivaldi DAC and MC delivered today, will hook them up later tonight.

*excited*

 
Congrats ! A friend of mine just got one as well. It replaced his Scarlatti stack. Huge step up.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Quote:

dCS Vivaldi DAC and MC delivered today, will hook them up later tonight.

*excited*

impressions?

 

[Magick Man]

Perhaps my Wilson W/Ps aren't resolving enough, which is possible, but I'm not hearing a vast improvement over the Weiss MAN301 w/ DAC202 card. Yes, there seems to be better separation and a touch more clarity in fast, demanding passages, such as Mauro Giuliani's Concerto Op. 30, but it's also ever so slightly more strident and fatiguing (that would likely change as I acclimate to it). Overall, it's a better DAC, no doubt in my mind. $40k better (w/ MC)? That depends on how you count dollars and cents.

Personally, I think the 40Gs would be better spent on upgrading to some Wilson Alexandria X2s, which I could do by selling my W/Ps (I can get $13-15k for them) and buying the X2s pre-owned. To me, that seems like a more sensible choice.

 

[Operakid]

Very interesting you say this.  I have been unimpressed by top end, high priced digital.  Very disappointed, even compared to some relatively affordable units..  
 
It is unusual that someone buying a new, state of the art unit that is very expensive has the independence to not have the placebo effect take place and "hear" glorious things.  I have seen that placebo effect time after time in the industry (I am a long-term industry memeber) and am amazed that the willingness to believe and power of suggestion are so strong.

 

[TheAttorney]

Magick Man, did you get the DCS on a trial basis? Presumably you have the option to return them if not happy...
 
Although burn in is a controversial topic, at this level new equipment should be powered on for several days to sound its best, especially cool running solid state stuff.
Having said that, a component at this price should still sound pretty amazing straight out the box - and then get a bit better with time.

 

[Magick Man]

I'm not a believer in component burn-in, in my experience it's our ears getting accustomed to the sound. While I've heard it first hand with transducers (break-in) it isn't a profound change. It does sound very nice, but I believe the Weiss DAC202 simply punches way above its weight class, as they both crush everything else I own. The Vivaldi has been on for days, ever since I unboxed it, and it's already seen >100 hours of demo use, so it's "like new" but isn't "factory fresh".

If I were wringing the last drop out of my rig, I'd be more inclined to buy, but I'm not looking for that and I'm very pleased with the Weiss. So for now, that's where I am.

In essence, if you're looking for the last little "oomph" to push you into audio Nirvana, the Vivaldi is brilliant. The best I've ever heard. If you want, say, 98% of the SQ and want to save a pile of money (and get tons of functionality and a first rate CD transport added), the Weiss MAN301 w/ the DAC202 card is the way to go. It's become the hub of my digital music listening and it's a crazy bargain in summit-fi.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Thanks for the impressions magick man, though that sucks about you not being super impressed with it after spending all that money on it...though I guess you do admit that it's the best you've heard, you just think you'd get more benefit out of upgrading your speakers. And I'm typically of a similar opinion, you'll almost always get the most benefit out of upgrading the transducer.

 

[Magick Man]

I haven't spent any money on it yet, it's a demo unit and I have 2 weeks to decide.

 

[Operakid]

Quote:

I'm not a believer in component burn-in, in my experience it's our ears getting accustomed to the sound. While I've heard it first hand with transducers (break-in) it isn't a profound change. It does sound very nice, but I believe the Weiss DAC202 simply punches way above its weight class, as they both crush everything else I own. The Vivaldi has been on for days, ever since I unboxed it, and it's already seen >100 hours of demo use, so it's "like new" but isn't "factory fresh".

If I were wringing the last drop out of my rig, I'd be more inclined to buy, but I'm not looking for that and I'm very pleased with the Weiss. So for now, that's where I am.

In essence, if you're looking for the last little "oomph" to push you into audio Nirvana, the Vivaldi is brilliant. The best I've ever heard. If you want, say, 98% of the SQ and want to save a pile of money (and get tons of functionality and a first rate CD transport added), the Weiss MAN301 w/ the DAC202 card is the way to go. It's become the hub of my digital music listening and it's a crazy bargain in summit-fi.

As for your first sentence, I heartily agree.  Burn in is a ploy by someone trying to sell you something by getting you to stick with it long enough to get used to it and accept it as normal.  
 
Every time I say "Oh, it does seem that annoying thing has lessened during break in" I go back to the prior piece of equipment.  And invariably, when I return again to the new one, after "cleansing my palette",  I hear that the problem with the new one still exists, it was just me who changed.  

 

[saowin111]

Quote:

Very interesting you say this.  I have been unimpressed by top end, high priced digital.  Very disappointed, even compared to some relatively affordable units..  
 
I

my reaction too. one possibility - it seems the really high priced stuff mostly has one thing in common - increased digital processing/manipulation, and typically, to boot, delta-sigma style DAC's.

 

[Currawong]

I have experienced components that, during the first 300 hours of use, went through weird sonic changes. Other people experienced the same thing. After doing some experimentation I came to the conclusion that it has to do with heat. That doesn't mean I think it will happen with everything as those experiences seemed to be unique to a particular component. Since then, I've only had some gear I own seem to sound better after an hour or more of warm-up.
 
More on-topic, I hope some day to get a chance to listen to a top-end rig with a dCS stack. I've only done so with an Esoteric stack which was incredibly detailed.

 

[Operakid]

For many folks, having people come in and say "Oh, that is the best, wow, OK, I know I'm going to hear the best sound, wow, what a system" is worth the price of admission.
 
Not me.  

 

[Magick Man]

As for your first sentence, I heartily agree.  Burn in is a ploy by someone trying to sell you something by getting you to stick with it long enough to get used to it and accept it as normal.
 

I believe, sometimes, it's a plot to get you to keep a product beyond its return period, so you're stuck with it. That's not always the case, but at times it is. I've seen some really shady business in the top-end of hi-fi, so I make sure to dot my "I"s and cross my "T"s because there are some real sharks out there. I've fostered a very good relationship with AmEx and they watch my back, if a place won't accept them I move on to another dealer.