Thread: Moving up to Vivaldi

I have been working with my dealer to move from my current dCS Rossini and clock to the Vivaldi DAC, clock and Upsampler. I have decided to pull the trigger now that the MQA update for Vivaldi trio is almost ready. The price of a full Vivaldi stack was too steep but I have no need for a disc spinner so I can avoid the significant extra cost associated with the Vivaldi transport. After I purchased the Rossini player/DAC I never once inserted disc into the tray.

Another point for consideration I was also reluctant to add another box to my set-up as there is really space in my "cabinet". To make space I had been contemplating dumping my vinyl rig altogether. Trading in the SME would have lessened the impact on my wallet but once I saw the current entry point for a turntable close to the quality of mine it made no sense to trade it in. I will jury rig a platform raising the turntable just enough to get my phone stage underneath it freeing up a spot for the additional dCS unit in the cabinet.

I had considered MSB but the price of a Select II was just too uncomfortable and after hearing the Reference I felt it was too close to the Rossini for its price. If money was no consideration I probably would have gone with the Select II but I am not going lose sleep over it.

It will be at least a week before the swap is complete. I will keep you updated.

Congrats Jim. Enjoy!


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Mike, Thanks!!

I will probably go with a pair of Transparent AES/EBU 110ohm cables. Just wonder what other more reasonable options you have auditioned that have impressed you?

Congrats! I bet you’re excited. Looking forward to reading your thoughts.


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Originally Posted by still-one

Mike, Thanks!!

I will probably go with a pair of Transparent AES/EBU 110ohm cables. Just wonder what other more reasonable options you have auditioned that have impressed you?

I think those should be great. The Siltech AES/EBU is warm sounding. The AudioQuest is totally transparent. Other than that....hmmm.....can’t recall any other standouts.

Originally Posted by Sean

Congrats! I bet you’re excited. Looking forward to reading your thoughts.


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Yes I am excited. Fortunately I will be on a short trip with my wife 'till Wednesday so the time should pass quickly.

That works out well to keep your mind off the waiting.

What’s the first track you listen to once the new gear is fired up?

Originally Posted by still-one

Yes I am excited. Fortunately I will be on a short trip with my wife 'till Wednesday so the time should pass quickly.

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Congrats... that is awesome. It should be fantastic for you!

Originally Posted by Sean

That works out well to keep your mind off the waiting.

What’s the first track you listen to once the new gear is fired up?






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One of my playlists currently has about 58 of my favorite tracks with a wide variety of music. I will probably start that and begin playing cycling thru the various options the DAC and upsampler provide.

Cool beans; please also post some pics once your stack shows up. I’ve always been drawn to the Vivaldi aesthetic.

Originally Posted by still-one

One of my playlists currently has about 58 of my favorite tracks with a wide variety of music. I will probably start that and begin playing cycling thru the various options the DAC and upsampler provide.

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Originally Posted by Sean

Cool beans; please also post some pics once your stack shows up. I’ve always been drawn to the Vivaldi aesthetic.









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Will do.

Jim...congrats on stepping up to the Vivaldi. Enjoy it in good health and it may it fill your listening room with lovely music for many years to come

Wow, congrats! Looking forward to read your impressions.

Originally Posted by nicoludio

I am curious though as to your comment about the Reference being close to the Rossini, performance wise.

To be clear the comparison was not a A/B in my system. I was offered the opportunity to bring home a Reference DAC but at the time they were still waiting on the ethernet connection for their unit. That is now I feed my Rossini. After listening for some time at the dealer there was nothing that jumped out at me that differentiated the Reference from my Rossini. I also believe the filter options are a big plus for the dCS units.

As I noted earlier if cost was not a factor I would "probably" choose the Select II over the dCS stack based on similar comparisons. If the options were Rossini or Reference using the same less than ideal comparisons, I would stick with the Rossini. I am sure many others would choose differently.

Awesome Jim, enjoy. Nice piece

Sounds like a great move!

Congrats Jim! That is quite an upgrade! Enjoy in good health.

Black or Silver, both would be nice with your gear? Congrats Jim!

Dave

Originally Posted by SuperDave

Black or Silver, both would be nice with your gear? Congrats Jim!

Dave

I am going with silver. It seems to show the lines a bit better.

Originally Posted by still-one

I am going with silver. It seems to show the lines a bit better.

Congrats. World class gear !


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Originally Posted by still-one

I am going with silver. It seems to show the lines a bit better.

Congrats Jim! Some top notch looking and sounding gear.

Enjoy,
Ken

Originally Posted by j3brow

Congrats Jim. First class system all the way ... best of everything really. Alexandria check. D’Agostino amp/preamp check. dCS digital check. Transparent Opus check. Wow. Top of the mountain for sure. I can only guess next stop is Shunyata Triton3 and/or Typhon QR.

Jason.......I think Jim probably has Paragon on speed dial.

Originally Posted by jdandy

Jason.......I think Jim probably has Paragon on speed dial.

Dan. Maybe I should actually Block that number.

Jim,

I'm a little late to this thread, but I want to offer my congratulations. I am so happy for you. I am sure it will be an awesome dac. Enjoy!

Thanks to all for your comments. It was good to get away the past few days and not think too much about the wait. As of now it looks like they might be available Saturday.

Originally Posted by still-one

Thanks to all for your comments. It was good to get away the past few days and not think too much about the wait. As of now it looks like they might be available Saturday.

Jim, you’re in for a treat. It’s truly amazing how far digital has come. I’m sitting here with MSB Select II, MSB Premier, Lampi Pacific, Lumin X1 and MBL N31 (the sleeper in the bunch) and pinching myself. The DCS is going to be a corner stone of your system for a long time. You’ll have to be patient with break in, no doubt. I’m trying to break in 3 DAC’s at once! Can’t believe how some of them are changing literally by the hour.


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Originally Posted by Mike

Jim, you’re in for a treat. It’s truly amazing how far digital has come. I’m sitting here with MSB Select II, MSB Premier, Lampi Pacific, Lumin X1 and MBL N31 (the sleeper in the bunch) and pinching myself. The DCS is going to be a corner stone of your system for a long time. You’ll have to be patient with break in, no doubt. I’m trying to break in 3 DAC’s at once! Can’t believe how some of them are changing literally by the hour.


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That is quite a selection of top notch DAC's you offer. As I have noted in the past the best system I ever heard was the full MBL xTreme with all MBL gear including the 1611F DAC. With all the innovations in DAC technology over the past several years I wondered if that DAC would be a limiting factor today. It appears that you have found that MBL is still in the game with the N31 and 1611F.

Originally Posted by still-one

That is quite a selection of top notch DAC's you offer. As I have noted in the past the best system I ever heard was the full MBL xTreme with all MBL gear including the 1611F DAC. With all the innovations in DAC technology over the past several years I wondered if that DAC would be a limiting factor today. It appears that you have found that MBL is still in the game with the N31 and 1611F.

Jim, the 116F’s are gone. MBL 101e mk2’s are here and they are incredible. MBL, not unlike AG, will require exposure. When people come into the store, I’m going to get them to hear the MBL’s. It’s something they must experience to understand.


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Originally Posted by Mike

Jim, the 116F’s are gone. MBL 101e mk2’s are here and they are incredible. MBL, not unlike AG, will require exposure. When people come into the store, I’m going to get them to hear the MBL’s. It’s something they must experience to understand.


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Mike. I was referring the 1611F DAC in their Reference line.

Originally Posted by still-one

Mike. I was referring the 1611F DAC in their Reference line.

Gotcha. Never heard it. I have the new Noble line.


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Originally Posted by Kingsrule

Jim

Ur posting about the Vivaldi stack like it just came out...Its been around like forever and honestly it isn't very good.
I suggest u look at MSB especially the Select II.
Between the 2, there isn't even room for discussion. Just say'n.............

I guess you have't read all of the thread. I indicated that "if money were no object" I would probably go with the Select II. Unfortunately over $100k for a DAC is not in the cards for me. As noted I have auditioned both and the differences you allude to are not that great. To me the strength of the Select II is in normal 16/44.1 playback. This is where it shines. Differences for all other "rates" aren'r readily apparent.

The Vivaldi 2.01 has not been around forever but will be 2 years old in November. That is about 1 year older than the Select II. The next Vivaldi upgrade is due shortly. It will be in software/firmware and it is free. With all of the various filter and upsampling options available with the dCs pieces it is easy to tailor the unit to ones liking. So sorry to say there is plenty of room for discussion.

Originally Posted by Kingsrule

Yes I read your whole thread. Just trying to help...
(Also, Stereophile reviewed Vivaldi in Jan 2014, over 4.5 years ago. If your talking software, 2 years is an eternity. And they have been promising to have the update to 2.01 for over a year.)

Sorry but caveat emptor

DAC 2.01 was released in December of 2016. Not sure what the next promised released will be called.

Originally Posted by Kingsrule

They released 2.02 over a year ago...it didn't work in all configurations. Still hasn't been fixed.....

According to dCS it is in final testing now. See the Roon site for the latest information. It is significantly more complex than the Vivaldi 1 or Rossini release. What they have developed will be pushed down to those units too.

My Rossini Player and clock have been replaced by my Vivaldi DAC, clock and upsampler. (Interesting that the new Absolute Sound with the Rossini on the cover arrived the day it left my system). The set-up went very smooth. Roon found the unit immediately and a couple of looks at the manual(s) and I was up and running. It will take some time to determine which dac MAP program to use and which filters and upsampling I prefer.

Here are couple of quick shots.

DSC_1037.JPGDSC_1043.JPG

Jim, the Vivaldi units look superb in your shelf. I’m glad to hear the replacement went smoothly; now time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts as you get acquainted; congrats again!

Originally Posted by Kingsrule

Jim

Ur posting about the Vivaldi stack like it just came out...Its been around like forever and honestly it isn't very good.
I suggest u look at MSB especially the Select II.
Between the 2, there isn't even room for discussion. Just say'n.............

Yes, I may be bias since I have a Vivaldi but I gave the MSB setup a listen at Axpona earlier this year before upgrading from my Rossini and found that it was not for me.

Originally Posted by still-one

My Rossini Player and clock have been replaced by my Vivaldi DAC, clock and upsampler. (Interesting that the new Absolute Sound with the Rossini on the cover arrived the day it left my system). The set-up went very smooth. Roon found the unit immediately and a couple of looks at the manual(s) and I was up and running. It will take some time to determine which dac MAP program to use and which filters and upsampling I prefer.

I had to make a setup matrix sheet to keep track of all the various upsample settings, filter settings, map settings, and clock dither when I first started listening. It was information overload coming from the Rossini.

Originally Posted by JimmyS

I had to make a setup matrix sheet to keep track of all the various upsample settings, filter settings, map settings, and clock dither when I first started listening. It was information overload coming from the Rossini.

Fortunately I am only using one input on the Upsampler so I just have to determine which settings I prefer for that input and not multiple inputs.

Congratulations. Nice DAC, Sorry you got trolled. It's hard making multi thousand $ purchases. Nothing like an inconsiderate person telling you your gear sucks. Quite the contrary, You will get great performance from the DCS. Good luck with the software. As in filter selection. HQ player is all I have and each change is such a small shift in tone. It's hard to keep track of what actually benefits, or just changes . Maybe pick one and let it rip for 200 hours, then start evaluating. I bet there are others with your gear who can give you 4 or 5 setting they have found good. Start there, find your favorite, then tweek from there.

Originally Posted by still-one

My Rossini Player and clock have been replaced by my Vivaldi DAC, clock and upsampler. (Interesting that the new Absolute Sound with the Rossini on the cover arrived the day it left my system). The set-up went very smooth. Roon found the unit immediately and a couple of looks at the manual(s) and I was up and running. It will take some time to determine which dac MAP program to use and which filters and upsampling I prefer.

Here are couple of quick shots.

DSC_1037.JPGDSC_1043.JPG

Beautiful Jim! Gorgeous.

It maters not how much I have listened to the DAC. I am referring to common curtesy. You don't go telling the proud new owner of a $60K or $70K piece of gear he should have bought something you like better. There are times to comment and times to keep your mouth shut. Your comment was inappropriately timed.

Originally Posted by Kingsrule

"Congratulations. Nice DAC, Sorry you got trolled. It's hard making multi thousand $ purchases. Nothing like an inconsiderate person telling you your gear sucks. Quite the contrary, You will get great performance from the DCS. Good luck with the software. As in filter selection. HQ player is all I have and each change is such a small shift in tone. It's hard to keep track of what actually benefits, or just changes . Maybe pick one and let it rip for 200 hours, then start evaluating. I bet there are others with your gear who can give you 4 or 5 setting they have found good. Start there, find your favorite, then tweek from there."

Well I OWN both a Vivaldi/Upsampler and a MSB Select II. Sorry, not exactly listening at a show but it'll do....And what exactly is ur experience with Vivaldi Kingrex? Not much I'll bet. So don't troll with comments that u actually know nothing about. And as I said, the OP already has issues with Vivaldi and its software. U can read about it on the Roon dCS forum.....

Yes, if you read the entire thread on the Roon forum you will see that it was MY error as I cross connected a group 1 and group 2 clock cable. Not a dCS issue at all. My dealer and dCS walked me thru the fix in less than an hour and on a weekend.