Moving up to Vivaldi

still-one

still-one

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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.
 
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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still-one said:
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?
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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.
 
Sean said:
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?

still-one said:
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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Sean said:
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.

e3fd60bbd75b6eec7437047db31f64a2.jpg



still-one said:
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.
Click to expand...




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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 [emoji106]
 
Congratulations! Have heard the Rossini player & clock fronting an all FM Acoustics system. Quite good I must say - one of the few systems where one doesn’t feel the need to analyse the sound but just sink into the music. The Vivaldi must be a step up indeed.

I am curious though as to your comment about the Reference being close to the Rossini, performance wise.
 
Congrats Jim! I've enjoyed watching and reading about all the changes your system has gone through over the years. Enjoy and looking forward to your impression & pictures.
 
nicoludio said:
I am curious though as to your comment about the Reference being close to the Rossini, performance wise.
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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.
 
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