New dCS Varese Components Launching August 7, 2024

47 minutes ago, PeterG said:

when we optimize for certain variables, all the other variables are compromised

IME this is true in many cases and a point made by @Goldensound regarding optimizing SINAD. It can also be a challenge in research trying to eliminate independent variables (confounders) only to introduce new ones.

8 hours ago, PeterG said:

 

I fit into this group.  I'll add that it always gives me pleasure to see the happiness on the faces of people who've never heard a high end system before--the "dopes" in my earlier post who have no preconceptions and no idea how much time/money has been spent.  They know only that they've never heard music so alive in someone's home.  Some just smile, some shake their heads in confusion and then smile, it's beautiful

I can't remember the first time I had that sense of awe when hearing great sound in the service of great music.

I do recall playing some of my audiophile's friend's favorite music at his wake at his home. A young man respectfully approached me asking if this was my friend's music to which I replied yes, and why? He said he had never heard music sound so amazing in someone's home. He had never heard of audiophiles.

Agree, iIt is pretty awesome when folks visit my music room and I put on some of their favorite music or one of my own and they are shocked by "feeling the music in a way they haven't before" or say "it seems like the musicians are 10 ft or more behind the speakers and the wall behind them" or "it sounds like the piano is in this room".  

Here it happens with a Mac mini USBed to a DAC directly feeding and amp that powers accurate and dynamic speakers, quality cables and I guess my only "audiophile tweaks" are HQPlayer and an LPS powering the DAC versus the switcher that came in the box, so I guess I have a 2 box DAC.

Given the "all over the place" discussion above, still curious, how much sonic improvement is available with a multi box assault on the SOTA DAC system like the dCS deliver versus a supremely clean measuring (low jitter, low noise, low distortion) low price DAC like the one I posted?

My electronic instrument experience says, like one of my favorite CA members quoted "everything matters" in music gear...power supplies, cables, tubes... it's true with guitar amps.  How much do these things, plus more processing like clocks, independent DACs per channel...matter in a DAC for stereo systems? 

1 hour ago, 57gold said:

how much sonic improvement is available

Its an obvious question and I think we all ask it. Less obvious is who, how, and what shapes the answer - did you have something in mind that would tell you ?

Yup, a couple of "trusted ears" like the "professional" reviewers I mentioned.  

Yes, double blind, scientific listening session by a large sample would be cool.  But, like come here, most folks don't give a crap beyond the most basic version of sonic reproduction, those who listen to iPods on mp3 players, for example.

1 hour ago, 57gold said:

But, like come here, most folks don't give a crap beyond the most basic version of sonic reproduction, those who listen to iPods on mp3 players, for example.

you mean most folks here at AS don't give a crap about the most basic sonic reproduction?

Yikes, I didn't read what I typed, meant, "unlike folks here".

Something like 10% of music is "consumed" through acquire media like CD, Vinyl and digital files purchased and 64% over streaming/internet and that is delivered mostly low def/mp3 stuff for cellphones, biggest services are Spotify, Apple and Amazon.  4% of music consumption is at live performances, so need listeners familiar with how instruments sound in real life to evaluate music reproduction equipment not folks who listen to compressed, low def files on earbuds from their phone.  

On 9/6/2024 at 2:11 PM, 57gold said:

But, like come here, most folks don't give a crap beyond the most basic version of sonic reproduction

2 hours ago, 57gold said:

I typed, meant, "unlike folks here"

Yeh easily done. The first statement might still apply for those using Class D amps 😇😜 <--Kidding

Would like to try an amp based upon this class D module to drive my old faithful 10Ts:

https://purifi-audio.com/shop/1et9040ba01-1et9040ba-amplifier-module-2004

Same guy behind the well-regarded Mola-Mola products and other stuff.

A recommendation from a satisfied customer:

https://apollonaudio.com/apollon-audio-amplifiers/

On 8/11/2024 at 12:36 PM, Confused said:

If they do an A/B comparison of the Varese versus the Vivaldi at Ascot, I'll eat my Devialet remote!

It is confirmed that the Varese will be demonstrated at the Ascot show next weekend.

https://www.hifinews.com/images/2024_Hi-Fi_Show_Preview_4.pdf

No mention of of any A/B comparisons with the Vivaldi, so hopefully my remote (and my teeth) will survive the month, but we shall see.....

4 minutes ago, Confused said:

 

It is confirmed that the Varese will be demonstrated at the Ascot show next weekend.

 

https://www.hifinews.com/images/2024_Hi-Fi_Show_Preview_4.pdf

 

No mention of of any A/B comparisons with the Vivaldi, so hopefully my remote (and my teeth) will survive the month, but we shall see.....

It’ll be on static display. 

19 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

It’ll be on static display. 

The linked HiFi News piece says attendees will be able to listen to it, no?

33 minutes ago, MikeyFresh said:

The linked HiFi News piece says attendees will be able to listen to it, no?

Yes

quote (my bold)

Visitors to the UK Hi-Fi Show
Live will have the exclusive opportunity
to hear the just-announced dCS Varèse
from dCS, courtesy of Absolute Sounds
in the On5 suite, on Level 5 of the
Ascot Grandstand. Driven via the full-
colour touchscreen of the Varèse User
Interface, the Varèse Bluetooth Remote
Control or dCS Mosaic ACTUS app, the
full Varèse ‘stack’ of Master Clock,
System Core and Mono DACs (with new
Differential Ring DAC architecture)
promises new heights in hi-fi sound.
Do not miss the chance!

At this time there's a 90% chance I'll be there both days. I'll see if I can find 5 minutes.

Edit:

Conflicting info from horse's mouth. Oh well sigh

Directly from dCS:

On 8/8/2024 at 7:11 AM, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

As long as I’ve been in this hobby, admittedly not as long as many others, people have said this exact same thing. Perhaps it’s human nature. My mother in law says the same thing about grocery prices. 

 

 

 

I hope buyers of any product don’t care what others think. They are buying the products for themselves!

Words of wisdom Chris.  I just saw a post from an owner of a beautiful new system fretting his Vivaldi stack he just bought is now obsolete.  Consumer reactions are every bit as predictable as marketing hype.  We'll see it again when MSB launches their Sentinel DAC next year.  It's interesting to note there is a kind of counter-DAC movement happening with the new Taiko Olympus "XDMI Analog" output option (though it uses an inexpensive imbedded DAC).

The pinnacle of audiophile craze: staring at a pile of uber-expensive nondescript boxes...

2 hours ago, semente said:

The pinnacle of audiophile craze: staring at a pile of uber-expensive nondescript boxes...

If you say so.