AshK
IT’S CALLED THE Vivaldi, and dCS has announced the release of its flagship – full name the Vivaldi Digital Playback System – which is said to set a new standard for the future of digital audio playback.
Vivaldi is made up of four separate modules – a Digital to Digital Upsampler, a CD/SACD Transport, a DAC and a Master Clock, each housed in a new-look chassis. Featuring major enhancements to the dCS architecture, Vivaldi is apparently more powerful, flexible and musical than anything that we’ve seen from dCS thus far (and that’s saying something).
Vivaldi uses the latest technology from dCS including the next generation versions of the Ring DAC, Digital Processing Platform and Clocking System. The system has been designed to play music from any source and processes all high resolution musical formats up to DXD (24-bit data at 352.8 and 384kS/s) or DSD. The optimised DSP filters and clocking architecture ensure listeners can tune the system to suit their personal preferences.
Vivaldi’s DAC module utilises the next generation of the state-of-the-art dCS Ring DAC, which combines exceptional linearity with very high-speed operation, enabling it to deliver true 24-bit performance even at low signal levels. The new dCS Ring DAC incorporates a number of important technical advances that have resulted in enhanced dynamic range, reduced jitter and improved channel separation.
The Vivaldi Upsampler module can access music from any digital source (PCM digital inputs, USB, UPnP network streaming, iPod/iPhone), converting the audio from its native sample rate to either high-resolution DXD, DSD or standard high resolution PCM. The array of independently selectable digital inputs and filter options in Vivaldi elevates the performance of Red Book CD from CD Players or high-resolution audio from digital streamers and servers.
The Vivaldi CD/SACD Transport has been designed to extract revelatory levels of detail from both CD and SACD. Featuring a Dual AES output that supports DSD or DXD, a completely new chassis design provides separate power circuits for the digital processing and CD/SACD mechanism sections, resulting in near silent operation.
The Vivaldi Master Clock features two banks of clock outputs capable of outputting different frequencies, improving ease of use and minimising jitter.
Over the coming months, the dCS team will be premiering Vivaldi across the globe. These events will feature a special in-depth presentation of the Vivaldi system and the dCS philosophy behind its development. Space is limited at a number of these events so if any of our readers are keen to attend, they’ll need to RSVP via the local agent (see below) to confirm attendance.
Europe
Top Audio 2012, Milan
September 13-16
United States
Ears Nova, NYC
September 14-15
United Kingdom
National Audio Show
September 22-23
Brazil
Ferrari Consulting, Sao Paolo
October 25-27
Japan
Tokyo International Audio Show
November 2-4
The estimated local price for the complete stack is around $150,000.
For more information, contact the local agent Orange Road at www.orangeroadaudio.com
