Factory visit next Wednesday can’t wait
You best get saving, Dunc 
2 Likes
Will need to save a lot.
But it’s going to be epic, but my lips are sealed.
4 Likes
Test results from HFN and HiFi Choice are virtually useless! All products score 80-90% in HFN or 4.5 - 5 stars in HFC. So they are virtually useless at discriminating the excellent, the good and the mediocre.
Maybe it is here fine to post.
I was at a local hifi show today.
Heared a full Vivaldi setup with 3 (?) boxes
Plus
D‘agostino reference pre plus Mono Blocks
Plus
Wilson audio Chronosonic XVX.
…
Normally I like most of the hifi show setups not very much, but this was out of this world…
More than 1 million bucks 
3 Likes
The vivaldi is the cheap items in that set up.
The reason why varese is what it is maybe?
But the vivaldi 3 piece set up is what i have.
Apex dac.
Upsampler/streamer.
Clock.
A fantastic digital set up even 13 year’s after it first came to market, and still available to buy new today and fully supported by dCS.
1 Like
I made an appointment with the dealer for a Vivaldi demo (without 500k speaker 
).
I think the Wilson audios were really good.
The sound was all:
- transparent and not analytical
- clear and still full of emotion
- Dynamic but not edgy
- not shouty and warm
- and the bass definition…
4 Likes
The vivaldi front end is certainly very good and doesn’t get shown up even when paired with much more expensive amp’s, and speakers.
It certainly shows you what you have been missing all these years. So can’t wait to hear the Varese.
Hifi shows can be very hit and miss, but once you hear what dCS dac’s can do then there’s no getting it out your head.
1 Like
I don’t think DCS is known for being more forgiving than naim. Might not suite your room.
1 Like
Just suppose you would be lucky enough to spend that kind of money. Wow.
Speaker’s are the main problem’s in rooms.
The dCS stuff works perfectly in any room as most sources should
1 Like
Drago, as it’s sunday properly best get the boxes out the loft ready to go.
Lol.
Not in this life and highly likely not in the next.
Listening only - no touching 
It was a hifi show system - 15 min moment.
The dcs alone is also not really in reach, but will listen to to him.
So it is
No sudden room problem
Yup , no sudden room issue… I didn’t tweak any of my system when I got the Rosinni apex , but I did tweak when I got the NC 350 then 
.
dCS are very natural and neutral sounding , hence the sound it produces in my room , don’t require any tweaking nor room issue .
Hi @Dunc,
When you were choosing your dCS products, was the Linn Organik DAC available at that time?
Not Dunc but
I started my dCS journey in 2019 and, at that point, had been using a Linn Klimax DS (always current spec) to front my 552/500 since 2011. I brought a Bartok in for headphone only use and was EXTREMELY impressed with its performance compared to my KDS…. at half the price. That is what had me try a Rossini - which immediately took up residence in the 500 system and easily relegated the Linn to headphone only use.
Fast forward to today and I now run a Vivaldi, although no longer with Naim. I still have the KDS, now upgraded to Organik and Utopik. The Linn remains a stellar slim line all in one streaming DAC box. I consider Rossini and up in a different league - and that was even before APEX made its appearance.
3 Likes
When I try audition both the Linn Klimax DSM with Organik and a non-APEX Rossini I prefer the dCS over the Linn. Linn is more meaty and too full for me at least.
But I still enjoy ND555 because it is good. Sometimes we don’t need ultra super high end.
2 Likes
All been said above.
I dont consider linn to be in the same group as dCS in sound quality.
1 Like
I did too , demoed klimax, and also MSB. All are very goood streamers, but there’s something about dCS sound, that makes you keep wanting more and more . Hard to choose between these 3, took me quite awhile to decide .
1 Like