Has anyone actually heard the dCS Varése yet? I’ve seen it on display three times now - but they don’t seem to be demonstrating it. At least not to the general public.
Those that HAVE heard it seem to be raving about it. Can it really be as good as they suggest? And if it is, what are the competition (Naim?) going to do about it? A Statement streamer/dac?
There have been a few dealer dems in the UK and elsewhere.
A complete Varese system is £200k. That puts it way out of the reach of the vast majority.
Why would Naim want to so anything about it? About what, precisely? Naim offers some really good products but have never been the ‘best of the best’ with any of their products.
Yes a few times now. You will find it on permanent demo at a few places in the UK and over the world. It’s very good and is seen by most in the trade as the best digital you can get right now.
I heard it at the HiFi Lounge launch. It was feeding a D’Agostino pre + monoblock amps and very high spec Wilson speakers.
I have heard a few top end digital and analogue sources in recent years. With the right source material, it’s the first time that I have heard a streamer convey music more convincingly than even a high end Vertere turntable.
It’s frighteningly expensive but it’s also incredibly impressive.
A word of caution though. It is so ruthlessly, effortlessly revealing that owners may narrow their choice of music to only those tracks made with exceptional recording and mastering quality.
During the audition, the difference between outstanding recordings and merely good ones was stark. Caveat emptor.
Hope this helps, BF
I once thought that of my system, but it’s actually the opposite. A good system is always a good system, play a badly record track and it will do a much better job of dealing with it than a lesser system. This was pointed out to me at my house by 2 reviewers that came to listen to my system, also by a few guys at the maverick show that tried to break it by playing horrible recorded music. So as said it’s completely the opposite.
He has an equally valid opinion……
I was at a demo of the new innuos top of the range product and they were using Vitus and DCS and some speakers I wasn’t familiar with.
Some guys there had very high end systems and they said the same I.e the sound is amazing and additive but it narrows down the music they listened to.
The innuos new product was impressive but the overall demo was very “hi-fi”
I guess the usual rules apply - get the best system that works in your space.
One dealer near me sells DCS but having attended a few product demos there they tend to use Naim which is interesting.
Must be something in DCS as the reviews are very positive but nothing I have ever explored.
BF talked about Varese which your system isn’t.
Yes and ?
I have heard the dCS Varese a few times now, at dCS head office and 2 different dealers in the UK. But only at the head office did we get to compare the Varese against the Vivaldi. Plus having owned dCS newer products for some years now, I have a good insight to how it sounds and how each is different in the range.
Perhaps, just perhaps, threatening to sue a chap who wrote a bad review of a previous model might have something to do with the absence of less than stellar reviews.
Having said that a few guys I know from an Irish Hifi forum went to see it in Dublin and were highly impressed.
.sjb
As you know John that had nothing to do with dCS UK, it was a dealer with a grudge and tried to use dCS to scare him off. Once dCS themselves got the correct info it was sort in a few days and said dealer is no longer anything to do with dCS /dealer.
You will find dCS a great company to deal with and very quick to respond to any issues. But as we all know the Internet is always right and everyone knows the correct answers
He made a point about Varese as per the thread title. You replied by making a point about your own system, as if that was somehow relevant to his opinion of Varese. That’s all.
I didn’t actually know all you’ve outlined there. Just remember a hoohaa a while back with Amir offering to bankroll (some of?) the reviewers legal costs.
It seemed a pretty dumb thing for a company to do at the time, so that does explain things a bit clearer.
.sjb
I know, but what i was on about is that a good system makes everything better and not the good, better and the bad worse. As like I said I once thought the same until I had it shown and explained to me in detail.
It doesn’t mater that it was the Varese, as every great dac should do it. It’s just on a great system you will hear much more, much easier and this can then give the impression of what I was talking about.
He said “It is so ruthlessly, effortlessly revealing that owners may narrow their choice of music to only those tracks made with exceptional recording and mastering quality”. So according to your definition, it can’t be a great DAC. Fair enough.
Ah but thats a criticism potentially……cannot have that its DCS😂
Hi, Yes - was there at the Dublin launch of the system
It was discussed here dCS Varèse Exclusive Irish Launch
Very impressive system, with dCS Varese at its core, at €300k, however the speakers were similar, the mono-block amps €250k each, pre-amp similar, and the Antipodes server €35k, and don’t know what cables were being used, but of similar standing I would imagine.
It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, with music being curated by Richardo.
The dCS MD was in attendance to talk about the technology and the development process involved, particularly in the Mono-DACs and separation of the functions.
Have subsequently traded some music with Ricardo and got some of the tracks played, so very happy - it sounds excellent on my system with my NDS.
For all its apparent musical virtues… this is one hell of an ugly system and room.
Can’t be bothered to explain anymore, you either get it or you don’t, you obviously don’t get it or maybe I am not explaining it in a way you can understand. Whatever it is, everyone should if they can go listen to it.
Thanks Simon. I don’t have enough fingers to work out how much THAT little system might cost! It would be interesting to know which tracks Ricardo suggested to you.
