dCS Varese vs....
- Thread starter pk_LA
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“How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat.”
There's a saying "gentlemen never discuss money".
Rubbish, gentlemen rarely talk about anything else, lol.
Not wishing to be impertinent, but it seems a lively debate with no particular point. Its interesting snd maybe that's the point. If you are like me and will never be in the market for a $200k DAC, then it doesn't matter if the undoubtedly excellent Varese bathes your eardrums in the milk of unicorns. On the other hand, if the price doesn't fend you off, listen to both and choose what sounds best to you. That's very subjective, of course, and I doubt it is possible to ever definitively say what is "best," only what you like the best. I'm sure these are both great DACs. Just a view from the peanut gallery.
The “listen to both” arguments are unrealistic, at least where I live. Lampi is not going to ship an Aphrodite around the world so I can try it. I don’t think DCS is up for that either
Good point but investing in a DAC approaching $300k, or over $100k for that matter, without hearing it would be unrealistic for me. I suspect most people that are shopping at that level can make arrangements, but never having been at that level, I could be wrong.
I assume this is different with different locations/dealers, of course. Here, your option would be to go the dealer and hear the product on their system if they have it. If you know their system, this works. Of course, in general I agree with Ron: audition in your system any time you can and trust your ears, not price, etc
I have not heard the DCS. In general, I find their sound lifeless and linear (just my opinion). But many say this new dac is different. It is wildly priced, though. I agree that tubes may not make up the difference in the product, but tubes do make a big difference in Horizon sound. That I know, having heard many. Even if the DCS is better than a stacked Horizon in a demo of audiophile songs, is it as soulfull? Does it favor spirit? And is that difference worth 200k?
I have not heard the DCS. In general, I find their sound lifeless and linear (just my opinion). But many say this new dac is different. It is wildly priced, though. I agree that tubes may not make up the difference in the product, but tubes do make a big difference in Horizon sound. That I know, having heard many. Even if the DCS is better than a stacked Horizon in a demo of audiophile songs, is it as soulfull? Does it favor spirit? And is that difference worth 200k?
The worth it question is, of course, relative to each of us and what 200k means.
Next question is, then, where does the Aphrodite sit in this equation?
Next question is, then, where does the Aphrodite sit in this equation?
the strategic viewpoint---
or.......how many Lampi upgrades can one do over time before you get close to Varese (with or without the streamer) street price territory? at one every 18-24 months? the Aphrodite is $80k....what will the next one cost? after that? plus tubes to roll. dealing with the in and out logistics. are you doing the Taiko Olympus too? or other spendy streamer/server? keeping the streamer/server upgraded? custom dac<->server interface?
it's the whole digital investment picture over maybe 5-6 or10 or more years that is the question. and which direction is likely to be more satisfying. including how it works in your system, room and rack. the Vivaldi had a decade plus run with the same chassis......so should the Varese.
in 30 days i will start year 5 with my Wadax including the streamer/server. i see at least 5 more years at the highest rung of digital (i will be 80 years old then.....health? hearing? not getting younger).....YMMV. i've had the privilege of having this top level performance for those years i could never get back if i had not done it. that is worth something as much as i listen to it.
but that is another way to look at things. certainly not everyone can choose the Varese. but if you can then there are various ways to look at it. we can't ever call any digital an investment, but top level digital can make some sort of sense.....kinda......if you are already playing in the upper league of digital and plan to keep it current.
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Why does one need to, or rather, is this a price question? Never heard the Apex or Varese, but the GG used to beat the Vivalid slam dunk, all music, the Vivaldi was just plain ****.
These are all good points, Mike. And worth thinking about. Me, personally, I am a fan of Yoda. Lampi me Lampizatored 
I bet all of you will enjoy both dCS and Lampizator GG if you listen to two dacs in two different proper/match systems when everything/condition (ac power quality, clean ac installation, proper speaker position, …) is perfect.
I prefer to listen to lampizator in full tube systems like kondo/lamm/audionote + paper cone or emotional horns like LV.
I prefer to listen to dCS in fullrange (extended bass) full solidstate systems like dCS/ASR/Vitus/TAD/Kharma/Gobel systems.
I prefer to listen to lampizator in full tube systems like kondo/lamm/audionote + paper cone or emotional horns like LV.
I prefer to listen to dCS in fullrange (extended bass) full solidstate systems like dCS/ASR/Vitus/TAD/Kharma/Gobel systems.
Amir, you seem to be describing an either/or condition and a choice. What if the listener’s goal is to have the best qualities of both of these scenarios? What source would you then suggest?
in early 2017 i had a fork in my digital road. i had a modestly priced solid state Aqua Formula dac demo unit i compared to my Lampi GG 1.5. head to head it was clear (pun intended) that the more demanding the music, the more i was hearing the music with the Formula dac, and hearing through something to get to the music with the GG 1.5. sure i liked the tube sound, it was beautiful, but on much of the music it was in the way. i had plenty of tubes to roll. this was a big surprise to me. but undeniable.
6 months later i ended up buying a used MSB Select II to go further down the solid state dac road.
this was in my system, to my ears, head to head on the music that was most important to me to be the most satisfying. big complicated music in a big room without limits was my priority. still is. with the Wadax i think i get it all with any type of music; truth and beauty. digital has come a ways.
other ears and systems and music focus might have taken the other fork. the Lampi GG 1.5 was a sweet dac. could live with it forever and not look back.
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I have always had solid state DACs throughout, but tube amplification (the Octave tube gear does not stand in the way of complicated music, too).
i enjoyed my time with the big VAC Statement 450's in my system. a lot to like. it could handle complicated music for sure. in the end i preferred the darTZeel 468's solid state, but likely other solid state choices at that time might have bowed to the VAC. generally i lean toward tube amplification too, but not heard the best non-darTZeel current solid state offerings......yet.
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