DCS Rossini APEX has arrived!

[Lee]

I am pleased to share that my APEX unit is back and installed in the system. I am shooting a couple of video reviews for the TAS YouTube channel with more details but I can definitely say, with 50 hours on the clock and counting, that this is a major change for an already excellent DAC. Our man in DC Jacob Heilbrunn is evaluating the Vivaldi APEX as well.

Stay tuned for how this compares to the base Rossini.

 

[Lee]

Making arrangement to try a switch for the streaming.

 

[Jpspock]

We are waiting…

 

[Lee]

We are waiting…

Working on a video review this week. But significant improvements in several areas. It’s a more complex story, but I would say that those who found dCS a little too analytical for their tastes will find a more musical, more elevated sound here from the team in Cambridge.

 

[mribob]

I have recently received Vivaldi Apex upgrade, and glad I did. It extends the quality life of an older Dac to perform at even higher level, with out the cost of upgrading to a new unit. The sound is more organic, sonic density, better instrument separation in space. Happy customer.
shout out to Brian at Audio Elements in Pasadena, who picked up my unit from home, performed upgrade board install in his shop and returned to me- best ever customer service.

 

[LL21]

I have recently received Vivaldi Apex upgrade, and glad I did. It extends the quality life of an older Dac to perform at even higher level, with out the cost of upgrading to a new unit. The sound is more organic, sonic density, better instrument separation in space. Happy customer.
shout out to Brian at Audio Elements in Pasadena, who picked up my unit from home, performed upgrade board install in his shop and returned to me- best ever customer service.

Congrats and sounds like also a very easy upgrade service-wise...always good to have a nice experience on that as well.

 

[Lee]

Now at 100 hours on the APEX and it is outstanding in every way. I am collecting my thoughts on the sound and will film more on Monday.

 

[LL21]

Fantastic...look forward to reading your listening notes. Enjoy.

 

[stevebythebay]

Received my Vivaldi APEX DAC upgrade on Tuesday. All I can say is this is quite a leap. There‘s a wider and more pinpoint soundstage with better timing and dynamics. This thing really swings. Have been playing Roon in radio mode to “burn in” the new analog board.

Every track brings a big smile to my face. It‘s as if I’m hearing every song anew. There’s more depth and detail, with a nearly holographic space for many songs. More air around instruments with greater realism and immersion.

Interestingly, there’s simply more there, there. That leads to the sense that the DAC is delivering more sonic output if the source has it to offer. Consequently I find I’m fiddling with the volume control more than ever. Some albums are far higher or lower than I’d experienced in the past.

And as an additional bonus, the upgrade is delivering a lower noise floor. And I’ve only about 50 hours in.

 

[Lee]

Received my Vivaldi APEX DAC upgrade on Tuesday. All I can say is this is quite a leap. There‘s a wider and more pinpoint soundstage with better timing and dynamics. This thing really swings. Have been playing Roon in radio mode to “burn in” the new analog board.

Every track brings a big smile to my face. It‘s as if I’m hearing every song anew. There’s more depth and detail, with a nearly holographic space for many songs. More air around instruments with greater realism and immersion.

Interestingly, there’s simply more there, there. That leads to the sense that the DAC is delivering more sonic output if the source has it to offer. Consequently I find I’m fiddling with the volume control more than ever. Some albums are far higher or lower than I’d experienced in the past.

And as an additional bonus, the upgrade is delivering a lower noise floor. And I’ve only about 50 hours in.

It will keep getting better but I also noticed these same improvements. I am at 140 hours using Roon and the dCS Mosaic app to play a long 42 hour playlist from friend Elliot Goldman.

 

[stevebythebay]

It will keep getting better but I also noticed these same improvements. I am at 140 hours using Roon and the dCS Mosaic app to play a long 42 hour playlist from friend Elliot Goldman.

I figured it would be about 100 hours to get thermal and electrical stability, with an additional period of what I would call “system level” settling in, which I’ve found particularly true of cabling. With this latter stage I’ve usually experienced even more low level detail and dynamics.

One thing that I’ve had trouble describing with the APEX is an underlying “layering” of sound that goes towards the far more realistic sense of instruments and voices. That along with clearer separation - think spaces between musical elements, much like how the spaces between the notes can stand out. Listening to solo piano or guitar seem to be dead giveaways to this.

 

[Jpspock]

Dear Steve, very, very interesting comments. I didn’t look before your system and we have some common like the vivaldi clock and cybershaft op21… both of them brought me wider image, more sense of music, and result already above all I expected. So is it possible that Apex brings so much ? I believe you, but then yo must be in heaven.

 

[stevebythebay]

As much as Heaven might be, while Earthly bound.

 

[Jpspock]

So I shall wait when my Rossini will be upgraded. Really curious, it seems to be so enormous…

 

[microstrip]

My Vivaldi is now queuing for upgrade, I am keeping my dealer model for a few holiday days. With complete burn-in the sound is really fluid and free from artifacts - IMHO what our mind needs to find it more realistic. A good friend who is a vinyl aficionado come to listen and commented I can now sell the turntable as he found the Vivaldi APEX more analog like.

 

[Lee]

Apologies the video review is taking a while to get out. We have been traveling with our video guy in Los Angeles and I still need to shoot the final APEX upgrade part next Monday.

The good news is we have new mics on the way and our interview with Mark Spitz and Jason Lord here in LA went exceptionally well.

 

[Lee]

I figured it would be about 100 hours to get thermal and electrical stability, with an additional period of what I would call “system level” settling in, which I’ve found particularly true of cabling. With this latter stage I’ve usually experienced even more low level detail and dynamics.

One thing that I’ve had trouble describing with the APEX is an underlying “layering” of sound that goes towards the far more realistic sense of instruments and voices. That along with clearer separation - think spaces between musical elements, much like how the spaces between the notes can stand out. Listening to solo piano or guitar seem to be dead giveaways to this.

Part of this is new Shunyata Omega clock and AES cables that are breaking in as well.

 

[LL21]

My Vivaldi is now queuing for upgrade, I am keeping my dealer model for a few holiday days. With complete burn-in the sound is really fluid and free from artifacts - IMHO what our mind needs to find it more realistic. A good friend who is a vinyl aficionado come to listen and commented I can now sell the turntable as he found the Vivaldi APEX more analog like.

He thought your DCS Vivaldi Apex sounded more analog than your Techdas Airforce 1 Premium? Wow.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...that's known as hyper-analog, or analanalog.

 

[JRW1971]

Got my Rossini back today, with the Apex upgrade. 100% agree with everyone’s descriptions above. I’m very impressed.