What do you call transport : the upsampler ?
I’m not sure to understand the setup sounding better than the other
I’m not sure to understand the setup sounding better than the other
DCS Vivaldi
- Thread starter MylesBAstor
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I don't own the transport but I have heard it extensively and agree with sonrock's assessment. Putting a % difference on this isn't easy (maybe <5%), but personally I wouldn't miss it, especially given the cost of the transport and the loss of simplicity required when spinning solid media. I will say this, having configured the best of Roon and having used the best server from Aurender- my system with Vivaldi DAC, clock and upsampled sounds better direct from NAS than from either of the above. As implausible as that sounds it is an inexpensive option to explore, so I recommend doing so. Without mentioning names, I know at least two others with golden ears who have come to the same conclusion.
I stopped listening to CD's years ago and only stream or play files from my server. If there was any SQ differences it wasn't worth the hassle to purchase, rip and store CD's or play them via a transport.
In general I had the same feeling - I wrote I preferred the sound via the CD/SACD transport, particularly when a SACD version existed. However, after I added the Taiko Extreme server to the dCS Vivaldi stack the gap almost vanished - only by direct immediate comparison I was able to notice a difference. I was feeding the Vivaldi upsampler from the USB input, as advised by the Taiko people.
Make sure you are comparing apples to apples and not apples to oranges.
There are many different masterings of the same album. With the streaming services it is close to impossible to know which version you are listening to - thus no way to know if the streamed version is the exact same as your friends ripped version
There are many different masterings of the same album. With the streaming services it is close to impossible to know which version you are listening to - thus no way to know if the streamed version is the exact same as your friends ripped version
Thank You All.
Very helpful.
This confirms my observation that SACD transport from DCS was better than streaming via roon and upsampler. However it looked the difference was much larger than 5% or less.
It looked like 25% - 30% difference that is kind of shocking.
Not sure why is that in this case.
Poorly recorded file from roon compared to SACD ?
Very helpful.
This confirms my observation that SACD transport from DCS was better than streaming via roon and upsampler. However it looked the difference was much larger than 5% or less.
It looked like 25% - 30% difference that is kind of shocking.
Not sure why is that in this case.
Poorly recorded file from roon compared to SACD ?
Thank you.in most cases, songs played via the vivaldi transport sound better than via streaming from Qobuz via dcs Mosaic app even with hires files. Friends who visited me tell the same when we compared here. That’s the reason why I keep buying SACDs and other formats like UHQCD, XRCD24, 32 bits UltraHD CD and 24 bits HDCD. They do sound fantastic via the transport
My friend did the same. He got SACD transport and keeps puchesing SACDs since.
How much of a difference is that to you ?
Again . Some say is less thsn 5% , others tha much more than 15 %
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I am not referring to the “version” as in resolution. I am referring to which engineer did the mastering, which ultimately can dramatically change how the record, cd, or stream will sound.
Take one of my grail albums London Calling. Vinyl collectors go to extremes to source a copy mastered in the U.K. vs. a US Capitol version.
If you are streaming a Bob Marley album from Qobuz I will bet money it is not one of the Barry Diament remasters like I have ripped on my system - big difference.
It returns back to my original post about the need to compare apples to apples- which when using the streaming services is close to impossible.
Your 7k vinyl and 3k CDs is quite impressive.
I believe we can trust your judgement.
In other words in general
Do you prefer vinyl and CDs over any local file or streaming ?
I understand its going to be apples to oranges in many cases but some versions are simply not available via streaming.
How much of a difference you see when compering best streaming versions to best CDs od SACDs?
It’s very difficult for me to comment. I abandoned CD replay in 2011 when I embraced file playback with a Linn Klimax DS. I have not had a disc transport for the past 14 years (Naim CD555 was my last spinner). Even though the majority of my CD collection is ripped, I exclusively stream from the services. That should tell you something (keep in mind convenience plays a part in it)
Vinyl is a different story. I have the benefit of using a Klimax level Linn LP12 turntable, and more importantly, an extremely large portion of my vinyl collection is pre-digital and analog recorded. The built in phono stage on the DarTZeel preamplifier is also nothing to sneeze at.
Listening to analog recorded vinyl on a high-end turntable is magical. With that said, I frequently stream through the Vivaldi.
* keep in mind if you go on the dCS forum (where I am a regular member) you will find at least half the people do not like ROON and feel it sounds inferior to the native dCS Mosaic app. I bring this up because you posted above that your demo was done using ROON.
Vinyl is a different story. I have the benefit of using a Klimax level Linn LP12 turntable, and more importantly, an extremely large portion of my vinyl collection is pre-digital and analog recorded. The built in phono stage on the DarTZeel preamplifier is also nothing to sneeze at.
Listening to analog recorded vinyl on a high-end turntable is magical. With that said, I frequently stream through the Vivaldi.
* keep in mind if you go on the dCS forum (where I am a regular member) you will find at least half the people do not like ROON and feel it sounds inferior to the native dCS Mosaic app. I bring this up because you posted above that your demo was done using ROON.
For me, the differences are dependent on specific albums and tracks. For example, Philippe Chretien have several albums, all released in redbook CDs. The resolution of the files on Qobuz are also specified as CD quality. However, the differences are pretty staggering when playing via the transport vs streaming. I have to say at least 30-50% to my ears.
But with a different album Disclaimer from Seether, the differences are small and hard to detect. I’ve found that with something delicate like vocals, chamber music and some small jazz assembles, it’s easier to spot the differences if they’re the same resolution. With rock and electronics, it’s harder.
But with a different album Disclaimer from Seether, the differences are small and hard to detect. I’ve found that with something delicate like vocals, chamber music and some small jazz assembles, it’s easier to spot the differences if they’re the same resolution. With rock and electronics, it’s harder.
Very valuable info .
I am actually shocked that old fasion Sacd could sound so much better from optical transport than from high performance server / roon.
With other brands I haven’t seen that much of a difference.
But DCS shines here .
This is probably why they are still offering optical transport in their new Varese.
I learned a lot.
I am actually shocked that old fasion Sacd could sound so much better from optical transport than from high performance server / roon.
With other brands I haven’t seen that much of a difference.
But DCS shines here .
This is probably why they are still offering optical transport in their new Varese.
I learned a lot.
I love the Roon convenience a lot.
Being scientist I enjoy the history behind the album or song. It gives me complete picture.
If I must get up and change the CD for a better sounding quality it's a big disturbance in overall experience, but I must say that I agree some top BEAUTY might require additional care from me.
Is it worth ?
I will test it in my system to learn.
Being scientist I enjoy the history behind the album or song. It gives me complete picture.
If I must get up and change the CD for a better sounding quality it's a big disturbance in overall experience, but I must say that I agree some top BEAUTY might require additional care from me.
Is it worth ?
I will test it in my system to learn.
Give JPlay a try. It does not use RAAT like Roon - it simply sends commands to the streaming service indicating which file to play. It has many of the same features as Roon.
Once dCS releases a firmware update incorporating Qobuz Connect you will have yet another alternative to Roon.
With the advent of both Qobuz and Tidal Connect, many in the Naim forum are starting to question the need for their Roon subscription
Great suggestion.
Thank you
Would you mind ranking those services?
Who is the best sonically speaking with Vivaldi?
I use to have jplay very long ago from a very beginning of its roots.
Than I switched to Totaldac that used a different software.
Than I purchesed Taiko that was also Jplay player utilizing for best performance untill they switched to their own software.
After Taiko I was forced to downgrade to just a regular NUCK with Roon on it, but surprisingly in my system Linux based NUCK is not far from that Taiko offered with their crazy Windows and tons of other optimizations.
Its just Curiosity that drives me all the time to get the knowledge and use it properly.
Again its a scientific soul that I use for all subjects in my life including audio.
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