DCS Vivaldi

[jfrech]

Still did not have the time to go through the upgrade - but something worries me. What is the connection between Mosaic and Roon? I currently only use Roon in my Windows server.

Not sure there is a connection. It’s a alternative...another option. If you love Roon, many do, lil reason to check this out.

 

[aldenberry]

I just upgraded My upsampler firmware and downloaded Mosaic. WOW, what a difference. I may opt out of Roon and stick with the much-improved dCS app?

 

[parkcaka]

I downloaded Mosaic. It does around %50 of what Roon does but if you are a sort of person who exactly know your music and what you are playing Mosaic is enough for you. It is not as pretty as Roon but it does its job flawlessly. But if you are like me, using Roon to discover new music all the time, make connections between artists, learn about them etc. Roon is still a more complete option. I haven't compared them sound wise but I will not be surprised if Mosaic plays a bit better than Roon.

 

[jfrech]

I just upgraded My upsampler firmware and downloaded Mosaic. WOW, what a difference. I may opt out of Roon and stick with the much-improved dCS app?

I to think the dCS app sounds better than Roon. The Roon interface however is better ...

 

[still-one]

Still did not have the time to go through the upgrade - but something worries me. What is the connection between Mosaic and Roon? I currently only use Roon in my Windows server.

This is a comment from the dCS Team.
When Mosaic Control was conceived, a requirement was that it be possible to switch between Roon (library management, playback) and Mosaic Control (settings management) with as little disruption as possible. That means that you can launch Mosaic Control and navigate to the dCS Processing Platform settings page (upsampling, filters, and mappers), use Roon for playback, and then go back to Mosaic Control at any time in the future and have the settings page instantly available.

They have also indicated they are not and will not a be competitor to Roon.

It is easy to play Tidal via Mosaic but your music will need to be on a UPnP server to be visible in Mosaic. If your storage is on a Roon core then you’ll need to use Roon for playback. According to dCS it is no issue in doing that as there’s no sonic advantage to one or the other.

 

[stevebythebay]

Well tried Mosaic and like the internet radio features despite the lack of Flac stream support. Compared my current Roon Nucleus with 8TB USB attached drive and connected via Ethernet wired network against a direct USB flash drive of music connected into the Upsampler. Close but the Nucleus sounded better. And given that the Upsampler USB cannot support more than FAT32, that puts a severe crimp in the size of a library.

 

[aldenberry]

Well tried Mosaic and like the internet radio features despite the lack of Flac stream support. Compared my current Roon Nucleus with 8TB USB attached drive and connected via Ethernet wired network against a direct USB flash drive of music connected into the Upsampler. Close but the Nucleus sounded better. And given that the Upsampler USB cannot support more than FAT32, that puts a severe crimp in the size of a library.

Steve, glad to see that your Vivaldi DAC has arrived, completing the trio. I went DAC first, followed by clock then upsampler. Amazing what each brings to the party, but the upsampler has really been amazing. Still working through a variety of comparisons. That said, I think you owe it to yourself to compare NAS direct to your Roon Nucleus. I bought the Nucleus plus and sold it almost as fast. I have also let TIDAL go in favor of Qobuz and I'm on the fence about keeping Roon. I suppose having all three isn't out of the question, just focusing on where I am realizing the best SQ, which is Synology, Qobuz, dCS Mosaic. Best, David

 

[stevebythebay]

By NAS direct im assuming you mean Ethernet wired to Upsampler. That won’t work for me as I’d need to keep the NAS (I’ve both a Synology and QNAP) nearby (cabling issues) and the internal drive noise (clicking and fan) are apparent even when placing behind speakers, etc. I tried using NAS via WiFi (terrible sound compared to Roon Nucleus wired to Upsampler via switch. In the past I’ve always found that USB to be noisier than Ethernet, so I wasn’t surprised when I did my comparison.

I’m looking forward to swapping out my $25 D-Link switch for the upcoming EtherREGEN for an even quieter network transfer.

Only other future changes: to swap my Shunyata Denali for Triton/Typhon combo.

 

[aldenberry]

IMO, don't waste your money on the Typhon. I think Shunyata has the best-valued products available on the power side, ( I like the best of Nordost and the best of Transparent a bit more, but the prices swell for both) but dare say- this is the only Shunyata product I would ever look at and say "no". It just didn’t offer much bang for buck, at least in my system. As for the Triton- I'm all in.

 

[stevebythebay]

Thanks. Agree. Been using the Tranparent XL Ref clock cables which were recommended by many. Been using Galileo Synergistic Research stuff for interconnects, but for Spectral hardware demanding use of specific MIT interconnect and speaker cables.

 

[jfrech]

By NAS direct im assuming you mean Ethernet wired to Upsampler. That won’t work for me as I’d need to keep the NAS (I’ve both a Synology and QNAP) nearby (cabling issues) and the internal drive noise (clicking and fan) are apparent even when placing behind speakers, etc. I tried using NAS via WiFi (terrible sound compared to Roon Nucleus wired to Upsampler via switch. In the past I’ve always found that USB to be noisier than Ethernet, so I wasn’t surprised when I did my comparison.

I’m looking forward to swapping out my $25 D-Link switch for the upcoming EtherREGEN for an even quieter network transfer.

Only other future changes: to swap my Shunyata Denali for Triton/Typhon combo.

The Triton/Typhon is a potent combination. Especially for the money and in combination with Shunyata's better cables. I used this up to Triton version 3 for years. I had to spend a lot more to get better performance. And have been quite happy with the Tranparent Opus conditioners and cords.

 

[aldenberry]

By NAS direct im assuming you mean Ethernet wired to Upsampler. That won’t work for me as I’d need to keep the NAS (I’ve both a Synology and QNAP) nearby (cabling issues) and the internal drive noise (clicking and fan) are apparent even when placing behind speakers, etc. I tried using NAS via WiFi (terrible sound compared to Roon Nucleus wired to Upsampler via switch. In the past I’ve always found that USB to be noisier than Ethernet, so I wasn’t surprised when I did my comparison.

I’m looking forward to swapping out my $25 D-Link switch for the upcoming EtherREGEN for an even quieter network transfer.

Only other future changes: to swap my Shunyata Denali for Triton/Typhon combo.

Well, different homes, systems and power supplies- I guess it's no surprise that we find different ways of optimizing sound quality. I just wanted to suggest a trial since I had different results. Best, D

 

[stevebythebay]

Maybe, at minimum, upgrading from Denali to Triton V3 might be a good start. Currently I use the Denali for analogue devices (pre-amp, mono block amps, Dac) and the DPC-6 for all other digital devices. And each of the Shunyata units are plugged into receptacles on the same 20a circuit. But I’ll check in with my dealer. They have been selling Transparent far longer than Shunyata but I’ve not noted any power products prevalent in their shop. However they did recommend using their Plug-In Protector between my Ethernet switch and dCS Upsampler. That did improve things.

 

[nonesup]

Maybe, at minimum, upgrading from Denali to Triton V3 might be a good start. Currently I use the Denali for analogue devices (pre-amp, mono block amps, Dac) and the DPC-6 for all other digital devices. And each of the Shunyata units are plugged into receptacles on the same 20a circuit. But I’ll check in with my dealer. They have been selling Transparent far longer than Shunyata but I’ve not noted any power products prevalent in their shop. However they did recommend using their Plug-In Protector between my Ethernet switch and dCS Upsampler. That did improve things.

I also have a Denali and I am very interested in your experience bringing the digital devices to a DPC-6. It really shows a clear improvement ?. Could you describe your experience?

 

[microstrip]

Well, different homes, systems and power supplies- I guess it's no surprise that we find different ways of optimizing sound quality. I just wanted to suggest a trial since I had different results. Best, D

Yes. We should consider no one knows exactly what is the correlation between digital noise and sound quality in the high-end, particularly as this hobby is accessed by preference - one man's meat is another man's poison, as they say.

IMO, don't waste your money on the Typhon. I think Shunyata has the best-valued products available on the power side, ( I like the best of Nordost and the best of Transparent a bit more, but the prices swell for both) but dare say- this is the only Shunyata product I would ever look at and say "no". As for the Triton- I'm all in.

Just one case to exemplify my previous comment - I was told by a Shunyata owner that I would never know how good is the Triton if I did not add the Typhon - he considers the Typhon the best of Shunyata!

 

[stevebythebay]

I also have a Denali and I am very interested in your experience bringing the digital devices to a DPC-6. It really shows a clear improvement ?. Could you describe your experience?

Sorry but I never did an actual comparison. Since I’ve 10 devices a Denali or DPC-6 on its own would not suffice. Given the mix of Analogue and Digital units, it simply made more sense to bring in both products at once.

 

[microstrip]

Any new from Mosaic users after a few weeks settling time?

 

[Ovenmitt]

I like that I can change setting on my Upsampler. However, browsing my library is a total PITA. There seems to be no way to save a playlist from the last listen.... bottom line, it’s stable but bare bones. Frankly I cannot see why DcS can’t design an app that’s at least as good as the Aurender conductor app.

 

[still-one]

I like that I can change setting on my Upsampler. However, browsing my library is a total PITA. There seems to be no way to save a playlist from the last listen.... bottom line, it’s stable but bare bones. Frankly I cannot see why DcS can’t design an app that’s at least as good as the Aurender conductor app.

They have stated that they have no intention of competing with Roon (or whatever you choose to use) . That is not what the Mosaic app was created for.

 

[Ovenmitt]

I’m fine with them not competing with Roon. I am interested in them creating a more robust GUI. If they’re not interested in designing something that offers more useablity, why not just use a handheld remote?..... I am new to DCS and this is meant as an honest question. What is their philosophy on this?