Article: dCS Rossini DAC Review

[amir57bs]

3 hours ago, Rexp said:

Hi, im on this site to find a digital front end to match my analog sources, ive heard DCS Vivaldi and many others. Do you think digital can now match analog?

dCS is good if you have low sensitivity speaker/high power high feedback solid-state amplifier . dcs is good for lean clean/High resolution systems not for live loudspeakers like living voice.

I know between dry sounding DACs the dCS sound is more open than many other DACs but it will not shine in dynamic systems.

if you want to be close to analog the digital as its best is combination of CEC TL0-X Transport with Bit-Perfect R-2R Kondo/Audionote UK/CEC DACs with a really good AC Regenarator and good SPDIF Cable .

but even at those level properly setup Analog is better . 

quality of media records is also different ,many CD records are not good in comparison by old LP records.

long story short :

we should judge audio equipments in a system that do not mask micro information of records.

dCS is perfect if the loudspeaker/amplifier mask the micro information but dCS is not good if Loudspeaker/Amplifier reveal the micro information.

 

Amir

 

[Solstice380]

4 hours ago, amir57bs said:

f you listen to dCS with living voice or audio note speaker then you will find dCS is not good .

 

It’s possible that one could listen to LV and AN speakers with dCS and find that LV and AN are not good, for that person.   A lot of nice sounding systems out there with either of them. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

5 hours ago, kaka said:

Hi Chris

 

I read through your review waiting for the section on what happens when a DCS (or other) external clock is added to the dac, but it wasn't there. Are you intending doing that at some point?

 

Not at this time. 

 

@miguelito has a Rossini and clock. 

[Rexp]

4 hours ago, amir57bs said:

dCS is good if you have low sensitivity speaker/high power high feedback solid-state amplifier . dcs is good for lean clean/High resolution systems not for live loudspeakers like living voice.

I know between dry sounding DACs the dCS sound is more open than many other DACs but it will not shine in dynamic systems.

if you want to be close to analog the digital as its best is combination of CEC TL0-X Transport with Bit-Perfect R-2R Kondo/Audionote UK/CEC DACs with a really good AC Regenarator and good SPDIF Cable .

but even at those level properly setup Analog is better . 

quality of media records is also different ,many CD records are not good in comparison by old LP records.

long story short :

we should judge audio equipments in a system that do not mask micro information of records.

dCS is perfect if the loudspeaker/amplifier mask the micro information but dCS is not good if Loudspeaker/Amplifier reveal the micro information.

 

Amir

 

Thanks alot, guess I'll keep looking

[Dr Tone]

8 hours ago, fand1 said:

Chris any thoughts or memories as to how the McIntosh D1100 compared to the Rossini?

 

One is capable of playing an album without muting out the beginning of songs in an album.  The other isn’t.

[miguelito]

7 hours ago, kaka said:

I read through your review waiting for the section on what happens when a DCS (or other) external clock is added to the dac, but it wasn't there. Are you intending doing that at some point?

I purchsased the clock based on recommendations of people I trust. I have not done on/off test, not interested in A/B that sorry. These days I am super busy with work and when I am home I want to relax, not tinker. Maybe some day...

 

If you have a fairly high end and well set up system, I strongly suggest you try and evaluate a component in your system for a few days at least.

[mevdinc]

From the review....

'As soon as the unmistakable acoustic guitar began in the right channel, my body eased up and started to unwind.'

Chris,

Thanks for the nice review and sharing the music used during listening sessions.

A small point but after reading your above statement I had to double check my speaker connections as I hear the guitar sound in the left channel, maybe you should double check your connections too. :))

Best.
Mev
 

[ShawnC]

4 hours ago, amir57bs said:

dCS is good if you have low sensitivity speaker/high power high feedback solid-state amplifier . dcs is good for lean clean/High resolution systems not for live loudspeakers like living voice.

I know between dry sounding DACs the dCS sound is more open than many other DACs but it will not shine in dynamic systems.

if you want to be close to analog the digital as its best is combination of CEC TL0-X Transport with Bit-Perfect R-2R Kondo/Audionote UK/CEC DACs with a really good AC Regenarator and good SPDIF Cable .

but even at those level properly setup Analog is better . 

quality of media records is also different ,many CD records are not good in comparison by old LP records.

long story short :

we should judge audio equipments in a system that do not mask micro information of records.

dCS is perfect if the loudspeaker/amplifier mask the micro information but dCS is not good if Loudspeaker/Amplifier reveal the micro information.

 

Amir

 

Do you have any affiliation for a particular audio company or audio store?  You seem to have very strong convictions for a positive review that effects noone.

[ted_b]

1 hour ago, mevdinc said:

A small point but after reading your above statement I had to double check my speaker connections as I hear the guitar sound in the left channel, maybe you should double check your connections too. :))

Not in either my Mofi DSD rip nor my redbook flac; the guitar that begins Blowin In The Wind is clearly, as Chris states, in the right speaker. 

[miguelito]

4 hours ago, ted_b said:

Not in either my Mofi DSD rip nor my redbook flac; the guitar that begins Blowin In The Wind is clearly, as Chris states, in the right speaker. 

Just purchased the DSD album from AcousticSounds. Dylan is on my "to learn" list. 

 

Yes, guitar is on the right. Interesting that the DSD version is clearly a slightly different mix from the one on TIDAL. Sounds amazing btw...

 

Anyone willing to teach me or point me to the way into Dylan? Thx!

[Dr Tone]

8 minutes ago, miguelito said:

Anyone willing to teach me or point me to the way into Dylan? Thx!

 

I like his more acoustic stuff.  So I suggest.

 

Blood on the Tracks

 

[miguelito]

I will give you my impression of Rossini... I moved to Rossini+Clock from an EMM Labs XDS1-v2. EMM was ok, but it is a bit of a sterile sound. And I am saying that with a Kondo Ongaku and AvantGarde speakers, definitely not a sterile sounding chain compared to others. 

 

Compared to this, the Rossini had depth, decay, richness in the notes (especially solo piano), and female voices sounded real (they were a bit metallic on the EMM). 

 

But the way I tend to make up my mind about gear is by how it pulls me into music, how it just grabs my attention. I was cooking one night and playing Bill Evans' "Everybody Digs Bill Evans" (XLD rip from the XRCD version) and I had to stop and listen to the music. That's it.

 

Maybe I shoulda made space for a Vivaldi... Ha!

[perolator]

Outstanding review. I was waiting years for this review.

Pitch black, small typo. 

[mevdinc]

5 hours ago, ted_b said:

Not in either my Mofi DSD rip nor my redbook flac; the guitar that begins Blowin In The Wind is clearly, as Chris states, in the right speaker. 

This is really strange and I now find the right/left channel thing very confusing.
I even played the Chesky Records channel test sample to double check, and from my listening position the left channel is on left. So, the beginning guitar sound is in the left channel.
Maybe the left channel is referred to as the right speaker from the system's position but Chris did say 'the right channel'.
Sorry to carry on but I just want to make sure I don't have my channels/speakers swapped.

[The Computer Audiophile]

8 minutes ago, mevdinc said:

This is really strange and I now find the right/left channel thing very confusing.
I even played the Chesky Records channel test sample to double check, and from my listening position the left channel is on left. So, the beginning guitar sound is in the left channel.
Maybe the left channel is referred to as the right speaker from the system's position but Chris did say 'the right channel'.
Sorry to carry on but I just want to make sure I don't have my channels/speakers swapped.

Swapping channels happens accidentally when producing and album or remaster. There are many more examples of this one including Led Zeppelin. 

 

My guess is these versions of the album or at least the track are different. Both our systems are fine :~)

[firedog]

4 hours ago, miguelito said:

Just purchased the DSD album from AcousticSounds. Dylan is on my "to learn" list. 

 

Yes, guitar is on the right. Interesting that the DSD version is clearly a slightly different mix from the one on TIDAL. Sounds amazing btw...

 

Anyone willing to teach me or point me to the way into Dylan? Thx!

 

Others will jump all over me, but if I was starting a Dylan collection, the two albums I'd want are Highway 61 Revisited and Blood on the Tracks.

 

What you should really get is, The Original Mono Recordings, Box Set:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Mono-Recordings-Bob-Dylan/dp/B003XRDYX2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521330944&sr=8-1&keywords=dylan+original+mono+recordings+CD

 

The sound is fantastic and the entire 8 disc set is a bargain. I think you can get if for even less than the Amazon price if you look. And really, the SQ here is competitive with any other version you will spend your money on. You don't have to buy super expensive audiophile versions to get audiophile level sound. 

[wdw]

See the latest from Stereophile article by JVS on the music show where he writes about a new Rossini Transport which will play both CD and SACD. 

[miguelito]

2 hours ago, wdw said:

See the latest from Stereophile article by JVS on the music show where he writes about a new Rossini Transport which will play both CD and SACD. 

The Rossini player, ie the one with a transport, does not. I seem to recall that a review on Stereophile had the Rossini playing with a Paganini transport which would work just fine and play CD & SACD.

 

The big issue with high end transport mechanisms such as the Teac VRDS is that they stopped making them and the chipsets a few years ago. My understanding is dCS spent a small fortune buying a bunch of Teac transports for the Vivaldi. 

[wdw]

4 hours ago, miguelito said:

The Rossini player, ie the one with a transport, does not. I seem to recall that a review on Stereophile had the Rossini playing with a Paganini transport which would work just fine and play CD & SACD.

 

The big issue with high end transport mechanisms such as the Teac VRDS is that they stopped making them and the chipsets a few years ago. My understanding is dCS spent a small fortune buying a bunch of Teac transports for the Vivaldi. 

Was surprised by his comments as well...

dCS General Manager John Quick unveiled a prototype of the Rossini transport (approx. $22,000, coming to the Munich show in May), 
 

[amir57bs]

18 hours ago, ShawnC said:

Do you have any affiliation for a particular audio company or audio store?  You seem to have very strong convictions for a positive review that effects noone.

I am From iran , my weblog is hifi.ir and i have been around 15 years in audio writing.

i have listened to many systems in tehran and i am not dealer or distributer.

i have bought my system from some dealers in tehran.

if you have listened to Living Voice room in munich 2015 then you will know my ideas about good sound.

 

Amir

[BMCG]

And Amir bravo on your opinion...but I will  counter that dcs can muster microdynamics....indeed I have such in abundance from a Vivaldi stack feeding spectral and Avalons....

 

you must fettle / craft a system to evince such nuance..

 

hence generalizations about single components are very likely to be too broad...a point Chris alludes to with respect to the Yggy

 

music alights from a system NOT individual components...

[amir57bs]

2 hours ago, BMCG said:

And Amir bravo on your opinion...but I will  counter that dcs can muster microdynamics....indeed I have such in abundance from a Vivaldi stack feeding spectral and Avalons....

 

you must fettle / craft a system to evince such nuance..

 

hence generalizations about single components are very likely to be too broad...a point Chris alludes to with respect to the Yggy

 

music alights from a system NOT individual components...

 

Thanks for comment

I have heard dCS Scarlatti in Vitus 50w Class A Kharma Exquisite

http://www.hifi.ir/2009/10/kharma-exquisite-midi-vitus-ss-101-dcs-scarlatti/

 

I  have heard dCS Scarlatti in Vitus 100w Class A Kharma grand

http://www.hifi.ir/2010/02/kharma-grand-exquisite-virus-sl-101-pre-sm-101-power-dcs-scarlatti/

 

I think I know how dCS sounds. 

[BMCG]

Might want to update on the dCS experience...

 

having owned Delius/Elgar/Scarlatti and now the Vivaldi DACs......musicality has been a distinct gain through those generations....

 

I would not slam the Scarlatti ...but it is valid to point out that its hardware design is now a decade in the rear view.....

 

 

[Priaptor]

I will just add to some of the comments here.  I have a very "high end" DAC a direct competitor to the dCS Vivaldi big stack.  I have had people to my listening room (which by the way is now burning in the amazing new Gobel Epoque Aeon Fine speakers that have replaced the older Gobel Fine as a friend of mine has become the North American Distributor for these) who own the full stack Vivaldi and have walked away saying they love my system BUT they like their Vivaldi better.  I ignore these comments.  Not because I have my "audiophile head" up my rear end or feel I have to defend my choice but because these kind of comments are absurd.

 

Why absurd?  First you can't do a flyby analysis of what you heard on a system that has no semblance to yours.  Second, unless you actually live with a component you have no idea what that component is all about.  Third when you hear something you are hearing the system and not an individual component.  Lastly, ownership bias, for most, takes center stage.  Personally, my philosophy is as DiNiro said in the movie Heat, "never get attached to something you can't walk away from in 30 seconds" and that is how I view audio.  I was a strict believer in tubes with my NOLA Concert Grand Golds and lo and behold, I decided to try some of the latest solid state stuff and was blown away and now have the CH Precision M1 in my system.  However, this evaluation of mine was after LIVING with the piece in my system.  

 

So I think the generalizations about the dCS being made on this thread by some, in this case the Rossini are a little absurd.  dCS makes amazing stuff and one shouldn't get caught up in the dogmatic flyby evaluation as compared to Chris who in his review has actually lived with the unit within his system for awhile.  

[rando]

What might be absurd is 90% of what you wrote justifying the other 10%.  I don't need to live with a friend's wife to know her cooking is better than I get at home.  It might, and probably does, get better the more one experiences it.  Doesn't absolve that first bite  of merit.  (I get both sides married well outside this analogy.)

 

This of course assumes taste.  Which I won't go so far as to comment on the surplus or starvation ranks of those possessing it attendant to this discussion.