I’m not sure how long it will be there - at least through February - but I’m definitely headed down for a listen soon.
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Looking forward to your posting of your opinion next year.
Bill, do you know what speakers Matt plans to pair with the Varèse?
I was there this past weekend and it sounded very good, though it had an ever so slight amount of edge on transients as it had only been up and running for a few days and wasn’t quite settled in yet.
He had it wired with Transparent and connected to a Gryphon Essence preamp and Essence stereo amp (in high bias mode) driving a pair of the new Wilson Watt/Puppies. (Crescendo just became a Gryphon dealer in the last two months or so.)
I was quite impressed with it, though the UI left much to be desired, and the new remote is funky (think D’Agostino remotes - a big round block with a volume knob in the middle that pairs via Bluetooth.)
I also enjoy dealers that carry both Gryphon and dCS because of the “Apex” name collision. 
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We have noticed that Varèse has a definite need for burn in. I think we are advising dealers to try to get at least 100 hours on them before any launch events.
The UI still has some quirks and a number of missing features, depending on which firmware release a unit is on. The UI is still pre-release and of course these will be addressed before any customer units ship. The version we used for the demos in Taipei was almost completely stable however (one small glitch), so we think we are on track.
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Crescendo is having their last Friday night listening event at the end of December:
Join us Friday December 27th from 6-8pm at Crescendo for a Final Friday Listen session featuring the music of Beck. Playing 1999 release Midnight Vultures from Bong Load Records HDCD on the dCS Varèse reference digital system.Midnight Vultures will be presented thru the brand new dCS Varèse feeding the Gryphon Diablo 333 integrated amplifier into a pair of Dynaudio Confidence 30 loudspeakers with Transparent cabling.
RSVP is requested but not required. Complimentary food and beverages from Ambrosian Pantry and Pizzeria Leopold will be served.
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Wow, they give you pizza and drinks and all you have to do is listen to the Varese. I may fly in! ; )
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Paragon does a lot better than Pizza at their events.
Thank you Bill for promoting our store and our events. Regarding our choice of food and beverages provided complimentary, it keeps the entitled, stuffy riff-raff away. This Final Friday Listening event we host is a monthly event that attempts to build community and culture. Normally we play vinyl but have chosen to feature the Varèse for our December listening party. Learn more about past and future events at FinalFridayListen.com. We plan on hosting dCS representatives in mid-February for a proper launch party featuring only the finest Hor d’Doeuvres for the most exclusive attendees.
- Matt Alterman (President/Crescendo FA)
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I’d like to add that everything that Matt does is welcoming and hospitable – his Final Friday sessions are a real benefit to those of us who frequent Crescendo.
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I was only teasing about the pizza. 
I commend any store that holds events such as yours.
Crescendo had an amazing event last night featuring the Varèse in a “listen & learn” event with Dave Gordon and Allan Haggar of Audio Research featuring an ARC pre along with the Colorado debut of a pair of new ARC Ref 330Ms driving a brand new (well, a few days old so broken in) pair of Wilson Sasha Vs.
Needless to say, the sound was heavenly, but I was completely focused on everything the Varèse was getting right.
Microdynamics, dynamic dynamics and instrument and vocal textures were all spot on.
I’ve talked before about how one of my tests has long been piano - many DACs can make the leading edge of the transient of piano keys harsh, even metallic (I’ve compared it to replacing the felt hammers with metal ones.) The Varèse got them exactly right, the closest I’ve ever heard a recorded piano sound to a real piano when played from digital.
Soundstaging was wonderful, incredibly deep and all in all though every piece made every other piece in the demo sound good, the Varèse made it all worthwhile.
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