My Rossini and Clock have shipped

Agreed. I love the simplicity of the Bartok case. Especially (for me) in black. Just :ok_hand:

Doesn’t mean I won’t have a Vivaldi stack one day, though.

Or will the Vivaldi replacement be gorgeous and monolithic like the Bartok?!

1 Like

For the same budget, it is wiser to purchase a Vivaldi Clock and use it with the provided stock power cord !!!

3 Likes

Ok the Rossini is installed. The clock, however, is still sitting in the shipping box awaiting my attention. It takes decades of meditation to achieve the continuous delta state required to let the clock remain unopened. Fortunately this is a skill my mind has mastered. It’s possible I’ll never feel compelled to install the clock. However my dealer offered to stop by and properly setup my system. Can’t refuse that kindness.

3 Likes

Actually it’s good that you have been listening without the clock as when it is installed you will then have the opportunity to realise by experience why the advice is always " get the clock" . :grinning:.

2 Likes

Rossini been running 10 days now. Probably has 100 hours or so of tv & music. Sound quality is outstanding. If only I didn’t feel slightly compelled to abided by society’s rules, I’d listen nonstop. Damn society with her rules and basic human decency. Need a headphone amp ASAP.

Glad I opted to keep the clock unopened. It’s fun knowing that at any point I can turbocharge my system in an hour. This is uncharted territory in my years of hifi.

1 Like

Are all inputs improved by the addition of the clock? Seems like the optical input extracts the clock signal from the data. Does this mean the Rossini clock isn’t used with optical input?

Guess I made an assumption that the dac buffered the data stream and reclocked it regardless of source. Not a significant loss since the optical is connected to our television.

Source equipment must be locked to the same master clock as the DAC. If this source does not have a clock input (like a TV), then Audio Sync will be used, and not the clock.

1 Like

Erno I understand the synchronisation point that you are making drawn from the dCS user manual but I think it could be misinterpreted. Surely the reception of data by the DAC involves buffering ? And then, if you have a wordclock, the data timed out of the buffer would use that clock which offers increased stability over the inbuilt one, the latter being referenced to it? Not synchronisation of the two components but nevertheless still giving an advantage.

Although using Network and USB does not involve Audio Synch being asymmetric interfaces (where the DAC is timing the source’s output) again surely the more stable system clock would provide an advantage?

Otherwise, as so few home audio components offer BNC wordclock inputs, effectively only those using a dCS disc transport would derive any advantage from the external clock which I do not think is the case.

Pete, this is how I understand it:

Without a Master Clock:

  1. the system is set up to lock to the clock generated by the source (Audio sync Mode)

  2. or in Master Mode

a) for only asynchronous Network and USB1 or USB2 input. The DAC uses its own internal clock to control the internal DAC and regulate delivery of data packets. In this situation, the DAC is acting as the source device.

b) in Master Mode using the AES or SPDIF inputs, the DAC again uses its internal clock to control the DAC and outputs a clock signal at the Word Clock Output, and this one MUST be connected to the source’s word clock input. If the AES and SPDIF source cannot be clocked by the Master Clock, the synch is only through the audio signal of the source, i.e. the DAC extracts the clock from the data stream of the source.

With a Master Clock (Word Clock 1-2 Auto Mode):

  1. the system is set up to re-lock to the Master Clock (only asynchronous Network and USB1 or USB2 input)

  2. or, for AES and SPDIF, the system is set up to re-lock to the Master Clock only if the AES or SPDIF source is also locked to the same Master Clock. For the Rossini Master Clock, this can only be 1 source at the time, and only with 44.1kHz. The Vivaldi Clock has more outputs, also at 48kHz.

Again, if the AES and SPDIF source cannot be clocked by the Master Clock, the synch is only through the audio signal of the source, i.e. the DAC extracts the clock from the data stream of the source.

However the audio signal got clocked, the clocked bits are buffered in memory immediately prior to playback.

the difference is so great?

If you don’t mind, could you describe the differences in more detail?

The important bit as I understand it is that when a dCS system clock is used the internal clock of the DAC is referenced to it - a bit like using an external rubidium reference clock with the Vivaldi clock.

This means that not only is the system clock functional for synchronisation between components in the circumstances cited by you but it is otherwise in all circumstances providing a more stable reference to the internal DAC clock .

Correct. I have just re-read this:

I couldn’t say it any better than this:

The Bartók is the most expensive piece of gear to grace my audio rack. Late in the review period, I got to wondering: the Bartók must surely be far into the diminishing-returns region of the price-performance curve. How much better could its bigger brother, the Rossini, really be?

Any hopes I had that the Rossini’s advantage would be subtle and small were dashed within the first few seconds of the opening title track. Instead, my jaw dropped. Remember how I said comparisons were cruel? Well, the same Bartók I was praising for its dynamics and physicality earlier now sounded positively skeletal compared to the Rossini! The sheer realism of the instruments was eye-opening. Nowhere was this more evident than on the percussion. The level to which the Rossini conveyed the weight, the volume, and the texture of the djembe drums was remarkable. Later in the track, when the guitars kick in to create a veritable wall of sound, that wall was darn near impenetrable with the Rossini!

If you’ve ever heard a live cello, you know the weight and physicality the instrument conveys, the incredible detail and texture as the bow strokes the strings, and the satisfying bass of pizzicato notes. The Rossini came close to that live experience.

I was flabbergasted to hear the magnitude of improvement that still exists between the $15k Bartók and the $24k Rossini, and the fact that it was clearly audible in my system.

From: https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/dcs-bartok-review-r849/

1 Like

Thank you!

1 Like

I have Bartok and I still don’t try to compare it with Rossini or OMG Vivaldi. I know the outcome, but I still have no money for Rossini+ level.
But this does not prevent me from comparing my Bartok with DACs from other brands. Within reason, of course.

If you like your Bartok, just don’t compare it to dCS DACs in the lineup above.
And read this forum less :joy:

2 Likes

Well I switched to the optical input and the screen says it’s using W2. Thought it would fail to lock and mute. That’s my impression from the manual.

The manual says that if you lock the SPDIF (optical) input to a Master Clock, without locking the source to the same Master Clock, you will experience periodic clicks, dropouts, noises or distortion on the output.

The W2 icon indicates a video signal, or at least a 48kHz, is coming in.

Did you experience one of the anomalies described above?

At some point in August, my wife approached me and said “I saw you wrote a check for $x from the joint account to some ‘stereo place’. What is that about?” Luckily I had the foresight to redirect the conversation to mansplaining how Alibaba is incredibly undervalued, Wall Street doesn’t understand, and eventually I’ll be proven right. As supporting evidence I pointed out how I bought Amazon at $6. To which she replied “Yes and, if I recall correctly, you sold at $120. What’s it at now?”

Communicating relative value of hifi is impossible and I’m just more comfortable focusing on my personal failings as a market timer. In this way we both win. I am not put in a position requiring even considering if it actually is a legitimate value. While she can subtly suggest this is probably a terrible decision. Conversation ended with her saying “Okay just wanted to make sure it wasn’t, you know, a mistake or fraud.”

Last night it occurred to me that the large brown box with a dCS label sitting in the middle of the room for past two weeks would soon result in questions like “what is this”, “why is it here”, and ultimately “if it’s so important why haven’t you opened it?” Realizing Alibaba hit several new multi year lows on Friday, thought it best to open the clock and install it.

Installed the clock with one “audiophile” bnc cable for 44.1 and a “commercial grade” bnc for 48. Will at some point officially switch to “Auto Wordclock” sync mode.

No. It sounded fine. I guess the dac doesn’t know the source isn’t locked to the same clock so the W2 makes sense.