A superb review of the dCS Rossini APEX by Mono&Stereo.
I’m really looking forward to the update.
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Received the Rossini APEX on Sunday and am listening to it now with 50 hours of break-in. I will have more detailed thoughts but this is a revelation. It’s significantly better in every way.
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Nice. I’m still waiting for my dealer to alert me to bring my Vivaldi in for them to ship to Waltham. I get the impression there’s a bit of a bottleneck in the upgrade process. Maybe it’s due to the sheer number of DACs in the queue, across the U.S. going back dCS Americas. I only know I am in the 2nd wave leaving my dealer. I feel a bit like a surfer awaiting the next set.
Yes, a very positive review by Mono & Stereo, but I have to wonder:
"Yet… I never thought I’d get enticed to dig out my CDs and SACDs and take them for a spin. It turned out that what the Rossini APEX Player can do and derive from the Redbook/SACD format was not only encouraging but a fascinating discovery.
The familiar albums I own on both CD and SACDs were, even more than expected, uplifted with analog qualities when compared to my records and copies of master tapes."
… the Rossini player, unlike the separate transport, doesn’t actually play SACDs. So the reviewer’s claim might be described as “somewhat exaggerated” to put it mildly.
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I wonder how they can allow such faux pas. It takes away entire credibility out of the review.
Regards,
Sourav
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Looks like it was corrected; it now reads:
Yet… I never thought I’d get enticed to dig out my CDs and take them for a spin. It turned out that what the Rossini APEX Player can do and derive from the Redbook format was not only encouraging but a fascinating discovery.
Finally received the call from my dealer on Friday that I can drop my Vivaldi off to be sent in for the APEX upgrade. I decided to pack it up this afternoon and will drop it off Tuesday. Now I either have to listen to vinyl in my 2-channel room or use the whole house set-up 'till I get it back. I really don’t enjoy hassling with vinyl. 
Same here. Got an email from Jae at Music Lovers. Dropped the Vivaldi off on Friday. I hooked up my idle Schitt Yggdrasil. Just have to watch out attempting to play any DSD (I don’t want to mess around with Roon settings to downscale or otherwise alter what the Upsampler is dealing with.
The result is a narrower soundstage and other sonic limitations. But it’s not in the same league.
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How long is the current wait for the APEX upgrade? My dealer will have me mail the Rossini to Boston for the upgrade.
My understanding, and it’s from as much as I’ve gleaned in speaking with dealers and what we’ve read, is that the process is a single queue. Requests worldwide get there from a growing list. What’s unclear is what dCS in the UK does with it. Likely for each of the separate products, their manufacture of the needed boards are driven by customer demand. Assuming no supply constraints, they attempt to fill demand and send out the boards and associated rear unit replacements to various country distribution/upgrade locations. My assumption is these latter sites then either perform the upgrades or otherwise allocate the “kits” on the basis of what they’ve received. Totally unknown where the “choke point” would be in this process. And it may well vary over time. I’m hearing that new requests for upgrades are a few months out. But that’s just a few dealers guesses. Nothing more. The only aspect I know from personal experience is that customers are not alerted until there unit is scheduled for servicing. Think the deli counter at your supermarket. Your ticket is called. So,finally you can have your order fulfilled. Hope that helps.
I assume that anyone just now getting into the queue is going to have to wait a bit to get their unit updated. One of the first things my dealer asked was to confirm the serial number of my unit so that dCS could manufacture a new rear plate showing my serial number with the APEX logo on it. dCS would then have to provide those plates to either the service center or to those dealers who are performing the update in house.
Initially my dealer was gong to perform the updates in-house before it was confirmed dCS wanted special digital grounding devices used when performing the updates.
My dealer in Berkeley was offered the same option but felt it best that this all be done back East. I’d forgotten about the serial number aspect. This, along with the APEX logo will be the only visual cue we’ll have to identify the change. And more importantly the sonic cues 
The APEX board is the same across products - Rossini and Vivaldi use the same board. The Bartok board is slightly different, I understand, because of the headphone amp component. The only difference between the Rossini and Vivaldi upgrades seems to be the back plate where it says it is an APEX version.
The serial number is in a separate plate, right below the power cord, not the plate where the APEX product logo is shown (which is the plate around the inputs/outputs). This serial number plate it not replaced.
Thanks. Doing a bit of research I found:
How does the upgrade process work?
Once you have ordered an upgrade, you will receive a scheduled date for the upgrade to be performed. Adhering to a schedule allows dCS and our upgrade partners to minimise the length of time you are without your system.
On the specified date, your component will be shipped either to our headquarters in Cambridgeshire, England, or to one of our trusted service partners in the US and Asia, where it will be upgraded under strict conditions. All upgrades will be carried out to the highest standards by qualified personnel with extensive experience dealing in complex electronics, and assembling / disassembling dCS systems. Once upgraded, your new APEX unit will be thoroughly tested and returned to you.
From https://dcsaudio.com/edit/apex-your-questions-answered
Did not exactly work out this way…
My dealer just picked up my Rossini for the APEX upgrade. In Boston by Thursday, do the upgrade and back by middle of next week. Looking forward to hearing this in person.
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I’m actually glad.
Given the way shippers are today, I can’t imagine how many DACs would have been damaged, destroyed or lost going from dealers to dCS service locations and back, and how much of a headache it would have been for the insurance process to have been followed - and then what?
If you take your six year-old Rossini in to your dealer to be updated, and say FedEx loses it or damages it on its way to or from the repair depot, there will be insurance on it, sure, but then what? You’re out a DAC, and dCS isn’t just going to hand you a brand new Rossini APEX for your trouble.
Your dealer could just insure for replacement cost, but that makes shipping cost around $400 each way, and adding an additional $800 to the cost of the upgrade wouldn’t make anyone happy.
Granted, that’s what needs to happen now for warranty service, but still.
Finally given in and booked mine in for upgrade.
I am in the UK and will be going back to dCS for it and a full check over.
Apparently dCS is waiting for parts and so the Apex upgrade is on hold right now, so looking at October time, but i can wait, no problem, plus it will be a nice birthday present to myself.
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Frankly, that’s what it is. I have had $30k turntables, $30k DACs, etc shipped to me and back. Had 500 lbs worth of speakers shipped from Germany. We need to stop freaking out about these things - there is no other option and sh*t sometimes happens but it is rare.
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In terms of the APEX boards themselves, my understanding is they are all identical. It is possible that they are serial-numbered and dCS is, I am told, very careful about the provenance of product. So for example they will have a record that your serial number DAC has been upgraded to the APEX version, and possibly what serial number APEX board was used in the upgrade (if the boards have a serial number at all). Other than that and the options for a back panel lettering (Rossini DAC, Rossini Player, Vivaldi DAC, Vivaldi One) I don’t think there is any tayloring whatsoever to your unit.
I wonder what lead time people have experienced here. I was told the first batch of boards were all but gone and a new batch is coming in September?
Well it looks like my Rossini is off for the upgrade. I have no other DAC in the meanwhile so I may have to go watch that ‘Stranger Things’.