Hi Guys,
Im a newbie in this forum. Will be DCS family soon. My system is just mid range category consist of Focal Utopia Scala Evo lll, ARC ref6se, Bryston 14b3,
Clearaudio Innovation Compact, ARC ph9, ARC CD9, DCS Bartok 2.0 (on loan).
Denali 6000T, speaker cable and interconnects are all Inakustik. Power cords are mostly Shunyata and some are Inakustik.
22 Likes
Nice. How does ARC go with dCS?
You need a better turntable. 
The ARC and DCS is a perfect combo, more organic and immersive sound. The mids is out of this world. The vocals are close to the real thing. By the way i think is about time you upgarde those speakers 
I’m really looking forward to installing my ancient PH2 - which I’ll be flipping for a Phone 2 Ref SE. I suspect though it will be quite un-detailed compared to modern gear.
The Meridians DSP8000SE? Yes I’m working out when to do the XE Technology upgrade.
As for speakers in the dCS Rossini APEX and Clearaudio system, there aren’t any, just Stax up to X9K. But I need speakers and I am thinking about ATC pro actives, or perhaps some electrostatics. Or I don’t know what.
1 Like
Welcome Shamyl, just out of curiosity (I’m shopping for speakers right now) how would you describe the sound of your Focal Scalas?
Thank you
A.
Maybe you should try passive speakers for better separation. Less noise. What type of speakers will depend on what type of music, your room acoustics and what kind of sound you are looking for. And most importantly auditioning the speakers in your room if your dealer permits a demo.
Thank you Zapp,
Now about Focal speakers with berryllium tweeters many people say they are bright. Is a misconception. First and foremost using the right speaker cable and the right amplification is crucial. First rule is never to use silver speaker cables they will sound too bright with berrylium tweeters. Always use copper cables. Secondly to match with warm sounding amplification.
The first word i would say about the scala is perfectionist at this price range. Why? Is dynamic, transparent, emmersive, neutral and amazing bass. These are the things i would like in my system. For me what is important is the mids, the vocals are focus, organic life like natural as close as you can get to the artist. Big soundstage i mean massive, the space between instrument is precise. The bass wow! Fast, extended and weighty bass. These scalas are still new, only about 300 plus Hour. Full break in for scalas are 450 to 500hrs. Believe me is going to get better the more you play with it. Most magazine reviewers audition speakers at about only 100-200 hrs. Not enough to get full potential of most high end speakers. Back to the scalas, they are not meant for small rooms. Mid to large rooms would be just right. Im not really a good reviewer but this is what i hear from my own ears with my own system in my room. Also im using acoustic panels, diffussers and bass traps for the room. Note that the distortion in your room is usually not your system but is the room acoustics and inconsistent electric/current supply. I believe in room treatment and good power conditiner through my experience.These comments will vary with different equipment and room. You have to listen/demo to the scalas yourself with your own system and room if possible.
I was auditioning the Wilson Sasha, Wilson Alexia ll, Estelon XB diamond and Focal Utopia Scala Evo lll. All at similar price and some more expensive. I was amazed on how the scalas superceded all the above in terms vocals imaging. The midrange of the scalas are the ‘flower power’. After few weeks of auditioning these amazing speakers i chose the scalas. Now this is my opinion, other people might think otherwise. As they say to all its own. At the end of the day it all bold down to your own opinion and taste. By the way i listen to Jazz, Blues, RNB, slow rock, orchestra, classics, sopranos, electronics etc. You can play the scalas with variety of music except for heavy, thrash and black metal. Which i dont listen to but was curious how is sound like and sounded harsh and edgy on the scalas. Hope this will give you some sense on how the scalas would sound like.
1 Like
I have Sopra 3’s and agree with all of your observations
1 Like
I have a VTL TL6.5 Series II Pre on the way. Like a kid before Christmas, I can barely sleep in anticipation.
6 Likes
Here is the other system. We just moved in hence no art or colour yet.
Meridian DSP8000SE - original
(left rack, top to bottom)
Stax SRM717 - modified by Spritzer
Meridian 818v3
Nakamichi Dragon
(right rack, top to bottom)
WLAN Mesh thingy
dCS Network Bridge (into Meridian 818v3 by SPDIF)
Panasonic 4k BD player (EU zones)
Oppo (US zones)
Meridian HD621 (extracts PCM from HDMI and sends to 818v3)
Hidden away is an RPi running Danny’s Meridian Roon Extension, so even with the dCS NWB as the source, I can control the 818 volume etc in Roon as if it were part of the NWB.
The sound of dCS NWB - 818v3 - 8kSE is wonderful: transparent, full range, acoustically accurate with no b.s. - but not on the level of my Rossini DAC/Clock with Mjölnir KGST and Stax SR-X9K/SR-007. I’m happy and very lucky to have both.
10 Likes
@ludwig Nice! 
I’m thinking ahead towards what will likely be DSP8000XE’s replacing my DSP7200SE’s and had been wondering whether my 818v3 would be better replaced with a dCS Network Bridge with SPDIF into the speakers, but I see you’re using the two in series. Is there a reason you’ve kept the 818 in the mix?
Yes indeed.
- I was told by one of the engineers who designed this stuff that the 818v3 did “DAC management” in conjunction with the speakers. If I understood right, and if this is true, I want it.
- Bob Stuart once said that the only thing better than an 818v3 as a source for DSP speakers would be two 818v3s in series. Using a dCS Network Bridge into a single 818v3 is the same idea.
- Going from dCS NWB straight into 8kXEs would mean losing the ability to play 176/192/DSD64 (afaik). I hear a difference between those and standard resolution and want that.
- I need the source switching. Or rather my kids do.
- Finally, it sounds better than the 818v3 with either the ID41 or 210 so I assumed it would get worse if the 818v3 were not there.
Thanks for such a helpful, comprehensive answer
Having gone from a MC200 to an 818v2 and then upgrading to the 818v3, I can believe there is a synergy with their equipment that goes beyond the spec sheet
Except that, your way, you can add a reference clock into the mix
I thought Meridian DSP’s were limited to 96K, unless being fed by MQA content? The XE’s may be different, but I didn’t think to ask when I was there!
I moved my system into a controlled environment (my study) to get around three-year old kiddie fingers prodding!!
My experience has been that high-end filtering on the ID41 ethernet interface makes the world a better place, so I completely believe this
You’re going to really love it!!
The last Pre-amp I owned in my main system, before deciding to go dCS-to-Amp direct, was a VTL TL7.5. Incredibly transparent and dynamic.
One suggestion I might make is to get yourself a good NOS pair of 12AU7s like the Telefunken ECC802S Tubes (the Diamond logo bottomed ones). A genuine pair will set you back maybe $1,500 or so. If you can’t get a hold of genuine NOS Telefunken 802s, then a pair of Psvane 12AU7-Ts at about a 10th of that price are very close. Both are well worth it and in my opinion far better than the stock tubes that comes from VTL.
Enjoy! 
1 Like
Thanks for the tube advice. I think I’ll always have at least tubes in a Pre. I love being able to tweak the sound of my system with a simple tube swap.
After I bought the VTL, like an idiot before I looked in my stash to see that I had a pair of Mullard Medical Grade 12AU7 red tip long plates, I bought a pair of Telefunken medical grade yellow tips 12AU7/ECC82 and a pair of Siemens Germany 12AU7/ECC82 nickel plates. Sometimes I need to remember to look before I leap. At least I have some new toys.
1 Like
Interesting, so Psvane’s 12AU7’s are good?
I haven’t tried Psvane’s in any of my gear, but the price is right. I may pick up a pair and listen to them over a weekend. You never know.
For most of these I tend to go NOS. Telefunkens are not trivial to find in good shape and matched.
I agree. A lot of my favs are hard to find. I am headed to India for a work trip soon. One of my staff there is scouting out tube stores there. Rumor has it he’s found a reputable dealer with a calibrated (gasp) tube tester.
Yeah, they’re surprisingly good for modern manufactured tubes. I’ve tried their 12AU7s, 12AX7s, and 805 (used in Wavac Amps)
The VTLs are so transparent that you’ll very easily hear the difference from every tube-roll.
I had the original Series-1 TL7.5 which was spec’ed with 12AX7s and didn’t have an internal Gain switch (but could take 12AU7s to lower gain). The current Series-III seems designed for the 12AU7s instead but with an internal Gain switch, but I suspect it’ll still take 12AX7s without any problems.
With 12AX7s you’ll hear more tube rush for sure because of the higher gain, but it sounds like “analog dither” thats quite distinct in the background away from vocals & instruments. It’ll lets you hear deeper into the music, while the overall dynamics and punch are off the charts
That said, I’m not sure if the TL6.5 can take 12AX7s, and a genuine NOS 12AX7 pair of Telefunken ECC803S (gold pins/diamond bottom) are even more expensive than the 802s, closer to $2,000, but they’re incredible if you can get genuine ones. If you’re feeling adventurous, maybe check with Luke or Bea @ VTL (they’re very email friendly), and give a 12AX7 pair a spin as well.
By the way, when tube-rolling, don’t to touch/move those green wires running through the unit. If you do, even slightly, from their installed position, the unit might hum (it did with the 7.5).
2 Likes