Showing (off) your dCS setup - description and photos

I am the most vociferous here about not having hi-fi altars between speakers. However we all have to compromise with our spaces and if you can get the equipment racked within the lower third of the speaker height that is a decent compromise.

Having said that if ( with complete sense :grinning:) you do go for a Vivaldi short stack - I assume you mean sans silver disc transport - the boxes do need to be on individual shelves as it tells you in the user manuals.

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For sure, @PAR — the current cheapo racks (with some add-ons) are actually far better than I expected, but they are no more than temporary homes.

When my kit heads from California back to New Zealand I’ll be building some racks myself, and vanishing up my own jacksie in isolation research as I do so.

In the meantime life isn’t so bad…even with a Bartók :wink:

JC! That’s what I call a system :+1:
How are you finding the dCS/Naim combination? I have a 282/300Dr, which eagerly awaits a Bartók. Hopefully, in about four weeks time. :crossed_fingers:

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I am purchasing a Vivaldi clock today; I’ll work out placement options while awaiting its arrival.

Christmas is just around the corner. My GF offered to buy the clock for me if I gave her the $ for it. She is a sweetheart.

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Works very well together, did try the rossini direct into the 500dr, but preit with the 552dr pre amp.
Very fast, detailed, 3d, wide sounding, simply stunning when it gets fed a good quality recording, poor recording unfortunately sound crap, and since having this system, some stuff that i listed too before, now i can’t stand it, due to its poor quality.

Plus i have managed to get my melco centered on the fraim now, which looks better, and still kept the fraim intact, without drilling the rear leg, etc.

UPDATE well swapped the N1ZS/20, for a new black N10, found it suited the rossini better, as its more open and bit more forward than the smooth and organic sounding N1, plus being smaller in depth it fits on the fraim without any modifications, which is also a bonus.

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You do that, too, eh? :wink:

Greg,

Guilty as charged; she does benefit as well since her stereo is comprised entirely of stuff I’ve replaced over the years.

I have a plan for integrating the clock into the rack now. At present, the upsampler is on the second shelf, on a maple platform. I’ll ditch the platform and put the clock beneath the upsampler - dCS advised me to put the clock on the bottom and they ain’t steered me wrong yet.

The second shelf has 13 inches of clearance. The clock and upsampler are each 5 inches tall. I have some really nice Terrastone Pure Stone Cylinders that are 1 inch tall that I’ll use under the clock and between the clock and the upsampler, so the total stack height will be 12 inches. The back of the rack is open, so I’m not worried about 1 inch of clearance between the top of the upsampler and the top shelf.

The TPSCs came from Eden Sound, a cool company in my home state of VT. They also make platforms (there is one under the DAC) and other isolation gizmos. I’m kinda agnostic on the component isolation issue—I’ve never heard too much of difference with or without, but what the heck, why not try it, can’t hurt.

I also bought a pair of Valhalla 1 BNC cables with the clock, and I’ll use a Stealth Octava BNC and a Stealth Varidig BNC for the other connections.

Life is good.

Slainte,

Mitch

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If I give the $ of a dCS clock to my GF she would buy anything on earth but a dCS clock :joy:

Yours is a super sweetheart :wink:

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Are you swapping out the Bartók for the Vivaldi?

I like those units. :+1: Are the one’s supporting the monoblocks, the same make as the one with the rest of the system?

Poor Ben, there are already Greg and Pete stressing him to buy a Vivaldi and now you add your name on this list :rofl:
We shall see how long he keep his Bartok ?

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:rofl: It’s like wine with dinner.
Her: Should i have another glass?
Me: [while pouring another glass] You’re asking me?

At least I’m not pushing a second clock . . …

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Considering it, yes. I started (this happens to all of us at some stage :slight_smile:) by thinking about a Rossini clock, then wondered about a Vivaldi stack once I heard how good the system sounded sans preamp. That then turned into me considering a Vivaldi clock as a stepping stone…

Me: “Should I have a Rossini clock or a Vivaldi clock with dinner?”
Greg, Pete, Others: “You’re asking us?”

Probably, if I’m completely honest with myself, the thing that would tip it would be someone selling a Vivaldi DAC, Clock and Upsampler as a bundle because they’ve either gone deaf or found greater madness. I can’t justify — not honestly, anyway — spending that kind of cashish new.

Especially when you know that the supports I’m using are IKEA Lack tables at $5 a piece, carefully augmented with some rubbery things from Herbies Audio Lab…

It’s a champagne and hot dogs dinner :smiley:

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Hey, Herbies are pretty good, and real value for the money!

About that used Vivaldi . . … The truth is out there. :wink:

ChrisK,

Yep, a keeper for sure,

Cheers,

Mitch

A bit of a dilemma Ben, with Rossini/Vivaldi…unless of course, you’re totally minted! :smiley:

I have heard of people cutting the legs off Ikea coffee tables before, but yours are so good, they fooled me! Don’t think I could justify a ‘Naim Fraim’ at £850 for a single shelf module. (I’d need five) I’ve had my five shelf ‘Target’ rack since 1990. It’s built like a brick ****house, and just refuses to die. Back in the day, it was top of the range.

I eagerly await my Bartók, with still about another four weeks until it arrives. I am a tad nervous though, as there are a couple of threads running, re switching on by it self, and issues with the playback of some DSD files. Have you experienced any of those issues?

Thanks

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Hi David, I’m one of those with the DSD issue - please don’t let it make you nervous, the Bartok is fantastic, Mosiac generally works flawlessly (every streamer/network device is bound to experience the odd glitch, goes with the technology IMO), and the DSD issue is relatively minor and I’m sure will be fixed at some point.

I have ZERO regrets moving from my PSAudio Directstream to the Bartok…other than wishing I could afford a Rossini…

Cheers, Mike.

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Thank you Mike for the reassurance. You are correct, every streamer/network device can, and does have issues. I have had first hand knowledge of that with another make, which is why I was a tad concerned.

At the moment I have a dCS Network Bridge on loan, until my Bartók arrives. The Bridge works flawlessly with my Roon Nucleus, and the Mosaic app is rock solid.

Funnily enough, I did look at the PSAudio. But thanks to you lot on here, :smiley: and the loan of the Bridge, convinced me that the Bartók was the way to go! :+1:

Regards

David

There are a number of folks here with experience with the PS Audio DirectStream DAC. I am one. To me, it is an amazing value for its capabilities. And I like PSA’s approach to high fidelity. And I really like Ted Smith. When it came time to move up from the DS, Bartok is what I first auditioned. Vivaldi is what I bought.

Yes, Ted Smith is amazing - a very rare and special person who is clearly a genius at what he does but is able (and takes the time) to explain it to mere mortals like me without any b******t or hint of arrogance.

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The Bartok only switches itself back on when you turn it off and the Mosaic app has also lost connectivity. When the Mosaic app regains connectivity, it turns the Bartok back on again. Solution is to close the app and turn off the Bartok as well. Or make sure the App hasnt lost connectivity when you shut down the Bartok.

At least this is what i have noticed with mine.

I have one album (24/96 i think) that just takes forever tos tart playing and doesn’t like you changing tracks. Its has like 1minute+ lag. This is London Grammar’s latest album on high res.

No other album i own does this.

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