Hi, I want to seek your comment with the USB connection performance on Vivaldi APEX DAC as I plan to only buy the Vivaldi APEX DAC alone (one piece) for connecting with a CD transport and a Streamer server. Many thanks
very good point…looking forward for an answer too 
The USB input on Vivaldi Apex is as good as you will find.It is asynchronous and handles all common PCM sample rates up to 384 KS/s and DSD via DoP to DSD128.
I assume that your CD player will not feature USB output but coax and/or AES/EBU. There are a couple of new Chinese transports that do have USB though I understand. It is preferable that both Vicvaldi DAC and the CD transport share the same clock reference. This requires a BNC wordclock input on the transport ( Vivaldi DAC has a suitable wBNC ordclock output for this purpose). However outside of dCS and a few other machines this input is rare. If you do not have the transport yet of interest may be this which appears to have the facility:
Of course the result of using USB depends upon the third party streamer and the USB cable , the latter brand offering quite variable results subjectively. I have quite a bit of experience with the combination from earlier years and pre-Apex and would expect good sound though not quite as extraordinary as a full Vivaldi rig.
As you seem to be serious about this potential purchase I am including a link to the user manual. This may help you explore the unit on paper and check if it is what you want:
https://dcsaudio.zendesk.com/hc/en-gb/article_attachments/360026513499
Pete,
Rossini’s internal streaming engine is far superior vs USB input (at least what I tested). What do you think regarding Vivaldi?
This lies outside if the subject of this thread which is only about Vivaldi DAC. Vivaldi DAC has no streaming facility. The OP has made it clear :
As I mentioned earlier , the full Vivaldi rig is extraordinary and that view includes the Vivaldi YUpsampler’s streaming. However just plugging it into a router amay not exploit its full capabilities which is why I ( and several others) feed it via audiophile NAS units.
I will be only taking the Vivaldi APEX DAC and connected to my CD player via AES and Streamer Dac via USB. No money/space/cabling to invest into other Vivaldi Upsampler, Clock or SACD transport. Contemplating Vivaldi APEX DAC and CH Precision C1.2… thoughts?
I assume that you mean as alternatives as they are both DAC streamers. I cannot offer any opinion on the comparison as I try to only write about things that I have experience of or where there may be e.g. clear technical incompatibility. I have never even seen a CH product. They have a great reputation but, then again, so does dCS.
Purchased an ex-demo Vivaldi Apex at irresistible price some time ago. No surprise that my then used PS Audio Direcstream dac was completely blown away by the Vivaldi using USB from my upgraded Melco N1ZS10.
Although quite satisfied, stumbling upon an Aurender W20SE at very attractive price I could not resist. The Aurender immediately delivered a significant improvement in sound quality.
In addition to USB the Aurender is equipped with dual AES/EBU out and wordclock in, which can be used with Vivaldi’s wordclock out (without need for the USB dongle). In attemp to get the most out of the Vivaldi in my setup I purchased two AES/EBU (quality equivalent to my USB) and a BNC wordclock cable shortly after.
A revelation! This move turned out to deliver sound quality I’ve always been looking for. Depending on mood and genre I may or may not use wordclock synchronization. Both options do sound excellent and switching forth and back is easy peasy.
Never looked back to USB…
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I can certainly believe Rob. However it does depend on :
One thing that I have posted before is that embarking on buying Vivaldi as a single item becomes a very expensive pursuit. Vivaldi is a system, not a really a stand alone DAC and owners will probably find that they want at least two of the additional boxes eventually. If that looks to be a step too far Rossini may be a preferable choice.
Hi Pete,
I am quite aware the Vivaldi Apex dac is ‘only’ part of a system. However, it’s the nice discount that pulled me over the line and I have absolutely not regretted my approach for a single moment.
SQ-wise I seriously doubt the Rossini would have led to better results.
Thanks Rob. However you already have your system and my comment was meant for the OP. My apologies if I was confusing.
Hi Rob, no doubt Vivaldi is much better than Rossini. So you only got one Vivaldi box?
Guess that’s what most folks here are interested in.
Is a Rossini with internal streaming better vs a native Vivaldi attached to some streamer via USB.
And I never suggested that it would. I said:
Yep, only the Vivaldi Apex Dac.
That is not a question that can be answered without any identification of the streamer and ( from experience) the USB cable. Some here prefer certain streamers, some not.
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…IMHO native Vivaldi attached to a good streamer via AES/EBU would be winner
guess you’re right Rob- and AES/EBU is the key here…(but it’s just my gut feeling here)
Pete
I assume you are referring to the playback of ripped files and not the employment of audiophile units for streaming from online services ie Qobuz and Tidal?
Streams from Qobuz and internet radio are noticeably improved too. Don’t ask me why. I have no idea.