In a few weeks (23 November) my local US Dealer is hosting Emron Mangelson and the new Varese. At this invitation only event, they will be doing a direct comparison of Vivaldi vs Varese. I am truly looking forward to this opportunity, not only to hear Varese but to see how it compares to the prior t…

[image] naperaudio: So, I had my opportunity to hear the new Varese first hand (with David Stevens flying in for the US launch). They A/B’d the Vivaldi Apex 3 box stack vs the Varese 5 box stack. The audible difference/improvement was immediately apparent. Everything had more depth, tonality and…

[image] anon99318867: I completely agree with your take — “evolutionary” rather than “revolutionary” sums it up perfectly. Sometimes these upgrades bring more refinement than transformation, especially when you’re already comparing two top-tier setups. Still, it’s fascinating how the improvemen…

[image] anon99318867: For people who can afford it, it’s probably about chasing that final few percent of perfection, the kind that makes listening feel more real than ever. True for some. However many owners will not be very interested in performance. They are interested in its price as the …

Interesting points Pete, but not consistent with my experience. The Varèse customers and prospects I have met are admittedly only a small portion of the global total, but while many of them have other telltale signs of wealth (the watches, the cars, the collections, etc) I have yet to meet one who …

[image] AndrewS: with complete incredulity and even mild contempt I expect most of us on this forum at least occasionally look at high end audio in that way! The who and the why of high end purchases is a fascinating topic, but where would one get the data? By asking dealers and distributors …

[image] Simon_C: It’s curious there seem to be few from the far east, which is surely a big market. I wonder why that is. I suspect it’s largely a language thing. For example at the Guanghzhou show last year I only had two customers come up and ask me questions the whole three days. All our…

I see. I tend to forget the language barrier, being an academic. (Basically everyone in that group is likely to be able to speak English.) My own breakdown of visitors to a show, and specifically those who would spend time in an exhibitor’s room, would be: (1) idle curiosity (might not sit down); (2…

“The Varèse customers and prospects I have met are admittedly only a small portion of the global total, but while many of them have other telltale signs of wealth (the watches, the cars, the collections, etc) I have yet to meet one who isn’t a hardcore audiophile and/or musicophile.” Andrew, I thin…

One of my realizations since joining dCS is how much of a generational hobby this is. My father was part of the first generation and I am part of the second. Will there even be a third? As such I believe hobbyists probably represent a shrinking market and one of the challenges for the industry in…

Andrew, I fear you are right. Nothing I see or hear when I visit a dealer suggests otherwise. But aren’t dCS and other high end companies in a situation of their own making? Very high prices restrict purchasers to either the dedicated few (for whom the prices are still a stretch) or the merely wealt…

Varese vs Vivaldi

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PAR (Pete ) October 12, 2025, 10:08pm 125

Here is my new thread which may hopefully allow this to return to Varese v, Vivaldi.