Yes, I auditioned the Sigma (not the Omega) but, to my ears, the Alpha v2 represented the best ‘bang for the buck’ in my system…
I think technology-wise upsampler in Vivaldi Transport and the Vivaldi Upsampler is the same.
What makes the difference is having a separate power supply, dedicated hardware in a separate enclosure in the Vivaldi Upsampler. So, theoretically, it should/can sound better.
Regards,
Sourav
I haven’t tried the upsampler, but for me the setting on the Vivaldi transport shutting all 44.1 outputs (AES3 and S/PDIF) off when upsampling does sound better.
And also I prefer DXD to DSD upsampling.
Whenever I will get an upsampler it would be primarily for streaming, but of course I would try out the differences vs upsampling on the transport.
I’ve been evaluating the Aurender W20SE with my Vivaldi stack using dual AES/EBU input to DAC. But this interferes with the recommended wiring for the full stack.
I’ve been very happy with the full stack and particularly the Vivaldi Upsampler for what it does for CDs and Qobuz.
I am hoping to find the best option for a music server that utilizes USB input to the Upsampler so my library of local music can benefit from the Upsampler.
What are the current best options?
I’m still considering Aurender (W20SE, N20, N30SA) via USB. Also considering Taiko Extreme and Melco. N1.
Hoping to find an option that is on par with the Vivaldi and also hopefully reasonably user friendly and solid/ reliable.
Recommendations / experiences in this area would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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I’m using Aurender W20SE combined with a Vivaldi Apex DAC, No hiccup whatsoever, simple setup (no dongle needed), love it:
Setup with full Vivaldi stack should be like this:
…this:
…or this:
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Thanks, Rob! Simply connecting the W20SE and Vivaldi DAC via dual AES/EBU may be what I do in the end. I was hoping to find a way to utilize the Vivaldi Upsampler and Clock cabling / sync in order to get the full benefit from the Vivaldi 4 box system. But you’re right that this might be the most straightforward solution to still get the benefit of AES/EBU input, which I believe is the preferred way to dCS components. Appreciate your input.
Every time I see those colored lines I start to get nervous for my wallet 
This is why I still have single box Rossini (!)
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Yes, indeed. Good quality cabling based on full stack recommendation can exceed the cost of any individual component. You made a wise choice.
@jdrav I’m in the same boat as you are.
I own a dCS Vivaldi full stack and I would like to have a better server (currently use Roon Nucleus), streamer and a better app.
I’m currently demoing the Aurender N20 connected to the dCS via USB cable (Crystal Cables) and the famous dongle and I can tell you that, after a first “wow” moment, I’ve A-B tested this system vs. the dCS Upsampler playing a same track over and over, and concluded that the “dry” dCS upsampler was better in terms of transparency and dynamics.
I’ve talked to my dealer and he said that we should try with the AES-EBU connection but I’m not sure that I understand if I will lose something with the dCS Transport.
Does anyone have experience adding a server/streamer to a dCS Vivaldi full stack? My goal is to improve SQ in streaming / hires files playback while having a more user-friendly experience with the app (don’t like Mosaic). Might as well be that I’ll stay with the dCS Vivaldi upsampler.
Thanks.
/f.
Thank you, Franco. You have summed up the problem well.
I have now done some cable swapping in my system (full Vivaldi stack, Aurender W20 SE. Synergistic Research SRX) and it has made clear the following points (at least to my ears):
- W20SE to Vivaldi DAC via dual AES/ EBU using Aurender upsampling is inferior to single cable (AES/EBU or S/PDIF) from Aurender to the Vivaldi upsampler in transparency and dynamics.
- The AES/EBU has a slight edge versus the S/PDIF connection.
Overall impression is that the Vivaldi upsampler is adding a lot and is a pretty magical component.
Now the bad news (at least for me) is that to utilize the best connection from the Aurender to the Vivaldi stack uses the same input (single AES/EBU on the Upsampler) as the one required from the Vivaldi transport to the best out of my standard CDs. So I will need to swap connections when switching between cd and stored digital music.
I would be interested to hear your experience if you follow up on the dealer’s advice to try AES/EBU on the N20.
Now Ihe only thing I have to resolve is if a the Aurender N20 or N30SA would sound better in my system versus the W20SE. I thought the dual AES/EBU connection of the W20SE would deliver the best sound. But now that I’ll be using single AES/EBU to the upsampler maybe the N20 or N30SA would provide even greater dynamics.
Best, Jay
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What do you mean single AES-EBU connection vs dual connection? Have you also tried USB?
Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I don’t have a high end USB cable. So I couldn’t make a fair comparison to USB.
From everything I’ve read, the preferred connection for dCS components is AES/EBU and for Aurender USB. I’m guessing that Aurender probably introduced the W20SE to appease dCS owners. If anyone has heard otherwise I’d be interested to know.
Thanks!
Franco, may I ask if you like the Aurender N20?
I’ve read that the W20SE has more ‘finesse’ (whatever that means) versus the N20 or N30SA. And that the N 20 and N30SA have more dynamics and ‘punch’. I’m guessing that means more solid bass more holographic imaging. It’s been suggested that is a result of the power cable (in N series) vs battery (in W series).
Forgive me for raising this again, as I know this has been discussed many times before, but if anyone has done direct comparison of the Aurender W20SE vs N30SA or the N20 I would be very grateful for any input.
Thanks!
Hi Jay. Unfortunately, I’ve never heard the W20SE.
I’ve only heard the N20, which is currently connected to my dcs Vivaldi via a USB cable (Crystal Cables) and the dongle.
As I said in my previous post, I’ve been able to A-B test it vs. the dCS Upsampler and I’ve concluded that the “dry” dCS streamer/upsampler (streaming music from Qobuz as well as playing hires files stored in my Roon Nucleus) was superior both in terms of transparency and dynamics. So, as things currently stand, I am NOT happy with the N20 in this configuration.
I’ve now waiting to try it with the AES-EBU connection but I don’t want to diminish SQ or easiness of use of my Vivaldi Transport since I still listen to CDs and SACDs.
Thanks,
Franco
I have a dCS Rossini CD/SACD Transport and 3 Vivaldi boxes (Upsampler +, Clock and APEX DAC) and went from Valhalla 2 AES-EBU’s to 2 Nordost Odin 2 digital AES/EBU Cables (110 ohm 1.25M) and the difference between them was night and day. The Odin 2’s micro dynamics and blackness of the backgrounds presented the realist reproduction of an original presentation I’ve heard. Regarding clock cables, I’m happy with the initial purchase years ago made w/Nordost Valhalla 1 Digital BNC/BNC (75-ohm Clock Cables, 1.25M).
My dealer is proposing to connect the Aurender via AES-EBU. Doing this would mean that playback of redbook cds from the dCS Vivaldi Transport would not benefit of the upsampling made by the dCS Vivaldi Upsampler. I’ll listen and compare. Any experiences/thoughts in the meantime? Thanks.
I am assuming that you want both transport and Aurender output upsampled. With Auernder connected to Upsampler’s AES/EBU input you connect Transport to Upsampler using S/Pdif. You can then upsample both.You simply select the input that you want to use at the time from the front panel or remote. BTW there is very little practical difference between AES/EBU or S/P dif inputs for 16/44.1 inputs (CD) in typical domestic circumstances. Both are iterations of AES3 protocol. This is , however, subject to the interface cables being comparable.
This is the comparison I tried yesterday. The AES//EBU from my Aurender W20SE to the Upsampler versus the S/PDIF from Aurender to the Upsampler. I had a very slight preference for the AES /EBU (seemed to have just a shade more definition) but both are really wonderful. What I found may be result of different cable lengths … my AES//EBU is 1.5 m, the S/PDIF I used is 1 m. If the Upsampler had 2 single AES/EBU inputs I would very very happy. As it is, I will contact my dealer to see if I can borrow a 1.5 m S/PDIF. If that still falls short of the AES /EBU performance I will move the AES/ EBU cable from the Transport to the Aurender and back depending what I am listening to. A bit of a hassle, but as I said the Upsampler, especially using the AES/EBU input is magical (and I was a skeptic before purchasing).
Pete, I just re-read your comments. Thank you! If it is desired to run both the Vivaldi Transport and an Aurender through the Upsampler it sounds like the Transport should use S/Pdif and the Aurender use AES/EBU for best results. Is that correct?
Note that my answer was to Franco where his dealer was already proposing that configuration.
There is no absolute answer to this. In practice there are too many variables with real components and source material. Just choose which you prefer.
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