As a relative new boy to dCS, but as a long time Naim user, I’m kind of used to things needing servicing from time to time - be it capacitors needing replacing, or things occasionally going wrong (anybody else have their Naim units go pink in the sun??) …I also have Accuphase - and they NEVER go wrong!
My Rossini is of an age (2017 originally - although updated to APEX a couple of years ago) so wondering if
there are any regular failing things on dCS? …any watch outs? …don’t believe there are any serviceable parts - but happy to be told otherwise.
It is understood that the clocks (the standalone ones) need servicing periodically, but probably not until after 9 or 10 years and possibly much longer depending on use. I think this has been discussed on the Forum before. The other items that come up - in fact the only ones I can remember - are occasional failures of older generations of equipment: sometimes the electronics, but more commonly the disc drives. And the lasers in all generations of transport don’t last forever. There will be others on the Forum who can probably address this particular point. Finally, no, dCS don’t like us mucking about inside the units! I think the only thing we can change is the fuse, which is on the outside of course, and even then they warn against the use of the various ‘magic’ fuses that are out there for sale in audiophile land.
PS: I was a Naim owner decades ago (72/Hi-cap/180). Which bit goes pink?
There was a problem with the anodisation on some of the facias on the classic series from around 2014 that meant they went progressively pinker as time went on - didn’t take long to manefest from new and Naim handled it all very well (like I say - this was 2014 ) but seemed to affect them for a year or two - so must have cost them a fortune as it was a return to base job.
Don’t worry I am unaware of any reported failure trends outside of optical transports. The latter will go wrong at some point for all brands as the laser will gradually weaken and eventually be unable to read hybrid SACD discs or even load when they cannot read ToC. dCS keep a stock of NOS spares so long as tthey are available.
However it is not possible to judge if or when a current series unit would fail as it is so unlikely ( though not impossible -(like everything). Virtually all the “faults” reported here turn out not to be to do with the dCS unit but with equipment being used with it , particularly regarding the associated network.
I have been using dCS gear for over 27 years and can say that reliability has continued to increase as product generations go by. I needed a replacement control board for Elgar in 2000(?) and that is it except a new Vivaldi Upsampler was a little mechanically noisy on installation and was replaced immediately this was reported.
dCS expect that their units will enjoy long lives and must be one of the most reliable brands. They will continue to support units that come from the earliest days of the company which I was gratified to see when I had the good fortune of visiting the factory earlier this year. BTW, your Rossini DAC is the same age as my Vivaldi Apex DAC. Not a moment’s problem, it just works.
So, relax and enjoy
PS: Dust on your Naim units? Surely this was custom damping compound .
I’ve had the HiFi but for 40 years (started young!) and I’ve not felt such a buzz about something I own for a very long time - I love my Accuphase amps, but the extra insight and pure music I get from the Rossini/Clock is the biggest leap forward I’ve ever had.
…does all the HiFi stuff brilliantly - but has that intangible musicality that so many high end products lack.
Almost certainly. Like I say - I’ve had some interesting experiences with Naim over the years, and Roon regularly grinds my gears…although interestingly much less so (actually only once) since I’ve had dCS. I don’t think anybody gets more patient with things not working as they should as they get older!
Just sit back and enjoy listening to all your music again as you will be finally hearing it more as it should be.
When you finally remove them naim blinkers and get to hear things how they should be, it’s a revelation for sure, and you start to question yourself why did I do it.
On here you will get no bull 5hit, no crazy you need to do this or you have never heard it sound like it should. You connect it up, turn it on, and it just works fantastically.
Plus you get updates that work, that don’t screw up sound quality, plus hopefully going forward we will all get more free upgrades as dCS have hinted things are coming.
So enjoy your lovely Rossini and clock and forget about worrying, that’s a naim thing.
This is an issue that can affect ANY anodised metalwork of any colour and any age (it’s just that black goes very obviously pink / purple in that case) and is caused when the sealing of the anodising itself is breached. This can be the result of an imperfect seal on the anodising at the time of anodising or it can be the result of subsequent cleaning or damage to the surface.
As such this can affect any anodised panels from any year but when a large proportion of everything that you make is black anodised then obviously it becomes more common.
It is possible to test the surface seal quality using an acid test but that isn’t practical to do on every piece as the test itself involves applying acid to the anodised part so can also damage the finish.
Of course it usually takes some time for this to show up so it was something that would be flagged up (for anyone that doesn’t know, Naim is where I was before I got the opportunity to join dCS) a few times a year so although annoying for everyone concerned it wasn’t a massive issue in itself.
Vivaldi (and some earlier) units have a backup battery that is used to maintain calibration and settings memory when the unit is powered off or is in “long press standby” … the Lina / Bartok / Rossini ranges do not use the same design and as such do not need any such servicing.
Wow! That’s rather obvious (and I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who suffers from dust!). A friend and I, who bought new black dCS units at the same time a couple of years ago, thought we had an anodising problem when we unpacked the items: a subtle white-ish shading and what looked like the imprints of crease marks that were visible on the surfaces in certain lights. In the end it was decided that the most likely culprit was residual oils or other chemicals in the inner liner of the black velvety bags the units are packed in. It all came off using car windscreen cleaner that the local dealer loaned to me. Useful people, dealers.
Would Phil agree that this cleaner was safe to use, in view of his explanation of the vulnerabilities of anodising? I had previously assumed it was immune to anything except scratches.
) but seemed to affect them for a year or two - so must have cost them a fortune as it was a return to base job.
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