dCS Ring DAC and related digital gear

[admin]

I read the first review before. The 2nd was new. It's definitely and interesting unit. I liked the pictures in the 2nd review, especially with the Rose's screen being an old style tuner. This thing even plays radio,... it truly does a lot of stuff, perhaps more than any streamer I have seen.

Still, I don't know if it does "too much". Certainly if you want a streamer, tuner, and video,... it's hard to beat. But how many audiophiles listen to FM, and how many of those want their high end 2 channel setup to play videos? Not a lot from my experience.

[AnotherJohnson]

The second review was probably the more honest.

It made me check myself on whether or not the DAC in the Rose would really rise to the level of its display.

I think it would be a bad fit here, even in the HT room. It fits within the context of my make shift/ make do HT, but why add to that? Its purpose is served already. Adding the Rose would be like putting chrome on a 2016 Corolla.

[admin]

I agree. The 150B is an amazing unit that does tons of stuff,... but most of which you will not utilize on a regular basis.

[AnotherJohnson]

The Sabrina dCS Rossini DAC trade was accomplished.

The Rossini was easy to set up.

I halfway expected to be underwhelmed because the Bluesound Node played via the Levinson 5101 DAC sounded unbeatable.

Wrong again. The difference is obvious, even in casual listening.

I’m using the QoBuz 24/192 version of Mingus Ah Um as a starting point. The instruments on this recent remaster are exceptionally easy to locate in space. With the Rossini the spatial cues and details are even more clear.

One annoying thing that I will have to figure out is a longer than usual time delay between tracks. Is this the time to load a buffer? I dunno. I want to get to the bottom of this.

One thing I really like is that you can set the max output level. .2V, .6V, 2V, or 6V. The node allows either fixed or variable. Fixed is too high for my taste. Variable turned down doesn’t sound as good.

The 2V setting is perfect for my system.

[admin]

Congrats on the new Rossini. Glad to hear that it is already performing well off the bat.

One annoying thing that I will have to figure out is a longer than usual time delay between tracks. Is this the time to load a buffer? I dunno. I want to get to the bottom of this.

The feature you are looking for is "gapless playback." Ask dCS if this is supported. It may not be.

One thing I really like is that you can set the max output level. .2V, .6V, 2V, or 6V. The node allows either fixed or variable. Fixed is too high for my taste. Variable turned down doesn’t sound as good.

The 2V setting is perfect for my system.

That is definitely a nice feature to have. I agree, if you are not using fixed volume on the node, it's not going to sound very good. You are basically compressing the dynamic range and output by using the internal volume limiter on the node. Not ideal.

[AnotherJohnson]

It is gapless in every mosaic demo I’ve had. But it’s a good thing to ask about.

[AnotherJohnson]

Looking into it, there was a gapless issue a couple of years ago that was supposedly resolved.

Roon is known to be gapless. But my most recent demo was with Mosaic directly, and it was gapless.

I’m going to reload the most recent update for the DAC and see if that fixes it.

Another possibility I suppose is that iOS 16.3.1 is pretty new, and maybe there’s a bug. But the recent software update to the DAC was just released, so it ought to work.

The Node feeds the DAC fine, but I’d like to move the Node to the headphone stack, so it would be good to get the internal streamer sorted. Sigh …

Makes vinyl seem extremely transparent.

[AnotherJohnson]

Call back from dealer. It’s a Saturday, so can’t contact dCS til Monday.

The technician on staff says others are asking about this same issue. There’s some bug between Qobuz and the latest DAC update and they (dCS) are working on it.

So it’s not me. And it’s not my unit (which is on warranty).

I’m going to just run it with the Node until dCS input is shared next week.

The DAC sounds very good.

But after each track Qobuz begins streaming the next track, but the Rossini is asleep at the switch and doesn’t go back into play mode for 27 seconds when it finally bursts out playing the track that Qobuz has underway. Happens for every track after the first one in the queue.

FWIW, the Rossini reports that it is “up to date,” so it’s not that the update didn’t take.

[admin]

Ouch, 27 seconds is a long time. Sounds like they are aware so that probably means a fix is in the works.

In the meantime, if there is any setting to turn off jitter correction, try that. Some DACs will take extra time to lock onto the audio stream with jitter correction. It shouldn't be a problem, but I've seen that on other DACs in the past. Long shot, but worth a try.

[AnotherJohnson]

Since the streamer/mosaic stuff is interior to the Rossini, dealing with jitter between streamer and DAC is handled internally.

If you have an external input, like the Node, or the transport you have options. You can let the Rossini figure it out (audio), or you can sync the Rossini internal clock to the other device, or you can run with a Rossini Master Clock controlling one or more of the devices. I’m running on the auto setting and am not hearing anything that could be related to the sonic signature of jitter.

I’m getting pretty good at calling out jitter when I hear it. I’m pretty sure that’s not the issue, but if it is, there are no specific jitter control strategies unrelated to the auto clocking, clock syncing, or master clocking.

I’ve hooked up the McIntosh Transport and it’s working perfectly so that’s good.

The sonic performance of the McIntosh transport with the dCS Ring DAC is really impressing me. Im playing familiar Red Book CDs, and although they sound great on the Levinson or the Ruby, this set up takes it even further into the realm of believability.

Im heading to Best Buy to pick up a cable, and I think I’ll be all set until I get into turntable moving and Mosaic fixing … soon I hope.

Meanwhile, my name is in the pot for when a solid Rossini Transport gets traded in. That would make SACD play via the Rossini possible.

[AnotherJohnson]

Got the cable (Toslink) to run McIntosh transport to the Rossini. It can only send 16/44.1 to a non McIntosh decoder (no SACD data leaves unless it’s going to a McIntosh digital preamp). So 16/44.1 ought to work OK for now.

The BluOS controlled Node is on Coax also going to Rossini, at least until dCS fixes the bug in the Mosaic/Qobuz pairing.

The Rossini feeds the REF6SE via balanced Thunderbirds.

Mosaic works for macro functions like changing input.

The McIntosh transport’s remote does not have a drawer open/close button, but since it shouldn’t be open unless you’re in front of it changing disks, it (no remote open/close) seems like an unnecessary feature.

The Levinson 5101 will stay in this system to facilitate SACD play, at least until a deal on a Rossini transport comes along.

[Joe Appierto]

Sounds like you're having fun and finding the experience rewarding. Good.

[AnotherJohnson]

Sounds like you're having fun and finding the experience rewarding. Good.

This has been an education.

It is incredibly easy to stream with modern consumer gear. It is incredibly difficult to stream at an “audiophile” level. You can be thwarted at any and every level.

At the old house there was no need to think about streaming because of the poor available connectivity. DSL and intermittent 1 bar cell at best are not conducive to excellence in remotely located digital audio.

I am now about 15 hours into listening to the Rossini DAC in my own familiar surroundings. Aside from the Mosaic glitch, it is clear that the fuss over dCS is warranted.

And the McIntosh MCT500 transport is quite nice too. It came with the first McIntosh remote control that has any semblance of the appearance of quality in my experience. Is the MCT500 a better transport than the transports in the SA-KI Ruby or the Levinson 5101? I dunno. Time will tell.

I do think that for Red Book CDs, the MCT500/Rossini combo is better than anything else I’ve heard. But I’ve not heard many things. So this is no definitive declaration.

It used to annoy me when one day a person would post to rave about their system, and then after the next change, they’d be at it again using the same language.

I feel guilty, so I’m not going to gush further then to say that what I heard back in November was not a fluke. The Rossini is very musical and I’ve got no buyers’ remorse. This was a real upgrade.

[AnotherJohnson]

I’ve asked about the upgrade path. Is it better to do the Apex upgrade, or add the Master Clock?

The dCS answer is obviously “YES.” Do both.

The costs are similar. The Apex gives even “more information.” The Master Clock gives “better information.”

Following Linn Logic, better information would be preferred over more information, suggesting that the clock should come first.

An added benefit of clock first is that the clocks are instantly available whereas the Apex upgrade is a two month process. The unit has to go back to England for the Apex upgrade.

From what I’m hearing, I don’t think either is necessary to enjoy the Rossini. Maybe next year I’d feel differently.

Buyers assert that the real upgrade is to jump to the Vivaldi Apex stack, but that requires incredibly deep pockets. I am very pleased with the Rossini and MCT500 transport. Can it be improved on? I’m sure the answer is yes, even if I can’t fathom how improvements are possible. But they always are.

I’m running the Rossini with a Hurricane power cord and Thunderbird balanced interconnects. The fuse aficionados would start playing with aftermarket fuses, but I’m still in favor of OEM fuses to protect warranty.

[AnotherJohnson]

dCS is opposed to use of regenerators. Apparently if you start changing your wave shape, futzing with frequency, or using the degaussing features of regenerators, you can damage the Rossini.

I run my regenerator on pure sine wave 117.5 VAC at 60 Hz per ARC’s recommendation. So it should be OK. I may try it with wall power just to see if it matters.

FWIW, the ground is not lifted at the Rossini power inlet. Marantz lifts ground at the power inlet. Levinson does not.

Absolutely no ground loops in any case. It is very nice to be free from the ground plane issues that plagued my prior amp/preamp gear.

[admin]

Sounds interesting. The full dCS stack is incredibly expensive. It surely is the ultimate digital source combo but the question is whether the cost justifies the performance from the already excellent Rossini.

I'm surprised to hear they are not recommending the power re-generator. I guess you can experiment if with it in and out of the system but I think it would be very safe to run it despite the comments from dCS.

[AnotherJohnson]

I'm surprised to hear they are not recommending the power re-generator. I guess you can experiment if with it in and out of the system but I think it would be very safe to run it despite the comments from dCS.

The dCS position makes perfect sense.

The problem is that regenerators often let you reshape the power wave, even adding harmonic content to flatten the peaks and give a longer cap charging cycle. Also they allow experimentation with frequency, they allow a wide range of delivered peak voltages, and the may have a degaussing cycle that sends bursts of high frequency power with the goal of “fixing” transformer saturation issues.

No manufacturer can anticipate all the folly that an English major, or other science challenged person can coax out of a regenerator. Even CJ recommends against them, and some CJ models are incompatible with them.

So I respect the dCS position, and will continue to follow the old form of the Hippocratic Oath, ie First, do no harm. I run my regenerator as a perfect sine wave at 117.5 VAC 60 Hz.

[AnotherJohnson]

Last night, using the Node as the streamer, I listened to several pieces by Handel, including The Messiah and Water Music. The Rossini rendered them brilliantly. Details in complex choral passages were exceptionally clear on Messiah. Orchestral detail on Water Music was stunning. .

I also played several red book CDs via the MCT500 Transport through the Rossini with equally stunning results.

Clapton’s Unplugged CD was rendered with many incredible formerly hidden details. Not only do details down to stage shaking become clear, but additional back up vocals also come forward. I have not heard these details with any level of streaming.

Still no word on fixing the glitch between Mosaic Control and Qobuz, but I expect that dCS will eventually break through on this.

[admin]

I'm glad to hear the Rossini has taken things to the next level, not just streaming but other digital sources as well.

I'm sure they are working on a software fix. That's one of the downsides to streaming. Both the streaming service and the player software have to be compatible but both are an ever changing and evolving work as software on either side get updates.

[AnotherJohnson]

Still no solution to Qobuz Mosaic Rossini incompatibility… they’re “working on it.”

Node has been flawless feeding Rossini with Qobuz.

Enter Roon. I subscribed when Roon first came out, but being quite negative about streaming until recently, I did not continue it after the free trial period.

About 20 minutes ago I decided to download the Roon Core to my MacBook Air.

A few minutes later the Rossini was happily playing tunes seamlessly from Qobuz via Roon.

The Roon Core recognized every device in my space. Rossini, Node, 5101, ND8006, Home 350, … no fuss no muss.

I’ve already got a multi album queue in swing.

So …I hope they fix the Mosaic Qobuz incompatibility soon, brcause if they don’t do it soon, I may forget how to spell Mosaic and it will be lost to history.

I haven’t even bought a Nucleus. Who knew?