analog brother Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 i heard the rossini + clock recently, and quite liked it. didn't like the vivaldi as much. rossini sounded more organic, natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jones99 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 i heard the rossini + clock recently, and quite liked it. didn't like the vivaldi as much. rossini sounded more organic, natural. Vivaldi can be a little confronting in the wrong system no doubt but jaw dropping imo in others I have heard ....have not compared head to head so will try and do it next time out and about. The Rossini is newer but cheaper so if it knocks off Kalliope here is hoping I agree with your thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analog brother Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 (edited) i like both kalliope and rossini. they are around the same price range, with the rossini having the advantage of a built-in transport. and nicer styling. the trinity dac would have to be an option as well, as would the berkeley alpha reference. Edited October 24, 2015 by analog brother 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistairm Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 Hi Alistairm Superb room and system very envious! Are you looking at the new all in one Rossini ?? Be interested to hear your thoughts .... heard it with some Magico Q7 mk2 at the HK show and liked what I heard .I have always liked DCS when I have heard them and I am drawn to a Vivaldi stack .......thankfully Kalliope stopped me heading down that path.... I see you recently sold your DX I think I am heading the same way.......the user interface and lack of word clock input has me searching for alternatives.Do you have any experience with Aurender W20? @@Jones99 I do! The Aurender casework and user interface leave the Antipodes for dead. Sounds wise though, I preferred the Antipodes. I am also considering an Accuphase DC-37... not as expensive as some, but I like the Accuphase approach to digital. Right now though, listening to Motels, Total Control on a record, digital couldn't be further from my mind! Here are some shots of the most recent change - to the Acoustical Systems Axiom tonearm. Pure delight. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jones99 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) @@Jones99 I do! The Aurender casework and user interface leave the Antipodes for dead. Sounds wise though, I preferred the Antipodes. I am also considering an Accuphase DC-37... not as expensive as some, but I like the Accuphase approach to digital. Right now though, listening to Motels, Total Control on a record, digital couldn't be further from my mind! Here are some shots of the most recent change - to the Acoustical Systems Axiom tonearm. Pure delight. Thanks for the thoughts on the Aurender really appreciated. I am familiar with the DC37 a very nice DAC for the price point . If you do compare it to the Rossini be interested to hear your thoughts. I have not been tempted to dip my toes in the vinyl world .....the WA vinyl mafia keep trying to push me towards it but not been captured by its magic yet..... one day when I get back to Oz for good will get one of the mafia to bring one of their setups down and try and swing me over to the dark side with the new system. Edited October 25, 2015 by Jones99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon47 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 I have an Aurender in my set up. Added a Kenneth Lau linear supply from Hong Kong and had a sizable SQ improvement. For approx. AUD 1k a really worthwhile addition. Digital now comes very close to my Esoteric K-01, which is where I wanted to be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jones99 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 i like both kalliope and rossini. they are around the same price range, with the rossini having the advantage of a built-in transport. and nicer styling. the trinity dac would have to be an option as well, as would the berkeley alpha reference. I will try Trinity when I get home in direct comparison with Kalliope if I can arrange it.......tough in WA though . I am extremely happy with Kalliope and the synergy between it and it fellow Gryphon partners Pandora and Mephisto......so it will need to be very special to knock it off.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon47 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 The Aurender was also surprisingly sensitive to footers and top weights. Tried many variations, before being satisfied. This was for an X100L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Kill Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Vivaldi can be a little confronting in the wrong system no doubt but jaw dropping imo in others I have heard ....have not compared head to head so will try and do it next time out and about. The Rossini is newer but cheaper so if it knocks off Kalliope here is hoping I agree with your thoughts.Kalliope still ahead on limited listening to Rossini and clock.DCS just doesn't do "flesh and blood" like the Kalliope does. Kalliope has at least the same amount of detail as Dcs Vivaldi stack. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistairm Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 Kalliope still ahead on limited listening to Rossini and clock. DCS just doesn't do "flesh and blood" like the Kalliope does. Kalliope has at least the same amount of detail as Dcs Vivaldi stack. For what it's worth, that is my experience with DCS as well. Epic soundstage, second to none detail retrieval... but very "digital" in the light saber sense. No doubt DCS is top end in the digital game, but having tried many times I continually conclude that top end digital is still at least 30% behind a well done vinyl rig. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analog brother Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) agreed! always when you hear great digital you think you're all sorted and all is dandy, then you put one record on and that's it. dcs is not my fav either, but rossini was pretty good. more natural than vivaldi. they had it going in an all-solid-state system; i like some valve candle light somewhere along the line. i rather prefer gryphon sound signature to dcs though, for sure. synergy is key!!! Edited October 25, 2015 by analog brother 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasebass Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 agreed! always when you hear great digital you think you're all sorted and all is dandy, then you put one record on and that's it. +1 for this statement.... Tase. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP1 Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Thanks for the thoughts on the Aurender really appreciated. I am familiar with the DC37 a very nice DAC for the price point . If you do compare it to the Rossini be interested to hear your thoughts. I have not been tempted to dip my toes in the vinyl world .....the WA vinyl mafia keep trying to push me towards it but not been captured by its magic yet..... one day when I get back to Oz for good will get one of the mafia to bring one of their setups down and try and swing me over to the dark side with the new system. You need to revisit it all Jonesy. So much has changed. At the Rossini price point there is the Accuphase DC-901 DAC and DP-900 spinner. Different direction to DCs but each caters for their respective markets. I would back DC-37 against anything remotely near its price point. And you have the Accuphase HS-Link system for perfect SACD/ Cd playback. I In terms of difference with DCS gear, I think it comes down to which type of sound you prefer. There are valid cases for both 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jones99 Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 (edited) You need to revisit it all Jonesy. So much has changed. At the Rossini price point there is the Accuphase DC-901 DAC and DP-900 spinner. Different direction to DCs but each caters for their respective markets. I would back DC-37 against anything remotely near its price point. And you have the Accuphase HS-Link system for perfect SACD/ Cd playback. I In terms of difference with DCS gear, I think it comes down to which type of sound you prefer. There are valid cases for both Tasso unless you buy the DC901 and DP900 I will most likely never know how it will sound....... The pricing I can find for both has it around 70kusd.....some pretty lofty pricing and some true heavy weights at this level. Take your point on the DCS sound can be confronting if in the wrong system. I heard the Vivaldi Stack with MBL EXtreme and 4x 9008 mono,6010 pre at an owners house and the sound was just superb. MBL has that darkness and warmth to it so for me it just worked.....on the other hand I have heard the Vivaldi stack sound very sketchy in another system in show room conditions. Whether you like the sound the engineering and measured performance is second to none.Did you not like the sound of the Rossini with the Q7 Mk2s? Why don't you send me over your DC37 to try and change my opinion on Accuphase .... Cheers Jones Edited October 26, 2015 by Jones99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP1 Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Tasso unless you buy the DC901 and DP900 I will most likely never know how it will sound....... The pricing I can find for both has it around 70kusd.....some pretty lofty pricing and some true heavy weights at this level. Take your point on the DCS sound can be confronting if in the wrong system. I heard the Vivaldi Stack with MBL EXtreme and 4x 9008 mono,6010 pre at an owners house and the sound was just superb. MBL has that darkness and warmth to it so for me it just worked.....on the other hand I have heard the Vivaldi stack sound very sketchy in another system in show room conditions. Whether you like the sound the engineering and measured performance is second to none.Did you not like the sound of the Rossini with the Q7 Mk2s? Why don't you send me over your DC37 to try and change my opinion on Accuphase .... Cheers Jones I will when you send your Kalliope over here to see if i change my opinion on Gryphon . And no, the DCS particularly with the Constellation amps were too spartan and edgy for my liking. The Q7 even in Mk2 format couldn't save that combo IMO. I respect others opinions who like the sound but at the end of the day it always comes down to personal preferences. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jones99 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I will when you send your Kalliope over here to see if i change my opinion on Gryphon . And no, the DCS particularly with the Constellation amps were too spartan and edgy for my liking. The Q7 even in Mk2 format couldn't save that combo IMO. I respect others opinions who like the sound but at the end of the day it always comes down to personal preferences. When did you stop liking Gryphon (sold AS?) and more importantly when did you hear Kalliope....??... :nana .Next time home which will be around March promise I will bring Kalliope home and around to your place . Keen to hear your new server creations as well.....do I need to bring the DX or has the new creation surpassed it well and truly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP1 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 When did you stop liking Gryphon (sold AS?) and more importantly when did you hear Kalliope....??... :nana .Next time home which will be around March promise I will bring Kalliope home and around to your place . Keen to hear your new server creations as well.....do I need to bring the DX or has the new creation surpassed it well and truly? I haven't stopped liking Gryphon gear. But it is a big world out there with so many options. You can bring the DX if you want but not really necessary. New server is pretty special One reason I bought the Accuphase DC-37 over the flagship DC-901 is that the latter has been out for nearly 5 years and will most likely be replaced within 12 months. I understand DC-901 does sound better but since it was released before the DoP standard was settled, it does not do DSD over USB like the DC-37. So I am particularly keen to see their next upgraded flagship model 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jones99 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I haven't stopped liking Gryphon gear. But it is a big world out there with so many options. You can bring the DX if you want but not really necessary. New server is pretty special One reason I bought the Accuphase DC-37 over the flagship DC-901 is that the latter has been out for nearly 5 years and will most likely be replaced within 12 months. I understand DC-901 does sound better but since it was released before the DoP standard was settled, it does not do DSD over USB like the DC-37. So I am particularly keen to see their next upgraded flagship model Certainly is a big world make sure you check out other alternatives as well .....better yet maybe when the new Accuphase is released you grab it we head to Alistairs, yours and mine to compare it to Kalliope, Trinity,MSB Select or any other DACs of interest.....GTG across the states in varying systems .......hmmm mouth watering stuff.......count me in! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistairm Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 C'mon down guys. The beer is cold and the music is loud! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP1 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Certainly is a big world make sure you check out other alternatives as well .....better yet maybe when the new Accuphase is released you grab it we head to Alistairs, yours and mine to compare it to Kalliope, Trinity,MSB Select or any other DACs of interest.....GTG across the states in varying systems .......hmmm mouth watering stuff.......count me in! Auditioning different DACs isn't as easy as it might sound even if you can find one to listen to. I have changed my views more than once before when buying after a demo and then living with the equipment. With the advent of CA the situation is worse because there has been an explosion in the number of companies making them compared to digital players on the past - even the DIY pages are full of DACs that promise to be the very best thing. IMO, so many of the new kids on the block have a long way to go so I won't be getting excited about them any time soon. GTG at Alistairs? Count me in!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warweary Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I reckon fiddling with Jriver settings could simulate the Dac swapping for a truck load less cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekymetal Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Very sweet indeed.......... I can only dream 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistairm Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 Just a few updates to the system. Now running Pure Audio Design Dominus speaker cables (no better than Jorma Statement, but a slightly more forward flavour) and have the Accuphase DC-37 DAC. After much fiddling, with much more expensive DACS, I now have one that I'm happy with and, as a consequence, am listening to a great deal of digital content again. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blybo Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Can you get the tape measure out and even up your gear please? Sweet sweet system and room. Something to aspire to for me. Where's the new rug? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistairm Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 @@blybo The new rug has been ordered... hoping it'll be here around June. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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