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2023 Golden Ear: dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC

dCS Vivaldi Apex

$46,500

Digital reproduction has long resembled the equivalent of a nuclear arms-race between rival powers seeking to build bigger and better weapons. DCS has now stepped onto the digital battlefield with a potent contender, the Vivaldi Apex DAC. It offers very spiffy performance indeed. When contrasted with the first-generation Vivaldi, it provides superior performance in a variety of sonic arenas, including image stability, timbral purity, and dynamic prowess. One of the most notable areas of improvement is in the bass, which sounds weightier and more textured. Overall, the Apex supplies a more supple and richer musical reproduction that its predecessor could not quite attain. At the heart of the dCS is its Ring DAC which has been heavily modified to offer a lower noise floor and improved linearity. Apex stands at the apex of digital reproduction. (333)

Tags: DAC DIGITAL SOURCE GOLDEN EAR AWARD

Jacob Heilbrunn

By Jacob Heilbrunn

The trumpet has influenced my approach to high-end audio. Like not a few audiophiles, I want it all—coherence, definition, transparency, dynamics, and fine detail.

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