dCS Varèse – The New Flagship Digital System

dCS have announced this week the upcoming arrival of their ‘most ambitious undertaking to date’. The five-box Varèse digital system is the British manufacturer’s new flagship offering.

The system, named after composer French Edgard Varése, sits atop the current reference – Vivaldi APEX which will continue to be available. dCS have put a lot of resources into Varése to take their platform to even higher level and at the same time, it brings a simpler, more intuitive user experience.

This product has been in the works for a number of years and as such dCS has put a lot of time into R&D, developing a number of new technologies.

Mono DACs

The Varèse Music System utilises a Mono DAC configuration with a dedicated DAC for each audio channel (left and right).

This configuration allows the system to deliver a number of benefits — such as improving the power supplies within each DAC and enhancing cross talk performance.

Mono DAC Power Supplies

The Varèse Mono DACs feature new, improved hybrid power supplies for enhanced performance. The twin transformers inside each Mono DAC have been optimised for analogue and digital operations.

Differential Ring DAC

The Differential Ring DAC is a new iteration of the dCS Ring DAC. There is a Differential Ring DAC inside each Varèse Mono DAC.

The Differential Ring DAC features 96 current sources for each audio channel. This means the Varèse Mono DACs have twice as many current sources for each audio channel as other dCS DACs.

In the Varèse Mono DACs, 48 current sources produce the analogue signal in the correct phase and 48 produce the same signal in antiphase. The outputs of these two sets of current sources is differenced, meaning the phase of the antiphase current sources is reversed and summed together with the correct phase current sources. This makes the Mono DACs inherently balanced in several areas, including residual noise, power supply draw summing node DC offset.

ACTUS – Audio Control & Timing Unified System

ACTUS is a bespoke interface developed by dCS to radically simplify system setup whilst ensuring ultimate audio quality.

The ACTUS interface delivers audio, control and timing signals between Varèse components. dCS ACTUS cables carry asynchronous and error corrected digital audio, control signals, and a master clock signal send via the proprietary Tomix interface.

dCS Tomix

Tomix is a patented clocking technology developed by dCS engineers.

Its creation allows dCS to harness the sonic benefits of a Mono DAC arrangement within the Varèse Music System whilst maintaining the strict standards dCS have set for clocking performance. Tomix ensures the clocks within each Mono DAC are tightly synchronised. This, in turn, allows dCS to ensure the left and right channels of each audio sample are converted at exactly the right moment, whilst also making sure that the Ring DAC operations within each DAC are tightly controlled via the DAC’s internal clock circuitry.

The System

Varèse comprises a £20,000 User Interface, a £32,000 Master Clock and two Mono DACs (£90,000 per pair), all driven by a £75,000 Core unit. 

Core

The Varèse Core is the heart of the Varèse system. All Varèse components connect directly to the Core, as do external sources such as CD/SACD Transports, USB drives and music servers. The Core carries out the majority of the DSP for the Varèse system, from audio input through to the noise shaping, filtering and conversion that takes place before signals are output to the Varèse Mono DACs. It enables the simplest setup of a dCS system to date whilst supporting the highest levels of measured and audio performance.

• Supports most hi-res music formats and major streaming services
• Flexible architecture allows for future expansion modules
• Utilises patented dCS Tomix technology for exact synchronisation of Mono DACs

Mono DACs

The Varèse Mono DACs redefine state-of-the-art. Improved performance is made possible with an all-new DAC architecture (the Differential Ring DAC^TM) and clocking protocol (dCS Tomix) plus im­provements to analogue circuitry and power supplies. As the Core handles the majority of DSP, the Mono DACs are free to focus on a singular purpose (Digital-to-Analogue conversion) for unprecedented musicality.

• New Differential Ring DAC architecture brings major improvements in both linearity and noise floor
• Next generation power supplies featuring new transformers, regulator topology and secondary circuits provide even lower distortion and less transformer hum
• New dCS Tomix clocking protocol brings unrivalled timing accuracy to Mono DAC configuration

Master Clock

The Varèse Master Clock brings all of the benefits dCS Clock owners will be familiar with – improved imaging, focus and presence – to the Varèse system.

• Twin quartz crystal oscillators run at integers of audio sample rates for optimum jitter performance
• Specifically designed to further elevate the capabilities of the Varèse Music System
• Has the highest accuracy, lowest drift and lowest intrinsic jitter of any dCS clock

The Varèse User Interface works in tandem with the Varèse Remote Control & dCS Mosaic ACTUS app to deliver a rich and immersive set up and playback experience.

The User Interface connects with the Varèse Remote Control via Bluetooth for seamless operation. Its full-colour touch screen LCD displays full album art along with detailed track data, play queues and other settings. Display modes and visible information can be tailored to suit listener preferences, with customisable views and adjustable text size.

• Full-colour touch screen brings richer graphic displays and more detailed information
• Bluetooth LE equipped for use with Varèse Remote Control
• Enables compatibility and integration with UPnP control point renderers and servers

For more information on the Varèse system please get in touch.

The post dCS Varèse – The New Flagship Digital System appeared first on KJ West One | Hifi Store.

dCS have announced this week the upcoming arrival of their ‘most ambitious undertaking to date’. The five-box Varèse digital system is the British manufacturer’s new flagship offering. The system, named after composer French Edgard Varése, sits atop the current reference – Vivaldi APEX which will continue to be available. dCS have put a lot of … Read more

The post dCS Varèse – The New Flagship Digital System appeared first on KJ West One | Hifi Store.