dCS
Varèse Music System (Core, User Interface, Mono DAC Pair)
The dCS Varèse Music System is dCS's ultra-flagship, multi-box digital music system — the successor to the Vivaldi line — comprising a Core (file/streaming processing hub), a User Interface unit with touchscreen and Bluetooth remote, a Master Clock, and a pair of monaural DACs, all interconnected via dCS's proprietary ACTUS cabling and Tomix clocking protocol. Each Mono DAC uses an all-new "Differential Ring DAC" implementation of dCS's signature Ring DAC topology, built with twice the current sources of prior designs and operated in a fully differential configuration for the brand's lowest-ever noise floor and jitter.
MSRP
$226,750
Used market · Excellent
$140,000
MSRP to used market
From $226,750 at launch to $140,000 today.
Specifications
- Weight
- Core 33.1kg; Master Clock 15.7kg; each Mono DAC 18.7kg; User Interface 14.6kg
- Max DSD
- DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, DSD512 (native and DoP)
- Dimensions
- Core: 244 x 444 x 438mm; User Interface/Master Clock/Mono DAC: 131 x 444 x 437mm (add 60mm depth for ACTUS cable)
- Uk pricing
- Core £75,000, Mono DAC Pair £90,000, Master Clock £32,500, User Interface £20,000; total £217,500
- Us pricing
- System starting at $267,500
- Analog outputs
- 2 pairs balanced XLR (1.5Ω output impedance), 2 pairs unbalanced RCA (52Ω); selectable output levels of 0.2V/0.6V/2V/6V rms
- Digital inputs
- Ethernet (RJ45) for streaming, USB Type-A for storage; optional Digital I/O module (+£11,500) adds USB-B, 3x AES/EBU, S/PDIF out, and Word Clock out
- Published price
- 226750 USD
- DAC architecture
- dCS "Differential Ring DAC" — an all-new, mono, differential-mode version of dCS's proprietary Ring DAC hardware with twice the current sources of previous implementations, one dedicated DAC per channel
- Maximum DSD rate
- DSD512
- Power consumption
- 30W typical
- Max PCM resolution
- 24-bit, 44.1–384 kS/s
- Digital inputs core
- Ethernet (RJ45) for streaming, USB Type-A for storage; optional Digital I/O module (+£11,500) adds USB-B, 3x AES/EBU, S/PDIF out, and Word Clock out
- Weight each chassis
- Core 33.1kg; Master Clock 15.7kg; each Mono DAC 18.7kg; User Interface 14.6kg
- System configuration
- 5 chassis: Core, User Interface, Master Clock, and 2x Mono DAC (left/right), linked by proprietary ACTUS cabling; optional 6th box CD/SACD transport introduced later
- Us pricing aug 2024 list
- Core System (Core + UI + Remote + ACTUS cable) $111,000; Mono DAC Pair $105,000; Master Clock $38,000; total $254,000
- Us pricing current dealer
- System starting at $267,500
- Analog outputs per mono DAC
- 2 pairs balanced XLR (1.5Ω output impedance), 2 pairs unbalanced RCA (52Ω); selectable output levels of 0.2V/0.6V/2V/6V rms
- Residual noise spurious response
- Better than −118dB (20Hz–20kHz) residual noise; better than −115dB spurious response
- Dimensions each chassis h x w x d
- Core: 244 x 444 x 438mm; User Interface/Master Clock/Mono DAC: 131 x 444 x 437mm (add 60mm depth for ACTUS cable)
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