DCS And Upgrades (Or Lack Thereof)

[allen_bh]

I couldn't find a "digital" section so this seemed the most appropriate area.

DCS owner's seem to be taking it in the shorts lately. Has anyone else noticed that DCS keeps coming out with a completely new stack (transport, upconverter & DAC) about every 18 months with absolutely no path for upgrade? And they're not cheap either. A current Vivaldi stack is insanely expensive.

I'm always tempted to jump into the deep end on DCS, but they keep coming out with new gear. I'm just too afraid the second I purchase they'll release something way better and I'll be out serious cash to "upgrade". Is there a path for current owners to upgrade? Anyone familiar with DCS and "upgrades"?

Take Meridian, they always have an upgrade path for current owners. It's not unreasonable either. The only downside is their form factor tends to get stale, but I'll take that over having to shell out for an entirely new stack.

[jfray]

There will always be something better that "just" came out....... But in my opinion better is usually "personal preference" and not truly BETTER at this level. Like the MCD1100 IMHO it is a great CD player and have no desire to upgrade for a long time, even if McIntosh came out with another flagship model. Yes I have read reviews about the DCS players but for the incremental cost to sonic benefit I am VERY VERY happy with the MCD1100.

[vintage_tube]

Originally Posted by allen_bh

DCS owner's seem to be taking it in the shorts lately. Has anyone else noticed that DCS keeps coming out with a completely new stack (transport, upconverter & DAC) about every 18 months with absolutely no path for upgrade? And they're not cheap either. A current Vivaldi stack is insanely expensive.

Hadn't noticed that and I just checked again prior to responding. Maybe you want to stick this in your shorts for quick reference (print it if necessary).

Lets see, the Scarlatti came out in/around 2007; the Paganini & Puccini in/around 2008 and all three models remain current for several reasons. Primarily because dCS doesn't use any off the shelf DAC chips. Software updates to their Ring DAC & FPGA's add new features and changes in digital formats.

I applaud them for the Vivaldi launch which just shows they have a true desire to extract & excel in digital.

Best

Bob

[mdkim]

Originally Posted by jfray

There will always be something better that "just" came out....... But in my opinion better is usually "personal preference" and not truly BETTER at this level. Like the MCD1100 IMHO it is a great CD player and have no desire to upgrade for a long time, even if McIntosh came out with another flagship model. Yes I have read reviews about the DCS players but for the incremental cost to sonic benefit I am VERY VERY happy with the MCD1100.

Not trying to be rude but...the MCD1100 and dCS aren't really comparable...in any way.

[Tonepub]

Originally Posted by allen_bh

I couldn't find a "digital" section so this seemed the most appropriate area.

DCS owner's seem to be taking it in the shorts lately. Has anyone else noticed that DCS keeps coming out with a completely new stack (transport, upconverter & DAC) about every 18 months with absolutely no path for upgrade? And they're not cheap either. A current Vivaldi stack is insanely expensive.

I'm always tempted to jump into the deep end on DCS, but they keep coming out with new gear. I'm just too afraid the second I purchase they'll release something way better and I'll be out serious cash to "upgrade". Is there a path for current owners to upgrade? Anyone familiar with DCS and "upgrades"?

Take Meridian, they always have an upgrade path for current owners. It's not unreasonable either. The only downside is their form factor tends to get stale, but I'll take that over having to shell out for an entirely new stack.

All they've done is expand the product line.

The Paganini, Scarlatti and Vivaldi (along with the other products) are at different price/performance levels.

When dCS introduced new software about a year ago for the Pag, it was a free upgrade and made a big difference. As for the upgrade in Meridian players, not sure what you're talking about there. The 808 (which I've also owned) did not have an upgrade path to the .1, .2, .3 or current iterations from the past model. And they came out pretty close together as well.

If you buy a Paganini or anything else in the dCS line, it won't be outdated anytime soon. If you bought a Paganini and you're grumpy because you can't afford a Vivaldi, it wasn't meant as a replacement. It will probably just require a software update at some point.

That's why I bought dCS in the first place, because the software upgrades meant I didn't have obsolete hardware.

[Cincy2]

Allen,

When I purchased my Vivaldi DAC, my Paganini upsampler couldn't send it DSD data because the Firewire interface was discontinued. dCS has a software upgrade on the way to send DSD data over dual AES connections. Your premise of no upgrade path is flawed. Even if it wasn't, your argument could be applied to computers, cars, phones and a myriad of other products. If you can't live without the next dCS model, trade your old one. The products hold their value well.

By the way, the Vivaldi equipment reproduces music so authentically, I will never need another upgrade so have at it dCS!

Cincy

[mbovaird]

Allen - DCS is the leaders and the innovators in the digital spectrum. No one can touch their top end offerings. I'd certainly love their finest and latest offering in my system.

That being said, Chris C. stated that the EMM LABS DAC2X (which I own) outperformed the Paganini stack he previously reviewed. I wonder with the upgrades and enhancements to the Paganini if he would still feel the same way today?

Although I personally feel $100k for the latest dcs stack is incredibly expensive and better sonic value can be found elsewhere in the system chain (speakers, amps, etc), if you want the best of the best in digital playback, I suspect the DCS Vivaldi is it and as I said, I would sure love one in my system.

Mike

[jfray]

Originally Posted by mdkim

Not trying to be rude but...the MCD1100 and dCS aren't really comparable...in any way.

How are they not comparable in any way? They both at the end of the day play CD's or are used as a DAC........ I understand the price is not comparable. I think people lose sight of why they own a high end system (I own one to listen to music and don't care if something new comes out because I am happy with what I have. It sounds great!). That is my only point...... Buy and don't look back.

[j3brow]

Originally Posted by jfray

How are they not comparable in any way? They both at the end of the day play CD's or are used as a DAC........ I understand the price is not comparable. I think people lose sight of why they own a high end system (I own one to listen to music and don't care if something new comes out because I am happy with what I have. It sounds great!). That is my only point...... Buy and don't look back.

Good post Josh

[allen_bh]

Originally Posted by jfray

There will always be something better that "just" came out....... But in my opinion better is usually "personal preference" and not truly BETTER at this level. Like the MCD1100 IMHO it is a great CD player and have no desire to upgrade for a long time, even if McIntosh came out with another flagship model. Yes I have read reviews about the DCS players but for the incremental cost to sonic benefit I am VERY VERY happy with the MCD1100.

Not really about McIntosh. Let's keep to the subject please.