dCS APEX
digital converter upgrades
Chris Thomas

Reproduced from hi-fi+ Issue 211

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EQUIPMENT REVIEWdCS APEX

In 2017, dCS offered owners an upgrade with anentirely new set of mapping algorithms for their Ring
DAC. It was software-based, highly effective andfree. It lifted the performance of the Vivaldi DAC
I was using notably and was very well worth having.
It also gave an indication that dCS were going tocontinue to expand the musical possibilities of theirequipment through their Product Development Department
and that owners could look forward to future upgrades
as technologies moved forward. A few years have passed
and now dCS are offering a new and much more profoundupgrade, only this time it is hardware-based and it costs.
But what a step forward it is!
It’s called The Ring DAC APEX hardware, or just
APEX for short. The latest production versions of relevant
products now carry the APEX suffix. But it is also offered as
a comprehensive upgrade in the form of a new main board
as found inside the Vivaldi DAC, Vivaldi One plus the Rossini
DAC and the Rossini player.
The Ring DAC (now around 30 years old) plus its
controlling software are at the centre of the revisions,though the analogue output stages have also undergone
development. This is the very heart of the system so
although the DAC upgrades are essentially the main APEX
feature, knowing dCS I doubt they let the opportunity towork on other details pass them by. They would probably
call it ‘housekeeping’. But the results are truly fascinating
and beyond what I was expecting.

Conception and implementation
Director of Product Development at dCS, Chris Halesand his team began their work well over a year ago withan intense look at existing performance parameters. This
involved developing new, bespoke tools to analyse throughprecise measurement where improvements might be made.
But when you consider the enormous complexity of both
the Ring DAC and its accompanying software support
systems it’s not hard to understand how a base point wasan essential starting place. The greatest journeys begin witha single step. As the performance of the Ring DAC alreadyexceeded the capabilities of conventional measuring
equipment, Chris says that designing and implementing
new measuring platforms was critical. Adding to that

Reproduced from hi-fi+ Issue 211

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EQUIPMENT REVIEWdCS APEX

Within the first couple of hours I understood that APEX has pushed backthe boundaries by defining a whole new level of musical performance.

was a familiar dilemma, perhaps related to The Observer
Effect, where the measuring device itself had to be of sucha standard that it would not itself introduce distortions,noise or bandwidth limitations to give the engineers
misleading information. So, what might seem a relatively
straightforward proposition of making improvements now
takes on new multiple levels of complexity and indeed
potential jeopardy. The analogue output stage of the DAC
has always been available in both balanced and singleended configurations with switchable output levels to suitvarious preamp input sensitivities. I have always preferred
single-ended and the 6V output. In fact I tend to take thesingle-ended option whenever it is offered over the years
as I usually find it more open. Also I have always preferred
including a preamplifier instead of driving the power
amplifier straight from the DAC. The APEX has challenged
both of these views. Work has been done on the 2V output
too to bring it closer to the more powerful and punchy 6V
option, my choice for its drive and rhythmic freedom. Post
APEX, I am now happily settled on the balanced outputs.

Reproduced from hi-fi+ Issue 211How does it sound?
In a word, fantastic... and yet curiously different to what
I was anticipating. For a couple of months prior to theAPEX upgrade becoming available and in anticipation of itsarrival I had use of a Vivaldi One, the limited edition single
box SACD player/digital hub. A more perfect synthesis ofdigital components in a single compact space, it’s hard
to imagine. In a word, it is a magnificent way to accessdigital music.
Now, at this stage of the review it is vitally important that
I establish that the Vivaldi One in standard trim had alreadyset the bar very high. Yet, within the first couple of hours I
understood that APEX had pushed back the boundaries
by defining a whole new level of musical performance. In
no way were these the small detail improvements I wasexpecting. This was a new style and shape of sound andthe change is not subtle.
Since the Vivaldi and its stablemates have arrived thedCS sound has always had the ability to bring you closer
to the music. But this whole APEX-effect is something else

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EQUIPMENT REVIEWdCS APEX

entirely. Close to the music has become face to face with it
and the stories and perspectives that flow out of the APEXbased products are in a new world for dCS.
There can be few real upgrades that don’t retrospectively
suggest lower background noise and APEX is no different.
But the sense of black nothingness that lies deep within
the production of so much music and against which therecordings exist is absolutely striking. This must be in someway part of the reason why the pure depth of the available
musical stage seems to have expanded in all dimensions.
This beautiful re-arrangement of recorded perspectives isthrilling. The physical distances between the lower-level
content and the solo contributions certainly surprised me
at first and a few months and several thousand songs later,
they still have that power. The musical layering that the APEXbrings is superb. Now, close-miked vocal or the up front
soloist moves sharply across the room to within touching
distance. When you hear the pure depth and contrast
between the background or ambient instrumentationthat just happens way in the distance and set against theblackness of nothingness, it brings a whole new interestand intensity to listening. The soundstage has been radicallyexpanded. But the bass grabs you immediately. It is cleaner,
has an intensely focussed leading edge and is very powerful.
It just drives through time and space with enormous agilityand carries the rest of the music along with it.

Musical boundaries
It makes me think that I can no longer hear the musicalboundaries that in a sense are the system’s limitations ofReproduced from hi-fi+ Issue 211time and space. I thought I knew my Wilson Duette 2’s a
lot better than I apparently do. Listening to Bailero fromSongs Of The Auvergne, a piece I know passably well wasa revelation. It was one of the very first pieces I asked theAPEX to unravel for me.
Satin smooth rendering of tonal colours and shading
added to a feeling that the instruments were gliding inspace with perfect projection and a gentle motion against
this sea of silence. Then the vocal emerged, magnificentlymoving, yet sympathetic to the orchestral colour wash asthat ebbed and flowed mysteriously somewhere in thedistance. It was a subtly changing and nuanced expressionof an orchestral tonal palette. As the system spoke I wasloving not only how different it was but just how beautiful
the piece had grown. I always admired it but now it was somusically ethereal and quietly powerful. It commanded mycomplete attention, drew me in and invited me to listen evermore intently. I couldn’t tear myself away from it. As it ended
I noted down that, bearing in mind this was the first piece I
had listened to through the APEX, it was just about the bestmusical debut I had ever heard. The fact that it wasn’t evenrun-in filled me with anticipation.
As the days passed and the music flowed I began
to grow ever more fascinated and intrigued. There wasno limit to the APEX’s ability to connect me to whatevermusic I was playing either on CD or streaming through theexcellent dCS Mosaic app. Peter Ostroushko’s Heart Of
The Heartland delivered its traditional homespun, plaintive
country melody with a painfully poignant beauty. Thesympathetic gentleness and restraint of the orchestra led

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EQUIPMENT REVIEWdCS APEX

APEX paints expressive pictures in sound right in front of your ears
and they tell of a world, unlike ours, where anything is possible.

by his immaculate Mandolin playing encouraged me tostop listening to the APEX comparatively and just let thecolourful waves flow over me. This is what audio reallyshould be about. Trusting the system enough to connect
emotionally with the music, letting it in and listening to what
it has to say.

Instrumental comparisons?
Ask any musician. There’s something about playing a great
instrument as opposed to merely a good one. You likeone but you love the other and want it because you sensethat it has the power within it to inspire you. You want torelease something within yourself through it and you knowthat you will always be able to tap into its moods. Great
instruments are not unlike great audio systems I think.
They both make demands of you. A great instrument talks
through you about feelings, details and emotion. Smallchanges are so much more meaningful and profound. Ittells a story every time you play it. The closer you listen, themore intense the melodies are. The pure tonal colour andresolution that the APEX draws from the music, the greater
your understanding and awareness of musical eloquence
through phrasing becomes. Open yourself to its influences
and it will tell you stories in a way you have never heard
before. This is precisely what I have been hearing throughthe APEX and is the main reason why it is that much better
than the older version.
Sob Rock by John Mayer is an interesting album and‘Shouldn’t Matter But It Does’ is one of those break-up
songs that you sense John has put quite a bit of himself
into. As it began, the APEX, not for the first time, caught
me unawares. Something different was happening
here it seemed as suddenly the gentle but atmosphericbackground synth that I hadn’t really noticed before
pointing the way through the chord changes. Now it was amuch more serious song with the synth a brilliantly judged
counterpoint sweetener for the acidity of the track. Morebile and bitterness there I thought.

Lone wolf
Drifting through the streaming world of new experiences
while looking to satisfy my general taste for the unusual
and obscure I found myself in the company of Sinnika
Langeland and her album Wolf Rune. This is an ECM
release and I’ve always had a soft spot for Manfred Eicher’s

Reproduced from hi-fi+ Issue 211

often dark, brooding musical view of the world of sound.
This I discovered, was no different. Spacious, mythicmusic set in sharp relief against endless, barren Nordic
landscapes. Classic Manfred for sure and compelling stuff
sung in a language I don’t understand, which has its own
attractions. Not much in the way of foot tapping here so just
let it happen and go with it. It’s mysterious and overflowing
with small surprises and delights. The Scandi-noir of music
perhaps? APEX paints expressive pictures in sound rightin front of your ears and they tell of a world, unlike ours,
where anything is possible and musical conventions andrecognisable tempos are of little consequence.

A brilliant upgrade
APEX is a brilliant and totally worthwhile upgrade to the dCS
range and if you already own a compatible product you aregoing to want it. I’d go so far as to say that you need it. I
could provide so many more examples of how it worked its
magic on me but It speaks for itself musically and also forthe people within the company who I think deserve hugecongratulations for both designing and delivering it. But, inanother sense, the biggest beneficiaries are the artists andproducers who make the music we love to listen to. APEX
has certainly given them greater freedom of expression
and translated their ability to talk to us of many things by
expanding the vocabulary of their music and our innerconnections to it. It really is that significant I think because
emotionally, music has no boundaries and APEX walks thatparticular path with ease.

Prices and contact details
Type Upgrade for existing dCS owners (new dCS buyers
will have APEX hardware fitted as standard). Factory fit
upgrade only
Specifications as per existing dCS platform, typically 12dB
greater linearity and lower noise against previous dCS model
Ring DAC APEX Hardware is available for owners of theVivaldi DAC, Vivaldi One, Rossini and Rossini Player.
Price upgrade £6,000; Rossini DAC APEX £25,500;
Rossini Player APEX £28,000; Vivaldi DAC APEX £33,000
Manufacturer dCS

dcsaudio.com

UK Distributor Absolute Sounds
absolutesounds.com  +44(0)20 8971 3909

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