DCS Vivaldi stacks vs Esoteric Grandioso G1, D1, P1 stacks


Hey all,
For my digital front end source components I am currently using the DCS Vivaldi stacks which include : Vivaldi master clock/streamer unit, Vivaldi upsampler unit, Vivaldi DAC unit, Vivaldi CD/SACD transport unit. They sound and perform phenomenally well and have great sonic synergy with the rest of my equipments. 

But I'm thinking to make a switch to the Esoteric Grandioso stacks : G1 master clock, D1 monoblock DAC, P1 CD/SACD transport, to see how these Esoteric would stack up against my DCS Vivaldi stacks in my system. I'm using the Dan D'Agostino Momentum analog linestage stereo preamp and the Dan D'Agostino Momentum M400 monoblock amps (2 pairs) in bridge mode. My speakers are Wilson Audio Alexx. Speaker cables, interconnects and power cables are Transparent Opus. 

Has anyone get to compare the DCS Vivaldi stacks up against the Esoteric Grandioso stacks? 
I would be eager to find out how the Esoteric Grandioso stacks would sound in my setup especially in direct comparison to my existing DCS Vivaldi stacks. We don't have a single Esoteric dealer in our area so I have no way to demo the Esoteric Grandioso especially in the same setup as the one I have at home. I would love to give the Esoteric Grandioso stacks a try in my own setup at home. I've read nothing but outstanding reviews on the Esoteric Grandioso stacks, so I thought I might want to give them a shot. The Grandioso D1 DAC is monoblock configuration. 

Your advise, inputs and opinions will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

caphill

Showing 6 responses by folkfreak

As you have no local dealer can you deal with someone further away? Scott Walker audio are first rate and carry Esoteric. In the same area Katli Audio are also very good and also Esoteric dealers. I've no idea where you are but I have no difficulty working with dealers thousands of miles away from me with whom I have a long established relationship.
Hi -- as a fellow owner of the Vivaldi stack I'm not sure what you're looking for with this change. At this level of equipment it's not clear that path A is necessarily better than path B or C -- instead each approach may sound different and your preferences are going to be more a matter of personal tastes and system synergies. I've heard the full Esoteric stack in shows and sometimes thought it sounded great, other times awful. The same is true of my experience with DCS gear in shows

Nevertheless if you do want to change what you have to do is hear the Esoteric in your system and over an extended period. Any reputable dealer at this level will loan you a set to test at home -- you'll need to put down a deposit of course.

However if I was in your shoes the first thing I'd ensure before this is that I'm getting absolutely everything I can out of the equipment I have. It's a paradox of high end digital that it is very accessory sensitive -- in my case I've got add ons to my Vivaldi that cost almost as much as I spent on the 4 box system. In no particular order have you
  1. Upgraded the power cords and installed a power conditioning solution
  2. Upgraded all interconnects including clocks to Transparent Ref XL or above level
  3. Installed all pieces individually on a (ideally) ball/floating rack system, potentially going so far as exploring using Herzan platforms under each piece
  4. Explored footers under each piece (I use Marigo F8)
  5. Explored damping on the top plates (I have Shakti stones over each transformer and 2 on the transport, the second over the disc mechanism)
  6. Installed a grounding solution on each piece
  7. Capped every unused outlet (Telos caps are good)
  8. Considered using a CD mat (again I use Marigo)
Every one of these changes had a big impact and once installed I could not consider going back

Finally there are so many options on the Vivaldi that if it's a change you're looking for all you have to do is change the filter and mapping 😏  I currently prefer Dual DSD, Filter 5 and Map 1 but others swear by PCM, Map 3 and different filters -- all of which only goes to show that without having a piece in your system you've no idea if it will meet your ideal of "best"

Hope this helps
As I see there are only actually 2 Grandioso dealers for the entire USA I’ve got to assume long distance and loaner sales are part of their business model ...
Before trading out of your DCS stack you owe it to yourself to try adding a master reference clock, I use the Mutec but the best results may come from the Abendrot Stute http://www.kjwestone.co.uk/collection/stute/overview

i was in KJ last week and discussing this item with them, every DCS owner they’ve had try one has bought it ...
Sorry @caphill that was a rushed response. Hopefully you have a chance to check out my system.

My experience with adding the Mutec is described here -- the optimization via footers and ancillary cables is key -- with these included it's a $10K add on. The Stute on the other hand is, if I recall correctly, $37K and not sure if there is even a US dealer, they're based out of Japan. There are a number of other purveyors of master clocks and there's extensive discussion of the topic on WB among other places