The new dCS Varese DAC...it is so good that all others are now relegated to history??

Given Jacob’s extremely good hearing, I am sure that the DCS is all its cracked up to be. But, as with any company reaching for the stars, they will make some new discovery and implement it.

Why all the snark? I can’t afford this  particular stack, either, but I don’t begrudge those who can. Isn’t the goal (for some of us) to reproduce a credible illusion of the live experience (if there even was one)? I’m not certain I’d buy a 254k stack even if I could (again) afford it, just because I’d rather use that on a first class trip to Thailand and five or six other countries!

But I’d buy a DCS Bartok Apex for the low, low price of only...7k !! DCS is one of the really great digital products on the market. There are others.

Entertaining discussion. I would love to hear this latest dCS front end especially in my system at home. But that’s unlikely to happen.

dCS is one of the polarizing brands that attract a lot of haters similar to the crowd hating on Wilson Audio, Boulder, etc. mostly those who never owned or even heard this gear and can’t afford it…typical in any hobby…but have an opinion on how bad it sounds and how it’s not worth it. 
 

This is a gorgeous stack and I am sure it’s top notch engineering and build quality. 

Yes, I’m sure people who know NOTHING about DCS aside from this ONE story are people who  react off the top of their head and come up with conclusions before knowing all the facts. And the fact that DCS has been in business for 40 years and never had a kerfluffle before now means nothing to them. They’re inclined to mob mentality. By that point, facts mean nothing. 

DCS products are excellent, and always have been. I am no fan of their pricing, but I do see them as a luxury brand. Goldmund is a luxury brand, too, only they actually say that they are.

What’s interesting is that even the luxury audio brands were not this expensive 30 years ago. After 2000, the pricing  of speakers and electronics seemed to get crazy. Ah, well... And I’m sure the more expensive a component, the more rabid some posters become. It’s not logical. Not in the least.

One thing that occurs to me with regards to the dCS pricing is that one can acquire the new Metaxas And Sins Papillion tape deck, along with a good number of tapes for a price that might be less than the dCS stack. According to JV in the current issue of The Absolute Sound, this tape deck is the best source component he has heard. I would suspect that the tape player would see off the new dCS  Varese in all areas.

@daveyf love your satire