DCS Vivaldi DAC User Manual
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DCS Vivaldi DAC User Manual

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dCS Vivaldi DAC
Stereo Digital to Analogue Converter

User Manual

Software Release 2.0x
November 2016
This product incorporates the following dCS proprietary technology:
Ring DAC™
© Data Conversion Systems Ltd. 2012-2016
Price UK £10.00
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise)
1
without the prior written permission of dCS
. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice, and whilst it is checked for accuracy, no
liabilities can be accepted for errors.
1
dCS is Data Conversion Systems Ltd. Company registered in England No. 2072115.

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Summary of Contents for DCS Vivaldi DAC

  • Page 1: User Manual

    Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice, and whilst it is checked for accuracy, no liabilities can be accepted for errors. dCS is Data Conversion Systems Ltd. Company registered in England No. 2072115.
  • Page 2 Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Page 2 Vivaldi DAC Manual v2_0x English version...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Contents Using the dCS Vivaldi DAC for the first time ..................5     What’s in the box?   Positioning the unit   Important Safety Instructions   Safety Notice Step-by-Step Guide ..........................8  ...
  • Page 4 Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016   SETTINGS Menu   Mapper   Sync Mode   Output Level   Dual AES1+2   Dual AES3+4   Phase   Channel Swap   Balance   USB Class   Buffer  ...

  • Page 5: Using The Dcs Vivaldi Dac For The First Time

    Before using your unit, please read this section and the Step by Step Guide. This will enable you to set the unit up quickly and safely with your hi-fi system. From time to time, dCS will release updated software on CD that you can install yourself using the Update feature.

  • Page 6: Important Safety Instructions

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Important Safety Instructions The following statements are required to comply with U.S. safety standard UL60065. • Read these instructions. • Keep these instructions. • Heed all warnings. • Follow all instructions.

  • Page 7: Safety Notice

    50Hz or 60Hz ONLY. Damage caused to your Vivaldi DAC by misuse of a mains regenerator or by a malfunctioning mains regenerator is not covered by the warranty.

  • Page 8: Step-By-Step Guide

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 UIDE This section guides you through setting up the unit for basic operation. Preliminaries The Menu Guide sheet details the menu structure. For digital interfaces, use with cables designed for digital audio: •...

  • Page 9: Fitting The Remote Control Handset Batteries

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Fitting the Remote Control handset batteries Use a small coin to Lift the screw a little Fit 2 AA size batteries by pressing Slide the back plate release the screw...

  • Page 10: Step 1 - Connecting A Pcm Input

    Choose one or more of the following sections: Connecting to a Dual AES Source • Check that your source equipment (probably a dCS SACD Transport or a dCS Upsampler) is capable of Dual AES operation and is set up correctly.

  • Page 11: Connecting To A Single Aes Or Spdif Source

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Connecting to a Single AES or SPDIF source Most source equipment (such as CD transports, DVD players) is fitted with a single wire digital output, usually on an RCA phono connector.

  • Page 12: Step 2 - Setting Up The Usb Source

    • Wait until installation is complete, then re-start the computer. If you connect a Vivaldi DAC set for USB Audio Class 2 to a Windows computer without first loading the driver, the computer will not be able to find the DAC.

  • Page 13: Basic Setup With A Pc

    With such a proliferation of playing software, and updates being issued frequently, it is impossible for dCS to be fully up-to-date with the behaviour and performance of all programs. If you have questions or problems, we would urge you to take them up with your software vendor. What we will say is that different programs operate very differently and it is well worth finding out exactly how your particular program processes the audio.

  • Page 14: Selecting The Vivaldi Dac As Your Audio Output Device

    Selecting the Vivaldi DAC as your Audio Output device Whichever program you are using to play your music, your computer may not automatically select your Vivaldi DAC as the preferred playback device. You can correct this as follows: Mac OSX...

  • Page 15: Step 3 - Connecting The Analogue Outputs

    3 to pin 1 (ground) to complete the signal path. Another possible cause of this fault (probably on one channel only) is a broken cable. The Vivaldi DAC has independent balanced and unbalanced output stages, so you can connect them to different amplifiers if you wish.

  • Page 16: Step 5 - Choosing A Sync Mode

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 STEP 5 – Choosing a Sync Mode So far, the system has been set up to lock to the clock generated by the source. If you are using the SDIF-2 interface, the DAC will lock to a word clock generated by the source. The basic Sync Mode for the USB interface is Master Mode because it is an asynchronous interface.

  • Page 17: Using A Master Clock In A Cd/Sacd System

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Using a Master Clock in a CD/SACD system The performance can be improved further by adding a Vivaldi Clock to the system as shown below. Analogue outputs Amplifier Figure 4 – Using the Vivaldi Transport, DAC and Clock together •...

  • Page 18: A Full Vivaldi System

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 A full Vivaldi system The Vivaldi’s clocking system has been designed to be very comprehensive to cope with multiple sample rates with a mixture of clocked and un-clocked sources. This applies particularly to streaming computer audio files with different sample rates, or using an Upsampler with a variety of output sample rates.
  • Page 19 Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 • Set Master Clock Freq1 44.1kHz Freq2 to 48kHz. • Connect one of the Clock Group 1 Word Clock Input outputs (44.1kHz) to the of the Transport – it will automatically sync.

  • Page 20: Advanced Options

    Advanced options Customising the input configuration The Vivaldi DAC’s inputs can be renamed to suit your particular system using a computer running a terminal emulator program. The Vivaldi Upsampler has the same feature. The procedure using a Windows PC with TeraTerm is described here, but other programs such as PuTTY or ZTerm can be used.

  • Page 21: Front Panel

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 RONT ANEL C D E F G H Figure 6 – Front panel Remote Control Receiver Aim the remote control handset towards the receiver (A) for best sensitivity. Display In normal use, the display (B) is split into 4 areas: The top right corner shows the locking status, the data format.

  • Page 22: Power Button

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Details of the menu displays are shown in the Menu section on page 28. To avoid unnecessary display wear, we recommend switching off or setting the unit to Sleep mode at the end of the listening session.

  • Page 23: Input Button

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 DSD mode has 5 filters, the first 4 progressively reduce the out-of-band noise level (which is inherent Filter 1 in the 1-bit nature of DSD). is the usual setting – it gives the widest bandwidth (about 90kHz Filter 2 for DSD/64) and the highest level of out-of-band noise.

  • Page 24: Rear Panel

    3 floating. This arrangement does not work correctly with a floating output stage, resulting in extra noise, unstable signal levels and a “thin” sound. If you want to use the Vivaldi DAC with this type of input, link pin 3 to pin 1 in the cable at the amplifier end. Unbalanced Outputs In such cases, we recommend that you use the instead.

  • Page 25: Spdif Digital Inputs

    DSD/64 or DSD/128 data packaged in DoP format and decode it as DSD. This interface operates in true asynchronous mode, which makes the Vivaldi DAC immune to clock jitter from the computer / sound server. The DAC uses its own internal clock or locks to the Master...

  • Page 26: Word Clock Inputs And Output

    Settings > RS232 menu page. • Binary mode is used to remotely control the unit during automated production testing at dCS. • Text mode is for use with a household automation system. If you would like to use this mode, please download the list of remote control commands from www.dcsltd.co.uk.

  • Page 27: Remote Control

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 EMOTE ONTROL The upper section of the Remote Control is mainly for the DAC, the lower section is for the Transport. Sleep Hold down the button for 2 seconds to set the system to Sleep sleep mode.

  • Page 28: The Menu

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 MENU ► ► ► ► Information Unit Status Version Contact Update Displays the Loads new Displays the Displays dCS software software from unit status. contact details. issues. a dCS CD.

  • Page 29: Using The Menu

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Signal Channel Phase ► ► ► Burn In Generator Check Check Outputs Outputs tone Outputs noise modulated pink on L channel on both noise to burn- only then R channels then in your channel only.

  • Page 30: Information Menu

    This page does not time out, press the button to exit. Contact Contact page displays dCS web-site URL and support email address. This page Menu does not time out, press the button to exit. If you have any difficulty, please contact your dealer for help first.

  • Page 31: Settings Menu

    Map 2 is the classic mapper design, used on all 1.xx versions of the Vivaldi DAC and based on the design used by dCS for the last 20 years. It drives the Ring DAC™ at 2.822 or 3.07MHz. Map 3 is an experimental design, which also runs at 5.644 or 6.14MHz.

  • Page 32: Output Level

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Output Level This page sets the full scale output level to 6V, 2V, 0.6V 0.2V rms to allow you to match the DAC’s output level to your amplifiers, speakers and room.

  • Page 33: Usb Class

    Buffer to Off. EasyPlay Set to On, if the Vivaldi DAC is connected to the Transport’s Dual AES output, the action of loading a disc in the Vivaldi Transport causes the DAC to change input to match the disc type.

  • Page 34: Configuration Menu

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 CONFIGURATION Menu Settings Lock Set to Locked, this icon is displayed and the following settings cannot be changed: • • Mapper Channel Swap • • Sync Mode setting for all inputs Balance •...

  • Page 35: Display Settings Menu

    Press any button to stop the procedure. Please ensure that the volume level is reasonable, as careless use of the Burn In feature can damage your amplifiers and loudspeakers. dCS will not be liable for such damage. Page 35 Vivaldi DAC Manual v2_0x English version...

  • Page 36: Specification

    • 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96kS/s when set to USB Class 1 (no driver required). • 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8 or 384kS/s when set to USB Class 2 (no special driver is required for OSX 10.6 onwards, load the latest dCS USB Class 2 driver for Windows).
  • Page 37 Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 Balanced outputs 1 stereo pair on 2x 3-pin male XLR connectors (pin 2 = hot, pin 3 = cold). These outputs are electronically balanced and floating, the signal balance ratio at 1kHz is better than 40dB. Output impedance is 3Ω, maximum load is 600Ω...

  • Page 38: Maintenance And Support

    Cleaning the case The front and back panels of your dCS equipment are machined from very high grade aluminium. Great care has been taken to create the finish of the aluminium throughout the engineering process from the raw solid material to the finished piece.

  • Page 39: Limited Warranty

    If the product is purchased and registered with dCS within 6 months of the date the unit was originally shipped from dCS, we will start the warranty on the purchase date. For units registered later than 6 months from the ship date, we will start the warranty from the ship date unless the registration is supported by the original sales invoice.

  • Page 40: If You Need More Help

    Unit 1, Buckingway Business Park, Anderson Road, Swavesey, Cambridgeshire. CB24 4AE www.dcsltd.co.uk This user manual may be downloaded free of charge from our web-site. A bound copy of this manual may be ordered from dCS. Page 40 Vivaldi DAC Manual v2_0x English version...

  • Page 41: Software History

    Please note that not all software updates produce an audible improvement. We recommend that you keep your software up to date. Check the dCS web-site occasionally for news of the latest software updates. Update discs are available from our distributors. Before requesting an update disc, please open the Info >...

  • Page 42: Index

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 2.0x November 2016 NDEX Toslink ......25 rename inputs ....20 A  USB ......12, 25 reset ......... 34 word clock ..11, 17, 26 reset input names .... 34 AES input ....11, 24 input button ......

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