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Data Conversion Systems DCS VIVALDI DAC User Manual

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dCS Vivaldi DAC
Stereo Digital to Analogue Converter

User Manual

Software Release 1.0x
August 2012
© Data Conversion Systems Ltd. 2012
Price UK £8.00 / Euro 12.00
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 Data Conversion Systems 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 1.0x August 2012 Page 2 Filename: Vivaldi DAC Manual v1_0x.docx English version...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 Contents Using the dCS Vivaldi DAC for the first time ..................4     What’s in the box?   Positioning the unit   Safety Notice Step-by-Step Guide ..........................6  ...

  • Page 4: Using The Dcs Vivaldi Dac For The First Time

    FOR THE FIRST TIME dCS Vivaldi DAC Congratulations on purchasing your dCS Vivaldi DAC. 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.

  • Page 5: Safety Notice

    August 2012 Safety Notice Your dCS Vivaldi DAC contains no user serviceable parts. DO NOT attempt to open the case as there are potentially dangerous voltages present inside. In the event of the unit developing a fault, please contact your dealer in the first instance.

  • Page 6: Step-By-Step Guide

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 UIDE This section guides you through setting up the unit for basic operation. Preliminaries The Menu / Setup Guide sheet details the menu structure and details the two most common set-ups.

  • Page 7: Fitting The Remote Control Handset Batteries

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 Fitting the Remote Control handset batteries Use a small coin to Lift the screw a Fit 2 AA size batteries by pressing Slide back release the screw little and slide the...

  • Page 8: Step 1 - Connecting A Pcm Input

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 STEP 1 – Connecting a PCM Input If you want to use the USB input only, go to Step 2. Switch on the source equipment. If appropriate, load a disk / tape and set the machine in PLAY mode to ensure it is generating a digital audio data stream.

  • Page 9: Connecting To A Single Aes Or Spdif Source

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 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 10: Step 2 - Setting Up The Usb Source

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 STEP 2 – Setting up the USB source If you do not want to use a USB source, go to STEP 3. Connecting the USB interface The USB interface can be connected to Windows™ 7 or Windows™ Vista (SP2 or later), Windows™...

  • Page 11: Loading The Windows Driver For Usb Class 2

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 Loading the Windows driver for USB Class 2 • If ASIO4ALL or any other ASIO driver (e.g. for a sound card) is loaded on your computer, please uninstall it - otherwise the dCS driver will not work correctly.

  • Page 12: Step 3 - Connecting The Analogue Outputs

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 STEP 3 – Connecting the Analogue Outputs Choose one of the following two sections: Using a preamplifier • Set the preamplifier volume control to a low level. • Connect either the balanced (XLR connectors) or unbalanced (RCA phono connectors) outputs on the DAC rear panel to matching line level inputs on your preamplifier (probably labelled CD or AUX).

  • Page 13: Step 5 - Choosing A Sync Mode

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 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 interface, the DAC will lock to a word clock generated by the source.) This is the simplest arrangement, but it does not give the best sonic performance due to clock jitter.

  • Page 14: Using A Master Clock In A Cd/Sacd System

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 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 to Amplifier Figure 4 – Using the Vivaldi Transport, DAC and Clock together •...

  • Page 15: A Full Vivaldi System

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 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 16 Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 The Vivaldi Master Clock has 2 Groups of outputs, each of which can be set to any of 6 standard clock frequencies. The DAC and Upsampler have 3 and 2 Word Clock inputs respectively, to ensure they can have access to a suitable clock despite changing sample rates in the system.

  • Page 17: Advanced Options

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 Advanced options Customising the input configuration The Vivaldi DAC’s inputs can be renamed to suit your particular system. The Vivaldi Upsampler has the same feature. If you have difficulty with this, please ask your Dealer for help.

  • Page 18: Front Panel

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 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 19: Power Button

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 Power Button Power To switch on, ensure the rear panel switch is set to and press the button (C) on the front panel once. Note that the unit cannot be turned on from the remote control.

  • Page 20: Input Button

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 The DAC remembers the last filter set for every sample rate. Filter ◄ When the menu is open, the button changes to the button, used to page backwards through the menu.

  • Page 21: Rear Panel

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 ANEL --N-- --O-- ------R------ Figure 7 – Rear panel Analogue Outputs Balanced Outputs Unbalanced Outputs The unit features independent (J) on XLR connectors and (K) on RCA connectors. The Left channel outputs are in the top row and the Right channel outputs are on the lower row.

  • Page 22: Spdif Digital Inputs

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 SPDIF Digital Inputs The unit features 3 electrical SPDIF inputs, labelled SPDIF1, SPDIF2 SPDIF3 (N) and (T), as well as Toslink Toslink an optical SPDIF input on a connector (P). Pull out the dust cover before using the Toslink input.

  • Page 23: Test Interface

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 When the unit is set to Master mode, the DAC uses its internal clock instead of locking to the data or Word Clock Inputs, then the Word Clock Out one of the connector (S) carries a 44.1kHz word clock.

  • Page 24: Remote Control

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 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 25: The Menu

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 MENU ► ► ► ► Information Unit Status Version Contact Update Displays the Loads new Displays the software Displays dCS software from unit status. issues & serial contact details. a dCS CD.

  • Page 26: Using The Menu

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 Using the Menu The menu gives the user access to a range of additional features. It also allows new features and performance enhancements to be added later by software updates.

  • Page 27: Information Menu

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 INFORMATION Menu Unit Status page displays: • The long version of the serial number, including the hardware configuration code. • Each input and the sample rate detected on that input.

  • Page 28: Settings Menu

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 SETTINGS Menu Sync Mode – this page sets the clocking for the digital input that is currently selected. The DAC remembers the Sync Mode setting separately for each digital input. The...
  • Page 29 Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 Dual AES1+2 AES1 AES2 - This setting allows the inputs to be used together to accept PCM data at high sample rates (88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8 or 384kS/s) or DSD from a Dual AES source.
  • Page 30 Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 Reset Input Names – if the inputs have been renamed from a computer, this page resets them to the original names: AES1, AES2, etc. and enables all inputs for use. After a reset, the special set-up information is lost.

  • Page 31: Display Settings Menu

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 DISPLAY SETTINGS Menu Brightness ◄ ► Set the display to a comfortable level using the buttons. Display On/Off - this page is usually set to On. When set to and the menu closes, the display will turn off after the menu closes. The display will turn on briefly when a control setting is changed.

  • Page 32: Specification

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 PECIFICATION Converter type dCS proprietary Ring DAC topology. Digital inputs 4x AES/EBU on 3-pin female XLR connectors. Each will accept up to 24 bit PCM at 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192kS/s, used as a Dual AES pairs at 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8 or 384kS/s or...
  • Page 33 Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 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 34: Maintenance And Support

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 AINTENANCE AND UPPORT Service and Maintenance dCS audio products are designed not to need regular maintenance, and contain no user serviceable parts apart from the mains fuse. If your unit is damaged in any way, please contact your dealer.

  • Page 35: Limited Warranty

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 Limited Warranty General dCS warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 3 years from the date the unit was originally shipped from dCS. 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.

  • Page 36: If You Need More Help

    Vivaldi DAC User Manual Software Issue 1.0x August 2012 If you need more help In the first instance, you should contact your dealer. If they cannot resolve the issue, contact your national distributor. Manufactured by: Data Conversion Systems Ltd.

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