dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC

The dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC stands at the summit of digital audio engineering — the conversion centrepiece of dCS's reference Vivaldi system, and the product of more than three decades of uncompromising in-house development. The Apex upgrade is not a refinement of what came before; it is a fundamental rearchitecting of the conversion stage itself, addressing noise floor and distortion at a level that sets a new standard for what a digital-to-analogue converter can achieve. At £40,500, the Vivaldi Apex DAC is a statement of intent — and dCS deliver on every part of it.

Ring DAC with Apex Architecture

At the heart of the Vivaldi Apex DAC is dCS's proprietary Ring DAC — a conversion topology developed entirely in-house since the early 1990s and refined across every generation of dCS engineering. Where conventional DAC designs rely on off-the-shelf conversion chips, the Ring DAC deploys an array of single-bit elements operating in parallel, governed by sophisticated noise-shaping algorithms that map digital audio data to the analogue output with extraordinary precision. The Apex revision introduces a wholly redesigned analogue output stage — new circuit topology, new component selection — targeting the noise floor and linearity of the previous Vivaldi DAC at a fundamental level. The result is measurably lower distortion and improved resolution at low signal levels, precisely where digital conversion is most demanding and most revealing.

Digital Processing and Upsampling

The Vivaldi Apex DAC accepts PCM data up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD up to DSD128 natively — world-beating format support that ensures no source material is beyond its reach. When partnered with the dCS Vivaldi Upsampler, incoming data from any source — network streaming, CD transport, computer audio — is upsampled to DXD or DSD before reaching the DAC stage, separating the processing workload from the conversion itself and allowing each component to operate at its absolute best. The Vivaldi Apex DAC also accepts a master clock signal from the dCS Vivaldi Master Clock, locking the entire system to a single ultra-low-jitter reference and eliminating the jitter contribution that limits lesser designs.

Inputs and Connectivity

Connectivity is comprehensive and uncompromising: AES3, dual AES3, SPDIF on both BNC and RCA, and dCS's proprietary interface for direct connection to other Vivaldi components. Analogue outputs are provided on both XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced connectors. The output stage is transformer-coupled — a deliberate design choice dCS have maintained throughout the Vivaldi range, contributing to noise isolation and output impedance characteristics that lesser topologies cannot match.

Clocking

The Vivaldi Apex DAC includes dCS's Word Clock input, accepting a 44.1kHz or 48kHz reference from the Vivaldi Master Clock. At the performance level the Vivaldi system operates at, jitter is not an abstract concern — it is audible, and eliminating it is the difference between a reference-level system and a truly transcendent one. For those assembling a complete Vivaldi stack, the Master Clock is the foundation everything else depends on.

Technical Specifications

Who Is It For?

The Vivaldi Apex DAC is for the listener for whom reference-level digital audio is the only acceptable destination — who understands that the conversion stage defines the ceiling of everything downstream, and who will accept no compromise in reaching it. It is most naturally experienced as part of a complete Vivaldi system, alongside the Vivaldi Upsampler, Vivaldi Master Clock, and Vivaldi CD/SACD Transport MK2, but it performs at the highest level as a standalone DAC in any system of equivalent ambition. Those seeking the dCS experience at a lower entry point should consider the dCS Bartók Apex or the dCS Rossini Apex DAC — both extraordinary DACs in their own right, and both available to hear at our Norwich showroom.

Buying from Martins Hi-Fi

Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind. dCS is one of the most technically rigorous companies in digital audio, and the Vivaldi Apex DAC represents the pinnacle of what they make. Dave and Chris can demonstrate the full Vivaldi system at our Norwich showroom — hearing each component in context is the only way to understand what the system is truly capable of.

Contact us at [email protected], call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.