dCS Vivaldi CD/SACD Transport MK2

The dCS Vivaldi CD/SACD Transport MK2 is the definitive solution for Vivaldi owners who refuse to abandon the disc — a component engineered with the same uncompromising precision as every other element of the Vivaldi range, and the only transport capable of delivering silver disc playback at a level commensurate with the rest of the system. The Mark II designation is not a cosmetic revision; it represents a fundamental rearchitecting of the transport mechanism and internal hardware, producing a component that dCS are confident stands alongside the original in every meaningful respect, and surpasses it in several.

A New Mechanism, Uncompromised

The original Vivaldi Transport was built around the TEAC Esoteric Neo Mechanism — a component selected for its rigid construction and near-silent operation, and one that dCS used with confidence for years. When that mechanism became unavailable, dCS faced a choice: discontinue the Transport, or engineer a solution worthy of the Vivaldi name. The Mark II is that solution. It employs a dual laser mechanism — a design capable of reading both CD and SACD with equal authority — housed in aerospace-grade aluminium and governed by hardware developed in the years since the original Vivaldi's launch. The benefit of that elapsed time is real: the Mark II draws on breakthroughs made during the Vivaldi programme and on engineering advancements made since, producing a transport that is not a compromise but a genuine evolution.

SACD in Native DSD

For listeners with collections of Super Audio CDs, the Vivaldi Transport MK2 offers something no streaming service currently can: native DSD playback from disc. SACD delivers audio in DSD format — a high-resolution, single-bit encoding that preserves the original recording with extraordinary fidelity — and the Transport MK2 extracts that data with a precision that lesser mechanisms cannot match. Paired with the dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC and processed through the dCS Vivaldi Upsampler, the result is a disc playback experience of genuinely transcendent quality — one that gives physical media a compelling and enduring reason to exist.

CD Playback at Reference Level

Whilst SACD performance is a natural headline for a transport at this level, the MK2's handling of standard CDs is equally serious. There are recordings — rare pressings, obscure labels, live recordings never licensed to streaming — that exist only on disc, and the Vivaldi Transport MK2 retrieves them with a completeness and musicality that redefines what a CD can sound like. Every detail encoded in the 16-bit/44.1kHz format is extracted and passed to the DAC stage with no concession to convenience or cost.

Vivaldi Series Integration

The Transport MK2 carries the distinctive sculpted wave finish of the Vivaldi range and is available in anodised silver or matt black — visually consistent with the dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC and dCS Vivaldi Upsampler alongside which it will sit. It runs the latest dCS software and is fully compatible with all Vivaldi range components, including the dCS Vivaldi Master Clock for those who wish to lock the entire system to a single external timing reference — the final step in eliminating jitter from the signal chain entirely.

Who Is It For?

The Vivaldi Transport MK2 is for the Vivaldi owner who plays discs — specifically, for those with SACD collections they have no intention of abandoning, and for those whose CD libraries contain recordings unavailable anywhere else. It is also for the listener who understands that a transport is not a convenience product but a precision instrument, and who will accept nothing less than the best available solution for extracting data from a silver disc. Those exploring the dCS range at a different level will find the dCS Rossini CD/SACD Transport an equally serious approach to disc playback, and it is 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. The Vivaldi Transport MK2 is a component we take seriously — because for those who play discs, there is no acceptable alternative at this level. Dave or Chris can demonstrate it as part of a complete Vivaldi system at our Norwich showroom, and help you understand exactly what it adds to your existing setup.

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.