dCS Vivaldi Master Clock Ex-Demonstration

The dCS Vivaldi Master Clock is the timing foundation upon which the entire Vivaldi system's performance ultimately rests — a dedicated clocking component of world-beating precision that reduces jitter to vanishingly low levels and brings a measurable, audible improvement to every component it serves. This ex-demonstration unit is available now at £16,995, in excellent condition, and represents a rare opportunity to acquire one of the most consequential components in the Vivaldi range at a price that reflects its ex-demonstration status.

What a Master Clock Actually Does

In any digital audio system, every sample must be accurate in both level and time. Jitter — minute timing errors in the digital stream — causes the analogue signal to be reconstructed inaccurately, manifesting as a blurring of transients, a compression of the soundstage, and a loss of the fine spatial and tonal detail that distinguishes a truly transcendent listening experience from a merely excellent one. Every digital component has a built-in clock, but a dedicated external master clock of this calibre operates at a fundamentally different standard of precision — one that no internal solution, however well engineered, can match.

The Vivaldi Master Clock features two independent banks of clock outputs, each capable of outputting different frequencies simultaneously — making it possible to synchronise multiple components across a dCS system, or indeed other manufacturers' equipment designed to accept standard Word Clock on a 75-ohm coaxial connection. The result, in a complete Vivaldi system, is a coherence and authority that redefines what the dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC and dCS Vivaldi Upsampler are capable of delivering.

Multi-Stage Phase-Locked Loop Technology

dCS were among the first to introduce external clocking to domestic digital audio — a development that emerged directly from their work in professional recording studios, where the disciplines of timing precision and signal integrity are non-negotiable. The Vivaldi Master Clock's multi-stage Phase-Locked Loop system controls jitter from the incoming audio stream with what dCS describe as world-beating accuracy — an active jitter-reduction architecture that processes any incoming reference and delivers a timing output of far greater precision than the source itself. The PLL is also capable of slaving to an external reference — an atomic clock or GPS source — for those who require still greater precision.

Crystal Oscillator Engineering

Every Vivaldi Master Clock leaves dCS's Cambridge factory having passed rigorous in-house testing. Crystal oscillators are pre-aged, individually selected for long-term stability, and calibrated across a wide temperature range to ensure consistent, drift-free performance in any environment. A sophisticated microcontroller monitors temperature continuously and applies smooth, precise frequency correction as conditions change — an approach dCS maintain delivers a more stable and accurate result than oven-controlled oscillators alone. This is precision engineering of the highest order, and its effect on the system it serves is both measurable and immediately audible.

Updateable by Design

The Vivaldi Master Clock is built on dCS's programmable logic architecture — meaning its feature set and performance characteristics are updateable via software, without any hardware modification. New capabilities and performance enhancements are deliverable over the lifetime of the product, protecting the long-term value of the investment and ensuring that the Vivaldi Master Clock remains at the state of the art for years to come.

What It Does to the Sound

When the Vivaldi Master Clock is added to a dCS system, the improvement is not subtle. Images sharpen, the music gains authority and weight, and low-level detail becomes significantly more resolved — the entire presentation acquires a clarity and confidence that confirms, beyond any doubt, that timing is not a secondary consideration in digital audio. It is, in fact, the foundation on which everything else rests.

This Ex-Demonstration Unit

This Vivaldi Master Clock has been part of our demonstration system and has been maintained and operated by our team throughout its life with us. It is in excellent condition and has been verified as performing to factory specification before being offered for sale. Contact us to discuss its full history and condition.

Who Is It For?

The Vivaldi Master Clock is for the committed dCS system owner — or the buyer stepping into the Vivaldi range — who understands that clocking is not an optional extra at this level of ambition. If you own a dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC or dCS Bartók APEX and have not yet added a dedicated master clock, this ex-demonstration unit represents a genuinely rare opportunity. Those exploring the dCS range at the Rossini level will find the same clocking philosophy applied with equal rigour in the dCS Rossini Master Clock.

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. This ex-demonstration Vivaldi Master Clock has been part of our own system — we know exactly what it contributes, and we can demonstrate it in a complete Vivaldi context at our Norwich showroom. Speak to Dave or Chris to discuss its history, arrange a listening session, and determine whether this is the right moment for your system.

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.