Dcs Verona vs Scarlatti master clock

I use the Verdi/Purcell combo with a Scarlatti DAC and Scarlatti clock. The DAC replaced an Elgar Plus.

The Scarlatti DAC is a major improvement. The clock refines the sound audibly, but at its cost is really best for an otherwise "complete" system. I went with clock after DAC only because the Scarlatti transport is so costly, and my Verdi has a new optical drive. Once it dies it's on to the Scarlatti transport.

Suchart, Scarlatti DAC break in took about 100 hours to become noticeable. Now, at about 400 hours, the greater sense of realism compared to the Elgar Plus is indisputable - and I found the Elgar Plus to be the best DAC I'd heard to that point. My vocabulary fails me beyond what I've written, but the Scarlatti DAC is quite an achievement. FWIW, I split cd playing time between the Verdi/Purcell (>DSD>)/Scarlatti DAC w/all units sync'd to the Scarlatti clock, and feeding the Scarlatti DAC upsampled 174kHz dual AES data via the Purcell with the Lector providing the clocking data (it's modded with a DEXA reference clock). I enjoy both cd sources very much. Again, I believe the Scarlatti clock s/b considered only in the context of an otherwise "complete" system that will not be tinkered with for a long long time. Otherwise, save the cash for the next amp/preamp/loudspeaker/source experiment.

To clarify my last post, my non-dCS transport is a Lector DigiDrive with DEXA clock mod. I mentioned it only to make the point that the Scarlatti DAC extracting clock data out of the data stream from a good transport (at about 10-15% the cost of the Scarlatti transport) with Purcell upsampling to 176kHz dual AES is very nearly the equal of the Verdi/Purcell(upsampling to DSD)/Scarlatti DAC/Scarlatti master clock combo. The Scarlatti DAC with Purcell upsampling is the common denominator. Many have praised the TEAC VRDS-based transports of which the Scarlatti is one. Significantly refining the performance of my current source gear would be quite something, but $30k for the Scarlatti transport puts that day a long way off for me.

I use LessLoss RCA SPDIF digital cable from the Lector transport to the Purcell and a pair of LessLoss AES/EBU cables from Purcell to Scarlatti. I've no desire to upgrade from those cables. You may consider emailing Liudas at LessLoss. I believe him to be someone who understands digital technology very well.

Suchart: It was a while back, but I believe about $300.

Suchtan:

I'd contacted dCS technical support in the UK about 1394 DSD cabling a while back and the fellow who wrote me in reply mentioned in passing that his experience was that clock cables ("surpisingly", to him) impact performance noticeably. BTW, he recommended Siltech 1394 cable.

I use three KCI Falcon digital cables. I've listened with the Falcon as BNC-BNC "data" cable from Verdi to Purcell, and it is surpisingly close to my reference (Stealth Varidig Sextet) in that role. So I bought two more and use the three for clock connections (to Verdi, Purcell and Scarlatti DAC). Oh, and it sounds great.