Buying Advice

A Good Dealer

A good dealer needs to have extensive knowledge on what products are out there and not just the brands they carry. This requires a dealer to be independent and analytical in thought. You should also be able to tell a good dealer about your tastes, music, lifestyle and budget and let them advise you on what products they think will work for you now and in the future. Good dealers also have a great knowledge of accessories so put that to use next time you visit them.

The Playback Chain

At dCS we stongly believe that garbage in = garbage out. This means the weakest link should be at the end of the chain and not the start!

Regardless of the calibre of amplification and/or loudspeakers later in the chain, they cannot make up for the lack of sonic performance from a weak source. The rest of the chain behind the source cannot be asked to substitute, create or replace what is already missing.

What this means is that a decent set of speakers and amplification in conjunction with excellent source and electronics will provide an amazing end result. The alternative; a poor quality source into excellent amp and speakers will simply result in you reproducing poor quality sound.

Separates or Full Systems?

We are often asked by people who are setting out in high end where to start...

In a digital audio system the front end will typically be an integrated player or separate transport and Digital to Analogue converter (DAC).

If compromise is necessary then we advise you to buy the best possible Digital to Analogue Converter because this will significantly improve the perfromance of all digital components connected to it. Our DACs benfit from our unique and patented dCS Ring DAC technology.

After building your front end around the DAC the next step depends on whether your preferred medium is silver disc (CD or SACD) or Computer Audio.

If you are still a disc spinner then the must have component is one of our Upsampling CD/SACD Transports and then complete the system with a Master Clock that will synchronise all your components  together and provide a substantial performance improvement.

If you are now building your system around a music server then an Upsampler is required to get the best out of your computer audio. All of our USB equipped products feature our patent pending asynchronous USB interface and the Upsamplers have the added benefit of allowing you to upsample all of your music to 176.4, 192 or DSD.

If you go down the separates route your dealer is a key player in advising what components work best with each other.

The Demonstration

At dCS we believe the audition is the most important tool you have in deciding what you like about a product and what you want from your hi-fi system. Our belief is that our products should become invisible to the ear and leave you with only the music.

When it comes to the audition trust your own judgment and choose what sounds best to you as listening to music is an entirely personal experience and your enjoyment of music is based on your experience.

Here are some of our thoughts on how to get the most from a demonstration:

• Bring your own music - but listen also to some tracks you have never heard before
  
• Listen to a variety of musical genres so you can get a feel for the overall musicality of the product
  
• Don’t be rushed! No good dealer will rush a demonstration. Listen and Listen again
  
• Relax and enjoy the music
  

Reading Reviews

Magazine reviews can be a source of objective information on a product as well as describing a particular critic's own opinion of the equipment in question.  The reviews can also provide some useful technical data on the products in question.

At dCS we love critical acclaim and over the years we have benefited from some truly excellent reviews but we strongly advise you to never substitute a review for the audition.

Trust your own ears and buy the best you can.