Audio obsessive with over a quarter of a million dollars to spend? Have I got the hi-fi stack for you?
It’s time for The Barenaked Ladies to rewrite their hit, If I had a million dollars – because I think that if professional music fans and creators had that kind of money, they would want the recently launched dCS Varèse. It’s a hi-fi stack in the same way that a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport is a thing you can drive to the mall.
In short, it’s a new piece of gear that fits perfectly into our occasionally released Money no Object series (my favorite offerings in recent memory? It’s TEAC’s elite DAC and headphone amplifier, but I digress).
dCS, based in Cambridge, England, has been making ultra-high-end hi-fi products for more than 30 years and in 1996 launched the world’s first 24-bit home DAC, effectively ushering in the era of hi-res audio. And the company says the Varèse is the pinnacle of its engineering achievements, even more high-end than its prestigious Lina, Bartók, Rossini and Vivaldi products.
dCS Varèse: Why You’d Buy It If You Were a Billionaire
There are four main products in the dCS Varèse system: the Varèse Core, the Varèse User Interface, the Varèse Mono DAC and the Varèse Master Clock. A fifth product, a CD/SACD transport, will be added in 2025.
The Varèse products employ a number of new technologies, including a patented new clock technology; a custom interface called ACTUS that carries audio, control and timing signals between the individual components; and a new version of the dCS Ring DAC that the company says represents the biggest change to its DAC architecture in a generation. There are also new circuit designs and new power supplies that reduce jitter, lower the noise floor and reduce crosstalk.
According to dCS, listeners “noted an even wider, more expansive soundstage; an increased sense of effortlessness, musicality, and rhythmic flow; even more tangible vocals; improved texture, timing, and impact of bass instruments; and enhanced speed and melody at lower frequencies, among other qualities.”
Varèse made its static display debut at the Hong Kong AV show last week and will travel to other events around the world in 2024. Active demonstrations will take place in the UK and US from September 2024, with shipping beginning in late 2024.
And the price? I’m glad you asked. The Varèse components are:
- Varèse core: £75,000
- Varèse User Interface: £20,000
- Varèse Mono DAC: £90,000 (pair)
- Varèse Master Clock: £32,500
Those are UK prices – a quick currency conversion tells me you’re looking at $279,000, or thereabouts, for the stack (which is about AU$422,000, not including any import duties or shipping) – and the sole UK distributor is Absolute sounds. I’m sure if you ask them nicely they can ship the Varèse components to one of your country homes outside the UK. Or you could always send your butler to pick them up, in the helicopter…
I’m kidding, of course: I’ve been lucky enough to hear some of my favorite records in listening rooms with equipment that cost more than my house, and I’m very jealous of anyone who has this kind of sound system in their home. You can find out more about the Varèse and its innovation on the dCS website.