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dCS Puccini Clock

I had yesterday the oportunity to hear for first time the Puccini clock.

I must admit that I was a little sceptical. The system consisted of:

Howland preamp HP-200 SE
Howland amp RADIA SE
Avalon Indra
Transparent power cleaner / station ?
I can't tell which cables

Well the effect is quite amazing and you can easily recognize it in a blind hearing. If I have to describe it I would say, you become aware of the hall / the space in which the recording has been done. The difference is very noticeable when you switch the clock off, suddenly the music sounds dryer, shorter and the space all around the whole music desapears.

I heard:
Luiz Bonfa plays and sing Bossa Nova (Verve)
Bruckner 4th by Jaap van Zweden (bad SACD & interpretation)
Bruckner 4th by Günter Wand (the last recording)
Ports of Call by Eiji Oue (Ref. Rec. bravo Prof. Johnson you are a great sound engeneer!)

One of these days I will take it home and have a test on my system ... and will make some blind hearing with my wife ;-)

I will report then about the experience.
clavil
clavil OP
254 posts
 
Arthursmuck,

a curiosity, your loudspeakers look like the Focus Line Source LS9 ... could you tell me more about them.

thanks
arthursmuck
451 posts
 
You have e-mail Clavil!
elberoth2's avatar
elberoth2
1,223 posts
 
Arthursmuck,

Definately. ARC CD-7 was already an improvement over the MBL 1531, and Puccini is even better. Another player worth considering with the digital in is Accuphase DP-700 - it is smoother, not as detailed, but overall it is a very good CDP.

Microstrip,

I already had Puccini in my system for a week or so, now I'm gonna have it again, this time with the U-Clock.

Compared to the ARC, Puccini has much better resolution, more air and better HF extension, the harmonic structere of music is better presented, image specify is better (CD-7 is a bit out of focus in comparision), bass is better defined, miscrodynamics and transcient speed are much improved and overall - it just sounds more like live music.

I personally hated the previous dCS offerings - the 8Pi integrated was the worst of them and absolute disaster, sounding very bright and mechanical, but Puccini is a real gem.
arthursmuck
451 posts
 
Thanks Elberoth2! I'm going to CES and have time set up to hear Puccini, Vitus, Stahl Tek and VAC DAC's (just convert the MBL to transport duty) and Lindemann 820S...I'll need to add the Accuphase to my list as well. Hope to narrow it down (show conditions and all) and have a couple in after that to demo down to a final decision, having already heard the Playback designs in my system....
clavil OP
254 posts
 
a british dCS dealer reports big improvements by using MIT cables between the Clock and the Puccini.

Had somebody a similar experience?
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