Mosaic Update 1.1.1 - Introducing Expanse

On December 21, we’re releasing an update for dCS Mosaic – our custom platform which allows dCS customers to access a wide range of digital music and control the settings on their dCS device.

Mosaic 1.1.1 will include a host of improvements and new features available to all dCS owners, as well as a new innovation, dCS Expanse, designed specifically for owners of our Bartók Headphone DAC.

Expanse is a custom-built processing platform, designed to deliver an enhanced headphone experience on the Bartók Headphone DAC.

Developed by dCS, it was created to address a growing imbalance in the way that sound is monitored during the recording process and how it’s experienced during playback. With most recordings still monitored on loudspeakers, and more people than ever now listening to music on headphones, we felt there was a need for a platform that could bring the headphone experience closer to the sound that artists and engineers hear when listening to a performance or mix in the studio.

Various technologies have been developed to address this imbalance over the past few decades – most of which focus on using cross feed to move a perceived sound source out of a listener’s head and into the room in front of them, mirroring the effect of listening to music on loudspeakers.

Yet after studying existing methods of cross feed and headphone optimisation, we discovered that none of them were able to optimise sound while also preserving the original reverberation in a recording. Most instead relied on adding artificial reverberation – a technique we didn’t feel was appropriate for dCS products.

So, after extensive research, our R&D team used their expertise to develop an alternative approach that allows us to externalise sound, without loss or damage to the original reverberation.

This unique method allows us to deliver a more immersive experience – one that captures not just the fine details in a musical performance, but the overall sense of space and depth, something that is often lost when sound is translated for headphone listening.

With Expanse, listeners can enjoy all of the hallmarks of dCS playback – clarity, precision and an engaging sound – and a unique experience that remains faithful to the music.

You can find out more about Expanse here.

We’ve also put together a playlist featuring some featuring some recommended reference tracks to help you discover the platform’s potential, which you can access here.

What else is new?

 Expanse is just one of several new features and updated included in Mosaic 1.1.1

Other additions include TIDAL My Mix, which provides added support for TIDAL’s autogenerated playlists, an update to our play queue feature, which allows listeners to add more tracks to a play queue or playlist, and improvements to media browsing, playback and control functions.

Mosaic 1.1.1. is available to download from 10am GMT on Monday, December 21. Further information will be shared via our website and social media pages, and on our forum,dcs.community.

If you have any questions regarding Expanse or Mosaic 1.1.1, please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you require an offline update, please contact us and provide your unit serial number. We will provide you with an update image that will only install on that unit, so it is critical that the serial number be correct. Installation instructions will be provided with the update image. This service will be available from 4th January 2021.

Mosaic 1.1.1 Release Notes