Rossini APEX

The Visionary

Our latest generation Rossini system combines state-of-the-art engineering with exquisite craftsmanship and a timeless aesthetic, delivering a performance that is equal parts detailed and expressive. Choose from an integrated Player or dedicated DAC, CD/SACD Transport and Clock for a unique experience that encapsulates our singular approach to digital playback

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Individual Components

APEX Player

Our integrated player combines a DAC, music streamer and CD transport in a single, elegant design. Featuring the latest generation dCS Ring DAC™ APEX, this complete playback system is renowned for its precision, composure and musical purity

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APEX DAC

Designed for complete flexibility and unrivalled musical expression, the Rossini APEX DAC features our pioneering Digital Processing Platform, a high-performance UPnP streamer and the latest generation dCS Ring DAC APEX

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Master Clock

The Rossini Grade 1 master clock offers world-leading levels of accuracy and jitter control. Paired with our Rossini electronics, it delivers an even greater sense of space, depth and musical realism

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CD/SACD Transport

Designed to deliver excellent performance in rigidity, vibration resistance and resonant-free operation, the Rossini Transport offers a stable and near-silent performance that extracts astonishing levels of detail from silver discs

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The purest expression

Powerful and graceful too, the Rossini renders music with the utmost precision and care, delivering a fluid and natural sound without the slightest hint of harshness or glare. From the softest strings to the sharpest brass, and the quietest intake of breath, it unearths each aspect of a recording to reveal a performance that feels layered, lifelike and whole.

No matter how complex the music, it never loses its composure, or its sense of rhythm and flow, tracking even the swiftest shift in dynamics and pace with a sense of utter control. With its unshakable focus and astonishing insight, it presents a holographic view of a recording, and the atmosphere and space in which a performance takes place. 

Designed and hand-assembled at our headquarters in Cambridgeshire, England, the Rossini is born from meticulous craft, exhaustive development and an obsessive attention to detail - a relentless pursuit of musical purity that has inspired us to push the limits of sound reproduction.

Combining robust engineering with an elegant aesthetic, the Rossini is built to withstand even the most intensive use and deliver a truly immersive sound at all levels and outputs. With its flexible, future-proof design, it’s a system that can grow and evolve, delivering a state-of-the-art listening experience for years to come.

An esteemed cohort to our renowned Vivaldi system, it features our proprietary Ring DAC system, digital processing platform, and clocking architecture - a combination of hardware and software that is unrivalled in its sonic and technical performance.

New for 2022, the Rossini APEX benefits from the latest generation dCS Ring DAC APEX hardware. This major upgrade brings a range of measured and sonic improvements, allowing us to further enhance the performance of this much-loved and multi-award-winning system, and provide an even richer experience for listeners.

The Ring DAC APEX

APEX is a new, enhanced version of the dCS Ring DAC: the Digital to Analogue conversion system found inside all dCS DACs. First developed for our professional audio products, this unique system has been subject to continuous development and refinement over the past three decades, and remains renowned for its technical and sonic performance.

With APEX, we've reconfigured the Ring DAC's circuit board and developed a new analogue output stage. This has allowed us to further reduce distortion, and increase linearity, resulting in a range of measured and sonic improvements - including an even greater sense of dynamic drive, detail, finesse and vitality.

Limitless Potential

Compatible with all high-resolution music formats, from DSD to PCM, DXD and MQA, the Rossini is a system that can flex to serve whatever mood or music you ask it to. Whether you’re streaming or spinning discs, it provides stunning sound and an effortless listening experience.

Both the Rossini Player and DAC provide instant access to music from a wide range of sources - including streaming services, external devices and storage drives. In addition, each system offers internal upsampling and a choice of filtering options, allowing you to tailor its performance to suit your listening setup and musical tastes.

Playback is easily managed via our Mosaic control app, which allows you to browse music from multiple platforms - including Roon, TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer, Spotify, Internet Radio and Apple Airplay - and control all of the settings on your system through a single, intuitive interface.

With the Rossini transport, you can experience stunning sound from CDs or SACDs, upsampling CD data to high-resolution DSD, DSD/128 or DXD for even greater resolution and detail, or playing both CDs and SACDs in their native formats. An additional downsampling option is also available for SACD data.

Key Features & Specifications

APEX Player Key Features

  • Latest generation dCS Digital Processing Platform brings state-of-the-art signal processing and flexibility
  • dCS Ring DAC APEX, as used in Vivaldi playback system, delivers enhanced sonic and technical performance
  • High quality streaming from TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer and internet radio via the dCS Mosaic Control app
  • Roon Ready, AirPlay, Spotify Connect and UPnP compatible
  • USB, AES, Dual AES and S/PDIF digital audio inputs
  • Integral, high quality CD transport for silver disc playback
  • Multi-stage DXD oversampling design with optional DSD upsampling; user-selectable DSP and DSD filters
  • Auto clocking system improves ease of use and minimises jitter
  • Multi-stage power regulation and twin mains transformers isolate analogue, digital and clock circuitry
  • Firmware-upgradeable for future functionality and performance upgrades
  • Features a full MQA™ decoder. This MQA™ implementation is unique, as it is the first opportunity to enable a DAC which, by providing exact rendering to beyond 16x (768 kHz), matches the desired temporal response with very low modulation noise

Specifications

  • Upsampling CD/Network Player
  • Silver or Black
  • 444mm / 17.5” x 435mm / 17.2” x 151mm / 6.0“. Allow extra depth for cable connectors
  • 17.4kg / 38.3lbs
  • dCS proprietary Ring DAC™ topology. Operates at 6MHz (Map 1 or 3) or 3MHz (Map 2)
  • Ethernet network port on RJ45 connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD128 in DFF/DSF format; USB 2.0 interface on B-type connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD128 in DoP format; USB On-The-Go interface on A-type connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD128 in DFF/DSF format; 2 x AES/EBU inputs on 3-pin female XLR connectors, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 192kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD/128 in DoP format; 1 x Dual AES pair, accepts 24-bit 88.2 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD/128 in DoP format; 1 x SPDIF on RCA Phono connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 192kS/s PCM & DSD/64 in DoP format; 1 x SPDIF on BNC connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 192kS/s PCM & DSD/64 in DoP format; 1 x SPDIF optical on TOSLINK connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 96kS/s PCM
  • Stream Unlimited JPL-2800 SilverStrike with aluminium tray
  • 1 x pair balanced outputs on 2 x XLR connectors. Output levels: 0.2V, 0.6V, 2V, 6V rms for a full-scale input, set in the menu. Output impedance: 3Ω. Maximum load: 600Ω (10k-100kΩ is recommended); 1 x pair unbalanced outputs on 2x RCA connectors. Output levels: 0.2V, 0.6V, 2V, 6V rms for a full-scale input, set in the menu. Output impedance: 52Ω. Maximum load: 600Ω (10k-100kΩ is recommended)
  • 2 x Word Clock Inputs on 2 x BNC connectors, accept standard Word Clock at 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192kHz. The data rate can be the same as the clock rate or an exact multiple of the clock rate. Sensitive to TTL levels; 1x Word Clock Output on 1 x BNC connector. With Sync Mode set to Master, a TTL-compatible Word Clock is output
  • Full decoding and rendering of MQA data from the Network and USB2 inputs. Final rendering of unfolded MQA data only from the other inputs
  • 16-bit data: Better than -96dB0, 20Hz-20kHz unweighted. 24-bit data: Better than –113dB0, 20Hz - 20kHz unweighted (6V output setting)
  • Better than -115dB0, 20Hz – 20kHz
  • Better than -105dB0, 20Hz – 20kHz
  • PCM mode: up to 6 filters give different trade-offs between the Nyquist image rejection and the phase response. DSD mode: 4 filters progressively reduce out-of-audio band noise level, plus Filter 5 which has an improved transient response
  • User selectable PCM upsampling to DXD, DSD or DSDx2
  • Loaded from CD-R or via PCM digital inputs or PC via USB input. Download and update functionality available via dCS Mosaic App
  • dCS Mosaic App for Unit Configuration and Music Playback. RS232 interface (controlled by a 3rd party automation system). IR remote control – dCS Universal Remote is supplied with Rossini Player
  • Factory set to either 100, 115/120, 220 or 230/240V AC, 50-60Hz
  • 26 Watts typical / 35 Watts maximum
  • USB Audio Class 1 & 2 fully supported by Windows 10/11 & OSX 10.10 or later

"Rarely have we come across a product that sounds so pure and natural"

- What Hi-Fi?

Timeless Design

The Rossini brings together three decades of engineering expertise and a wealth of pioneering technologies in a distinctive, elegant and streamlined design. Drawing inspiration from our Vivaldi range, it offers a unique aesthetic that blends order and precision with artistic expression.

The curves on its façade represent movement, rhythm, life and natural forms - a nod to our emotional connection with music and the sound that inspires us to create - while its understated top and side panels, streamlined controls and ordered rear panel help to aid performance and ease of use.

Each model is encased in aerospace-grade aluminium, a lightweight material chosen for its acoustic properties, and fitted with internal acoustic damping panels to reduce mechanical vibration and magnetic effects. Panels are sculpted using state-of-the-art milling machines and treated with a smooth and durable pearlescent coating.

From the precision engineered casework to the the hardware and software running deep within its core, each aspect of the Rossini has been refined to deliver the purest sound with the lowest possible distortion. Crafted from the finest materials, and built to exacting standards, each system is exhaustively tested and inspected prior to leaving our factory to ensure the utmost quality and reliability.

Reviews

"Anette Askvik performs 'Liberty' with more nuance and sensitivity than I have ever heard at home.... The reproduction always appears as natural as it is unartificial and that is precisely why it is thrilling"

- Fidelity Magazine

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APEX - Winner of the Tone Audio Masterpiece Award 2022

- Tone Audio

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"APEX paints expressive pictures in sound right in front of your ears and they tell of a world, unlike ours, where anything is possible."

- hi-fi+

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"not listening to this setup will be a serious mistake…"

- AVMAG

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Digital Source Component: Product of the Year 2022

- Stereophile

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"hard to imagine how it can be bettered"

- What HiFi

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"A transformational change…"

- HIFICRITIC

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"The Rossini Apex DAC is more than another upgrade; it's a major advance in digital sound reproduction, one that elevates an already excellent DAC to a much higher level."

- Stereophile

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"As close to digital perfection as I have ever heard"

- HiFi Clube

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"The new mapper delivers greater focus and grip, allied to superior detail, poise and dynamics."

- Mono and Stereo

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"There’s just so much resolution here. We hear textures in instruments and dynamic nuances that most rivals simply don’t notice."

- What Hi-Fi?

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"When you listen to the Rossini, all you hear is beautifully fleshed-out music"

- The Absolute Sound

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"Digs deep into a recording, providing as much spine-tingling insight as any listener could want"

- Hi-Fi News

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"Recordings were portrayed with utter honesty and an intensely satisfying realism"

- The Audio Beat

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"Whether one listens to folk, rock, vocal, jazz, or classical the Rossini is completely capable of absolutely stellar music reproduction"

- Audiophile Style

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"Flexible, future-proof, superbly well-engineered, and equally superb-sounding"

- Stereophile

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Support

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