The dCS Varèse Music System just got an upgrade—but don’t get too excited unless you already own one (or plan on dropping serious coin soon). dCS has introduced a dedicated CD/SACD Transport designed exclusively for the Varèse, giving listeners the option to experience reference-level sound from their silver discs. After six years of obsessive development, the Varèse remains dCS’s most ambitious creation yet, and this new transport keeps the focus firmly on ultimate audio performance and immersive playback—provided you’re already in the Varèse club.
The MSRP is GBP £35,000 or USD $39,950—not a typo. And before we get into the whole Varèse Music System thing, it’s worth reminding everyone that dCS isn’t some upstart chasing audiophile dollars—it’s one of the benchmark brands for reference-quality digital playback and headphone listening. Our own eCoustics Headphone Editor, Will Jennings, took the plunge two years back, and let’s just say he hasn’t filed a single complaint since.
dCS Varèse System: $320,000 of Reference-Level Audio—and You’d Better Love Every Detail
The dCS Varèse Music System isn’t just a product—it’s a full-on reference-level ecosystem. Pricing reflects the ambition: the Varèse Core System, which includes the Core, User Interface, Remote Control, and a 1.5m ACTUS cable, comes in at $116,500. Add the Varèse Mono DAC pair with dual ACTUS cables for $110,250, the Master Clock at $39,950, and the dedicated CD/SACD Transport at $39,950, and you’re deep in six-figure territory before you even touch the $14,200 I/O Module.
Each component is designed to work seamlessly together, delivering the kind of sound only a Varèse setup can provide—so plan accordingly if you’re serious about chasing reference-level digital playback.
Before we even get to the shiny new CD/SACD Transport, let’s take a moment to appreciate just what the Varèse Music System actually is—and why it costs as much as a small cottage on the coast of Nova Scotia. The Varèse isn’t a single box you toss on a rack; it’s a full ecosystem designed to push digital playback into reference-level territory.
At its core, literally, is the Varèse Core, the brains behind the operation. It handles all hi-res audio formats, streaming services, and any processing the system needs before passing signals off to the dual Mono DACs, one for each channel—which convert digital to analog with precision most mere mortals won’t notice until they’ve spent years chasing it.
The User Interface hooks into the dCS Mosaic ACTUS app on iOS or Android, giving you control and navigation via touchscreen or the included Bluetooth LE remote.
And if you’re obsessive about timing—and if you own a Varèse, you probably are—the optional Master Clock keeps everything locked in, reducing jitter and drift with dCS’s patented Tomix protocols, ensuring the music has focus, presence, and image that feels alive rather than just “there.”
The Varèse suite also introduces some serious tech cred:
- dCS Tomix: The new clocking tech that keeps everything ultra-precise.
- ACTUS: The bespoke interface that carries audio, control, and timing signals seamlessly between components.
- Differential Ring DAC: An all-new evolution of dCS’s signature Ring DAC, the biggest change in a generation, promising more detail, clarity, and nuance.
Physically, the system is built like a small tank. The Core is 33 kg (73 lbs), each Mono DAC is almost 19 kg (41 lbs), the Master Clock is 15.7 kg (34.7 lbs), and the User Interface weighs 14.6 kg (32 lbs). Each component is carefully dimensioned for proper airflow and ACTUS cable routing—because, yes, setup requires planning, and no, you won’t just shove it on a standard shelf.
Connectivity and format support is exhaustive: Ethernet streaming, USB Type A for mass storage, USB Type B for high-res PCM and DSD, AES/EBU, S/PDIF, Word Clock outputs, and support for sample rates from 44.1kHz up to 384kHz PCM and DSD up to 512. Residual noise sits better than 118 dB, spurious responses better than –115 dB—basically, this is the audio equivalent of wearing a bulletproof suit while sipping single-malt scotch.
All of which brings us to the big question: you’ve got the Varèse Core, the dual Mono DACs, the Master Clock, the User Interface—but how do you feed it the kind of silver-disc perfection that makes the system truly shine? That’s where the dedicated Varèse CD/SACD Transport comes in…
True Reference-Level Sound: dCS Varèse CD/SACD Transport
dCS has been building CD and SACD transports for over two decades, and the engineering obsession shows in every detail of the new Varèse Transport. From the ground up, the design is about reducing anything that gets in the way of pure sound: noise, vibration, and distortion are all treated as enemies. Every mechanical and electronic choice is scrutinized—from the stability of the drive mechanism to the precision of the chassis construction—and everything that powers the transport is fed with ultra-clean voltages to ensure consistent performance.
Software and hardware have evolved in lockstep with mechanical improvements, meaning the Varèse Transport isn’t just a disc player; it’s a platform engineered to extract every ounce of musical information from CDs and SACDs with maximum fidelity.
The Varèse Transport continues dCS’s transport development, offering lower noise and vibration than previous models through a redesigned chassis and the ACTUS interface. It plays Redbook CDs in 44.1 kS/s and SACDs in native DSD, with a single ACTUS cable handling bit-perfect audio, asynchronous timing, and control signals between the Transport and Varèse Core.
The Transport automatically syncs to a master clock via ACTUS—either the Varèse Clock, if present, or the Core—eliminating the need to adjust sync settings manually. Playback can be managed through the Varèse User Interface, remote, or Mosaic ACTUS app, providing flexible control.
Mechanically, the top, sides, and front of the chassis are machined from a single billet of aluminium, with constrained-layer damping between base and dress plates to reduce vibration. Mechanism mounts are also milled from solid aluminium without joins or fixings. The drive mechanism is derived from the Vivaldi II and Rossini Transports, but mounted in a new way to reduce noise and physical vibrations further.
The Bottom Line
The dCS Varèse CD/SACD Transport is a precision-engineered component designed for the Varèse ecosystem, delivering reference-level playback for CDs and SACDs with minimal noise and vibration. The ACTUS interface simplifies setup and ensures bit-perfect transmission, while the machined-aluminium chassis and remounted mechanism reduce mechanical interference.
The pros are obvious: it integrates seamlessly with the Varèse Core, gives multiple ways to control playback, handles Redbook and DSD natively, and benefits from improved mechanical and electrical stability. The cons? It only works with the Varèse system, and at $39,950, it’s not for casual listeners. If you’re already invested in Varèse—or planning to be—this Transport maximizes the system’s potential; if not, it’s essentially a very expensive paperweight.
For more information: dcsaudio.com