dCS Network Firmware [406] release announcement [with new Roon implementation]

dCS is pleased to announce an update to our network firmware for Rossini, Vivaldi, and Vivaldi One devices. This release is centered around a completely re-written Roon implementation to correct long-standing issues with the prior version. Usage of this module should require no changes on the part of the user and Roon will continue to function normally with your dCS device. The new software brings a number of enhancements with the most notable being:

  • Greatly enhanced stability during playback and track transitions
  • Shorter overall signal path within the network software which results in reduced command latency and better overall performance
  • The use of a resync delay in Roon is no longer required to address stability or track start cutoff issues
    • Note that Network Bridge may still require a delay depending on the characteristics of the attached DAC
  • Roon’s grouped playback functions now work correctly with dCS devices (pending an update to Roon’s server software)
  • Some device-specific parameters (buffer setting, clocking setup, etc) are now taken into account to improve the overall experience with Roon

This version of the network firmware is available for the Network Bridge as of 27-Feb-2019.

Release notes for version 406 of the dCS Network Firmware are available here: dCS Network Firmware (406) release notes

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Great news, thanks @AMP

Unfortunately I am getting a server error code 403 when trying to download the linked above release notes:

403 Forbidden

nginx/1.12.2

Also the dCS website is looking weird, as the style sheets are not downloading from the same server, so all pages look flat with just plain text. I have tried multiple times in Chrome, Firefox and Edge. This is the home page:

Will this firmware also be available for the BartĂłk, when finally shipping?

Sounds like one of our CDN’s servers needs a swift kick


What country are you trying to access the site from?

Yes. The network firmware is the same on all of the products.

@AMP Netherlands

Netherlands here too (XS4All). No problems getting to the PDF.

Ping me a PM and I can send it to you.

@RBM Thank you for sending it to me :+1:t2:

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I am a bit confused. Reading the update notes on page 4 it states that if Roon signal path shows my dCS Vivaldi as Vivaldi System then the signal paths last point should indicate Analog Output. I have checked and my signal path shows Digital Output for both CD and MQA titles. In the audio setup for the the Vivaldi is set for decoder and renderer.

Am I misreading something?

dCS website is from just now working properly again, for me and for friends from The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Nope. That appears to be a regression that popped up in the final build. We made a bunch of changes in the end of the development cycle to deal with the different Vivaldi permutations and it would appear that the wrong label got applied to one of them. It’s only cosmetic, so no concern. We’ll get it sorted in the next release.

Thanks for reporting the problem in the first place. We don’t know about these issues unless someone tells us.

Hello. I’ve just updated to Firmware 406 and tested it for MQA playback. It’s working fine but: the Vivaldi Upsampler is connected to the Vivaldi DAC(AES3+4) and the serial control cable is connected between the two, but they are not paired since Roon ’s Audio Settings page shows dCS Vivaldi Upsampler instead of dCS Vivaldi System. How can I make sure DAC and Upsampler are paired? Thanks!

If everything is connected correctly then your device should show up as a “Vivaldi System” in Roon. The fact that it’s not suggests an issue somewhere.

Try the following:

  1. Make sure you have the RS232 cable connected correctly. The correct cable is ‘Y’ shaped and has one connector with 2 outputs (one is marked Transport and the other is marked DAC). The ‘Y’ end of the cable connects to the Upsampler and the DAC lead must connect to the DAC. The screws to seat the cable are sometimes problematic so be sure that all of the ends of the cable are seated correctly.

  2. Be sure that the RS232 mode is set to “Binary” on both units (MENU > SETTINGS). The RS232 mode is the last item in the menu (before Return) and should show an icon with a letter ‘B’ in it. Be sure this is the same on both the upsampler and DAC.

  3. Be sure that both units are running the most current released software. The Upsampler should be running 2.10 for all three boards (control, front panel, and interface) and the DAC should be running 2.11 for both boards (control and front panel). If any of your revisions are lower than that then the RS232 communication won’t work and you’re likely to have some other issues as well. Contact your dealer if this is the case.

  4. Power cycle the Upsampler and DAC using the rear panel switches then check the device type in Roon again once everything is booted. This is important as the network card can only configure the Roon device when it’s first booted. If the DAC isn’t detected within the timeout window then the device will be reported as a Vivaldi Upsampler by default.

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Thank you very much, Andrew. The problem was solved by setting both units to Binary. I think dCS should include your instructions on their release notes.

Has the network bridge update been launched?

Wondering when this correction to “analog output” might be made?

We’re shooting for a release next week. I’ll get confirmation tomorrow and will post an update when I know for certain.

This is fixed in our development code, but since it’s only a cosmetic issue it’s going to wait until we have another release lined up. We’re in the middle of figuring out timing of the next release but it’s at least a month out at this point.

406 was released for the Network Bridge today. This also includes an update to the Bridge main firmware to bring it to version 1.0.2. There are some minor updates to the release notes and I’ve updated the link in the first post.

@AMP after I did the update on my loaner NB there seems to be something wrong. Everything works as it should exept that the volume is really low even if I use fixed volume in Roon. I connect my DAC with AES and my DAC changes sample rate so it has connection to the NB and it works with my regular streamer on USB.

I have powered down, DAC, NB and Roon ROCK but still this problem.

Any thoughts what might have happened as it worked ok before the update.

@AMP need to update as after I first updated the NB it showed min volume 0 and max volume 0 even when using the NB volume and with fixed volume it still produced really low volume. After the power cyckle it now shows min volume -80 and it was set at -30 this was not visable from the begining. When I changed it to 0 and changed to fixed volume the sound came back.