dCS Verdi La Scala Upsampling SACD Transport User Manual Software Release 1.0x September 2004 © dCS Ltd. 2001 - 2004 Price UK £17.50 / Euro 25.00 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of dCS1. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice, and whilst it is checked for accuracy, no liabilities can be accepted for errors. 1 dCS is Data Conversion Systems Ltd. Company registered in England No. 2072115. dCS La Scala User Manual dCS Ltd Manual for Software Issue 1.0x September 2004 Manual filename: Verdi LS Manual v1.0x.doc English version Page 2 email: more@dcsltd.co.uk web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk dCS La Scala User Manual dCS Ltd Manual for Software Issue 1.0x September 2004 PRODUCT OVERVIEW The dCS Verdi La Scala Upsampling SACD Transport is a logical development of the critically acclaimed dCS Verdi. La Scala plays SACD or Hybrid discs and outputs the DSD data onto an IEEE 1394 bus, ready for conversion to wide-band, high quality audio by a dCS Elgar Plus or a 1394-equipped dCS Delius2. La Scala also plays standard CDs and the CD layer of Hybrid discs, upsampling the data to DSD internally, without the need for a separate upsampler. This is ideal for audiophiles who do not use other digital audio sources, as the equipment set-up is much simpler. DSD (Direct Stream Digital) is single bit data, sampled at 2.822MS/s. This data format increases the available audio band-width to well over 100kHz, well in excess of the 20kHz available from a standard CD system. The extra bandwidth sharpens the transient response and improves the phase response, resulting in a more natural sound and more precise stereo imaging. CD data at 16 bits / 44.1kS/s is always available from the AES interface (XLR connector), three SPDIF interfaces (RCA, BNC and Toslink optical and an SDIF-2 interface. When playing and SACD, the data is down-sampled to provide these outputs. La Scala features a Wordclock Input, allowing the transport to be synchronised to a Master Clock or a dCS DAC running in master mode. This arrangement reduces system jitter ­ a major source of sound degradation in digital audio systems. In common with all dCS converters, La Scala is based on our flexible digital audio platform which makes extensive use of software configurable chips ­ FPGA's and DSP's. This allows the internal software to be updated from time to time, either from a dCS CD or from a PC, adding extra features and facilities to your system with a minimum of fuss. Laser Radiation Hazard dCS Verdi La Scala is a Class 1 Laser Product, it complies with U.S. FDA 21CFR subchapter J. The U.S. FDA Accession number is 0211117. In normal use, there is no risk of exposure to laser radiation. IMPORTANT! The metal top cover must only be removed by authorised service personnel. The cover protects the user from indirect exposure to visible and invisible laser radiation, as well as risk of electric shock. 2 To comply with the licence arrangements for SACD, this data is encrypted in the Verdi La Scala and is decrypted in the receiving unit. Manual filename: Verdi LS Manual v1.0x.doc English version Page 3 email: more@dcsltd.co.uk web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk dCS La Scala User Manual dCS Ltd Manual for Software Issue 1.0x September 2004 GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813 ­1901) The dCS Verdi is named after Giuseppe Verdi, the 19 century Italian composer. th He was born in the village of Roncole in the province of Parma on October 10 , 1813. From an early age he showed a strong interest in music and commenced his formal musical studies at the age of 7, tutored by the organist in his village church. When he was 10, Verdi moved to the nearby town of Busseto, where he attended the music school run by Ferdinando Provesi. In Busseto he made the acquaintance of Antonio Barezzi, a local merchant and passionate music lover. Barezzi provided Verdi with financial assistance during the remainder of his musical studies and many years later in 1836, Verdi married Barezzi's daughter, Margherita. In 1832 he applied to study at the prestigious Milan Conservatory, but was turned down. Instead, he studied in Milan under the private tuition of Vincenzo Lavingna, a composer and former harpsichordist at the La Scala theatre. During his stay in Milan, Verdi spent a great deal of time attending the theatre and this almost certainly accounts for his work being heavily biased towards opera. On Provesi's death in 1833, Verdi returned to Busseto with the aim of taking over his position as head of the town's music school. However, this was delayed until 1836 by political squabbling between the clergy and his supporters in the local Philharmonia. In 1838, Verdi moved to Milan where the following year he presented his first opera, Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio at the La Scala theatre, where it was received to moderate acclaim. 1840 must have been the worst year of his life. First his two children and then his wife died in quick succession. His misery was further compounded when his second opera, Un Giorno di Regno, closed after only one performance. At this point Verdi seriously considered giving up composing altogether. At the insistence of Bartolomeo Merelli, the impresario of the La Scala theatre, Verdi read a libretto written by Solera. The biblical themes deeply moved him and motivated him to write his second opera, Nabucco, which was hailed as a triumph when it was performed for the first time at La Scala in 1842. Nabucco firmly established Verdi as one of the leading Italian composers of the day. Verdi then commenced a period of prodigious creativity. Between 1843 and 1858 he wrote a total of 20 operas. Of these, 3 are especially of note and are still regularly performed: Rigoletto - written in 1851, Il trovatore and La traviata - both written in 1853. In 1859 he married his second wife, the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi, whom he had known since 1842 when she sang the female lead in Nabucco at La Scala. Verdi's works often contained strong political themes. This interest in politics was carried over to his private life and, in 1861, he was elected as a deputy to the first Italian parliament. His success had made him a wealthy as well as famous man. He used his considerable fortune to progressively increase the size of his farm holdings in Parma. By 1900, these had become the largest revenue producer in the province. th Manual filename: Verdi LS Manual v1.0x.doc English version Page 4 email: more@dcsltd.co.uk web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk dCS La Scala User Manual dCS Ltd Manual for Software Issue 1.0x September 2004 He continued to compose, albeit at a slower pace. In 1873 he wrote his Requiem Mass, which was dedicated to the memory of the poet Alessandro Manzoni, though its origins go back to a work he first composed as a homage to Rossini. The most notable operas of his latter years are: Aida ­ written in 1871, Otello - written in 1887 and Falstaff - written in 1893. The last two were based on plays by Shakespeare and are widely regarded as masterpieces. His last major work, the Four Sacred Pieces (Ave Maria, Stabat Mater, Te Deum and Laudi alla Vergine), was written in 1898, a year after the death of his second wife Giuseppina. Giuseppe Verdi died on January 27 1901. In accordance with his wishes, he was given a simple funeral, without singing or music. The following month, he was entombed in a state ceremony with his second wife, at the rest home for musicians that he had helped to set up many years before, to care for singers and instrumentalists who had fallen on hard times in their old age. The procession was accompanied by members of Verdi's family, members of the Italian Royal family, members of Parliament, foreign diplomats and leading composers including Puccini, Mascagni and Leoncavello. Arturo Toscanini lead tens of thousands of mourners with the choruses of La Scala, in the singing of Va, pensiero from Nabucco. Recommended recordings x Requiem Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy. Sony SACD SS00707 Rigoletto English National Opera CHAN 3030 Otello English National Opera conducted by Mark Elder CHAN 3068(2) Otello Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir George Solti London 422 670-2 Il Trovatore Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan EMI CMS7 69311/2 La Traviata e Coro del Maggio Musicale, Florence conducted by Zubin Meta Philips 438 238-2 Macbeth Choir and Orchestra of the German Opera Berlin conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli Philips 412 133-2 Four Sacred Pieces and Requiem Monteverdi Choir and Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique conducted by John Eliot Gardener Philips 442 142-2 th Manual filename: Verdi LS Manual v1.0x.doc English version Page 5 email: more@dcsltd.co.uk web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk dCS Verdi La Scala User Manual dCS Ltd Manual for Software Issue 1.0x September 2004 CONTENTS Product Overview ..............................................................................................3 Laser Radiation Hazard Recommended recordings x 3 5 Giuseppe Verdi (1813 ­1901)............................................................................4 Contents .............................................................................................................6 About this Manual What does the coloured text mean? About Sample Rates x 9 9 9 Step-by-Step Guide .........................................................................................10 Preliminaries Step 1 ­ Connecting the System Connecting the 1394 Interface Connecting the DAC Outputs Connecting a PCM Output x x x 10 11 11 12 12 Step 2 ­ Playing a Disc Step 3 ­ Track Selection Programming a Track Sequence x Playing all Tracks in a Random Order 13 14 14 14 Step 4 ­ Setting a Repeat Sequence Repeating the Whole Disc Repeating a Track Repeating Part of a Track Cancelling Repeat Mode x x x x 15 15 15 15 15 Other Settings Using a DAC in Master Mode Using the Menu Opening the Menu Types of Menu Page Closing the Menu Menu Sequence SACD/CD ­ Selecting the layer on a hybrid disc Transmit ­ Activating the 1394 Outputs 1394 ID ­ 1394 Source Identification Bright x - Display Brightness TimeOut ­ Menu Time Out Setting Ch.Check - Channel Check Test Ph.Check - Phase Check Test Burn In - Burn-In Signal Generation Test - Display Test Issue ­ Software Issue State Temp ­ Unit Internal Temperature Serial ­ Unit Serial Number Contact - Contact information FavLayer ­ Favourite Layer on a Hybrid Disc SessTime ­ Session Time Out Setting Easy Play ­ Automatic Source Selection CDUpdate ­ Software Update By CD Factory ­ Restoring Factory Defaults Front Panel Key to Front Panel Power Button Play / Pause Button Stop / Eject Button Status Indicator Display Mode Indicator x x x x x 15 16 19 19 19 19 20 20 20 20 21 21 21 22 22 23 23 23 23 23 24 24 24 25 27 28 28 28 29 29 29 29 Typical Applications........................................................................................16 The Software ­ The Menu ...............................................................................18 The Hardware ­ Controls and Connectors ...................................................28 Manual filename: Verdi LS Manual v1.0x.doc English version Page 6 email: more@dcsltd.co.uk web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk dCS Verdi La Scala User Manual dCS Ltd Remote Control Sensor Main Display Mode Indicator Menu Button Previous Track Button Next Track Button CD Tray Rotary Control x x x (Select) (Step Back) (Step) x x Manual for Software Issue 1.0x September 2004 29 29 30 30 30 30 30 30 Rear Panel Key to Rear Panel AES/EBU Digital Output SPDIF Digital Outputs SPDIF Optical Output SDIF Interface Wordclock Digital Input 1394 Interface Power Link SUC Power switch IEC Power Inlet Mains Fuse Additional Information Remote Control Blue LED Standby button SACD/CD button Transport controls Program and Clear buttons Mode control buttons Input and Filter buttons 0 ­ 9 buttons White LED Keypad button Up/Down buttons Vol/Bal button Mute button Display button Mechanism Digital Interface Specifications Sample Rates Clocking Synchronising to Wordclock In x 31 31 31 31 32 32 32 32 32 33 33 33 33 33 34 34 35 35 35 35 35 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 38 38 39 39 39 La Scala Technical Information .......................................................................38 Power requirements Size and Weight Operating Conditions IEEE 1394 Overview Synchronising IEEE 1394 interfaces Automatic Input Selection dCS IR Remote Control Codes Upsampler DACs Transports What's in the Box? Safety Notice Mains Voltage Setting Positioning the Unit Mains Supply Voltage H ...