DCS (AUDIO) VERDI LA SCALA User Manual

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. N o part of this pub lication may be rep roduced, stored in or
introduced into a retrieva l system, or transm itted in any form , or by any means
(electronic, m echanical, photoco pying, recording or other wise) without the prior
written permission of dCS
relation to this publicat ion may be liabl e to crimina l prosecution an d civil claim s
for damages.

1

. Any person who does any unauthorised act in

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 Manual for Software Issue 1.0x
dCS Ltd September 2004

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dCS La Scala User Manual Manual for Software Issue 1.0x
dCS Ltd 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 convers ion to wide-ban d, high qual ity audio b y a dCS Elgar

Plus or a 1394-equipped dCS Deliu s
La Scala also plays standard CDs and the CD layer of Hybrid discs, upsampling

the data to DSD internally, without the need for a separa te 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 s ingle bit dat a, sampled a t 2.822MS/s . This d ata
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 av ailable 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.

2

.

La Scala features a Wordclock Input, all owing the transport to be s ynchronised
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 interna l sof tware t o be up dated f rom tim e to
time, either from a dCS CD or from a PC, ad ding extra featur es 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.

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dCS La Scala User Manual Manual for Software Issue 1.0x
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GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813 –1901)

The dCS Verdi is named after Giuseppe Verdi, the 19th century Italian composer.
He was born in the village of Ronc ole in the pr ovinc e of P arm a on October 1 0

th

1813. From an earl y age he s howed a stron g inter est in m usic and commenced
his formal mus ical studies at the age of 7, tutored by the organist in his villa ge
church.

When he was 10, Verdi moved to the nearby town of Busseto, where he
attended the music school run b y Ferdinando Provesi. In Buss eto he made the
acquaintance of Antonio Bare zzi, a local merc hant and passionate m usic 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 pr ivate tuition of Vincen zo
Lavingna, a com poser and f or mer harpsichordist at th e La Sc a la t he atr e. D urin g
his stay in Milan, Verdi spent a great deal of tim e attending the the atre 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 pres ented 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 ch ildren and then
his wife died in quic k succ ession. His m iser y was further com pounded when his
second opera, Un Giorno di Regno, closed af ter onl y one perform ance. At this
point Verdi seriously considered giving up composing altogether. At the
insistence of Bartolom eo 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 perform ed for the first tim e 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 h is second wife, the sopra no Giuseppina Strepp oni, whom
he had known since 1 842 when she sang the female lea d 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 deput y to
the first Italian parliament.

His success had made him a wealthy as well as famous man. He used his
considerable fortune t o progressively increase the s ize of his farm holdings in
Parma. By 1900, these had become the largest revenue producer in the
province.

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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 f irs t composed as a homage to
Rossini.

The most notable oper as of his lat ter years are: Aida – written in 1871, Otello

- written in 1887 and Falstaff - written in 1893. The last two were based on
plays by Shakespear e and are widel y regarded as mast erpieces. His last m ajor
work, the Four Sacred Pieces (Ave Mar i a , Stabat Mater, Te Deum and Laudi
alla Vergine), was written in 1898, a year after the death of his second wife
Giuseppina.

th

Giuseppe Verdi died on Januar y 27

1901. In accordance with his wishes, he
was given a simple funeral, wit hout singing or music. T he following month, he
was entombed in a state c eremony with his second wife, a t the rest home for
musicians that he had h elped to set up man y 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 includin g Puccin i, Mascagni an d Leoncave llo. Arturo Toscanin i lead
tens of thousands of m ourners with the ch oruses of La Scala, i n 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 O rchestre Revolutionnaire et Rom antique conducted by
John Eliot Gardener
Philips 442 142-2

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dCS Verdi La Scala User Manual Manual for Software Issue 1.0x
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CONTENTS

Product Overview..............................................................................................3

Laser Radiation Hazard 3

Giuseppe Verdi (1813 –1901)............................................................................4

Recommended recordings x 5

Contents.............................................................................................................6

About this Manual 9

What does the coloured text mean? 9
About Sample Rates x 9

Step-by-Step Guide .........................................................................................10

Preliminaries 10
Step 1 – Connecting the System 11

Connecting the 1394 Interface x 11
Connecting the DAC Outputs x 12
Connecting a PCM Output x 12

Step 2 – Playing a Disc 13
Step 3 – Track Selection 14

Programming a Track Sequence x 14
Playing all Tracks in a Random Order 14

Step 4 – Setting a Repeat Sequence 15

Repeating the Whole Disc x 15
Repeating a Track x 15
Repeating Part of a Track x 15
Cancelling Repeat Mode x 15

Other Settings 15

Typical Applications........................................................................................16

Using a DAC in Master Mode 16

The Software – The Menu...............................................................................18

Using the Menu 19

Opening the Menu 19
Types of Menu Page 19
Closing the Menu 19

Menu Sequence 20

SACD/CD – Selecting the layer on a hybrid disc 20
Transmit – Activating the 1394 Outputs 20
1394 ID – 1394 Source Identification 20
Bright x - Display Brightness 21
TimeOut – Menu Time Out Setting 21
Ch.Check - Channel Check Test 21
Ph.Check - Phase Check Test 22
Burn In - Burn-In Signal Generation 22
Test - Display Test 23
Issue – Software Issue State 23
Temp – Unit Internal Temperature 23
Serial – Unit Serial Number 23
Contact - Contact information 23
FavLayer – Favourite Layer on a Hybrid Disc 24
SessTime – Session Time Out Setting 24
Easy Play – Automatic Source Selection 24
CDUpdate – Software Update By CD 25
Factory – Restoring Factory Defaults 27

The Hardware – Controls and Connectors ...................................................28

Front Panel 28

Key to Front Panel 28

Power Button x 28
Play / Pause Button x 29
Stop / Eject Button x 29

Status Indicator x 29
Display Mode Indicator x 29

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Remote Control Sensor x 29

Main Display x 29

Mode Indicator x 30

Menu Button (

Previous Track Button (
Next Track Button (
CD Tray x 30

Rotary Control x 30

Rear Panel 31

Key to Rear Panel 31
AES/EBU Digital Output 31
SPDIF Digital Outputs 31
SPDIF Optical Output 32

SDIF Interface 32

Wordclock Digital Input 32

1394 Interface 32
Power Link 32
SUC 33

Power switch 33
IEC Power Inlet 33
Mains Fuse 33
Additional Information 33

Remote Control 34

Blue LED 34

Standby button 35
SACD/CD button 35

Transport controls 35
Program and Clear buttons 35
Mode control buttons 35

Input and Filter buttons 36
0 – 9 buttons 36

Whi te LED 36

Keypad button 36
Up/Down buttons 36
Vol/Bal button 36
Mute button 36
Display button 36

Select)30
Step Back)30
Step)30

La Scala Technical Information .......................................................................38

Mechanism 38
Digital Interface Specifications 38
Sample Rates 39
Clocking 39

Synchronising to Wordclock I n x 39

Power requirements 40
Size and Weight 40
Operating Conditions 40

General Technical Information.......................................................................42

IEEE 1394 Overview 42

Synchronising IEEE 1394 interfaces 42
Automatic Input Selection 42

dCS IR Remote Control Codes 44

Upsampler 44
DACs 45
Transports 46

Using your dCS La Scala for the First Time....................................................48

What’s in the Box? 48
Safety Notice 48
Mains Voltage Setting 49
Positioning the Unit 49

Options.............................................................................................................50

Mains Supply Voltage 50
Having Your Options Changed 50

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Maintenance and Support...............................................................................52

Service & Maintenance 52

Obtaining Service 52

Mains Fuse 52

Replacing a Blown Fuse x 52

Removing the Transit Screws 53
Fitting the Top Glass Plate 53
Fitting or Replacing the Batteries in the Remote Control 55

Opening the battery compartment and removing batteries 55
Fitting new batteries and closing the case 55

Updating your La Scala 56

Software Updates x 56
Hardware Updates x 56

Safety and Electrical Safety 57
Cleaning the Case 57

Troubleshooting ..............................................................................................58

Fault Indication 58

Power interruption 58
Power up test errors 58

Troubleshooting Guide 59

The unit fails to power up 59
The DAC/DDC suddenly mutes, La Scala repeats its’ power-up sequence 59
The DAC/DDC fails to lock to La Scala or displays “No Input” 59
The DAC/DDC locks but no signal is received 59
Playing a CD, the DAC output is monophonic 59
Channel Check, Phase Check and Burn-In do not work 59
The Remote Control fails to control the unit 60
Menu Timeout does not work 60
The Display turns on briefly when a control is operated, then turns off 60
CD-R does not play correctly 60
A disc is trapped in the unit 60

Troubleshooting the IEEE 1394 Interface 61

Upsampler or Transport displays “Inactive”61
The Unit keeps displaying “No Comms” 61
The Unit keeps displaying “Search..” 61
The DAC displays “Verdi Wordclo ck Missing” 61
The DAC displays “Missing Wordclock between Clk Out & Verdi Clk In” 61
The DAC displays “Please check source slaved to DAC Wordclock Out” 61
The DAC displays “Wrong Wordclock @ Verdi Clk In” 61
The DAC remains muted 62
The DAC takes a long time to unmute 62

If You Need More Help ....................................................................................63

Other Information 63

Indexes and Software Version Numbers........................................................64

Software History 64
Definitions and Abbreviations 64
Key to Cable Identification 65
List of Tables 66
List of Figures 66
Keywords and Phrases 67

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About this Manual

If you have not used a La Scala before, please read the section “Usi ng your dCS
La Scala for the first time” on page 48.

This manual has be en arranged with t he most comm only used s ections plac ed
first:

• table of contents (page 6)

• step-by-step (page 10) and applications guides (page 16)

• detailed software and hardware inform ation (pag e 18)

• technical information (page 38)

• information for first time users (page 48)

• options, maintenance and troubleshooting (page 50)

• index section (page 64)

What does the coloured text mean?

If you are reading a colour print or a soft copy of this manual, you will notice that
some types of text are in colour:

• Brown text in bold is a reference to another section or page. Sometimes, if

you are reading a soft copy of the m anual, page numbers are h yperlinks –
click on them and you will go there.

• Blue text is used for controls and connectors, described in the hardware

section.

White text in bold on black is used for alternat ive control functions , such

•

as menu operation.

• Pink text is a menu page or setting.

• Green text in bold shows what appears on the display.

• Purple text in bold is used for indicators.

IMPORTANT! Important information is presented like th is - ignoring this may cause yo u to

damage the unit, or invalidate the warranty.

The manual is designed to be helpful. If there are points you feel we could cover
better, or that we have missed out - please tell us.

About Sample Rates x

All references to sample rates in this manual use the unit kS/s (kilo Samples per
second) rather than the technically incorrect kHz.

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STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

This section guides you t hroug h s ett ing up the unit for basic o per at io n. You may
find this useful if you have not used the La Scala for a while.

Preliminaries

The Control Summary sheet details the menu struc ture and out lines th e use of
the front panel contr ols. For more information, see the Menu section on page

18.

For digital interfaces, use with cables designed for digital audio:

• for AES/EBU interfaces use 110Ω s creened, twisted pair cab les fitted with

one male XLR connector and one female XLR connector.

• for SDIF, Wordclock or SPDIF BNC interfaces, use 75Ω coax cables fitted

with BNC plugs.

• for SPDIF RCA interfaces, use 75Ω coax cables fitted with RCA Phono

plugs.

• for TOSLINK optical interfaces, use Toslink fibre-optic cables.

• for IEEE 1394 interfaces, use the IEEE 1394 cable prov id ed with the un it.

do this: Connect the power cable supplied to the Po wer inle t on the La Scala rear pan el,

plug the other end into a convenient power outlet. Set th e power s witch beside
the power inlet to the on position (I).

IMPORTANT! Please do not use an excessively thick power cable as this may damage the

power inlet connector. Such damage is not covered by the warranty.

do this: Press the Power button and wait about 5 seconds while La Scala configures

itself.
The display will show in sequence: La Scala, 0 and No Disc.

If the unit is likely to be set in an unfamiliar state, you can reset it as follows:

do this: Press the

shows Factory. Press the
The PWR indicator will be lit, th e others shou ld be off .

Menu button once, then press the St ep Back button so the disp lay

Select button and wait a second.

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Step 1 – Connecting the System

There are only two connections needed between the La Scala and the DAC. The
La Scala is compatible with the dCS Elgar Plus DAC or the dCS Delius DAC

equipped with the 1394 option.

dCS Verdi La Scala SACD T ransport

CAUTION: VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE
LASER RADIATION. WHEN OPEN,

DO NOT STARE INTO BEAM.

AES

LROUTPUT

LEVEL

LR

Balanced

Outputs

- or -

BNC

LRAES 1 AES 2 RCA1 ST

HIGH

LOW

PUSH PUSH

RL

Unbalanced

Outputs

To Power Amplifier o r P r e a mplifie r

CLASS 1

LASER PRODUCT

CH1RCA TOSLINK

CH2

SDIF

IN

POWER

WORDCLOCK

OUT

LINK

44.1kHz

Wordclock

SUC1394

1

1394

dCS Elgar Plus DAC

B

SUC

DSD / SDIF

IN - WORDCLO CK - OUT

CH2

1394

POWER

REC OUT

A

BNC

CH1

TOSLINKRCA2

Figure 1 – Connecting La Scala to Elgar Plus

Connecting the 1394 Interface x

While playing an SACD, Hyb id d isc or CD, D SD data is ava ilab le fr om either of
the 1394 connectors. T his can be decoded by a 1394–eq uipped dCS Elgar Plus
or Delius DAC.

do this: Set the DAC to 1394 mode first.
do this: Connect ONE of the 1394 connectors on La Scala’s rear panel to the DA C us i ng

the IEEE 1394 cable supplied.

do this: Also connect La Scala‘s Wordclock Out to Wordclock In on the DAC.

IMPORTANT! Do not connect both of La Scala’s 1394 connectors to the DAC – this

prevents the IEEE 1394 interfaces synchronising.

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Connecting the DAC Outputs x

do this: Connect the DAC analogue outputs to matching inputs on your pream plifier /

power amplifier. Connect the power amplifier outputs to your loudspeakers.

do this: Set the preamplifier or DAC Volume control to a low level.
do this: Ensure all system components are switched on.

This set-up is shown in Figure 1.

Connecting a PCM Output x

For the best sound quality, use the 1394 interface. Standard CD data is
available from all of the PCM outputs, if you want to use them.

do this: Connect any of the AES , RCA, BNC or Toslink outputs on the La Scala rear

panel to the matching inputs on the DAC using suitable cables.

do this: If you want to use SDIF-2 instead, c onnec t the CH1 and CH2 outputs on the La

Scala rear panel to the matc hing inputs on the DAC using su itable cables. Also

connect the Wordclo ck Out output on the La Scala rear panel to the W ordc lock
In connector on the DAC.

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Step 2 – Playing a Disc

do this: Press the Stop/Eject button.

The display will show Opening then Open.

do this: Load a disc into the tray and either p ush the tray in gently or press the Eject

button again.
The display will sh ow Loading, then Read TOC (reading the table of contents

from the disc). T he disc will be identified as a CD, SACD or hybrid. Either the

CD or the SACD indicator will light, along with the CONT indicator (play all

tracks in a continuous sequence).
If the disc is a hybrid, the HYBD indicator and either the SACD or the CD

indicator will light. You can select the other layer by pressing the SACD/CD
button on the Remote Control – the indicator will change to match this.

If the disc has disc text, the TEXT indic ator will light, the disc title a nd artist’s
name will scroll across the display. For all discs, the number of tracks / total
playing time will be displayed, followed by 0 (stopped).

do this: Select the 1394 input on the DAC.
do this: Allow the DAC to lock and un-mute.
do this: Press the Play button. Turn up the Volume to a comfortable level.

You should have audio.
If the disc has disc text, the track name will scroll across the display. For all

discs, the track number and elapsed time will be displayed.

do this: Press the Play/Pause button to pause playing, press again to resume playing.
do this: Press the Next Track or Previous Track buttons to skip to another track.
do this: Hold down the Next Track or Previous Track buttons to fast forward or fast

reverse through the track. Alternatively, turn the Rotary Control.

do this: Press the Stop/Eject button to stop the disc. Press it again to open the tray.

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Step 3 – Track Selection

To change to a particular track:

do this: Press the Keypad button on the Remote Control.
do this: While the white LED is lit, press the track number on the 0–9 buttons.
do this: For example, for track number 15, pr ess 1, then press 5 within the next three

seconds.

Programming a Track Sequence x

If you wish, you can pr ogram a sequence of up to 31 tr acks in any order. If not,
go to Step 4.

do this: Load a disc, ensure it is not pla ying and wait for any disc text to scroll ac ross

the display.

do this: Press the Program button on the Remote Control. W hile the white LED is lit,

enter the first track number on the 0-9 buttons (e.g. 05).
The PROG indicator will light and the display will change to Prog 05, then

Pg 1: 5.

do this: You can also use the Previous Track / Next T rack buttons to choose a track

number.

do this: Press the Program button again and select the second track (e.g. 12). The

display will show: Prog 12, then Pg 2: 12. Continue programming as many
tracks as you like, up to a maximum of 31.

If you try to program a track number that is not on the disc, th e display shows:

No Trk!

do this: To delete the last track in the sequence, press the Clear button.

The display will change back to the pre vious entr y and that will becom e the las t
track in the sequence.

do this: Press the Play button to play the programmed sequence of tracks.
do this: Press the Play Mode button if you want to stop playing your programmed

sequence and change to Random or Continuous play modes.
The programmed sequence is cleared when the CD tray is opened.

Playing all Tracks in a Random Order

If you wish, La Scala can play all the track s on the disc in a r andom or der, then
stop.

do this: Press the Play button.
do this: Press the Play Mode button on the Remote Control once or twice until the

display shows Shuffle and the RAND indicator lights.

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Step 4 – Setting a Repeat Sequence

If you wish, La Scala can repeat the whole disc, one track or part of a track.
Otherwise, proceed to “Other settings”.

Repeating the Whole Disc x

do this: While playing a disc in Continuo us m ode (CONT indicator lit), pres s the Repeat

button on the Remote Control to repeat the whole disc.
The display will show Rept All and the REPT indicator will light.

Repeating a Track x

do this: While playing a track disc in Cont inuous mode (CONT indicator lit), press the

Repeat button on the Remote Control twice to repeat the track.

The display will show Rept Trk and the REP1 indicator will light.

Repeating Part of a Track x

do this: To select part of a track to repeat, play the tr ack through until you reach the

start point. Press the A-B button on the Rem ote Control, the display will show
(for example) AB 0: 20 with the B f lashing. When you reach the end poin t (for
example, 10 seconds later), press the A-B button again. The B will stop
flashing, the unit will skip bac k to the start point ( A) then c ont in uously repeat the
section up to stop point (B). You can select new start and stop points by
pressing the A-B button at the new start point and again at the new stop point.

Cancelling Repeat Mode x

do this: To stop repeating, press the Repeat button on the Remote Control once or

twice until the display shows Rept Off.

Other Settings

More features are available through the Menu. See the Menu section starting on
page 18 for more information.

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dCS Verdi La Scala User Manual Manual for Software Issue 1.0x
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TYPICAL APPLICATIONS

Using a DAC in Master Mode

You can reduce the jitter in your s ystem b y using a dCS DAC in M aster m ode to
clock the Transport.

dCS Verdi La Scala SACD T ransport

CAUTION: VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE
LASER RADIATION. WHEN OPEN,

DO NOT STARE INTO BEAM.

AES

LROUTPUT

LEVEL

LR

Balanced

Outputs

- or -

BNC

LRAES 1 AES 2 RCA1 ST

HIGH

LOW

PUSH PUSH

RL

Unbalanced

Outputs

To Power Amplifier or Pre a mplifier

CLASS 1

LASER PRODUCT

CH1RCA TOSLINK

CH2

SDIF

IN

POWER

WORDCLOCK

OUT

LINK

44.1kHz

Wordclock

A

BNC

CH1

TOSLINKRCA2

IN - WORDCLO CK - OUT

DSD / SDIF

1

1394

CH2

SUC1394

dCS Elgar Plus DAC

B

SUC

1394

POWER

REC OUT

Figure 2 – Using a DAC in Master mode

do this: Connect up as shown in Figure 2.

IMPORTANT! Note that the Wordclock connections are different to those in Figure 1.

Elgar Plus setup for software version 4.2x or later:

do this: The first time you use this arrangem ent, open the menu and run the Factory

routine.

do this: While playing an SACD, use t he Input b utton to s elect th e 1394 input and a llo w

the unit to settle. O pen th e m enu again, choos e a Filter if you wish , then set the

MS page to MS:Mastr.

do this: When the system has re-locked, use t he Volume control to set a comfortable

listening level.

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y

g (

dCS Ltd September 2004

THE SOFTWARE – THE MENU

Press "Step >" to move along the Menu, press "< Step" to move back.
Press "Select" to set a menu option or change options.

Menu SACD/CD Transmit 1394 ID Bright x Timeo ut

First page of t he

Menu

Selects format for

playing hybrid discs

SACD Active 0 … 8 Bright 7 Normal

CD Inactive .... Long

Turns off 1394 data

feed (DSD mode

only)

Sets the 1394

sou rce identifying

number

Sets the display

brightness

Bright 0

Sets the Function

Menu time-out

Temp Issue Test Burn In Ph.Check Ch.Check

Displays the

internal

temperature

Celsius 1.0x

Fahrenheit Db 2.06

Displays the

software version

number

Runs a display test

routine

Outputs modulated

pink noise to burn-

in your system

CAUTION! LOUD!

Outputs n oise on

both channels then

inverts R

Outputs tone on L

channel onl

Serial Contact FavLayer SessTime Easy Play CDUpdate

Displays the unit

full serial number

VER-?-?-?-?-?-?

Displays dCS email

address

Sets the default

layer when playing

a Hybrid disc

SACD 0 Normal

CD 1 hour Verdi

Sets the time-out
for overriding the

FavL ayer choice

2 hours Off
4 hours
8 hours

Sets the mode of
the automatic input
switchin

La Scala

only)

Starts software

update from a dCS

End Factory

Closes the Function

Menu

Restores standard

factory settings

delay

then R

channel only

CD

= feature is not available from 1394 outputs.

Figure 3 – Menu flow chart

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Using the Menu

The Menu gives the user acces s to a wide range of addit ional features. It also
allows new features and performance enhancements to be added at a later date
by software upgrades.

Opening the Menu

The Menu is controlled by three buttons:

Types of Menu Page

• the Menu button opens the menu and doubles as the

• the Step →→→→ button pages forward through the Menu – the

• the ←←←← Step button pages backward through the Menu – the

Select button.

Step button.

Step Back

button.

When you first open the Menu, the display will show Menu.
Successive presses of the

Step butto n page through t he Menu. You cann ot go

directly to any particular page, but must enter at the top of the Menu and th en
page through until you reach the page you want.

There are three types of page in the Menu - Parameter Pages, Information
Pages and Test Pages.

Parameter pages allo w the user to check and also change the current settings
of the operating parameters, for example Bright. When a parameter page is

displayed, the first press of the
Subsequent presses of the

Select button change the page setting.

Select button shows the current setting.

Information pages display information about the unit, for example Software

Issue. When an information page is displayed, pressing the

Select button

displays the information held on that page.
Test pages allow the user to initiate a number of useful routines, for exam ple

Test. When a Tes t page is displayed, pressing the

Select button starts t he test

routine.

Closing the Menu

There are two ways to close the menu and return to normal operation. The
easiest way is to wait 5 seconds for the unit to time-out and revert to the
standard display. Alternatively, use the
display shows End and then press the

Step button to page forward until the

Select button once.

If the unit times out before the operation in hand has been completed, simply re­enter the menu, page forward (or back ward) and continue where you left off . If
you find the 5 second time-out difficult to us e, you can ex ten d i t by changing the

TimeOut setting.

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dCS Ltd September 2004

Menu Sequence

Use the flow chart (Figure 3) or the Control Summary sheet to guide you
through the Menu more quickly.

The following explanation deals with the Menu pages in the sequence they
occur in the Menu

3

. The use of each pa ge is sho wn on an individ ual basis , with
the last operation being closi ng the Menu. After you have becom e more familiar
with the Menu, you will find it more convenient to perform all the Menu
operations in one go before finally closing the Menu.

SACD/CD

SACD/CD – Selecting the layer on a hybrid disc

SACD/CDSACD/CD

With a hybrid disc loaded or playing (the HYBD indicator will be lit), you can
select either the SACD or the CD layer using this menu. This duplicates the

SACD/CD button on the Remote Control.

do this: Open the Menu and step through until the display shows SACD/CD.
do this: Press the

Select button to flip between SACD or CD.

do this: When you have the option you want, wait for the Menu to time-out and the

display to revert to its normal m ode.
If the disc is not a h ybrid, the m enu will displa y the dis c type but you will not be

able to change the setting.

Transmit

Transmit – Activating the 1394 Outputs

TransmitTransmit

At present, the IEEE 1394 inter face supp orts up to eight active DSD s ources at
any time. If more ar e connected to the bus, no more than eight m ay be active.
This situation will improve as industry standards stabilise. T he Transmit page
allows La Scala to be left in DSD/SACD o utp ut mode but with th e 1394 interface
inactive. With most set-ups, you will not ha ve to worry about this setting.

do this: Set up the unit in DSD/SACD mode, with the 1394 interface connected to at

least one other unit.

do this: Open the Menu and step through until the display shows Transmit.
do this: Press the

Select button to flip between Active and Inactive.

do this: When you have the option you want, wait for the Menu to time-out and the

display to revert to its normal m ode.

1394 ID

1394 ID – 1394 Source Identification

1394 ID1394 ID

This page sets a num ber between 1 and 8 to ident ify each La Scala you have
connected to the 1394 system.

do this: Open the Menu and step through unt il the dis p lay shows 1394ID:x, where x is a

number between 0 and 8.

do this: Press the

Select button repeate dl y, allowing the un it t o settle f or a f ew secon ds

each time. The display cycles through 1394ID:0, 1394ID:1, ......., 1394ID:7 ,

1394ID:8, and back to 1394ID:0.

If you set 1394ID:2 for example, when the DAC is selected to this La Scala, it
will display L a Scala 2. You can s et an y other La Scalas conn ected to the 1 394
system to a differ ent number. If you set 1394ID:0, the DAC displays La Scala,
without a number.

3

A minor software update may change the order of the menu items or add an option. If this happens, the

Control Summary sheet may be updated before the manual.

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dCS Ltd September 2004

Bright x

Bright x - Display Brightness

Bright xBright x

This adjusts the brightness of the main display, with settings between 7
(brightest) and 0 (off, unless something is touched).

do this: Open the Menu and step through until the disp lay show s Bright x, where x is a

number between 7 and 0.

do this: Press the

Select button repeatedly and the display cycles through Bright 7,

Bright 6, ......., Bright 1, Bright 0 and back to Bright 7.

After time-out, a setting of Bright 0 blanks the display unless the unit is not
locked. Operating an y control or lock ing to a sour ce wh ile in this m ode turns the
display back on momentarily.

TimeOut

TimeOut – Menu Time Out Setting

TimeOutTimeOut

If you find the 5 second time out period for the menu is too shor t, use this option
to change the time out period to 30 seconds.

do this: Open the Menu and step through until the display shows Timeout.
do this: Press the
do this: Press the

Select button once and the display will show Normal.
Select button again and the display will change to Long.

do this: Repeat this if you want to change back.

Ch.Check

Ch.Check - Channel Check Test

Ch.CheckCh.Check

Use this feature to ch eck if the stereo outp uts on your system are s wapp ed. I t is
disabled when in DSD/SACD m ode.

do this: Set up your system to play music at a comfortable level.
do this: Open the Menu and step through until the display shows:

do this: Press the Select button once to start the test. After briefly displ aying Wait, the

following sequence occurs:

A modulated tone should appear on the left channel only for several seconds.

Both outputs are muted for a second.

A modulated tone should appear on the right channel only for several seconds.

This is displayed briefly at the end of the test.

Ch.Check

Left

None

Right

Done

If the channels are swapped, check for wiring errors from the unit output
onwards. If you correct this t em porar ily usin g the Swap func tion on a dCS DAC,
note that the Swap setting is NOT remembered at power down.

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