dCS Vivaldi Master Clock – Silver | Ex-Demonstration

The dCS Vivaldi Master Clock is the timing foundation upon which the entire Vivaldi system's performance rests — a Grade 1 master clock of extraordinary precision that eliminates jitter from every stage of the signal chain and elevates the dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC and dCS Vivaldi Upsampler to their absolute performance ceiling. This ex-demonstration unit, finished in silver, is available now at £16,995 — a significant reduction from the standard retail price, and an opportunity to acquire one of the most consequential components in the Vivaldi system at a price that rewards decisiveness.

The Role of the Master Clock

Timing lies at the heart of digital audio. Jitter — the minute fluctuations in timing that accumulate at every stage of a digital system — is not an abstract engineering concern; it is an audible phenomenon, manifesting as a blurring of transients, a compression of the soundstage, and a loss of the fine spatial and tonal detail that separates a transcendent listening experience from a merely excellent one. The Vivaldi Master Clock addresses jitter with an uncompromising precision that no internal clocking solution can match — locking every component in the system to a single external timing reference of world-class stability, and eliminating the jitter contribution that limits even the finest self-clocked designs.

Grade 1 Precision — Two Independent Clock Banks

The Vivaldi Master Clock features two independent banks of clock outputs, each capable of operating at different frequencies — a design that allows seamless synchronisation of multiple digital components within the same system, and that ensures maximum flexibility across any configuration of Vivaldi range equipment. Every crystal oscillator within the unit is pre-aged, individually calibrated across a wide temperature range, and selected for long-term stability — eliminating the drift that characterises new components and ensuring consistent, drift-free performance from the moment the clock leaves the factory.

Multi-Stage Phase-Locked Loop

The sophisticated multi-stage Phase-Locked Loop system deployed in the Vivaldi Master Clock sets a global benchmark for jitter reduction — maintaining signal integrity even when slaved to external references such as atomic clocks or GPS synchronisation sources. The multi-stage PLL design is not simply a means of locking to an external reference; it is an active jitter-reduction architecture that processes the incoming reference signal and delivers a timing output of far greater precision than the reference itself. Industry-standard Word Clock is transmitted over a 75-ohm coaxial connection, ensuring universal compatibility with any digital component designed to accept an external clock signal.

Aerospace-Grade Chassis and Updateable Platform

The Vivaldi Master Clock is housed in the same aerospace-grade machined aluminium chassis — with tuned acoustic damping panels — that defines the visual and acoustic character of the entire Vivaldi range. Inside, every circuit is optimised for low noise, stability, and thermal efficiency. The dCS 'soft' programmable logic architecture ensures that the Master Clock's feature set is updateable via software — new capabilities and performance enhancements deliverable without any hardware modification, and the long-term value of the investment protected in a way that conventional hardware cannot match.

This Ex-Demonstration Unit

This silver Vivaldi Master Clock has been part of our demonstration system and has been maintained and operated by our team throughout its life with us. It has been checked and is performing to factory specification. It represents an exceptional opportunity to acquire a component of this calibre at a price that reflects its ex-demonstration status — for those who are ready to hear what the Vivaldi system is genuinely capable of, this is the moment.

Who Is It For?

The Vivaldi Master Clock is the natural and essential companion to the dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC and dCS Vivaldi Upsampler — for those who have committed to the Vivaldi system and understand that realising its full potential requires every component in the chain to operate as intended. Those considering the dCS range at a different level will find the same clocking philosophy applied with equal rigour in the dCS Rossini Master Clock — available new, and also demonstrable at our Norwich showroom.

Buying from Martins Hi-Fi

Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind. This ex-demonstration Vivaldi Master Clock has been part of our own system — we know exactly what it does, and we can demonstrate it in a complete Vivaldi context at our Norwich showroom. Speak to Dave or Chris to arrange a listening session and discuss whether this is the right opportunity for your system.

Contact us at [email protected], call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.