[turbofeet]

Not sure how relevant that review is today due to 2.0 and Apex upgrades.

Yes I agree. The Bartók is a completely different beast after 2.0.

So much so that the conclusions in that review made no sense to me! Sorry @GoldenOne

I guess they can make quite significant changes with those FPGA chips.

 

[senseitedj]

I’ve been sampling TOTL DACS recently like Rockna, Chord TT, and Dave.

One thing Bartok really excels especially compared to other brands to my ears is its ability to present tone and timbre in a very natural way. Other brands really struggle in this department IMO.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I’ve been sampling TOTL DACS recently like Rockna, Chord TT, and Dave.

One thing Bartok really excels especially compared to other brands to my ears is its ability to present tone and timbre in a very natural way. Other brands really struggle in this department IMO.

When you're back in town we should do dac shootout again haha!

I changed my chord tt2 to cen grand deluxe (still on shipment though). I wonder what you think about this 1-bit dac.

 

[turbofeet]

I’ve been sampling TOTL DACS recently like Rockna, Chord TT, and Dave.

One thing Bartok really excels especially compared to other brands to my ears is its ability to present tone and timbre in a very natural way. Other brands really struggle in this department IMO.

It's a top DAC for sure. I have a Grimm MU1 incoming soon. It was spectacular with the Dave when i heard it. I'm interested yo see how it performs with the Bartok.

I do not have a clock for my Bartok but have read that a decent clock makes a huge difference. I still love it so it must sound amazing with a clock like that.

The Grimm has magical pixies which deliver every bit to your DAC personally. Looking forward to it!

 

[senseitedj]

When you're back in town we should do dac shootout again haha!

I changed my chord tt2 to cen grand deluxe (still on shipment though). I wonder what you think about this 1-bit dac.

Yes! I really want to see what the hype is all about. I've only heard good things about this DAC in particular its detail retrieval capabilities.

 

[senseitedj]

It's a top DAC for sure. I have a Grimm MU1 incoming soon. It was spectacular with the Dave when i heard it. I'm interested yo see how it performs with the Bartok.

I do not have a clock for my Bartok but have read that a decent clock makes a huge difference. I still love it so it must sound amazing with a clock like that.

The Grimm has magical pixies which deliver every bit to your DAC personally. Looking forward to it!

Tried the lina with the clock but not with bartok. One thing I noticed that the room information becomes more prominent and individual components of the mix seem to have more presence

 

[Jarlaxe]

Hello everyone, currently thinking about buying a DCS dac and i have a question for you people :

Did anyone compared the Bartok on his Apex version to the Lina and her own Clock ? Or maybe tried the Lina Clock on the Bartok and see how it goes ?

Just curious, i can't actually try these by my own experience so it might end up with a shopping on people opinion alone. Thanks !

 

[vkenz]

Hello everyone, currently thinking about buying a DCS dac and i have a question for you people :

Did anyone compared the Bartok on his Apex version to the Lina and her own Clock ? Or maybe tried the Lina Clock on the Bartok and see how it goes ?

Just curious, i can't actually try these by my own experience so it might end up with a shopping on people opinion alone. Thanks !

I have tried both and the Bartok Apex with it's built in amp and was it was utterly devastating bombastic and I can say, the improvements in the detail and amp is really heard and felt. And I have tried the DCS Lina stack as well and it was utterly devastatingly neutral + blackhole background. For space saving all-in-one I think the bartok would save you space if you have already a hifi rack. I still prefer my OG Bartok since the upgrade is devastatingly expensive. They are not the same to my ears, the Lina is more neutral and the bartok is boom bass ticc. hehe.

Test done on just my fav tracks, mostly metal, rock, trap, EDM.

OG Bartok - Abyss 1266 Phi TC
APex Bartok - Focal Elex - auditioned
DCS Lina - ZMF's Atrium, Verite , D8000 Pro - auditioned

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Hello everyone, currently thinking about buying a DCS dac and i have a question for you people :

Did anyone compared the Bartok on his Apex version to the Lina and her own Clock ? Or maybe tried the Lina Clock on the Bartok and see how it goes ?

Just curious, i can't actually try these by my own experience so it might end up with a shopping on people opinion alone. Thanks !

Bartok Apex deliver more complete detail and texture, and also expanse the soundstage through all direction (compared to Bartok OG).

Lina DAC vs Bartok Apex (as DAC only) to feed DCS Lina Amp: Barok Apex has cleaner sound, better detail, black background and separation. Lina is more forgiving with more rounded notes on treble and upper mid. Both have neutral midrange, but Lina provide a slight more of sweetness there. Bass, Bartok Apex has richer texture (bass guitar and double bass instrument), but Lina has a little more attack on mid-bass area.

 

[Andrewteee]

FWIW I finally talked myself into the Bartok APEX upgrade and it is a clear - and very nice - improvement.

I have done a lot of research and I've decided to pass on adding a clock (my dealer offered a demo too). I'm sure it brings further improvements, but in my case I'm perfectly satisfied with the Bartok APEX alone.

 

[Vyyy]

Anyone had opportunity to compare Bartok Apex against Chord Dave/Mscaler?

 

[Andrewteee]

Quick update: after many hours the Bartok APEX upgrade is sounding amazingly fantastic! Loving it. The change is obvious and enjoyable. I complained about the tired upgrade pricing (in the US) but I finally did it and I have no regrets.

 

[turbofeet]

I just added a Grimm MU1 feeding the Bartok. It works very very well.

I know all of the reviewers gush over the MU1 and now MU2 but I have to admit it's really stellar with the Bartok.

I'd only heard it with the Dave previously and it blew me away. I intended to sell the Bartok and get a second hand Dave but I'm really not sure now.

What it brings is a real sense of ease to the music. You don't lose anything technically (rather gain) but you end up with a system you really can feed any music and you can just enjoy it. Seperation has taken a step up but what it gives you the emotion of the music. I can't really describe it better than that. Play some soppy music and you might start to well up

Someone described it on another forum as "Magical pixies deliver the bits to your DAC from the MU1". They were clearly joking but I can really see why they said that.

I guess that's the affect of a good clock. I've never heard a clock with the Bartok but understand you do need that to get the best out of it so maybe thats the affect of the DCS Clocks too?

 

[HONEYBOY]

I just added a Grimm MU1 feeding the Bartok. It works very very well.

I know all of the reviewers gush over the MU1 and now MU2 but I have to admit it's really stellar with the Bartok.

I'd only heard it with the Dave previously and it blew me away. I intended to sell the Bartok and get a second hand Dave but I'm really not sure now.

What it brings is a real sense of ease to the music. You don't lose anything technically (rather gain) but you end up with a system you really can feed any music and you can just enjoy it. Seperation has taken a step up but what it gives you the emotion of the music. I can't really describe it better than that. Play some soppy music and you might start to well up

Someone described it on another forum as "Magical pixies deliver the bits to your DAC from the MU1". They were clearly joking but I can really see why they said that.

I guess that's the affect of a good clock. I've never heard a clock with the Bartok but understand you do need that to get the best out of it so maybe thats the affect of the DCS Clocks too?

MU1 is really magical. It does the same thing to the Mola Mola Tambaqui and is perhaps one of the best things I've bought in this hobby. Something it does just allows you to get to the emotional soul of the music. Also paying attention to MU2 myself. Happy Listening! Bartok is a very nice piece.

 

[Fafner]

I’ll soon join you guys, I just ordered an amp-free Bartok to upgrade my great 10yo T+A MP3000HV (which I’ll keep as CD transport).