[Gavin C4]

Sounds familiar! I wish I can do Bartok but the depth of the unit is killer and not able to fit on my shelf. In saying that, for those tinkerers out there, they would still consider separate box for server or ethernet mods to improve sound further.

I guess you are talking about the dCS Vivaldi box 4 stacks It is Mind blowing.

 

[ThanatosVI]

The Bartok or Rossini is really a product that is worth getting. I had a friend who was in search of a source upgrade. I recommended he should get DAC with streaming capabilities because he is using Roon and other streaming services such as tidal. Since I am using Rossini, I invited him to try it out. However, he complained it was too expensive and not worth it. He eventually grabs a DAC with standard USB input and BNC AES input options but no streaming capabilities. Over time, since he needed to use those streaming services, he bought an Raspberry Pi streamer, then switched to other streamer stuch as lumen streamer, auralic streamer, then a raspberry PI2AES, some USB re-lockers, Rasberry PI Roon bridge, upgraded usb cable, upgraded AES cable, upgraded dc power cord, Linear supply for the above devices, then upgraded power cord for linear supplies etc... Eventually ended up with a ton of boxes and might even add up to a Bartok. Soon he finally regretted.... Why not grab a single box Bartok or some other streaming DAC for a one box solution that is very well implemented. Eventually grab a Bartok and a LAN cable and finally, he came to a peace of mind with all those pile of boxes out of the house and started to enjoy music. Sometimes less is more.

A one Box solution requires a large one time payment (in most cases) which is harder to swallow than several smaller chunks.

For me it was similar. Sure the Bartok is on a "dream list" but never Really an affordable option.

I started with a Rockna Wavelight DAC, pre ordered the Server and have some more than solid amplification.
Including cabling this all summed up to the value of a Bartok, but the end result probably isn't any worse.

 

[chesebert]

The Bartok or Rossini is really a product that is worth getting. I had a friend who was in search of a source upgrade. I recommended he should get DAC with streaming capabilities because he is using Roon and other streaming services such as tidal. Since I am using Rossini, I invited him to try it out. However, he complained it was too expensive and not worth it. He eventually grabs a DAC with standard USB input and BNC AES input options but no streaming capabilities. Over time, since he needed to use those streaming services, he bought an Raspberry Pi streamer, then switched to other streamer stuch as lumen streamer, auralic streamer, then a raspberry PI2AES, some USB re-lockers, Rasberry PI Roon bridge, upgraded usb cable, upgraded AES cable, upgraded dc power cord, Linear supply for the above devices, then upgraded power cord for linear supplies etc... Eventually ended up with a ton of boxes and might even add up to a Bartok. Soon he finally regretted.... Why not grab a single box Bartok or some other streaming DAC for a one box solution that is very well implemented. Eventually grab a Bartok and a LAN cable and finally, he came to a peace of mind with all those pile of boxes out of the house and started to enjoy music. Sometimes less is more.

Totally agree. I have been telling people for a decade just get Linn streaming box and be done. Okay back in 2010 Linn was the only game in town that actually sounded decent.

 

[buzzlulu]

Agreed three
Linn KDS/3 owner since 2011 and now dCS Rossini owner for my 2 channel Naim system

I kept the Linn and it is now slumming it fronting my various headphone systems

 

[Katzky]

My setup is Macbook to SRC-DX to Opto-DX to BNC to DAVE. Everything before the DAC is on batteries. I like this setup a lot compared to other things I've used.

I upsample using PGGB and sometimes HQPlayer. And highly prefer PGGB to MScaler. If I do go the Bartok route, I'd for sure experiment with it, though my decision to get one won't be conditional on how it responds to pre-DAC upsampling. Also, the thinness I heard thru the Bartok headphone-out was well beyond what any upsampling could affect. Good to know about Bartok having a non-OS mode though, for sure.



I like using the Utopia as a stable point of reference for auditioning purposes even though it hasn't been my primary headphone for any particular combination of gear for some time. Trying another headphone in addition to it could be useful though. I'll need to decide if I feel comfortable bringing that much more junk with me to the dealer, lol.

Bartok does not have a non-OS mode.

 

[vkenz]

Totally agree. I have been telling people for a decade just get Linn streaming box and be done. Okay back in 2010 Linn was the only game in town that actually sounded decent.

wow, it looks to be audio nirvana to me.

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."​

 

[Vindication]

Haha actually.. I have already read the reviews and watched the YouTube videos. Always thought the bartok was out of reach, but after thinking about it, I've already spent more on the spaghetti chain by now. Take into account my previous wa22 + tubes and old dac too, probably could have gotten a Rossini by now too.

But I guess it's all part of the fun of the journey, rather than just heading straight to the proverbial "end point".

I've already asked the local dealer on price for a black Bartok..

I’m kind of in the same boat. I was thinking of doing a major overall and build a system this winter but I’m kind of at the point where I’m like yea f all of it and just go for a Bartok

 

[jlbrach]

personally I prefer individual components instead of an all in one unit because it is a lot easier to replace one of the components when a new dac or amp etc comes along than to junk the whole thing and start over but I get the appeal of the bartok to many

 

[Roasty]

I’m kind of in the same boat. I was thinking of doing a major overall and build a system this winter but I’m kind of at the point where I’m like yea f all of it and just go for a Bartok

The funny thing is.. When I posted that, I didn't have my second system in the study set up yet. And despite posting what I posted, I ended up doing the same s**t all over again and buying smaller separates for my second system (holo may, streamer, linear power supplies, cables, clock, clock cable, optical rendu, optical cables and converters, power cords, power block etc etc).

I guess I never learned my lesson.

 

[llamaluv]

Case in point, maybe:

My last DAC journey was with the DAVE, lasted 2.5+ years, and included so much experimenting and accumulating extra physical cr@p along the way that my current self can't help but roll my eyes at my former self as I catalog in my mind how much stuff I churned through: Ferrite cores, BNC cables, the Opto-DX, SRC-DX, battery packs, power cables, and of course the $5,000 list price M-Scaler. (Also, HQPlayer and PGGB, but I like both of those things, so that part's alright, eh heh).

All that acquisitive experimentation (and "sunk costs"!) can be part of the fun, for sure, but even the most ardent audiophile nerd would get burned out on the process at some point. Some experiments were useful, some not so much, most were vaguely inconclusive. After a series of modest, incremental improvements, eventually I just settled with what I had for a while. In hindsight, I feel like I should have moved beyond the DAVE at least 12 months sooner than I did in order to try something new.

TL/DR is that I'm hella glad I landed on the Bartok. I took it home, plugged in the network cable, made one single adjustment to my setup (powering the DAC from the mains instead of the power regenerator), and the tonality of my system is as close to perfect as it has ever been. Not to mention its technicalities, which are <chef's kiss>.

 

[Vindication]

Case in point, maybe:

My last DAC journey was with the DAVE, lasted 2.5+ years, and included so much experimenting and accumulating extra physical cr@p along the way that my current self can't help but roll my eyes at my former self as I catalog in my mind how much stuff I churned through: Ferrite cores, BNC cables, the Opto-DX, SRC-DX, battery packs, power cables, and of course the $5,000 list price M-Scaler. (Also, HQPlayer and PGGB, but I like both of those things, so that part's alright, eh heh).

All that acquisitive experimentation (and "sunk costs"!) can be part of the fun, for sure, but even the most ardent audiophile nerd would get burned out on the process at some point. Some experiments were useful, some not so much, most were vaguely inconclusive. Eventually I just settled with what I had for a while. In hindsight, I feel like I should have moved beyond the DAVE at least 12 months sooner than I did in order to try something new.

TL/DR is that I'm hella glad I landed on the Bartok. I took it home, plugged in the network cable, made one single adjustment to my setup (powering the DAC from the mains instead of the power regenerator), and the tonality of my system is as close to perfect as it has ever been. Not to mention its technicalities, which are <chef's kiss>.

The more I see responses like this, the more I just want to go get a Bartok and call it a day.

 

[SuperBurrito]

A one Box solution requires a large one time payment (in most cases) which is harder to swallow than several smaller chunks.

Exactly. Especially since the Bartok is going to be around for probably another 8 years and will get some sound quality improvements (through software updates) during that time.

 

[Frankie D]

The more I see responses like this, the more I just want to go get a Bartok and call it. It almost feels like fixing up a car. Do I go out and buy a Corvette and dump insane amounts of money on upgraded engine, suspension, transmission, fuel system, tuning etc or just go buy a Plaid and be the fastest guy out there and be done with it.

yea, the bartok right now is looking like my Plaid.

I have been thinking about the Bartok as well. It is a big chunk of dough. And the unit itself is also pretty big.

 

[paradoxper]

The more I see responses like this, the more I just want to go get a Bartok and call it. It almost feels like fixing up a car. Do I go out and buy a Corvette and dump insane amounts of money on upgraded engine, suspension, transmission, fuel system, tuning etc or just go buy a Plaid and be the fastest guy out there and be done with it.

yea, the bartok right now is looking like my Plaid.

Well, the analog section is bulletproof. You just don't see the same movement as with digital. However, the Bartok is modular so it is also future-proof.

Don't overthink it.

 

[deuter]

The more I see responses like this, the more I just want to go get a Bartok and call it. It almost feels like fixing up a car. Do I go out and buy a Corvette and dump insane amounts of money on upgraded engine, suspension, transmission, fuel system, tuning etc or just go buy a Plaid and be the fastest guy out there and be done with it.

yea, the bartok right now is looking like my Plaid.

Has anyone thought why the Bartok appeals to headphone enthusiasts the most?