[CreditingKarma]

Giving consideration on selling my perfect, four month old silver Bartok with HP option, but havent placed any ad. Anyone interested can PM me.

Curious to why you are thinking about selling your Bartok? Is there something that you don't like about it?

 

[Pale Rider]

Interesting. The Primarvera is in the same price area as the Aries Cerat Genus 25W SET headphone amplifier. I would love to compare them.

That would be a fun comparison. But let's discuss in the other thread. This one's been hijacked enough.

 

[Vangelis]

Curious to why you are thinking about selling your Bartok? Is there something that you don't like about it?

The reason I would part with the Bartok has nothing to do with sound quality or value. What’s not to like about the Bartok?

 

[CreditingKarma]

The reason I would part with the Bartok has nothing to do with sound quality or value. What’s not to like about the Bartok?

There is nothing to not like about the Bartok. I was just wondering. Hopefully you don't need to sell it. If I sold mine I would regret it.

 

[emrelights1973]

I am waiting something similar from Naim someday to go with my black boxes

 

[chesebert]

Curious to why you are thinking about selling your Bartok? Is there something that you don't like about it?

Folks sell only for two reasons: need money or want to upgrade/side grade/down grade/clean out. Legitimate down grade only really happens with older folks downsizing their house or consolidate into less complex systems. I think if you bought a 10k+ piece and you can't be happy for more than a year, there is either something wrong with you or the gear (i.e., not the right gear for you and you shouldn't have purchased it in the first place).

 

[Ross]

Folks sell only for two reasons: need money or want to upgrade/side grade/down grade/clean out. Legitimate down grade only really happens with older folks downsizing their house or consolidate into less complex systems. I think if you bought a 10k+ piece and you can't be happy for more than a year, there is either something wrong with you or the gear (i.e., not the right gear for you and you shouldn't have purchased it in the first place).

I think that is an over-simplification. Nothing in hifi is perfect, no matter how expensive it is. Sometimes it takes a while to realise there is something about a piece of hifi gear that just isn't working for you. Sometimes it is immediately obvious, sometimes it creeps up over a long period. I've had that experience plenty of times. I sold my BluDAVE after a year. I initially loved it but over time its shortcomings (in my estimation) grew from minor niggles to major impediments to being able to enjoy it. Same with some very expensive speakers, amps and turntables I have owned. I like what I currently have but I'm sure at some point there will be something which makes me start thinking about replacing it.

 

[chesebert]

I think that is an over-simplification. Nothing in hifi is perfect, no matter how expensive it is. Sometimes it takes a while to realise there is something about a piece of hifi gear that just isn't working for you. Sometimes it is immediately obvious, sometimes it creeps up over a long period. I've had that experience plenty of times. I sold my BluDAVE after a year. I initially loved it but over time its shortcomings (in my estimation) grew from minor niggles to major impediments to being able to enjoy it. Same with some very expensive speakers, amps and turntables I have owned. I like what I currently have but I'm sure at some point there will be something which makes me start thinking about replacing it.

I agree with you. Overtime our taste and preference might change, and the urge to upgrade might kick in. I am saying when people buy an expensive gear and then turn around sell right away, its usually money or sound related. If someone is buying multiple 10k+ gear like buying boxes of candies to try, then that's outside the norm.

 

[jlbrach]

finding the dave/blu2 and the bartok wanting means you are one picky person lol

 

[Ross]

finding the dave/blu2 and the bartok wanting means you are one picky person lol

So I've been told.

 

[Vangelis]

Curious to why you are thinking about selling your Bartok? Is there something that you don't like about it?

I should have answered your question with more specific reasons for why I’m selling my Bartok.

There is always the diminishing return on investment with high end HIFI. It’s always a big gulp to move up. Within the DCS line, the Rossini offers an upgraded performance at a much higher cost. I’m moving to Innous Statement and Mojo Audio Mystique Evo with a lot of upgrades. The cost to make a modest but audible upgrade above the Bartok with required cables (wouldn’t be necessary with a Bartok) for the new components is upwards of $26k and I won’t have the Bartok’s great headphone amp. If I factor quality headphone amplifier the new cost of upgrading continues to climb, I don’t want to think about that math today.

It requires a pretty sizable investment to better the Bartok. Really the Bartok hits a performance sweet spot offering so much performance in a near one box solution. As I had said before, “there’s nothing to dislike about the Bartok”.

 

[Ross]

I’m moving to Innous Statement and Mojo Audio Mystique Evo with a lot of upgrades.

I haven't heard either the Bartok of the Mojo DAC, but those two seem like complete opposites philosphically and probably in sound quality terms as well. Reading between the lines, you seem to prefer the NOS R2R sound of the Mojo to the sound of the Bartok with its massive processing power and (according to reports) highly resolving sound. Would this be a correct statement?

 

[Vangelis]

I haven't heard either the Bartok of the Mojo DAC, but those two seem like complete opposites philosphically and probably in sound quality terms as well. Reading between the lines, you seem to prefer the NOS R2R sound of the Mojo to the sound of the Bartok with its massive processing power and (according to reports) highly resolving sound. Would this be a correct statement?

Well not entirely correct. As I mentioned in my previous posting, sound quality is not necessarily a factor in selling my Bartok. The Bartok sounds amazing and has a built in world class headphone amplifier. Really I don’t know of any one box solution that does it all, server, renderer, file ripping and management, a world class DAC and headphone stage and all in one chassis. Mosaic is wonderful operating system and the Bartok is nearly a one box solution, close but not quite. The Bartok has no in chassis ripper or file storage, so additional boxes are required. If I wasn’t trying to manage thousands of CD rips and downloads the Bartok would not be for sale. For those who listen primarily to streaming, have little file management requirements and want a wonderful DAC and headphone performance, the Bartok is the clear answer.

Addressing your conversion assumption. The Bartok is an extremely natural sound DAC yet ladder DACs are supposed to be more relaxed. I’ve heard conventional DA conversion DACs sound more relaxed than some ladder DACs. It’s far too much a simplification to assign the character of a DAC just to its D/A conversion chip set or RSR ladder. There is so much more to a DAC‘s final performance than just its D/A converter. The power supply design, input & clock design, quality of signal path partss and a host of other things contribute to the sound of a DAC.
There is no absolute best conversation design. Most of today’s finest state of the art DACs sound more similar than different with exception of some very colored tube DACs. Clearly there are some small subtleties in personalities of DACs, but as technology improves and refinement goes up, there is a convergence in sound and the sound created is more similar. This is much like, over the years finest solid state amplifiers most resemble the finest tubes amplifiers. You can take completely different roads and end up at the same destination.

 

[chesebert]

Reading between the lines I think dCS is overpriced for what it delivers, which is expected given the one box solution limitation. I suspect the target market for Bartok is someone who has other dCS separates in their main system and now wants an all in one solution for the bedroom.

 

[CreditingKarma]

Reading between the lines I think dCS is overpriced for what it delivers, which is expected given the one box solution limitation. I suspect the target market for Bartok is someone who has other dCS separates in their main system and now wants an all in one solution for the bedroom.

I would argue the opposite. The Bartok is a value compared to something like the Dave. It has a better headphone amp and built-in streamer as well. If you don't need the amp it is an even better value. Imo it sounds better as well.