Hey guys,
I auditioned the Bartok together with a Chord Hugo TT 2 with (and without) M-scaler last weekend at my local dealer.
Just wanted to share my thoughts. I haven't been listening to decent quality headphone gear long, so take this with a grain of salt (or it might be a breath of fresh air, who knows...)
I listened to a dedicated playlist I put together containing music from Dire Straits, Snarky Puppy, Michel Godard, Frank Sinatra, Fink, Chris Jones, Nils Frahm, Rage Against the Machine, Tool and Daft Punk. I have a very broad taste in music.
My main home setup is Tidal > Chord Mojo > modded Bottlehead Crack > Sennheiser HD800S.
I started with the Hugo TT 2. Here are my notes comparing it to my modest home setup:
- More detailed and well defined placement within my head.
- I felt it easier to listen to, less "overlap" of sounds.
- It was also more dynamic, more "energetic".
- Not at all cold or harsh, what I "presumed" a highly detailed dac would sound like. It was a beautiful plus-model kind of sound, not anorexic at all! Full and lush, but never bloated or bloomy.
Adding the M-scaler had a bizarre effect on me, at that moment I was listening for a good 30-40minutes to the TT 2:
- From the first song with the M-scaler I started tapping my feet, bobbing my head and tapping my hands on my knees. I didn't do that once during the TT 2 only-session. Why? no idea! It was the physical reaction I had at that moment...
- It was not that I felt there was more detail in the music, but somehow the songs made more sense. It was more predictable in some sort of way. I could feel the exact moment when the next snare was going to hit in a sort of telepathic way. I was "anticipating" the next guitar strum, the next cymbal hit. Like looking in a glass ball a few moments ahead in the song. Never ever did I have that feeling when listening to music. Highly bizarre for newby me, highly addictive, but also a much more active listening experience. I couldn't sit still!
At this moment I went back to the TT 2 without the M-scaler, because I though my mind was playing tricks on me. "I probably anticipated "something" to happen with switching on the M-scaler, so now my brain is just fooling me right?" where my thoughts at that time.
Without the M-scaler, the TT 2 still sounded awesome, but the shot of adrenaline was missing. I didn't feel "on the edge of the knife" anymore... Switching it back in gave me goosebumps. I couldn't hear an objective difference in the sound, but the physical reaction was back and it put a smile on my face... Song after song with the M-scaler made me actually giggle. Everytime a new song started and that rythmic tsjoo-tsjoo train took off I kept making involuntaring "Hah!?", "Gow...", "Tssss" sounds. Such fun!
After this I had a chat with the sales rep and he was amused (to say the least) at my poor attempts of describing my experience so far. "I'm very curious to what you will feel with the Bartok" he told me. Well let's find out!
First thing I noticed is that the actual 1/4" jack was so smooth. Usually it is more a thump when "clicking" the jack into the socket. The dCS socket felt like it was made of butter. It was effortless. Coming from the very positive "click" of the Chord Mojo and also the TT 2, this was a first for me.
Every device, going from TT 2, then the M-scaler and last the Bartok, had a very different impact on me. I expected the differences to be subtle, like most of the tube rolling in my Bottlehead amp at home. But all three sounded and felt like completely different systems to me. And those differences were much greater than I expected!
The Bartok:
Where the Chord Hugo TT 2 put me on the edge of my seat and the M-scaler gave me a nice shot of adrenaline, the Bartok made me sit back in my seat with a stupid grin on my face. The Bartok was "zen". The thought that immediatly came to my mind was: "This is like these Japanese craftsmen, that have done just one thing their whole life. True masters of their trade". It was that image that came to mind with the Bartok, like I was in the hands of a master. I felt like the unit was not even trying. It felt like the Bartok was 200% in it's comfort zone. Playing those tunes for me was like asking a 3-star michelin chef to make me a BLT sandwich. A walk in the park.
The music was precise, highly detailed and silky smooth but also "alive". Guitar plucking was all of a sudden more dynamic, I felt the individual volume changes of subsequent strings when they are plucked a little softer or harder. I heard more of the reverberations, the echo, the sound bouncing off the walls in the recording room/church/hall between the actual notes played. I felt relaxed. The Bartok put me in the zone and for the next 20 minutes I just sat there, eyes closed, in another world.
When I finally put my headphones down this is what I told the sales rep: "The TT 2 is like a German Porsche 911. Direct, dynamic, planted, fast, oozes quality and is so well engineered it's hard to not like it. The M-scaler makes it into a Ferrari. On the cutting edge, a real 600hp race machine. The Bartok in comparison was to me the Rolls-Royce. Just as much, or maybe more raw horsepower, but it could not be more different in it's delivery and design. It doesn't drive, or race for that matter, it glides... effortlessly"
This was the most fun I had in years. I'm utterly fascinated that the act of listening could leave such a deep impression on me.
I think I'm hooked...
I walked into my local store today with my Chord Hugo TT 2 and left with a Bartok. There is definitely
