dCS Bartok

[Jon773]

An Isotek Sirius mains filter made a big difference with my Sony TA-ZH1ES before i returned it, haven't checked the effect with Dave,plugged it straight in. Why do you need a music server with Bartok?

Its to remove the NAS and see if the improvements that so many of the reviews find are evident in my system as well.

i remain open minded, because if the difference is like switching between DSD and DXD upsampling, then I will be looking to return any server.

If it’s as positive as the clock or my LPSU + 8switch upgrades, then things get interesting. I didnt send any of these items back

 

[bluecar]

I was just trying to clear up some misconception about the software part as that's my actual job, but if you consider it to be of 0 value, fair enough, i'll let you back to "audiophile" stuff.

It's an interesting shift from device design to interpreter/compiler programming - in the HDL/Device world, conventions are different. For device design/simulation and FPGA configs, the hardest part is the first bit - getting the fecking thing to run at all, then getting it to run as intended - after that, incremental improvements are pretty easy, plus you've already spent the big bucks on test and sim rigs, so every re-run you do is a boost to the original ROI. It's a 180 from software dev, where it is (usually) easier to start from scratch in most cases, especially if someone else wrote the original base

 

[chesebert]

Yeah, that's why i was here, but after some testing i call bs on streamers as a whole. I have no need for one and have seen no evidence for any sq differences between sources. Except maybe playback software and conection types.So that advantage went out the window for me.

I have no idea how long you have been in this hobby. Assuming you have done critical listening on and off for 10 years or so, and can reliably articulate sound differences in words and know what you like and what you don't like, I can only assuming your streamers have some bottleneck somewhere. Have you tried using generic DLNA server to feed 2 different streamers and see if you can hear a difference?

I have gone from multi-box streamer/DAC to just a single box solution, which I found sounds better to me.

 

[adrianm]

It's a 180 from software dev, where it is (usually) easier to start from scratch in most cases, especially if someone else wrote the original base

Exactly, but i see your point about the low level stuff.

 

[adrianm]

I have no idea how long you have been in this hobby. Assuming you have done critical listening on and off for 10 years or so, and can reliably articulate sound differences in words and know what you like and what you don't like, I can only assuming your streamers have some bottleneck somewhere. Have you tried using generic DLNA server to feed 2 different streamers and see if you can hear a difference?

I have gone from multi-box streamer/DAC to just a single box solution, which I found sounds better to me.

3-4 years. Maybe it's my headphones (Z1R) or the music. Don't listen to Classical, but do listen to a lot of acoustic stuff. Only did tests in showrooms, where i didn't notice any differences unless i was using Optical instead of coax on a Dave for example. Either way without a thorough explanation any differences can be attributed to rf noise introduced by the streamer (more or less) , just like reclockers. I can just use optical out of my desktop pc and save myself the hassle of filling my desk with boxes though.
Right now i'm testing Qobuz and Tidal with the Z1R and a Dave. Mqa sounds worse than flac at times, Qobuz high ress stuff sounds..brighter mostly. I can say the delta is more noticeable with Live stuff than anything else. Either way the Qobuz interface is kinda annoying so the difference isn't enough to make me switch. I'm sure any differences with streaming devices would be smaller.

 

[chesebert]

3-4 years. Maybe it's my headphones (Z1R) or the music. Don't listen to Classical, but do listen to a lot of acoustic stuff. Only did tests in showrooms, where i didn't notice any differences unless i was using Optical instead of coax on a Dave for example. Either way without a thorough explanation any differences can be attributed to rf noise introduced by the streamer (more or less) , just like reclockers. I can just use optical out of my desktop pc and save myself the hassle of filling my desk with boxes though.
Right now i'm testing Qobuz and Tidal with the Z1R and a Dave. Mqa sounds worse than flac at times, Qobuz high ress stuff sounds..brighter mostly. I can say the delta is more noticeable with Live stuff than anything else. Either way the Qobuz interface is kinda annoying so the difference isn't enough to make me switch. I'm sure any differences with streaming devices would be smaller.

I would not hang my hat on a store demo without any control. You have to at least bring your own music in flac and load on their DLNA server to test the streamers. For example, I have used "Chesky Records Spanish Harlem" to test equipment for 20 years and I know absolute everything that's going on in that track. That is one of my reference tracks I use every time I demo any equipment.

 

[andrewd01]

What hifi has always been the hifi equivalent of the Sun. Fine for keeping up to date with what new products are on the market, but I always take its review opinions with a huge grain of salt. The review ratings usually reflect the advertising spend of the particular brand in question.

 

[marcusd]

Just posted our full in-depth review of the Bartok (DAC and amp) - stunning performance, best I have heard in years.

https://headfonics.com/dcs-bartok-review/

 

[Julius1]

I'm a new Bartok owner for one week !
Right off the box, it already sounded fantastic.
But I feel it needs burn-in for sure, a bit shy on treble and a bit compressed sound.
So dear experienced Bartok owners, could you indicate how long is the burn-in process? What sound enhancements are tangibles over time?
Thanks !

 

[adrianm]

Just posted our full in-depth review of the Bartok (DAC and amp) - stunning performance, best I have heard in years.

https://headfonics.com/dcs-bartok-review/

Bit disappointing that you don't have a Dave to compare it to.

 

[marcusd]

Bit disappointing that you don't have a Dave to compare it to.

Can't have everything sadly. The TT2 did have the m Scaler attached.

 

[adrianm]

Can't have everything sadly. The TT2 did have the m Scaler attached.

I've read but imo the TT2 ,even with the M-scaler, isn't in the same league as standalone Dave, let alone M-scaled. Would've been interesting to see a comparison

 

[Jon773]

I'm a new Bartok owner for one week !
Right off the box, it already sounded fantastic.
But I feel it needs burn-in for sure, a bit shy on treble and a bit compressed sound.
So dear experienced Bartok owners, could you indicate how long is the burn-in process? What sound enhancements are tangibles over time?
Thanks !

How have you set up your Bartok? Presume its taking data via Ethernet as that is the preferred (and said to be best) option. If its ethernet are you feeding it from a music server, NAS, PC, or streaming via Tidal etc?

I noticed an improvement in my sound quality by upgrading my network switch, ethernet cable (nothing expensive) and adding an LPSU to my QNAP NAS...

High Res from NAS sounds best, then MQA from Tidal, but its a very close call.

I have had my Bartok for around 5 months and I would say its very stable in the sound department. I don't recall it needing much in the way of burn in. I use the headphone output section, so i presume that will require burn in.

If you start using the analogue outputs on the rear of the Bartok, then these will need separately burned in as well.

 

[marcusd]

I've read but imo the TT2 ,even with the M-scaler, isn't in the same league as standalone Dave, let alone M-scaled. Would've been interesting to see a comparison

If we ever get a DAVE we will throw in the Bartok as a comparison for sure in any review.

 

[D P C]

Use the burn in feature built into the bartok, its in the menu section