dCS Bartók Streaming DAC + HP amp

Perhaps somebody is sitting on info regarding the Roon Ready certification on this new, interesting DAc (+HP amp if you like)

The Bartók will be fully Roon Ready like our other products and the software stack for the product is essentially done. We have a couple of things left to do with the code and then we’ll be sending a unit to MQA and then onto Roon. We expect the certification to be complete and in place prior to shipment of the first production unit.

This is a very cool product and one that we’re all very excited to launch.

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Excellent, thanks Andrew!
(Just saw the mention of Roon Ready in the pdf leaflet also!)
:slight_smile:

It says the Bartók is built on the Rossini technology, but what differs besides the chassi then?

@AMP will there come a external clock with the same chassi look as the Bartók?

Will the front of the chassi have the connector for the headphone regardless of the version?

The two are very similar and share some of the same components, but there are some differences. The primary ones are as follows:

Chassis
The Bartók uses a simpler chassis design which is not only less expensive from a materials and machining standpoint, but also easier to assemble. Our mechanical engineer spent a lot of time figuring out how to make it less expensive on the manufacturing and assembly side while not compromising the fit and finish and still maintaining a high level of performance. The 3D printer was working overtime in the prototyping stage.

Power supply
The Rossini uses two independent power supplies which are split between the analog and digital sections. In Bartók these are combined into a single supply with a single transformer for both functions. If ordered with the headphone amp then a second, separate power supply is dedicated to the headphone amp.

Software
While the hardware between the two products is similar and they’re built on the same processing platform there will be some software differences. I won’t go into it more than to say that there is a software update planned for Rossini which should make Rossini owners very happy.

Bartók is very much an ‘economy of scale’ product for us. By getting the hard costs on the chassis and power supply down and taking advantage of greater buying power on the electronics we were able to keep the price where it needed to be. If we’d gone down the path of trying to build a cheaper product from an electronic standpoint we would have had to develop a new platform and that would have driven the cost up (even with cheaper parts).

This has been discussed at length internally and as of yet there’s no decision. The reality is that there’s not much we could do to make the Rossini clock more affordable and even a less elaborate faceplate wouldn’t impact the cost that much. We’re taking a wait-and-see approach here to try and determine demand.

No, and it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get final metalwork done in time to have photos for launch. The DAC-only version will have a different faceplate that doesn’t have the two cut-outs for the headphone outputs as well as one fewer button (the second button from the right on the headphone version switches between line out and headphone out).

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Guessing the FPGA in the Bartok will be more limited, consistent with price point and functionality.

Nope. Same FPGA.

Great! That’s often a means for keeping costs down, though it constrains additional function.

Thank you very much for the elaborate answer! Much appreciated!

Great stuff. I’ve always admired dCS from afar, for their pioneering features/methods.

Looking forward to demo-ing the headphone amp version.

@AMP Imma gonna wait seated darling… :slight_smile:

dCS is doing an amazing job expanding the line and delivering high quality product. I do not blame you at all for delays, it is a complex problem to deliver new functionality as well as improving on “technical debt” that all platforms have.

Well done.

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I currently have dCS Debussy + Network Bridge.
Will Bartok offer better sound quality?
I am encouraged by one device and fewer cables.
However, two separate power supplies.
Debussy has been on the market for 8 years now, I do not need MQA.
I care about the quality of PCM playback, will Bartok be better?

Bartok is based on considerably newer technology than Debussy and that results in greatly improved performance. It’s a completely different platform and it has more in common with the performance of the Rossini than it does the Debussy. It’s a definite step up from what you currently have.

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Thank you for your answer.
In that case, I have to think about changing.
When can it really be on sale, November?
Last question, I’m using the preamplifier at Debussy.
Is the remote control included?
Maybe there will be a volume control option from the application?

We’re on schedule so November is reasonable, but a lot of people are placing orders so we might get a little backed up in production.

I don’t believe that the remote is included, but it is available as an option. All of our DACs use the same remote codes so the Debussy remote will work fine with Bartok.

The Bartok volume control is absolutely available in the control app. It’s also available through Roon.

Is the volume control the same as the Rossini?

Yes, it is.

I asume the volumecontrol is in the digital domane?

It’s the same volume control that’s used in all of our products so, yes, it’s in the digital domain with user-configurable output voltages. It’s an extremely high-resolution control so the point at which it starts impacting the actual signal is a very low setting. I’ve run my Vivaldi both amp direct and with a couple of different very high-spec preamps (Boulder 2110 and Moon 850p) and my preference continues to be amp-direct using the dCS volume control.

The headphone version of the Bartók has user-switchable analog gain settings for the headphone output so that one can closely match the efficiency of his headphones.

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Can you stream from Qobuz hi-res on the Bartok?