dCS Bartok as a one box solution

AGREED
They are COMPLETELY missing out on the headphone boom.
We always joke about the median age of the typical black box Naim user - we are a bunch of old farts! I got back into headphone listening 3 years ago after a 15 year absence. As someone who has attended the past 3 CanJam’s in NY the headphone industry is EXPLODING and registering unprecedented growth year after year. Naim used to make the HeadLine so it knows how to easily make a headphone amp. I would say that most of the reason behind the growth of Chord has been through their aggressive pursuit of the headphone market. We discuss the Hugo, TT2, And DAVE on this forum and assume they are being used in two channel systems. I believe most of their use is actually in the headphone world. Chord holds a monopoly on the Headfi forum with an extremely vocal and partisan crowd. Rob Watts is a rock star over there.

As someone who has aggressively returned to the headphone hobby I can say that one of the reasons I went for the BARTOK is that DCS absolutely hit a home run with their FIRST venture into producing a headphone amplifier. The headphone section of the Bartok is extremely impressive. Add a ROBUST network streaming solution with software which works well and top it off with their known strength which is the DNA of their existence, the RingDAC technology, and they have a major hit on their hands with this new entry level device. They are successfully continuing in their established two channel market while now starting to make inroads in the headphone market. They had the best and biggest private suite at CANJAM with 4 Bartok listening stations and an assortment of the top Headphones all available for demo. On top of that I saw several key headphone vendors on the main floor using Bartoks for their listening station.

It is all a bit strange for me as a Naim partisan watching them miss out on this - especially considering that their business partner Focal makes the hottest headphones in the industry.

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Not sure Naim is missing something.
Focal offers very nice headphones and an amp to partner with.
Focal = Naim :wink:

Thomas
As Emre said - the Focal amp is nothing special. I also believe it is made by a third party (?)

I think a SuperHeadLine powered by a SuperCap would be very interesting! I also have the Focal Utopia headphones. I currently use the HeadLine/SuperCap but would be very interested in a SuperHeadLine.

Let assume you are the boss, You have two brands Focal and Naim, which one will you use for headphone amp and/or headphone amp/streamer?

Headphones are the new entry level to hi-end Hifi, Specially countries where the Living space is getting smaller but cash is there also a new way to connect Young people with your brand like Muso/Atom etc

İn my humble opinion

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Well the Bartok will be back at hifi lounge this Saturday if anyone fancies trying it.
Warning up the rossini and clock as we speak

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Wait a minute - how did your Rossini arrive so quickly? I realize I am in the States however I was quoted 4-6 weeks for my Bartok?

Enjoy
Best
Gregg

Managed to find one for sale at a dealer at a good price and so that was it.
But yes 6 to 8 weeks if you order one

And your first impressions? Same sound as Bartok but all better, or different sound signature?

Its just lush, everything you could possibly want, i know that doesn’t help much, but really my best advice is just go spend a few hours with one on a nice revealing system and prepare to be wowed, then spend the next few months trying to work out how to justify buying one.
It just sounds so right and that is with a crap rca to rca and the unit just on the floor

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Can you upload a photo of it, Dunc?

Will do once i get it in my rack

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You should perhaps listen to the Bartok. Maybe it will please you. I will try myself later.
If you like it, Bartok straight in your 250 dr would be nearly not expensive, if it replaces 272/555dr. And you would have MQA Tidal and Hirez Qobuz both.
And only 2 boxes.

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It’s an idea that has crossed my mind.

But I’ve had a misadventure with dCS once before.

I imagine it would be smoother than what I have now, but also blander.

I also imagine that I’d miss the power and low noise floor and system synergy from the Naim source I have now.

And I’d then need a preamp.

The Bartok would not cut it as a preamp.

Btw, my 250dr went back.

I think there was something wrong with it.

But my 150x is very good at driving my speakers, esp at the low volumes I listen at.

But I did once compare my 150x to a 250dr at a dealers showroom, and yes, the 250dr is of course meatier, chunkier, more substantial.

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Lush - good adjective and one which I thought during both of my Bartok demo sessions.
I used “tonally rich” - but yes the same thing.

I have been with my Linn KDS since 2011 and have kept it up to date along the way. Last year they announced EOL on it and continued only with the KDSM version going forward. This past fall they reversed directions and brought it back into the lineup realizing that many wanted strictly a source and not necessarily the DSM version.

I am hoping this means that when it comes time for the next major board update the DS will be included once again as eligible for an upgrade. Otherwise, now that I am soon to be in the DCS fold when my BARTOK arrives, it might be time to audition the Rossini.

Dunc - I assume you only had the chance to listen to the Rossini with 2.0 software and did not hear a 1.0 version?

Care to elaborate?
I never had the chance to listen to DCS prior to the Bartok. From doing research and reading reviews (for what they are worth) I come away with the impression that the Bartok represents a step in a new direction for their house sound. All ofvthe analytical detail remains yet now it seems a healthy dose of PRAT and engagement with the music has been added.

That is why I did not get along with the Chords I have (briefly) demoed. They were not engaging and did not hold my attention to the music.

Perhaps it was a mismatch with the 272. But perhaps also you don’t like DCS sound …

There’s a thread :thread: on it.

I got overexcited about a dCS network bridge, by reading reviews etc.

Then took out my Cisco 3 days before getting the NB, which confused my judgment of sound changes.

But when I finally did a proper AB test a month later there was barely any Uplift from the NB.

Yes, I think the dCS sound is bland and sterile.

Perhaps it gets better at the top end of their range, but I haven’t heard that.