dCS Bartok as a one box solution

An alternative to dCS DACs : MERGING :switzerland: :

As Swiss brand usually more present in the recording studio market then consumer market.

Their NADAC is an interesting piece of gear

Capture

I’ve heard it mentioned here and there.

But never considered it myself so far.

Is it something that tempts you, Thomas?

Do you think Hermann Buhl would have preferred Naim or Merging dacs?

Jim, the network bridge was not a Dac. And you said also that you didn’t heard the last generation of their dacs.
However my first impression with the Rossini was a bit that…but not on my system but SN2 which is away of my combo.

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I also bought a DCS Debussy - which also had rave reviews when it was new.
That was clunky and sterile-sounding. But very detailed. But not in the same league as a Naim dac to my ears.

DCS make some very shiny machines, though!

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Yes but the Debussy is 10 years old.

Yes, but that’s not why it sounded dead and dry, like an old bone rotting in the corner of a field.

Yes. In combination with a CH Precision M1.1 it certainly could be a nice system!
But I went with Naim.
I was quite disappointed with the ND555. Not anymore. The FirmWare update was, for me, a revelation :yum:

We mountaineers/climbers appreciate speed and precision, or precision for speed.

I’d bet that Hermann Buhl would go for Merging :grin:

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But above all Buhl had guts, dedication and purpose.

So perhaps he would have gone for Naim after all!

JimDog
Ah yes - the network bridge thread. I use a Cisco as well. Actually for about 3 years when Simon first started posting about it on the old Naim thread.

As FrenchRooster said - it is not a DAC it is a network streamer. Apples to oranges.
For those who do not have access to streaming services that is it’s main functional purpose. If you want to improve sound then an improved switch is the way to go is Cisco.

As for Debussy again I defer to FR’s comments - previous generation which the BARTOK replaced - together with what some have said is a new Sonic direction for DCS as well.

Not trying to persuade you towards DCS - after all I use a Linn source (actually 2 if you include my LP12).

I too was a big fan of Naim sources. Loved my range of CD players (CD5-CDX2- CDS3-CD555) and I wanted to stay with Naim. Unfortunately with the introduction of the HDX followed by NaimNet I was confronted with a decision when the NDS was released. I, and many other forum members, went in the Linn DS direction. I have not looked back - and have not had to bin equipment each time improvements and new developments took place. When I purchased my DS Tidal, Qobuz and ROON did not exist. I have all of these services today and did not have to start completely over to get them.

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FR
Did you hear the Rossini with software 1.0 or 2.0?
I have heard 2.0 is a major and significant update.
In a few years by time when I start to get itchy listening to my headphones with the BARTOK I will look forward to the 2.0 update and I will have a new machine.

I am quietly hoping that the reintroduction of the Klimax DS will mean that it will once again be part of the Linn upgrade cycle. I read someone hypothesize that DS upgrades were a nice chunk of revenue for Linn so perhaps that is one of the reasons it was brought back into the lineup.

Not so sure :wink:

Climbers don’t go for brands, we go for the best compromise between safety and weight. For active rock protections I go for BD Camalots, not DMM. For ice axes I go for Petzl Ergo, not Grivel. And so on.

But I guess audio is more about taste, no objective necessities :smile:

I sold almost all my climbing gear, including ice climbing axes (but not my walking axe) a year ago to fund hifi purchases.

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Gotta agree with you Glevethan. I have dug really deep on what is out there at around the price of a dSC Bartok that can compete sound wise and feature wise. I really did appreciate the Bartok when I had it home. I was wary of the dCS “flavour” from previous models, detailed but soulless and lacking body were terms I recall reading. However I do believe dCS have corrected this in recent years & I thought the Bartok was simply magnificent.

It’s a pretty short list TBH on replacement candidates for my NDS, because it can go north price wise pretty quickly - ND555, Linn KDS, dCS and MSB especially.

Music is also a nice way to relax and even travel.

But I hardly could live without climbing. I still climb 3 times a week (I consider myself lucky).

Ah - but I’m 55, and have a dodgy hip.
Can’t even walk up the bigger Lake District hills now.
Still take my kids to the wall.
They are v good climbers.

Sorry to read that…
I’m 46 and also have some injuries ( knee problems, pulleys, etc.). After a certain age, we all do I guess. But still climb 8a.

My young daughter is 3. She just got her first harness. It is so nice to watch her making her first tries :smiley:

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Wow. That’s a proper grade.
Herman would be impressed.
I used to know Ben Moon when he climbed Hubble ( “The world’s first 8c+, which could be easily even 9a…”).
I interviewed Messner for On the Edge magazine.
I knew many of the British climbers via the AC and RGS in London.

But I drank too much to climb 8a!

Ben Moon, I’m impressed !
His career as a climber is impressive !
Did you work as journalist for a long period?

As for climbing 8a, well with some regular training it is not that difficult. And of course I don’t onsite them.

What is really impressing are those young lads that are able to climb up to 8b at age of 14 after 2-3 years climbing only.

Nice to see that there some climbers on the forum :smiley:

Ben actually married one of my ex-girlfiends.

I was an occasional climbing journalist for a few years way back then.

But every holiday I’ve taken since 1980 has been in the mountains, inc 4 times in the Himalaya.

[Sorry to OP for thread drift!]

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It was 2.0 , the latest upgrade. But I use an all tube ear 912 pre with a 250 dr. The SN2 sound is in another category.
However, on the same SN2 and similar speakers to mine ( same brand, just new ones), I found the Linn KDSM more tasty, and the Rossini a bit analytical.