You are looking at a pre-owned dCS Bartok DAC. The Bartok DAC is only 20 months old.
The unit is in beautiful condition and is in full working order. Under bright LED light you can see a slight discolouration mark on the volume knob; the mark is really only apparent under abnormal lighting conditions (i.e. you won't see it in normal day-to-day conditions); please see close-up photograph. Other than that, the item is lovely; on very close inspection you may notice an imperfection, but nothing that we can see. Please remember, you are not buying a brand-new product, so aesthetic perfection is not guaranteed.
Ships in original double-boxes with user-manuals and cables; a U.K. mains cable will be included if the buyer lives in the U.K.
FREE Worldwide express courier shipping on this product
dCS Bartók DAC
About
The new dCS Bartók DAC brings together dCS’s past, present and future. It is first and foremost a state of the art network streaming DAC that uses technology developed for the Rossini range.
This single-box digital music player features the legendary dCS Ring DAC™ and signal processing platform, plus a custom high performance UPnP music streamer.
Bartók plays music through an array of industry-standard USB, AES or S/PDIF digital inputs. It can stream over Ethernet from a NAS drive or online music services such as TIDAL™ or Spotify™, and from Apple devices via Airplay™. The network interface can perform full MQA™ decoding and rendering.
The DAC section is equipped with independent balanced and unbalanced line outputs that can drive power amplifiers directly, avoiding the need for a separate preamplifier. The Headphone DAC features a custom designed headphone amplifier that works extremely well with both high and low impedance headphones in balanced or unbalanced formats. All of the outputs can be set to one of 4 maximum levels to enhance system compatibility.
Designed for flexibility and ease of use without compromise, Bartók uses the very latest dCS Digital Processing Platform and Ring DAC™ technology, originally developed for the Rossini series. Its single FPGA offers streamlined signal processing and superior flexibility, effectively making it future-proof.
Bartók DAC has a powerful new user interface, plus a custom control app that lets listeners manage their music playback from any source in an elegantly simple way – accessing iRadio channels, digital and UPnP sources all from one control point. The Bartók app provides easy access to the DAC settings.
Featuring DXD upsampling as standard, the multi-stage oversampling design offers optional DSD upsampling plus an extensive selection of DSP filters to suit individual taste and music choice. The network streaming functionality within Bartók is proven in terms of jitter, ease of use and sonic performance. The network interface currently runs at up to 24-bit, 384kS/s and DSD128, supporting all major lossless codecs, plus DSD in DoP format and native DSD.
Bartók supports the simple yet highly effective dCS ‘auto clocking’ architecture as used in Vivaldi, which minimises jitter and improves sound quality significantly.
Designed and made in Great Britain to the highest standards, Bartók takes its design cues from the award winning Rossini range, using aerospace-grade machined aluminium with internal acoustic damping panels to reduce sound-degrading mechanical vibration and magnetic effects. Multi-stage power regulation is employed, with twin mains transformers to isolate the DAC circuitry from the headphone amplifier.
As with all dCS products, Bartók firmware can be easily updated via CD, USB or the new automated download and update facility. This lets dCS add new features and improve the performance of Bartok over its lifetime.
Listening to digital music through a Bartók system is in some ways a staggering experience. The general hallmarks of dCS playback – precision, detail, immersive and engaging sound are all there along with a natural musicality and faithfulness to the original recording.
Technical Specifications
Type: Upsampling Network DAC
Colour: Black
Dimensions: 444mm / 17.5” x 430mm / 17.0” x 115mm / 4.6“. Allow extra depth for cable connectors
Weight: 16.7kg / 36.8lbs
Converter Type: dCS proprietary Ring DAC™ topology
Digital Inputs:
Network interface on an RJ45 connector – acts as a UPnP™ renderer in Asynchronous mode, streaming digital music from a NAS or local computer over a standard Ethernet network, decoding all major lossless formats including FLAC, WAV & AIFF at up to 24 bit 384kS/s native sample rate, plus DSD/64 & DSD/128 in DFF/DSF format. Other formats include WMA, ALAC, MP3, AAC & OGG. Some formats are limited to lower sample rates. Supports Apple AirPlay at 44.1 or 48kS/s. Network Loop Out connector on a second RJ45 connector. USB 2.0 interface on a B-type connector operating in Asynchronous mode, will accept up to 24 bit PCM at up to 384kS/s plus DSD/64 & DSD/128 in DoP format. Operates in Class 1 or 2 mode. USB-on-the-go interface on type A connector operating in Asynchronous mode, streams digital music from a flash drive at up to 24 bit 384kS/s plus DSD/64. 2x AES/EBU on 3-pin female XLR connectors. Each will accept PCM at up to 24 bit 192kS/s or DSD/128 in DoP format. Used as a Dual AES pair, it will accept PCM at up to 384kS/s, DSD/64 & DSD/128 in DoP format or dCS-encrypted DSD. 2x SPDIF on 1x RCA Phono and 1x BNC connectors. Each will accept PCM at up to 24 bit 192kS/s or DSD/64 in DoP format. 1x SPDIF optical on a Toslink connector will accept PCM at up to 24 bit 96kS/s
Analogue Outputs:
Output levels: 0.2, 0.6, 2V or 6V rms for full-scale input, set in the menu. Balanced outputs: 1 stereo pair on 2x 3-pin XLR male connectors. These outputs are electronically balanced and floating. Output impedance is 3Ω, maximum load is 600Ω (10k-100kΩ is recommended). Unbalanced outputs: 1 stereo pair on 2x RCA phono connectors. Output impedance is 52Ω, maximum load is 600Ω (10k-100kΩ is recommended).
Wordclock I/Oworldclock Io:
2 x Word Clock Inputs on 2x BNC connectors, accept standard word clock at 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192kHz. The data rate can be the same as the clock rate or an exact multiple of the clock rate. Sensitive to TTL levels. Word Clock Output on 1x BNC connector. In Master mode, a TTL-compatible word clock appears on this output.
MQA:
Full decoding and rendering of MQA data from the Network and USB2 inputs. Final rendering of unfolded MQA data only from the other inputs.
Residual Noise: 24-bit data: Better than –113dB0, 20Hz - 20kHz unweighted. (6V output setting)
L R Crosstalk: Better than -115dB0, 20Hz – 20kHz
Spurious Responses: Better than -105dB0, 20Hz – 20kHz
Filters:
PCM mode: up to 6 filters give different trade-offs between the Nyquist image rejection and the phase response. DSD mode: 4 filters progressively reduce out-of-audio band noise level.
Conversions: DXD as standard or optional DSD upsampling
Software Updates: Download and update functionality available via Mosaic App
Local Control:
dCS Mosaic app for unit configuration and playback. RS232 interface (controlled by a 3rd party automation system). dCS Universal IR remote control is available as an optional extra.
Power Supply: Factory set to 230V, AC 50/60Hz.
Power Consumption: 30 Watts typical / 50 Watts maximum
The dCS Bartok DAC operates on 230V, 50/60Hz. This is perfect for the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and many other countries.
Please note: if you live somewhere where the Voltage is 115V (the U.S.A. for example) we can convert the unit to 115V (prior to shipping). This is a chargeable service - please ask for details.
Shipping
U.K.: Shipping will be by DPD (next working day service)
European Union: Shipping will be by express major courier (2 to 4 working day service, dependent on destination country)
North America: Shipping will be by FedEx Priority or DHL (1 to 3 working day service)
Oceania and Far East: Shipping will be by TNT, DHL, UPS or FedEx (3 to 6 working day service, dependent on destination country)
All shipping services fully tracked and insured.
Thanks for looking; if you have any questions, please ask.