I will be able to tell in literally eight notes. :D

Has anyone yet been able to compare the dCS Bartok to the Lumin X1 played in the same system, thereby affording a very good A/B comparison?

Listening to a Bartok now.

At least comparing with CDs I'm not impressed, the S7i is still better.

We'll see later today after it has some more warm-up time.

I am using the S7i as a transport and am comparing AES/EBU on both, with the output run back into the input on the S7i so the latter can't take advantage of ClockLink.

Update:
Nope. Even though I have the Bartok on loan through Tuesday it’s already back in the box.

For 16/44.1 Red Book it’s bright and a bit harsh compared to the S7i. Great soundstage and articulation but not quite as wide as the S7i.

I’d say it’s definitely second best now, making my “DACs to buy if my Wadia dies” now:

1) dCS Bartok
2) Moon 780Dv2
3) Ayre QX-5 Twenty
4) ARC Ref CD 9

My dealer is getting a Rossini Player in, so I will definitely want to compare to that.

Excellent question.

Agreed...

Im also very curious about lumin x1 vs bartok vs rossini dac comparisons?

Good question, I'm very interested, although I already have an X1 on the way.

Me too! :D
_____________________________
Power Amp: Vitus Audio SS-010 Mk2
DAC: Chord Qutest w UpTone JS-2 Power Supply; SOtM tX-USBultra w UpTone LPS1.2; Apple Mac Mini w UpTone DC Conversion Kit & UpTone JS-2 Power Supply; Squeezelite w Logitech Media Server 7.9.0
Speakers: Triangle Magellan Concerto II
Cables: AudioQuest WEL XLR, AudioQuest Everest, AudioQuest NRG Wild, AudioQuest NRG-1000, AudioQuest Diamond USB
Power: Gryphon PowerZone
Rack: Solid Tech Hybrid
Tweaks: Omicron Stabilizzatore Armonico & Gold Evolution SE; Furutech FT-SWS (R) AC Outlet; Synergistic Research Blue Quantum Fuse

FYI...price increase coming in April (according to a local dealer).

Any word on what the increase might be?

If I heard right, the headphone model was going up $1500 USD. Not sure on the other model.

Don’t quote me on this...

Hmmm I may have to make a decision quickly then...

I consider only decreases
 

an no increases ever.

Hello friends, I don't know how the dCS sounds, but two weeks ago I have the Lumin X1 in my house, I can only say that it is AMAZING, wonderful sound. I'm very happy with this purchase.

I think the Bartok sounds good and have many conveniences but it's too expensive (with hp out version) for its performance.

If you considered the price of the Chord DAVE plus say an MScaler plus a 2Go and 2Yu to match the specs of the Bartok, it’s not that expensive in comparison. And you don’t even get balanced headphone out.

I wouldn't use those if someone gave them to me for free.

What would you say IS worth the performance at Bartok’s price point?

That is the problem... DACs are immensely overpriced for the performance. Additionally, the bottleneck is the computer and music playback software and the streaming music services.

There are all-in-one music servers that doesn't support streaming music or CD players that outperforms $10K+ DACs for a fraction of the price. But those aren't full featured or convenient for today's users.

I do want to clarify that the Bartok is good sounding but the cost is IMHO too high. I think for its build, design, features, and performance the DIRECT SALES retail price should be $7K.

So, are you saying no DAC would yield commensurate performance level at that price level?

In that case, at what price point would you draw the line - and which contenders would you suggest at that level?

That’s the thing - neither the Chord not Bartok use off the shelf DACs.

In the past that meant astronomical prices like Vivaldi stack or EMM Labs XDS1 or DAC2X or Playback Designs. These days we have PS Audio and entry level Chord and Dcs.

If anything I find those that use off the shelf chips a little overpriced.

DCS Bartok vs Lumin X1
 

Currently I compare Bartok with X1. For me it is very difficult to find differences. X1 has not completely run in. For now I would say the Bartok might be a very slight piece more dynamic/detailed. I do hear such differences only with selected parts of selected songs. Differences are so small. With high resolution music the differences might be more pronounced (I have only red book music)

With regard to prices, I guess there is hardly any cheaper solution available (including cables) that poses same sound quality.