I picked up a new Bartok over the weekend and am simply amazed. It replaced a McIntosh c2500 preamp with a DAC built in. I'm using the Bartok as a preamp, driving a McIntosh mc452 amp and Wilson Alexia 1 speakers. It's probably the single biggest upgrade I've ever experienced. I was a bit nervous about using it as a pre, but with less than 24 hours out of the box it sounds amazing...and sounded great right out of the box. So clear, clean, and impactful, with, cliched tho 'tis, so much detail that I've never heard before. I would recommend anybody with the $$$ to spend build a system around it, it's an amazing piece. I got the headphone amp too but haven't played with it...great excuse to shop! Anybody with one, what settings do you like? I'm experimenting with buffer off, DXd, and filters 3 and 4, all suggested by my dealer.
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