dCS Bartók Digital-to-Analog Converter and Headphone Amplifier

". . . elegant, opulent sound."

by Mark Blackmore | May 28, 2021

dding the dCS Bartók DAC/headphone amp to my system caused me to think about my personal journey in digital. I have owned a number of oversampling/upsampling CD players, beginning with a top-loading Sylvania player with its 14-bit, 4-times-oversampling DACs, and I had a continuing love affair with a Conrad-Johnson D/A-2b Bitstream DAC. A series of frustrating Apple OS issues with my 1-bit Korg DAC 100 pushed me out of the oversampling camp and led to the purchase of the simple, and simply great, BorderPatrol DAC SE-i, a 16-bit, non-oversampling ladder DAC with no output filtering. Additionally, the DAC SE-i doesn’t even have an output stage, relying solely on the stream coming off the Philips TDA-1543 chip. It is as minimalist as one can get. So, the question is, can a new devotee of NOS (non-oversampling) DACS find renewed happiness in the dCS approach of using upsampling, via their Ring DAC with DXD or DSD output, and multiple filtering choices?

Prices: $17,250; DAC without headphone amp, $14,500.

Warranty: Three years parts and labor.

Data Conversion Systems, Ltd.
Unit 1,
Buckingway Business Park
Swavesey, Cambridgeshire
CB24 4AE, United Kingdom
+44 (0)1954 233950
www.dcsaudio.com

The Bartók is certainly shelf-filling at 17 1/2" wide, but extending 17" deep and 4 1/2" high. It is deceptively heavy and unwieldy at almost 40 pounds, resembling a moderately sized amplifier rather than a digital-to-analog converter. The front panel is minimalist, with a display on the left side with six identically sized pushbuttons centrally located to control Power, Menu, Filter selection, Input, Output and Mute. The review sample was equipped with the headphone amp, so two jacks are provided: a 1/4" phono jack and a balanced connector. A volume knob is located on the right side of the front panel and can be used for headphone volume or line-level output.

The 3 3/4"-wide LCD has volume-setting numerals that are 3/4" tall. Set against the LCD’s black background, the numbers were easily legible from my listening seat across my living room. Considering that most users will rely on a tablet or phone app to control volume, dCS has gone the extra steps to provide excellent readability.

On the rear of the case are sets of XLR and RCA outputs that can be used simultaneously. Digital inputs include two AES/EBU, two S/PDIF (one RCA, one BNC), TosLink, and two USB inputs, one for computer input and the other for external hard drive or memory stick. Also included are three BNC connectors for using an external clock, like dCS’s Rossini Clock. Finally, there is an RS232 connector to allow renaming of the inputs or as a link from a dCS clock for simultaneous startup.

The Bartók has no WiFi provisions, needing a mandatory Ethernet connection in order to play music from streaming sources and allow music-playback apps to work. In my system, hard-wired Ethernet cabling from Blue Jeans Cable is ever-so-slightly smoother than using an AudioQuest Ethernet cable connected to a WiFi repeater, but your results may be different, so be sure to experiment. While the Bartók is capable of playing PCM files up to 24 bits/384kHz and DSD128, my listening sessions were 16 bits/44.1kHz over the BNC S/PDIF, Qobuz up to 24 bits/192kHz, plus Tidal for PCM and MQA tracks. My DSD listening was limited to DSD64 tracks that I have downloaded to a flash drive. It was nice to audition MQA fully unfolded, and DSD files sounded great, making me wish I had a bigger library of them. I used the Radio feature to tune in some local and international radio feeds to allow the Bartók some time to settle in before beginning the reviewing process.

Volume control is in 0.5dB steps from 0 to -50, then 1.0dB steps down to -80. dCS's unique implementation of volume control results in near 64-bit resolution, and there are actually three different volume controls: one for PCM, one for DSD and one for MQA. Through the Menu button (and dCS Mosaic, explained below), users can access balance as well as absolute-phase controls. dCS has also included tests for channel orientation, a phase check to see if the users' speakers are correctly wired, and a burn-in tone for your system with the appropriate warnings about excessive volume. The front-panel display can be turned off, as can the illumination of the dCS logo. There are two basic modes of digital conversion: one involving upsampling PCM to DXD (24 bits/352.8kHz or 24 bits/384kHz PCM) or upsampling all PCM to DSD before conversion to the 5-bit/3MHz Ring DAC format.

dCS uses Field Programmable Gate Arrays in their digital processing platform. These allow the company to upgrade the products and add features, which I discuss below, but also keep owners up to date with any other improvements developed after purchase. With the Bartók connected via Ethernet, upgrading the firmware was a simple task that took a short amount of time. Certainly, dCS isn’t the only manufacturer to include this easy path for upgrades, (PS Audio comes to mind), but I wish more companies would offer this feature to provide some degree of future-proofing their products.

It’s my guess that many users of expensive digital-to-analog converters like the Bartók will use Roon to organize their music libraries and connect to their preferred streaming source. Instead, I downloaded dCS’s Mosaic app to my iPhone and iPad and used it exclusively throughout the review period. Mosaic may have a minimalist look on the screen, but it is pretty thorough in its control features. And it proved to be almost bullet-proof and error-free, which is not always the case with proprietary apps. The only time it flinched was when I was trying to switch rapidly between Qobuz and Tidal, then to the S/PDIF input and back to Qobuz. The Bartók paused for a moment, as if to say, “Slow down and enjoy the music.”

Mosaic allows scrolling through all of its music sources, including UPnP, USB, Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal, Radio, Podcast, and Spotify. Pulling down the Audio tab allows choosing between DXD and DSD output as well as multiple filters for PCM and DSD. MQA playback automatically engages the M1 filter, which in turn engages one of sixteen specific MQA filters. The Bartók can be set to have its analog output level at 0.2, 0.6, 2 or 6V. This is helpful in better matching the Bartok’s volume with other sources in your system. Headphone output levels are 0, -10,-20 or -30dB to match volumes for 'phones of different sensitivities. As good practice, dCS advises users to first start with the -30dB setting until they’ve established a safe volume level for their ears and headphones.

The Bartók has six filters for PCM and four additional filters for native DSD or PCM upsampled to DSD. With so many choices, finding your preferred setting may seem a bit daunting, but the sonic differences are generally subtle and it’s easy to switch filters in the Mosaic app. For PCM, I generally preferred filter 4 because it had a softer initial attack, and my horn-loaded, compression tweeters have quick response, so a bit of softening can be beneficial. I can see audiophiles with soft-dome tweeters preferring filter 1 or 2 because they add a bit of sparkle and snap to the sound. On the upsampled DSD side, I usually used filter 1 or 2 as they seemed more similar than not. Overall, I preferred the Bartók using the DSD setting over the DXD and did most of my listening in that configuration, except for MQA files, which are automatically switched to the dedicated M1 filter setting.

Take two

My time with the dCS Bartók reminded me of what it’s like when you get a surprise upgrade at a nice hotel. Life with the Bartók feels luxurious; the amenities are flawless -- from the instantaneous network handshake to the friendly Mosaic controller interface, MQA implementation and vast array of filter options, every function worked seamlessly (once I thoroughly read the detailed manual). With the Bartók in place, my shoulders relaxed and pretty soon I found myself musing about Phoebe Bridgers’ clever lyrics while streaming Stranger in the Alps [Tidal, 16-bit/44.1kHz stream] and noticing how the Calefax Reed Quintet’s members are strategically positioned around the stage as they perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations [Econa 8717953057211]. This is a DAC made for lovers of texture and nuance who prefer that microdetails don’t detract from the big picture.

Additionally, the Bartok’s accurate rendering of instrumental timbres will impress those who take the time to listen deeply. On Paul Simon’s Surprise CD [Warner Music 9362499822], a fascinating collaboration with Brian Eno, layers and layers of intricate digital and acoustic instrumentation are interwoven to form a complex sonic fabric. Even though I’ve used this album as a reference recording, it wasn’t until I heard it through the Bartók’s lens that I noticed just how captivating the soundscape is on the track “Outrageous.” At 2:06, an electric guitar comes in from the left speaker as Eno’s synthesized sequences swirl throughout the mix and another guitar riff appears just right of center. When listening to this passage through the Bartók, both lines emerged from the blackest of backgrounds in much the same way individual guitarists would step into their respective spotlights. The Bartók’s performative presentation of the instrumental passages in the soundstage made the impact of these elements more dramatic and emotionally rewarding than I’ve heard from any other digital device.

A palpable sense of space between each instrument and a natural differentiation between vocalists in choruses is something I noticed repeatedly when auditioning the Bartók while using a Shunyata Research Omega/Sigma cable loom. I was surprised that this superior separation and ultra-quiet backdrop were consistent whether I was streaming via Ethernet or using my PS Audio PerfectWave transport. The Bartók turns Tidal and Qobuz data into the most authentic-sounding streaming I’ve yet experienced, characterized by stress-free high frequencies and luxuriously textured bass notes. Some CDs still sounded superior to files, but several fully decoded MQA streaming titles beat the silver disc -- a first in my system.

In order to test the Bartok’s prowess as a digital preamp, I bypassed my CAT SL1 Blackpath preamplifier and connected the unit directly up to the Conrad-Johnson Premiere 350 amp. While the Bartók’s volume control was the most neutral and quiet I’ve heard from a DAC, I still missed the holography and lightning-quick dynamics the CAT’s custom capacitors and NOS tubes bring to my system.

My current reference, the Audio Research DAC 9, also has its charms. The DAC 9 experience is more like a great neighborhood pub where the drinks may not be as smooth but there’s always plenty of excitement. What it lacks in ultimate upper-register refinement, it makes up for with midrange energy and color. While the Bartók is more civilized, it’s far from boring. The Bartók’s presentation of low-frequency information, in particular, was stunning and utterly addictive. I never knew that Wilson Sasha 2s were capable of producing tight bass down to such subterranean depths. With the Bartók in charge, I experienced spooky 20Hz tones for the first time in my living room.

If you’re looking for a DAC that delivers all the glories of vinyl, I must report that the Bartók is still a digital audio converter. As innovative as the folks at dCS’s Cambridge headquarters certainly are, they haven’t transformed this device into a virtual high-end phono cartridge. While I haven’t heard über DACS like the Wadax Reference or dCS’s own Vivaldi, every converter below that rarified air I have auditioned still leaves a digital imprint. Nonetheless, one element of the Bartók’s approach to digital playback did remind me of vinyl: more of my CDs sounded “of a piece” and rhythmically in sync, qualities I’ve always ascribed to the best analog recordings. There’s no doubt that the Bartók’s ones and zeroes are the least robotic and most organic-sounding bits of data I’ve encountered in my living room.

For decades, those of us who listen to music from digital sources have been forced to choose between a romantic DAC that eschews accuracy in favor of musicality or a highly analytical unit that invariably causes listening fatigue. The dCS Bartók busts the digital paradox by delivering mountains of sonic detail as well as the musical and emotional subtext of a recorded performance. All of that alone is more than enough to warrant serious consideration, if you can convince your accountant to cooperate.

-Vance Hiner

One important note about listening to the Bartók: it needs about one hour to reach its fullest sonic potential after being turned on, even from the Standby setting on the Mosaic app. John Quick of dCS confirmed this in an e-mail and recommended from one to four hours to get the best results. I don’t have the luxury of waiting hours to get the best sound, so my solution to the problem was pretty simple: I left the Bartók on at all times and turned off the front panel display when I wasn’t listening. The Bartók never got much warmer than room temperature and that way it was always performing at its best. I strongly urge keeping it powered up, and making sure a dealer does the same before any audition. You won’t hear what this DAC is capable of without proper warm-up.

The latest changes to the Bartók include a firmware update and an updated Mosaic app to allow headphone users to select the new Expanse circuit, which adds two new settings to the Normal and Crossfeed choices. The differences between Crossfeed and either of the Expanse settings are not subtle and each has its place in headphone listening. The Crossfeed setting is based on Ben Bauer’s work in the 1960s at CBS and is designed to lessen the feeling of sound coming from inside your head. dCS states that the new Expanse settings expand on the original concept, but improve the ambient cues lost in Crossfeed circuits. As a result, reverberation trails and hall acoustic signatures should be enhanced by the new Expanse settings. The dCS website has an extensive white paper discussing Crossfeed and Expanse, and I recommend reading it for further insight into this new development. It’s interesting to learn how much added engineering went into developing the Expanse circuit. dCS’s research centers on channel separation, frequency-response modifications specifically for headphone use, and time delay between channels in order to make Expanse an improvement over a traditional Crossfeed circuit.

’m sure most audiophiles have a favorite album or a small group of reference tracks that they use to evaluate any new speakers, electronics or cabling. For me, the one CD that I use very early on into the review process is Rickie Lee Jones’ Pop, Pop CD [Geffen GEFD-24426]. I feel pretty confident that I have discovered every bit of recording minutiae on this album, from the child’s squeals and Jones’s soft voice behind Joe Henderson’s tenor sax on “Dat Dere,” to the microphone-preamp hiss that ramps up right before her voice enters in “Coming Back to Me.” I enjoy the selection of music, the quirky delivery of lyrics and the vocal presence of this well-known recording.

I wondered if the Bartók would reveal new, previously unheard details or emphasize some musical aspect I already knew well. The results were rather unexpected. I’ve been aware that Jones's vocals are less clear on certain songs, making her mumbling delivery even more distracting, or more charming, depending on your frame of reference. Looking at the liner notes to check some musicians’ names I realized that there are three different engineers credited on the recording, and with the Bartók I heard that each engineer delivers a different texture and purity to her voice. After all these years of listening, I had never realized this. The Bartók achieved this revelation not by hitting me over the head with resolution, resolution, resolution, as some DACs with aggressive treble might do. Instead, it simply delivered all the information on the recording, with a special nod to midrange clarity that was the key to my new appreciation of tunes I’ve listened to for years.

“I’ll Be Seeing You,” another track from the same album, begins with John Leftwich’s bowed bass, but Bob Sheppard takes over the bass line with his clarinet underneath the vocals of the first verse. The Bartók made this swap easier to catch, and if the clarinet tone isn’t quite as reedy as I’ve heard it, it was better delineated from the string bass sound preceding it. Again, the midrange clarity and resolution made this bit of music-arranging trickery easier to hear and appreciate.

I recently discovered Trio Chemirani’s Invite [Qobuz, 16-bit/44.1kHz stream] while sampling Jeff Joseph’s Graphene playlist. Playing the first cut, “Dar bâzé” with the Altec Valencia speakers pushed me back into my listening spot with superb transient speed and jump factor. I know that large horn speakers do those sorts of things well, but they were exceptional here. I was particularly impressed by the wall-to-wall soundstage, and I could point to images coming from way outside the speakers’ edges. It was almost like having some surround-sound mode engaged, and this effect was unexpected coming from horn speakers, with their tightly controlled treble dispersion. Throughout my auditioning, the Bartók’s soundstage width was most impressive, as was its precise image placement. Image depth initially seemed lessened because of the expansive soundstage width, but there was plenty of information lurking in the back corners of familiar recordings.

I discovered that in addition to a wide soundstage, definite strengths of the Bartók are transient attack and driving rhythmic energy, so I cued up Winds of War and Peace [Wilson Audio WCD-8823], with its (in)famous bass-drum explosions during “Liberty Fanfare.” The monstrous bass drum at the 1:00 mark was ultra clean and powerful. With the Bartók, I was hearing better separation of mallet strike, the drum head and bass-drum body resonance than I’d heard before, maybe even better than in the rooms using Wilson speakers at AXPONA. My modest system will never match the big Wilson speakers’ bass power, sheer volume or unflappable dynamics, but with the Bartók in the system, I was able to re-create a better impression of bass-drum tone. As an aside, I play trumpet in some local concert bands and I’ve performed “Liberty Fanfare” for several patriotic concerts. I’m always disappointed when our bass drum isn’t as awe-inspiring as the crushing whacks Lowell Graham and the National Symphonic Winds produced on this great Wilson Audio recording.

Speaking of bass, the Bartók was not only powerful, but it also had excellent control throughout the lower frequencies. I was searching both Tidal and Qobuz, rekindling my appreciation of Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582. During that listening session, I happened to be listening to my Magnepan LRS speakers, and the Bartók gave those bass-shy speakers just the right tone and texture to fool my ears into thinking the 32Hz pedal notes were real, not imagined. This pairing of LRS and Bartók nailed that tonal combination of “growl and purr” that big pipe organs generate, and the result left me smiling and forgetting that I was missing a lot of the bottom end from those small panel speakers.

Finally, I was listening to a newly released recording on Qobuz of Mahler’s Symphony No.4 by the Bamberger Symphoniker, conducted by Jakob Hrusa with Anna Lucia Richter as soprano soloist [Qobuz, 24-bit/96kHz stream]. From an audiophile point of view, this is an excellent recording with wide dynamic range, good hall presence and fine orchestral timbre. It also possesses vastly superior string tone when compared with my favorite early digital release, Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony with Kiri Te Kanawa [London 410 188-2]. My complaint is that this new version misses the playfulness of the first movement and the “Child’s View of Heaven” that Mahler intended for the last movement, something that Solti and Te Kanawa capture so well.

What does this have to do with the dCS DAC? Well, I mention this because I was frequently distracted from the reviewer’s job of “sonic hide-and-seek,” dissecting recordings for treble response, bass power, midrange liquidity, etc. The Bartók forced me to listen to music first, then consider sound, fulfilling dCS’s motto, “Only the music.”

Some reviewers have written about paring down their systems to using just an amp with a DAC like the Bartók as digital source and preamp. The sheer simplicity of this idea is enticing to me, and I think I could make it work with the right amp. I experimented with my Innersound ESL amp with balanced cabling from the Bartók and the sound was pretty good. The problem is this: the Innersound amp is about as neutral as can be, and paired with the similarly neutral Bartók, the sound was good but lacked the warmth I’ve grown accustomed to. I got used to this combination, but it may have been more of an admiration of the ease of use rather than love for the results. To be fair to the Bartók, inserting my Yamamoto CA-04 preamp does bring some tube warmth in the upper mids, but it also fattens up the sound in the midbass and thickens the vocal range. While I may enjoy the Yamamoto sound a bit more when it is used between the Bartók and Innersound amp, the Bartók was certainly the more evenhanded of the two preamps. Also, the Yamamoto can be a bit polite, dynamically speaking, so the Bartók’s fast transients and lively bass response were a good shot in the arm for the overall sound.

If the Bartók/Innersound combo was a bit too dry, my BAT VK-60 amp was a perfect companion, as the BAT amp consistently added just the right amount of warmth. Its big, glowing 6C33C output tubes not only warmed the listening room like a space heater during the winter, but they also worked some midrange magic, delivering many great listening sessions. Bartók owners thinking of going for a minimalist, digital-only approach should certainly investigate a good tube amp with appropriate loudspeakers. It turns out to be a winning partnership and one that I could easily choose to live with.

Finally, for the sake of completeness, I tested the Bartók's headphone output. I initially used my Sony MDR-F1 headphones, with their lower-than-normal 12-ohm impedance. Although dCS recommends using headphones with impedance above 30 ohms, the Bartók had no trouble driving the Sonys to sufficient volume levels with no sense of strain or distortion. Next, I tried my ancient pair of Koss 4AAs because of their fairly high 250-ohm impedance. Again, no trouble, and I’m positive this is the best those old cans have ever sounded. For serious listening, I settled on a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-W1000s for unbalanced and HiFiMAN HE560s for balanced playback. Because dCS has recently added the Expanse settings to the headphone menu, I spent most of my headphone listening toggling among Crossfeed, Expanse 1 and Expanse 2. To be honest, the straight feed from the headphones sounds too ordinary after enjoying the Crossfeed or Expanse settings, and I never wanted to return to an unenhanced headphone signal.

I particularly enjoyed Expanse 1 and 2 for synthetic, ambient music like Joseph Beg’s Long Term Memory [Tidal, 16-bit/44.1kHz stream, from the dCS Expanse playlist] or Brian and Roger Eno’s Mixing Colours [Qobuz, 24-bit/44.1kHz stream]. The sonic landscapes of these selections washed over me using the Expanse 1 setting with images floating across my inner soundstage. Your experience may be different, but with either the Crossfeed or Expanse settings, I didn’t get the impression that the images moved in front of my face, as if listening to loudspeakers. Instead, images moved slightly upward and toward the center of my head. Returning to the normal headphone setting collapsed the soundstage and the experience was rather bland and uninteresting by comparison. Another interesting recording to hear with the Expanse settings was Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” (from Surrealistic Pillow [Qobuz, 24-bit/44.1kHz stream]). With the Crossfeed setting, the bass and snare were pretty solidly rendered hard left and right, and the reverb slap in the right channel was more pronounced than with the normal headphone signal. Changing to Expanse 1 brought the snare more toward the center, with significantly improved definition and the snare gained body, as if it was now performed on a wooden-shelled drum as opposed to a metal-shelled snare.

I generally chose Crossfeed for orchestral and minimally mic’d recordings and Expanse 1 for studio recordings, particularly those that manipulated the soundstage. I did find one particularly enjoyable use for Expanse 2 while doing a deep dive into remastered versions of the Grateful Dead’s Workingman’s Dead. With the first  [Qobuz, 16-bit/44.1kHz stream], the original introduction to “Uncle John’s Band” has a swirling reverb overlaying the guitar chords and bass guitar. With Expanse 2 engaged, this trippy, spacey effect sounded like it was played back by a Leslie speaker with its motor-driven horn engaged. Later remastering in 2013 [Warners/Rhino, 16-bit/44.1kHz download] removed the reverb for a cleaner opening, but I missed the psychedelic original, particularly as rendered by the Expanse 2 setting.

wondered if a dedicated NOS (non-oversampling) audiophile could find enjoyment in an EOS (everything oversampling/upsampling) world. With the dCS Bartók, the answer is an emphatic yes. For two months, the Bartók worked flawlessly, delivering hours of superb listening. Its sleek, modernist design houses cutting-edge digital technology to produce an elegant, opulent sound. It was a pleasure to hear, and a pleasurable return to my oversampling/upsampling roots.

Associated Equipment

Analog: J.A. Michell Gyrodec turntable with Orbe platter and bearing; Ortofon TA110 and Zeta tonearms; Sumiko Amethyst and Ortofon SPU CG 25 mono cartridges; Fosgate Signature phono stage.

Digital: BorderPatrol DAC SE-i digital-to-analog converter, Innuos ZENmini Mk 3 music server and LPSU power supply, Opera Consonance Droplet 5.0 CD player (used as a transport).

Preamp: Yamamoto Soundcraft CA-04.

Headphone amp: Yamamoto Soundcraft HA-02.

Amplifiers: BAT VK-60, InnerSound ESL, Pass Labs ACA, Yamamoto Soundcraft A-08 and A-09.

Speakers: Altec Lansing Valencia, Magnepan LRS, Opera Consonance M-12.

Headphones: Audio Technica ATH-W1000, HiFiMAN HE560, Koss 4AA, Sony MDR-F1.

Cables: BPT IC-SL and MIT Shotgun S1 interconnects; BPT SC-9L and InnerSound ESL speaker cables; BPT C-9 and L-9CST, Yamamoto Soundcraft (came with amps) and Shunyata Research Venom power cords; Shunyata Research Venom USB cable.

Power distribution: BPT 2.0 and CPT.

Room treatment: Zanden Audio AP-1 panels.

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