Arresting sound, ingenious design

Powerful, dynamic and versatile, the Bartók is designed to inform and inspire. Its crisp, clear playback renders even the finest details in sharp focus, uncovering textures and subtleties that most systems fail to notice. From the widest swings in volume, to the subtlest shifts in tone, it presents each aspect of a recording with a sense of effortless control.

Viewed through its transparent lens, music feels both raw and defined, with each strand of sound revealed to present a complete image with a tangible sense of rhythmic movement and life. With its unrelenting precision and poise, it cuts straight to the heart and soul of a recording, revealing not just the artistry in a performance, but the drama, emotion and atmosphere, too.

Designed and hand-assembled at our headquarters in Cambridgeshire, England, the Bartók is born from meticulous craft, exhaustive development and an obsessive attention to detail - a relentless pursuit of musical purity that has inspired us to reimagine the limits of sound reproduction.

Sharing the same electronics as our Vivaldi and Rossini systems, it features the latest generations of our pioneering Ring DAC™, clocking architecture and digital processing platform - a unique combination of hardware and software that is unrivalled in its sonic and technical performance.

Each aspect of its design has been honed and refined to deliver the purest possible sound with the lowest possible levels of distortion and noise - providing a visceral performance that reveals the true depth and essence of recorded music.

Combining precision engineering with an elegant and timeless aesthetic, it is built to withstand even the most intensive use and deliver magnificent sound at all levels and outputs. With its flexible, futureproof hardware, it’s a system that can grow and evolve, delivering a state-of-the-art listening experience for years to come.

Designed for ease of use and superior sound, the Bartók can flex to serve whatever mood or music you ask it to. With its wide range of inputs and outputs, high-performance UPnP streamer, and extensive choice of filters, it offers limitless capabilities and an effortless listening experience.

Compatible with all major file formats, it provides instant access to music from a wide range of streaming services, including Roon, TIDAL, Spotify, Qobuz, Deezer and Internet Radio. It also plays files direct from personal devices or storage drives via USB, AES or S/PDIF inputs, and from Apple devices using Apple Airplay.

Its streaming interface supports all major lossless codecs, plus DSD in native and DoP formats, and ensures true 24-bit resolution audio when streaming via Ethernet. Playback is easily managed via our Mosaic app, which allows you to access music from multiple sources and adjust the settings on your system through a single, intuitive interface.

Available on all Android and iOS devices, the Mosaic control app is supported by a powerful processing platform that runs on custom code developed by dCS. This software-driven design means its performance can be upgraded and enhanced over time, allowing us to add new streaming functionalities as platforms and services develop.

Key Features

• Latest generation dCS Digital Processing Platform brings state-of-the-art signal processing and flexibility
• dCS Ring DAC™ fitted, as used in the dCS Vivaldi digital playback system
• High-quality streaming from TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer and internet radio via the dCS Mosaic Control app
• Roon Ready, AirPlay, Spotify Connect and UPnP compatible
• USB, AES, Dual AES and S/PDIF digital audio inputs
• Headphone amplifier with balanced and unbalanced outputs, suitable for high and low impedance headphones
• Accepts encrypted SACD data from dCS Transports via Dual AES inputs. Oversampling design with switchable DSD upsampling; user-selectable PCM and DSD filters
• Multi-stage DXD oversampling design with switchable DSD upsampling; user-selectable PCM and DSD filters
• Auto clocking system improves ease of use and minimises jitter
• Multi-stage power regulation and twin mains transformers to isolate the DAC section from the headphone amplifier
• Firmware-upgradeable for future functionality and performance upgrades

Specifications

• Type: Upsampling Network DAC with Headphone Amplifier
• Colour: Silver or 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: Ethernet network port on RJ45 connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD128 in DFF/DSF format; USB 2.0 interface on B-type connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD128 in DoP format; USB On-The-Go interface on A-type connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD128 in DFF/DSF format; 2 x AES/EBU inputs on 3-pin female XLR connectors, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 192kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD/128 in DoP format; 1 x Dual AES pair, accepts 24-bit 88.2 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD/128 in DoP format; 1 x SPDIF on RCA Phono connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 192kS/s PCM & DSD/64 in DoP format; 1 x SPDIF on BNC connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 192kS/s PCM & DSD/64 in DoP format; 1 x SPDIF optical on TOSLINK connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 96kS/s PCM
• Analogue Outputs: 1 x pair balanced outputs on 2 x XLR connectors. Output levels: 0.2V, 0.6V, 2V, 6V rms for a full-scale input, set in the menu. Output impedance: 3Ω. Maximum load: 600Ω (10k-100kΩ is recommended); 1 x pair unbalanced outputs on 2 x RCA connectors. Output levels: 0.2V, 0.6V, 2V, 6V rms for a full-scale input, set in the menu. Output impedance: 52Ω. Maximum load: 600Ω (10k-100kΩ is recommended)
• Headphone Outputs: 1 x stereo balanced output 4-pin male XLR connector; 1 x stereo unbalanced output on 6.35mm (1/4”) 3-pole jack. Full-scale output levels: 1.4W rms into 33Ω, 0.15W rms into 300Ω. Minimum headphone impedance: 33Ω
• Word Clock I/O: 2 x Word Clock Inputs on 2 x 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. 1 x Word Clock Output on 1x BNC connector. With Sync Mode set to Master, a TTL-compatible Word Clock is 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 dCS Mosaic Control app
• Local Control: dCS Mosaic Control app for unit configuration and playback. RS232 interface (controlled by a 3rd party automation system). dCS Universal Remote is available as an optional extra
• Power Supply: Factory set to either 100, 115/120, 220 or 230/240V AC 50/60Hz
• Power Consumption: 30 Watts typical / 50 Watts maximum

HeadFi Reimagined