DAC - DCS Bartok or the new Berkeley Alpha DAC 3

@andyhifiman

For your Node 2i, did you happen to do the PSU upgrade(PD Creative) and get an SBooster LPS or other LPS?

I did all that and added an upgraded power cable and all of that made a very big and perceptible sonic upgrade to the "basic" Node 2i.

All that being said, I would assume that a HiFi Rose RS 250 et al would best my upgraded Node 2i as I am using the Burr Brown PCM 1792 DAC in my Classe SSP-800 processor. Which is very good still....

But I do wonder if a quality external DAC like a Benchmark 3B or Holo May would best a streamers internal DAC. But you are increasing your investment.

I actually have experience with the Bartok I used to own one ...  I sold the bartok cause lumin announced multiroom I bought the X1 and 2 M1s and I thought I was all set.  

The problem was the lumins do not sync they play a half second off so it sounds horrible in a close zoned multi room set up.  Lumin has this in fine print on their site but I think they should make it clear in their marketing material.  Why make a multi room set up which does not sink.

Anyway....I will be listing a bunch of Lumin gear once I buy the new stuff.  I like the sound of the Lumin and the bartok and a ways back I had the Berkeley Alpha dac 2 which I liked as well.

One thought I had was to go with the Bartok which I could use for 2 channel critical listening and then go with the blue sound or mind2 for the multi room listening.

I know what your thinking I kinda have a gear problem LOL 

@efoo that's not a bad problem to have.  I would love to be in position to be purchasing a Bartok.

I know almost nothing about DAC, except that there are at least two different approaches to DAC: a delta sigma approach, and an R2R approach.  Are all of these DAC's (ARC, Berkeley, and DCS) delta sigma DAC's?

I auditioned both the DCS and Berkeley family of DACS. Both are fine DACS. I found the DCS house sound to be very smooth. While the Berkeley house sound is leaner and more engaging. In the end I thought the DCS sounded better but I enjoyed the Berkeley more.