DCS Bartok APEX or LINA and master clock

Lina is a new DAC from DCS, basically a bartok without the preamp functions a smaller box.  Apex is the new DAC platform - an upgrade to the internal ladder dac.

Hope this helps.

“Lina is a new DAC from DCS, basically a bartok without the preamp”
@efoo 

I believe Lina would be a step back from Bartok. Even though the Ring DAC design is the core dCS technology at the heart of their DACs, the Bartok and the Lina are aimed at different uses and as such have different places where they would excel. I do recall reading somewhere, in head to head comparison; Bartok by contrast has a slightly deeper, and wider soundstage. Not to mention, physical casework on the Bartok allows for better isolation of the various subsections of the DAC. 

Many of the Lina DAC reviews compare to Bartok, but I have not seen any Bartok APEX reviews yet (Bartok APEX was only announced on Feb 7th). 
 

Rossini APEX and Vivaldi APEX are supposedly very significant improvement over the non-APEX versions. 
 

I have only heard Lina DAC in my system and like it very much. 

I haven't heard the Lina DAC, but he Apex upgrade to the Bartok is significant in terms of the improvement to sound quality - it makes the DAC more musical and less mechanical/digital sounding.

It looks like to upgrade my Bartok is going to be right around $10,000. I sure hope it sounds great! That’s pretty steep for a deck that already sounds amazing.