Similar to the experience of fishagedone, when in for service I auditioned a dcs bartok with my heritage Mac system (2125 amp, C28 preamp, XR5 Mac speakers) it was very nice and detailed. However, I later purchased a Bluesound Node X and after the break in period it was an extremely close second. As my dealer and others suggested the Node X punched way above its weight. Not suggesting a Node X for you but saying that the extra dollars may bring a minimal improvement. In my system it was finding the right room, having the correct speaker placement, as well as adding a Rel S510 subwoofer, that has made it as close to audio perfection for my ears as I desire.
dCS Bartok Apex vs McIntosh DA2 - Trouble Hearing the Difference
I am currently playing a new set of Focal Scala Evos with a McIntosh MA9500, fed by a Wiim Pro playing Tidal Direct. This set up uses the McIntosh DA2, which sounds remarkable to my untrained ears.
I borrowed a dCS Bartok Apex from my local dealer. Given that I can run balanced out (using Transparent Reference Gen 6 cables) to the MA9500, I can switch inputs to compare the DA2 & Wiim vs the Bartok (DAC & Streaming) very quickly. I level matched the best I could.
What I am confused about, though, is just how close the DA2 sounds to the Bartok. The most noticeable difference is how forward and prevalent vocals are with the DA2. They seem anchored to the center image and several feet more forward into the room, whereas in the Bartok they are a bit more recessed, and integrated into the rest of the music. The Bartok soundstage is also wider, but not shockingly so. The sound is definitely smoother or "rounder" with the Bartok as compared to the DA2.
I admit I am relatively new to critical listening, but I think I expected the difference between the $20K Bartok and the built-in DA2 to be more profound. I'm not anxious to spend the money on the Bartok, but am willing to do if it is a significant step up, which I think it should be.
So what am I missing? Am I perhaps limited by the MA9500? My dealer doesn't love autoformer-based Mc products, but many do, so I would have thought the MA9500 is sufficiently resolving. Room acoustics are not the best, but certainly not terrible.
Interested in any thoughts or feedback.
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Also, I must sat Mcintosh is a wonderful company to deal with. Actual employees who care will pick up the phone and give you straight answers in my experience. I am concerned about Dcs and their threat of suing a young YouTuber for giving a negative review - it shows a lot about what kind of company they are to even entertain doing something so incredibly asinine |
I have the DA2 in my C2700. It is incredibly good for the money, and I do not doubt that it will give Bartok a run for it. I would try a different DAC since the Bartok is highly overrated. The Bartok originally sold in the US for $13K and then rose to around $17K with no improvement in hardware other than software updates. Then, they add an additional circuit board and charge $$$ for the same case. Brilliant marketing!! BTW, I don't care for DCS; it presents as very sterile and non-musical. |
@ripordaff awesome room man! With that said, those chairs blocking the speakers are a potential problem. That could be contributing to why you don’t hear the difference in DACs. But the main reason is you’re not giving yourself enough time to acclimate with dcs before you switch back to DA2. Also, and this will probably ruffle some feathers, that McIntosh amp is not on the level of your speakers. You’re not realizing the full potential of the Focals. Amplifier is an extremely close second in contributing to the final presentation to the speakers, if not as equally important. |
My Dad has a 8950 with DA2 card and it sounds great will USB, Coax, eArc...no need for optical in his setup. It's all in the implementation. Look how many DACs use the ESS chip that is in many devices, Mac uses 8 of them. That DAC is no slouch. My Cyrus Amp uses the same chip and I think it sounds really good with its internal DAC, I sold my RME dac that I had planned on using with it. The internal DAC is that good. The Eversolo A6 uses the same chip I believe or something really close. Sounds good through it's XLR and RCA but sounded a lot better connected to the two amps mentioned above via digital. |
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