PTA has been a fan of the dCS Bartók since it came out–we’ve reviewed it more than once! Now dCS has announced the new Bartók APEX, with improved technologies derived from the top of the line. Here’s the news release:
When we release a new product at dCS, it marks the beginning of a journey that spans the life of the product.
dCS’s engineers continually research how to improve existing technologies and products, a discovery process motivated by our drive to deliver unrivalled measured performance and the resulting musical experience.
Often, innovation comes in the form of software. With the recent Bartók 2.0 software update, we improved DSD upsampling and added new filter options. Mappers originally designed for Vivaldi APEX and Rossini APEX are now available in Bartók. The Mappers control how data is presented to the Ring DAC™ core. Bartók now includes three Mapper settings. It also includes DSD128 capability and an additional filter setting for DSD.
Additionally, our products feature a modular approach to construction. The design allows for future upgradeability, which enables us to offer new hardware to existing owners. Such was the case with thVivaldi APEX and Rossini APEX. Now, we are excited to invite existing owners to upgrade their Bartóks. Units upgraded to Bartók APEX are identical to the new model in every way, including the APEX nameplate on the rear panel.
The New Bartók APEX Further Elevates the Listening Experience
The Bartók APEX retains the original’s powerful, dynamic and detailed soundscape and adds elements of resolution and refinement previously only achievable with the Rossini or Vivaldi APEX. dCS engineered Bartók APEX to inform and inspire.
APEX sets a new benchmark for transparency. It organically resolves the finest details and uncovers textures and subtleties that most systems overlook. From the broadest dynamic swings in volume to the subtlest shifts in tone, Bartók APEX
reveals each aspect of a recording with a sense of effortless refinement and control.
Designed and hand-assembled at our headquarters in Cambridgeshire, England
Bartók APEX is born from meticulous craft, exhaustive development, and obsessive attention to detail—a 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 the Ring DAC™ APEX, clocking architecture, and digital processing platform—a unique combination of hardware and software unrivalled in its sonic and technical performance.
Bartók APEX combines precision engineering with an elegant and timeless aesthetic. Standard-setting build quality means Bartók APEX withstands even the most intensive use and reliably delivers superb sound quality at all volume settings and outputs. With exible and upgradeable software and hardware, Bartók can grow and evolve, providing a state-of-the-art listening experience for years to come.
Improvements Include:
• Modified reference supply that feeds the Ring DAC, resulting in lower output impedance
• Enhanced the filter, summing and output stages of the Ring DAC
• Improved the symmetry of summing stages
• Created an all-new output stage
• Reconfigured the main Ring DAC circuit board
• Replaced individual transistors on the board with a compound pair
We have already begun shipping the Bartók APEX to our network of specialist
dealers and distributors in the United States, UK, Europe and Asia. Click here to
access the dCS dealer locator tool.
