The MK2 has a really effortless presentation of the music. You should be very impressed when it shows up there.
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Yesā¦ My son should be also. He is going to be busy when it arrives. He is finalizing the nickel transformers for the MKI.
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Paul, the way you describe it makes it even harder to resistšseems that Iām already half way down from the fence. Got a trade in offer today from my Norwegian dealer in Oslo,Mala Audio. Upgrade to MKII means I also need a streamer, so maybe wait for the Airlense and package priceš¤
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Gratz! No word here yet 
ā¦
Iām going to upgrade my DSD I to II, Paul! Canāt resist. Mike K is terrific. An FR series speaker will have to wait, but otherwise itās a PS Audio chain from P20 - BHK Pre (signed) - BHK300s. Currently Amphion Krypton 3 speakers. Cheers from Australia!
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Wouldnāt it make sense to leave but close one of these threads @Elk ?
It would make some sense to do so, but there are multiple conversations going on with people regularly posting to each thread. I do not want to hamper any interaction members are having.
Letās query the membership:
- Close one thread
- Leave them both open
0 voters
Hi, not apples for apples, but the DS2 has improved the sound quality of TV/movie viewing, using the optical out from my Sony TV.
Dialogue is clearer with the DS2, compared to the same connection via the DS1.
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Would renaming this topic to DS vs MKII Beta help?
Thatās welcome news. It shouldnāt really come as a surprise that the MK2 is better in every way. However, itās always nice to have that confirmed.
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We are working on an alternative to the AirLens for people wishing to keep their existing Bridge. Thatāll be a simple external box that accommodates the Bridge and uses a separate āwall wartā linear power supply. So, that alternative might be worth considering until the AirLens ships.
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When asked we send out review units for them to use and keep for about 90 days (on average). Many times the reviewer will decide to purchase the unit afterwards but thatās not how it starts.
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I thought the Bartok is essentially a streamer/DAC/pre-amp and headphone amp, so a lot more than a standalone DAC and the DAC side has been pared down to accommodate a smaller form factor required for it to be used as an all-in-one headphone box. I might have expected it to have wifi, seems it doesnāt.
The dCS standalone DAC is the Rossini, probably the better comparison except that it is a lot more expensive even without the external clock.
Rossini is $32k here so at 4 times the cost plus some it isnāt a fair comparison. The Bartok without the HP amp is still 2x the MK2 price so not a fair comparison either. Even though the MK2 is better sounding than Bartok.
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(a) Iām planning on winning the lottery (b) Iām only interested in streaming DACs (c) Here the Rossini is 3.5 times the price. Possibly a different market base.
Iāve no doubt this Mk2 will be very successful. I saw Darko did a nice write-up.
SWAG on an ETA (plus or minus 30 days)ā¦?
If it sounds better now than the Bartok hopefully with the new transformers in our MKII it will be even better sounding then them +20k DACās.
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Guess I should keep my bridge II for now.
Iām very pleased with my Bartok. I moved laterally from a Waversa VDAC. Upgrade options were either staying in the dCS family or maybe going to MSB. They are apparently doing the Apex upgrade to Bartokās too. Iāll try to get a a confirmation on that shortly as itās paid up front and they build the kit specific to your DAC and serialize it.
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My intention with the Bartok was to see if it was a contender for me to pair down all of my bits and pieces. If it played DSD256, and I could see a clear history of upgrades (one in three years isnāt really an indication), I would have judged it higher and possibly have moved on to purchasing one. In my opinion itās a very capable unit that does a few things all very well. Itās just not future proof enough for me at twice the price of a MKII.
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