The Next Generation Bartók Apex Black

dCS Bartók Apex

£19,000.00 – £21,500.00

Sharing the same electronics as their Vivaldi and Rossini systems, it features the latest generations of our pioneering Ring DAC™ APEX, clocking architecture

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dCS Bartók Apex

Arresting sound, ingenious design

dCS Bartók Apex - Headphone

The dCS 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 their headquarters in Cambridgeshire, England, dCS Bartók APEX is born from meticulous craft, exhaustive development, and obsessive attention to detail—a relentless pursuit of musical purity that has inspired us to reimagine the limits of sound reproduction.

Sharing the same electronics as their Vivaldi and Rossini systems, it features the latest generations of our pioneering Ring DAC™ APEX, clocking architecture, and digital processing platform —a unique combination of hardware and software unrivalled in its sonic and technical performance.

dCS 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 flexible and upgradable software and hardware, Bartók can grow and evolve, providing a state-of-the-art listening experience for years to come.

Bartók APEX DAC with Headphone Amplifier Key Features

Bartok Apex
  • Latest generation dCS Digital Processing Platform brings state-of-the-art signal processing and flexibility
  • dCS Ring DAC™ fitted, as used in the dCS Vivaldi digital playback system
  • High-quality streaming from TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer and internet radio via the dCS Mosaic Control app
  • Roon Ready, AirPlay, Spotify Connect and UPnP compatible
  • USB, AES, Dual AES and S/PDIF digital audio inputs
  • Headphone amplifier with balanced and unbalanced outputs, suitable for high and low impedance headphones
  • Accepts encrypted SACD data from dCS Transports via Dual AES inputs. Oversampling design with switchable DSD upsampling; user-selectable PCM and DSD filters
  • Multi-stage DXD oversampling design with switchable DSD upsampling; user-selectable PCM and DSD filters
  • Auto clocking system improves ease of use and minimises jitter
  • Multi-stage power regulation and twin mains transformers to isolate the DAC section from the headphone amplifier
  • Firmware-upgradeable for future functionality and performance upgrades

Bartók APEX DAC Key Features

Bartok Apex - Audio Venue
  • Latest generation dCS Digital Processing Platform brings state-of-the-art signal processing and flexibility
  • dCS Ring DAC™ fitted, as used in the dCS Vivaldi digital playback system
  • High-quality streaming from TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer and internet radio via the dCS Mosaic Control app
  • Roon Ready, AirPlay, Spotify Connect and UPnP compatible
  • USB, AES, Dual AES and S/PDIF digital audio inputs
  • Accepts encrypted SACD data from dCS Transports via Dual AES inputs
  • Multi-stage DXD oversampling design with switchable DSD upsampling; user-selectable PCM and DSD filters
  • Auto clocking system improves ease of use and minimises jitter
  • Firmware-upgradeable for future functionality and performance upgrades

Specifications dCS Bartók APEX

Specifications dCS Bartók APEX
  • Upsampling Network DAC with Headphone Amplifier
  • Silver or Black
  • 444mm / 17.5” x 430mm / 17.0” x 115mm / 4.6“. Allow extra depth for cable connectors
  • 16.7kg / 36.8lbs
  • dCS proprietary Ring DAC™ topology
  • Ethernet network port on RJ45 connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD128 in DFF/DSF format; USB 2.0 interface on B-type connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD128 in DoP format; USB On-The-Go interface on A-type connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD128 in DFF/DSF format; 2 x AES/EBU inputs on 3-pin female XLR connectors, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 192kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD/128 in DoP format; 1 x Dual AES pair, accepts 24-bit 88.2 – 384kS/s PCM, DSD/64 & DSD/128 in DoP format; 1 x SPDIF on RCA Phono connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 192kS/s PCM & DSD/64 in DoP format; 1 x SPDIF on BNC connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 192kS/s PCM & DSD/64 in DoP format; 1 x SPDIF optical on TOSLINK connector, accepts 24-bit 44.1 – 96kS/s PCM
  • 1 x pair balanced outputs on 2 x XLR connectors. Output levels: 0.2V, 0.6V, 2V, 6V rms for a full-scale input, set in the menu. Output impedance: 3Ω. Maximum load: 600Ω (10k-100kΩ is recommended); 1 x pair unbalanced outputs on 2 x RCA connectors. Output levels: 0.2V, 0.6V, 2V, 6V rms for a full-scale input, set in the menu. Output impedance: 52Ω. Maximum load: 600Ω (10k-100kΩ is recommended)
  • 1 x stereo balanced output 4-pin male XLR connector; 1 x stereo unbalanced output on 6.35mm (1/4”) 3-pole jack. Full-scale output levels: 1.4W rms into 33Ω, 0.15W rms into 300Ω. Minimum headphone impedance: 33Ω
  • 2 x Word Clock Inputs on 2 x BNC connectors, accept standard Word Clock at 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192kHz. The data rate can be the same as the clock rate or an exact multiple of the clock rate. Sensitive to TTL levels. 1 x Word Clock Output on 1x BNC connector. With Sync Mode set to Master, a TTL-compatible Word Clock is output
  • Full decoding and rendering of MQA data from the Network and USB2 inputs. Final rendering of unfolded MQA data only from the other inputs
  • 24-bit data: Better than –113dB0, 20Hz – 20kHz unweighted (6V output setting)
  • Better than -115dB0, 20Hz – 20kHz
  • Better than -105dB0, 20Hz – 20kHz
  • PCM mode: up to 6 filters give different trade-offs between the Nyquist image rejection and the phase response. DSD mode: 4 filters progressively reduce out-of-audio band noise level
  • DXD as standard or optional DSD upsampling
  • Download and update functionality available via dCS Mosaic Control app
  • dCS Mosaic Control app for unit configuration and playback. RS232 interface (controlled by a 3rd party automation system). dCS Universal Remote is available as an optional extra
  • Factory set to either 100, 115/120, 220 or 230/240V AC 50/60Hz
  • 30 Watts typical / 50 Watts maximum

Additional information

Colour

Black, Silver
Version

DAC only, With Headphone pre-amp

Brand

dCS

dCS Founded in Cambridge, UK, by a group of expert electronic engineers, Data Conversion Systems originally designed and manufactured high performance analogue-to-digital converters (ADCs) and digital-to-analogue converters (DACs) for major telecommunications companies and military agencies, whose primary requirement was technology that delivered state-of-the-art precision, linearity and reliability. Their success in this field meant that dCS quickly became known for the performance of its converters and so, recognising in the late nineteen eighties that this technology had a key role in music recording and playback, the company decided to concentrate on developing products for the recording industry. While the focus had changed, their commitment to producing systems of unrivalled accuracy had not, and consequently their products were – and still are – used by some of the world’s most successful recording studios and personnel. dCS recruited some of the smartest and most creative digital audio engineers in the world, and the company evolved into producing digital hi-fi sources which let music lovers enjoy sound of unrivalled quality in their own home. This focus on Research & Development also resulted in a range of proprietary dCS technologies of which the most significant is the legendary dCS Ring DAC™. Their products continue to set new standards of performance in terms of both objective test measurements and subjective listening Performance Matters At dCS they care deeply about meeting their own uncompromisingly high standards. They hope their products stir a passion for music that lasts a lifetime and their greatest success is that products become invisible, leaving you the listener with only the music. Delighted customers and industry recognition have followed them too. Over the last quarter of a century dCS has amassed a wealth of awards

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