But, this was before 2.0.
Yes agreed, the comparative reviews between the Mola Mola and Bartok were taken before the intro of 2.0 and the coming Apex…fair point and one that I am mindful of.
I learned today from my dealer that it’s about three months from ordering the Apex upgrade to delivery. It sounds like the same order process as it was in the past, half down and half due at time of upgrade.
I installed the Bartok today, it sounds great. I am really looking forward to Apex.
1 Like
I’ve been given exactly the same information
1 Like
Two in a row! I may go buy a lottery ticket. 
2 Likes
Hi folks, a few points to mention here regarding APEX upgrades.
Firstly, dCS advises on MSRP, but the local pricing is always subject to local taxes and as such is set by distributors and retailers.
Secondly, the APEX upgrade pricing is consistent across the Bartók, Rossini and Vivaldi ranges.
Thirdly, dCS recognises that the last 18 months have seen significant price increases in our products due to volatility in the semiconductor market, increased raw materials costs, inflation etc. With this in mind dCS has tried to work with our distributors and dealers to support existing owners who purchased their dCS DAC recently.
If you are interested in upgrading your unit to APEX, please contact your local dealer who can advise.
5 Likes
It has to be noted that these tiered prices for the upgrade will settle the final cost, for early adopters, at the price of a new unit without all the accompanying benefits, new warranty, etc.
It is punitive. As noted above, it will generate ill will and depress the Bartok market as many will simply sell.
@James
@James - This seems odd to me. I assumed the Apex upgrade had a warranty.
hear it has a one year add-on. Not the three for new.
1 Like
Although this is clearly a theoretical question at this point since nobody has heard the impact of the Bartok APEX , I’m curious what people think anyway. Plus, owners of Rossini Vivaldi Apex upgrades have already heard the impact of the upgrade.
I presently have a Bartok DAC with Rossini clock. My setup involves Aurender N10 by USB and AES, and Roon via Ethernet.
My Bartok is a few years old and $9000 for the APEX upgrade is more money than I would want to spend.
So I was thinking of selling the Clock, or trading it in at the dealer and use that money towards the APEX upgrade which hopefully would bring the upgrade cost down to around $3000 or so w the clock’s resale/trade-in value.
So the question is what do you guys think would be more beneficial terms of sound quality for the Bartok: the external Rossini clock, or the APEX upgrade. (NOTE- I realize nobody has heard the APEX upgrade on the Bartok yet, but it’s a fun theoretical question and I’m curious what people think. I have my thoughts but don’t want to influence anyone.)
It would be fair that the price of the upgrade would match the price difference between the Bartok Apex (19000) and the old Bartok (end 2022 price, 15750 £), plus the labour (& shipping & marketing) cost. Otherwise, I cannot understand why the new customers take precedence over the former ones…
2 Likes
Upgraded units receive a one year warranty on APEX parts and labour.
If a customer invested in Bartók early, say in 2019, then upgrades to APEX, they have had the full 3-year manufacturers warranty and the year’s APEX warranty from the time of the upgrade. The Bartók has therefore had more warranty over its life so far than a brand new APEX unit for, as has been noted, the same cost.
2 Likes
I was quoted $9,000 to uprade my Bartok to Apex even though it was purchased end of 2020 and misses the $5,900 cost to upgrade by only a few months. I would happily pay $5,900 but not 9K. I’ll still enjoy my Bartok but am not feeling invested in dCS any longer
3 Likes
dCS may loose a number of Bartok owners, I guess they anticipated that in their 2023 business plan…The same logic applies to Vivaldi dac owners. But the upgrade/price of the dac ratio is much better…But think of the guy who bought a Vivaldi in 2013…what a great opportunity to rebirth his Dac 10 years after, with one year warranty in addition !
So, with upgrades, it is often the old customers who make the most of their fidelity to the brand…my advice: stay with dCS for the next 10 years, you might be rewarded 
1 Like
Why? When you upgrade, you have to throw away the original board. A new Bartok Apex would have not incurred that cost.
2 Likes
The guy who bought Vivaldi in 2013 is not who I would be courting if I were dCS
1 Like
Hello, I have the same machines as you. I bought the same power cords for the Bartok and the clock ( Nordost Tyr 2 ) and 2 expensive clock cables ( Nordost Tyr 2 ). Without the same right cables, the system didn’t work. I put the same power cords to feed the external alim for the switches and the amplifier, to have the same level of signal all along the system. I don’t know how you feed your system, but I want to share my experience with you. Be sure that your source and your clock are correctly feeded and connected.
In pricing the 3 upgrade tiers of the Bartok APEX upgrade, dCS made a business decision based on data we don’t have. The Bartok has been popular from its early days and we have to assume they expect many early adopters to pay the $9k fee.
I pay good money for audio gear, but I can’t justify spending $9k (closer to $11k after taxes and shipping) on a device I originally paid $15k for. The more logical progression would be to invest up to Rossini APEX, which I’ve considered and may do, but after this experience I have to think carefully about that.
But put nearly $11k into a $15 DAC? That simply doesn’t make sense. If I had paid at the higher prices and was charged a lower fee for the APEX upgrade, that’s less of an issue or not an issue at all. But the $15k/$11k balance is way off and comes across as punitive.
But again, this is a business decision and I’m sure they expect this to happen.
6 Likes
I was about to say the same thing. Doing this would mean customers would be effectively getting their original RingDAC board for free and the maths simply wouldn’t add up (from dCS’s perspective).
The great thing is that this board is the heart of the DAC and the same component used in the Vivaldi. The less great thing (in this instance) is that it is the same component used in the Vivaldi and likely isn’t cheap to manufacture.
That said, I really do empathise with people who bought their Bartok a while ago and find this upgrade more expensive than they might have hoped for (this has happened to me in the past and I feel the pain).
2 Likes
has there been an official release of the 'upgrade price structure? - price for AUD?