There has been no hardware revision to the Bartók since introduction.
if so this two tiered pricing is total horsesh@t
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It hit me too with my Rossini DAC. Apex upgrade came during my first year…
John,
Are you US based…wondering if your prices are in USD.
Confirmed my pricing is in CAD but no consolation
I’m in Canada the prices are in CDN
My unit will be 1 year old later this month.
My guess is there will be price increases across the line.
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Just under the wire for you….great opportunity… Me, 12K may have me looking about…lots of new and great DACs emerging. Dunno.
Actually I can wait another year if I like. The lower price is for up to 2 years old.
$12k to upgrade the Bartok (in my case) does not sound like a good investment. You might as well go for the Rossini APEX trade in.
I’m sure the APEX Bartok would be better, but $12k is a lot to reinvest in the Bartok platform. And the tiered pricing based only on purchase date does not sit well. It’s just trying to recoup the price increases; it’s not getting you more APEX (unless there were other hardware upgrades we don’t know about and no one has discussed).
What was the cost of the Rossini APEX upgrade? I thought it was in the $6-8k range.
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That’s Canadian so in US the upgrade converts to just under $9000. Still crazy expensive but I’m pretty sure there is price increases coming for the whole line.
I have the Rossini clock as well so a lot invested.
I listen to Headphones more than my main system so plan on sticking with the Bartok as I don’t want to add a HF amplifier also.
Neither am I. No company would lose money on purpose, your dealer is dreaming…
Not sure it is the same board as the Vivaldi…but it is a smart way to convince people paying the Bartok a second time…Rename it the Baroque 
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Think this is a dealer talking point given from HQ
Probably the Worlds most expensive sound card all categories, and it should be placed into the Gunnies world of Records i hope 🫣🤫
But I hope someday dCS in the future builds a more solid circuit main board without cables and relys etc, and with a ultra high precision and long therm stable Galaxy Clock inside instead, then we do not need an external master clock, if you only are using streaming or roon. Add a few word.clock outputs for external products like a dCS SACD transport, then also add as an option a GPS 10 Mhz word.clock input.
More Silicon Valley Apple / Intel thinking when it comes to board design - like MSB Select, but with with 5 bit Ring DAC ladder circuit instead of the 1 bit that MSB are using.
That would most probably kill the high end market
I’m very interested to learn if there will be a Bartok Apex upgrade. I bought just a year ago.
I realize that many would simply prefer to leap frog to a Rossini. I can only speak for myself: I prefer the Bartok feature set and form factor with the headphone amp as it simplifies my setup up considerably - esp now that I’m running the Bartok as a digital pre
My Bartók is about 6 months old. The purported Apex upgrade is less than a clock and will probably add more musical benefit. Sign me up!
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Hmmm. My impression was that most Apex upgraders were very enthusiastic.I’m quite happy with mine. Zero remorse.
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Bartok has been upgraded to 2.0 (software only), don’t think there will be a an Apex upgrade for the Bartok till there will be a new “Rossini”
Price of the Bartok has been upgraded though 
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Alright, I was wrong then !
A question for my upgrade strategy…My dCS setup is a Vivaldi Dac and Upsampler. So, what would be the best choice as a next step, buying a Vivaldi clock or doing the Apex upgrade…You cannot answer both, that would be too easy 
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Chris, both! 
But seriously, you already know that the Clock and the Apex upgrade do two very different things. Apex makes the DAC sound better in many of the discrete ways I think audiophiles are accustomed to describing the performance of their equipment. The Clock’s benefits are, to my ears and brain, more holistic and organic. It’s the whipped cream and cherry on top of what is already a superb bit of dessert.
I think Apex is a marvelous reflection on dCS’s commitment to their customers to improve their hardware. Yes, it’s not cheap, but it’s a fair bit cheaper than the Clock. And who knows how long the upgrade will be sourced/available? That’s probably not a big worry, I admit. But here’s one thing: the upgrade (as opposed to a new Vivaldi Apex) isn’t available used, while the Clock occasionally is. If it were me, I’d get the upgrade now and start looking for my most economical path to the Clock. As long as there is a Vivaldi model—and it seems to me that Apex suggests an additional shelf life for Vivaldi—you’ll be able to get the Clock. And buying a Clock, new or used, will always be easier/quicker than arranging for and waiting for the Apex upgrade. Just on a convenience basis, I’d get the upgrade done when you will miss your DAC least. For me, that was when I was traveling. If one has a backup DAC, it’s no big deal either way.
Sonically, I cannot offer an objective comparison. I actually cannot offer even a subjective one, since I added the Clock very early to my system (2020 I believe), while Apex happened last year, and after the addition of my reference clock. I also never had the chance to make a comparison between the Apex and non-Apex units. All I have is memory to go on, and it seems to me that the system sounds better than ever. And it’s prompted me to consider selling my other reference system. If I was starting with dCS now, rather than three years ago, I would buy the Vivaldi Apex (because that’s the choice now, and I don’t think they offer it “non-Apex”). But if I could get a Vivaldi used at a price point that made the Apex upgrade economical, I would do that before I invested in the Clock. That’s the best calculus I can offer.
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I see you were tempted to answer the easy way…But I was sure you would not resist answering the accurate way
You must be right, the logic would be the Apex upgrade first…But I am a bit lazy…packing the Dac, going to the shop etc…software upgrade are so much more confortable…I shall do it in spring I guess…before dCS raises the price to 18.000€ 