Bartok plus rossini clock v rossini

[Stockholm1973 (Nav)]

hello, will a barok plus rosinni clock give better performance than a rossini stand alone.
similarly how much better is rossini with clock v rossini stand alone?
thanks

[Zapp]

Although the Bartok is very good in its price bracket, the Rossini is great in its own.

After listening to Rossini with clock, you can’t go back.

I have no experience of Bartok + Clock

A.

[PAR (Pete)]

dCS have always ensured that clear audible benefits accrue as you move up the product range. These can relate to better circuit components being available for the additional price to being able to optimise the digital processing with fewer constraints (remember that dCS write their own coding and that off the shelf DAC chips are not used).

So the answer to you query is, yes a Rossini is better than a Bartok plus clock ( unless the optional Bartok headphone facility is important to you) and a Rossini plus clock is better than either and to a clearly audible degree.

As dCS products are sold by demonstration it should be possible for you to visit your nearest dCS dealer and to hear the difference for yourself. That is what I would advise.

[SimonA (Simon Anderson)]

I recently went through the same dilemma; with a Bartok should I get a Rossini clock or trade in for a Rossini DAC without clock. But having trawled through various posts on this forum I inferred that the Rossini DAC was the way to go. I took a demo of the Bartok versus Rossini (no clocks involved) and decided on a Rossini Player (with in built CD). I’ve had it two days. It’s great. And if someday I want to involve a clock I can do so, but the posts seem to indicate that the step up to Rossini is significant whereas the incremental benefit of the clock is less so. Best to take a demo at home if possible.

[Ermos (Erno)]

@SimonA

the posts seem to indicate that the step up to Rossini is significant whereas the incremental benefit of the clock is less so

Do yourself a favour: Rossini + Clock is way better than without. I started with the Bartók HDAC, then added the Rossini clock, and I could not do without it anymore, after I heard the combination. Every now and then, I switched the clock off during listening, and the entire soundstage collapsed.

Even more so after I upgraded to the Rossini DAC.

Best to take a demo at home if possible, indeed.

[SimonA (Simon Anderson)]

Thanks Ermos. I’ll see how the tax return goes first.

[Quest]

Hi,

I have posted a report previously on this (Bartok vs Rossin Map2) since I was also curious?

The Rossini is better than the Bartok (even when running map 2 which is the same processor speed as for the Bartok) because it resolves more low and high level detail and is considerably more dynamic (additional power supply compared to Bartok); better PRAT and noticeably lower noise floor. Adding the clock to the Bartok improves insight and (3) dimensionality (or depth) but does not improve resolution to overtake the Rossini on its own running Map 2. Switching Rossini to Map1 or Map3 steps up the resolution and presence significantly - now much, much better than Bartok + clock. Next adding the Rossini clock enhances Rossini further by projecting the image well forward of the speaker plane adding considerable depth to the rendition. At this point you look elsewhere in your system for improvements - putting out of your mind the long term allure of full Vivaldi system….

[SimonA (Simon Anderson)]

Thanks. Very interesting. I will get a home demo of the Rossini clock on my Rossini player once I can see a way to paying for it. Currently I’m still in the early stages of Rossini ownership and enjoying the process.

[all2ofme (Ben (www.tasmanbayaudio.co.nz))]

I wouldn’t exclude a second-hand Vivaldi Clock as a sensible (I know :-)) addition to a Bartók.

Detailed some of my experiences here:

Bartok with Rossini or Vivaldi clock?

“Get the clock,” they said. “It’s a matter of time before you buy the clock,” they said. They were definitely right in my case I’d been loving my Bartok (with the headphone amp) for a year or so, but giving the classifieds (and dealer demo lists) plenty of side-eye, knowing that adding a Clock was likely to make a big difference. After plenty of deliberation I ended up getting a demo Vivaldi Clock instead of a Rossini Clock, and I’m really glad I did, especially because headphone li…

[anon30536008]

@all2ofme

I wouldn’t exclude a second-hand Vivaldi Clock as a sensible (I know :-)) addition to a Bartók.

I can only agree. I had that combination for quite a while and was very satisfied with the experience. There was a feeling of having arrived. Until I drank too much dCS community cool aid and fell for an upgrade. The step from Bartók + Vivaldi clock with excellent clock cable to Vivaldi stack with average clock + AES cables was somewhat disappointing. It was very noticeable. But the improvement was not near what I expected from reading the unanimously positive reports on Vivaldi in the community. That kind of tells me the Bartók and Vivaldi clock combination can’t be that bad. Now with excellent digital cables the Vivaldi stack is way ahead. Just to say, the pecking order can also depend on the ancillary systems - cables, resonance control, power. This would also explain the different experiences in the other thread regarding sound quality difference between Rossini and Vivaldi. I know I am making generalized statements and they don’t hold true for all dimensions of sound and music presentation. Just a general yardstick…

[SimonA (Simon Anderson)]

I bought the Rossini Clock, it arrived this week. Sound is great but I’ll write more about that once I’ve had more time to listen to it.

However, a question for other users please. My Rossini Player was new in November 2021 and the clock just this week. Both are silver finish. But the clock is a noticeably darker shade. They don’t look like they were made for each-other. Has anyone else had that experience?

Thanks