Finally I got my Bartok. 2 months of waiting is terrible)) The difference between my old Debussy/NB Bridge and Bartok is obvious. I’m happy now))
I would like to understand the filters settings and how to use them as efficiently as possible. Maybe there is some kind of guide on these settings? Which is better to use for redbook, hires, dsd, etc? Maybe it depends on the music genre or file type (local stored files or streaming). Is it worth using upsampling in dsd or dxd and which filters will work better in each case?
Ultimately, there is no “best” choice as if that were the case then we would have made it for you and not provided the option to select different options. Filters will have different impacts in different systems with different types of music recorded at different sample rates. It really does come down to personal preference and there’s no clear-cut guideline as to which is the most appropriate choice for a given scenario. Different people have different levels of sensitivity to the effects of filtering so what I prefer (or anyone else for that matter) may not be what you consider to be the best option in your system.
Note that the actual filters are different depending on the incoming sample rate and your Bartók will remember the last-used filter for each rate.
I addressed a similar question regarding upsampling in the following post. While a slightly different topic the message in the second half of my response applies to filters as well:
Take “filters” out as the subject and Andrew, your response succinctly summarizes the comparison of one device in one system when compared to the same device in a different system. Comparisons can be drawn. But they may totally/somewhat/or not at all applicable – equipment, room and a listener’s sensitivity do modify such comparisons.
The longer I’m in this hobby, the more I realize that any of us using components at the level of dCS ones, probably have exceptional systems. We will prefer some rigs over others, depending upon many variables. Nevertheless, the recreation of the live event in our homes is probably done with an uncanny likeness. Is it perfect? Nope! It never will be. But does it cast a you-were-there illusion. For most of us, the answer is probably yes. If so, we’re simply tweaking to our taste, preferences and preconceived ideas. As it were, focusing a light on an already perfectly shiny object in order to see it in a different light.
Suffice it to say Andrew, in reading your posts here and elsewhere, you provide a very interesting angle and welcome information on this crazy audio passion that I’m sure most of us will claim addiction to.
As per bartok manual :
The first 4 PCM filters give different trade-offs between the Nyquist image rejection and the phase response. Filter 1 has the best rejection of (unwanted) Nyquist images and the sharpest roll-off, resulting in the poorest transient response of the four. Filters 2, 3 and 4 have progressively more relaxed image rejection and progressively better transient response. Filter 2 is often preferred for orchestral music, while Filter 3 and Filter 4 are often used for rock music.
