CD transport options for Bartok

I think that the answer is that there is a wordclock connection on the RS2T. However it is on one of the pins of the HDMI connector used to provide the I2S connection. So it is only available for I2S where it is, of course, a necessity. The CD Box RS does not offer I2S connection hence it has the capacity to offer a conventional 75 ohm BNC wordclock interface.

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Wouldn’t it make more sense to go for a Rossini cd?

Ryan has said above that his budget is below $10K. The cost of a Rossini Player ($28.5K) or Rossini Transport ( $23.5K) is a big step from Bartok which is why this question and a related one regarding a wordclock generator are posted pretty regularly.

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Understood Peter. My dealer has proposed to me to trade in my Bartok and my Accuphase cdp (dp67) and swap to a Rossini CD with a 9.3 k euros difference. I’m thinking about it.

Looking at the website and documentation I have the impression that the Transport gives out a wordclock signal through the I2S interface to the ProJect DAC Box RS2. To be verified with ProJect

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Haha, I wish I have the budget for it, one day :sweat_smile: or after they introduce Bartok CD transport

Other than the cost concern, CD is my secondary source of music. Streaming from my local music library and Qobuz has satisfied me in terms of SQ and convenience. CD was brought back to life after I got Bartok. So with Bartok, spending couple thousands on a CD transport makes sense to me, but not want to overkill it. I am doing SPDIF out from
my old Arcam CDS27 CD player into Bartok, which already sounds the same as streaming.

Makes sense, and I heard I2S is the same as asynchronous Ethernet or USB interface that the source doesn’t deliver the clock but the DAC would control the clocking. Since the top model has I2S, they want us to buy their DAC or other DAC that has I2S input. Too bad Bartok doesn’t have I2S input. I learned that the streaming module inside Bartok connects to the DAC session via I2S.

Do you guys think Pro-Ject CD RS with wordclock will give me some SQ improvement from my old Arcam CDS27? These two units probably have similar performance due to the similar price point $1,500+/-, but the ability with RS to slave the clock to Bartok should theoretically be better, I guess…

Plus I can use AES/EBU connection between RS and Bartok, versus I am using Coax right now.

One interesting fact to share. The Arcam CDS27 is a SACD player, of course digital out would not deliver DSD to Bartok. However, when I playback SACD, it delivers 16/88.1khz PCM to Bartok via Coax.

Theoretically yes, but I have doubts that you will actually get an audibly better performance, as the Bartok buffers / upsamples / reclocks.
BTW, your arcam can Rip SACDs (the DSD layer)
Rip SACD with a Blu-ray player | Page 20 | HiFi Haven
That would be a way to get DSD from your SACDs to the Bartok. For a saving of >20k USD you may want to look into this.

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Yes, theoretically better but I think that you can only be sure by listening. Theory is fine but how well it has been implemented by the manufacturer is a fundamental consideration.

Basically I cannot hear any significant difference between AES/EBU and S/Pdif connections so long as the question of cable sound can be removed from the comparison as far as possible ( not always easy ). After all AES/EBU and S/Pdif are effectively the same protocol ( AES 3). Yes AES/EBU connection offers the potential of lower noise but this is really of little significance given the very short cable lengths we use in home audio.

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If you have a spare 9.3K euro then go for it. However I must warn you that you will shortly want the clock :grin:.

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You bring up a very interesting point. No doubt Bartok has done magic to it so it already sounds very good. My question is - I currently have buffer setting “off”, as my dealer told me to turn it off if the DAC is fast enough to switch between different sample rates (just one less processing or delay). However, to your point above, should I turn the Buffer on because it has something to do with reclocks, in a way that buffer provides extra time for the DAC to reclock the signal while bit streams are sitting in the buffer waiting to be called?

There’s actual no good reason to turn the buffer Off, and dCS generally recommends that you have it On (unless you need audio streams sync’ed to video).

Unlike interactive media, music streaming is a one-way process, so the additional latency caused by the buffer is of zero consequence to sound quality. Your dealer is not right to recommend turning it off, he’s just propagating audiophile myth :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Good point…I will turn the buffer on again :grinning:

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Keep the buffer on as Anup explained.
Have you tried and compared the different filter and upsampling settings? There is not one right settings that sounds the best to all people. Some people are sensitive to transient behavior, others to frequency or to phase shifts. Every setting is a tradeoff between several parameters.
Before changing your CD transport, I would suggest you experiment with the settings on your Bartok and see what sounds best to you (which may not be the setting that sounds best to someone else).
In doing this comparison it is important to listen for an extended period of time and see if the music sounds natural to you. Switching back and forth quickly will likely not reveal the differences.

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Thanks Rudi. I have turned the buffer on and will keep it on.

As far as upsampling, I set it to DXD as most of my music are PCM.

As far as filters, honestly I could not hear much differences with quick a/b at the beginning, same as what you indicated. So far I have been using filter 3 for PCM, and filter 1 for DSD, and it sounds very natural to me already (compared to my prior Chord Qutest DAC). I have had the Bartok for about a month now, probably it has not fully broken in. I will give it a little more time before I switch to other filters.

@PAR, I have the Rossini clock already!

Then have your credit card (or bank transfer) at the ready :grin:.

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I’m ready Peter but I am but I’m still thinking about it for the following two main reasons: (i) if I move to Rossini, I will need to purchase an extra amp for my Abyss 1266 headphones (which would add to the electrostatic rig composed of a Carbon KGSSHV/Stax 009s); (ii) considering that the Rossini is now 4-years old, I would like to wait and see whether dCS issues new product models. I know that some other people in this forum are in the same boat as mine.

wouldn’t it make sense to buy the rossini player then? reading the specs, it’ s a dac, streamer and cd player?