Good morning, I’m new to the group. I recently bought a debussy and I loved it so much that I wanted to upgrade. My options would be to add an NB or switch to a Bartok. what do you think? thank you so much
Fundamentally it depends upon your budget. Even buying used Bartok will be significantly more expensive than Network Bridge.
As Bartok offers considerably more than Network Bridge then, everything else being equal, it is a no brainer. If you did this then you will want to sell your Debussy (as it would then be redundant) which will provide funds towards the Bartok.
Also remember that upgrades and future upgrades may be available for Bartok. As NB is now no longer manufactured there will be no further upgrades ( this is aside from Mosaic which is common to both and the rest of the current range).
So, if you have the money, Bartok.
Thanks Pete… I am afraid your are right. But I wonder if the NB will be better than the Bartok streamer because of better isolation… perhaps the Debussy plus the NB is not far away from the Bartok. I know it is not the same money but perhaps if I find an affordable Bartok I can do the switch.
Bartok is going to be superior to a Debussy/ Network Bridge combination.
Although the network boards will be more or les similar, the Bartok DAC is a later and better generation. Further it is now Bartok v. 2 ( software upgrade 2020). The increased speed of processing compared to earlier iterations s quite something. Bartok also has upsampling should you like this.
I note your isolation point but I I have never read of any one feeling the need to consider this in real life. There has been a comparison posted here comparing streaming using Bartok against Bartok/Network Bridge so that the streaming alone could be compared as both then used the Bartok DAC section. No difference was reported. Vivaldi Upsampler does have marginally better streaming but the cause is , if I remember, a higher specification streaming receiver.
I therefore repeat that if you have the money get a Bartok. If you don’t have the money then a Network Bridge will still be very nice but Bartok will have a significant edge overall IMO.
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The NB was designed exactly for that purpose…Being used with older than Rossini and Bartok dCS dac…
It is is the best streamer option with your dac. No other dac on the market can make the most of the dual AES digital input.
The only on problem is finding a second hand NB.
It is true that the NB is no longer supported by dCS, but it is extremely reliable.
My son has got one two years ago, he is very happy with it.
The Bartok is way more expensive…save your money until you can buy a Vivaldi…
Thanks Pete… very clear!
Thanks Cris… yes, that´s my question. There are some around for 2.5-3k and the Bartok is around 9k…all used of course. But if a sell my Debussy I am not too far. Thanks again
Thats not the case Chris, the dCS Network Bridge is absolutely still Supported by dCS.
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Anup this is oerhaps a semantic issue in the use of the word “support”. All that the dCS statement says is that Network Bridge will still be supported in versions of Mosaic. There will not be other firmware versions in the future for example.
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Are there only benefits for high res files with the dual aes? O there are also benefits in overall SQ?
The reason for dual AES compared to single wire AES was not for SQ per se. I was because the AES 3 protocol at the time l( turn of the century) limited AES to the carrying of 96kS/s. So dual AES cable was developed to carry split data to sum above 96 KS/s.
The AES 3 protocol has developed beyond this and now allows a single cable to carry up to 192KS/s or DSD 64 ( DoP format). Dual AES is required for higher resolutions e.g 384KS/s or DSD128 and for DSD via SACD.
So dual AES by itself does not have any sonic advantage over single cable AES but , rather, allows the use of very high resolution sampling rates.
Of course rates of 176.4/192 or DSD 64 can be used with dual AES and this maintains backwards compatibility with earlier dCS generations.
In general AES connection , single or dual, is balanced and may offer advantages in rejection of induced noise over other interfaces.
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Thanks again Pete!! Cristal clear!!
That’s true Pete. Obviously I don’t speak for dCS, but typically End-of-Sale and End-of-Support are two very distinct policies, and It’s quite normal for Support to be extended for a number of years after end-of-sale.
In the case of dCS’ Network Bridge, exactly as stated in their end-of-sale announcement back in May 2021, there have been Mosaic firmware updates for it, so, clearly “Support” extends to at least continued network board firmware updates for Mosaic Control update compatibility (and presumably incidental network board bug fixes).
As I still own a Network Bridge, I have a vested interest and get a little sensitive when I see random claims of “no more support” 
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Hi guys… I finally bought the NB. It is a big step forward my IFI stream. Thanks for your advices
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