dCS Bartok Apex vs any similar priced DAC

dCS is horrendously overpriced and represents some of the worst value is audio equipment. There are many DACs that are built even better and sound as good or better than the dCS like the Bricasti Design M1.

The ATC speaker you are interested in retails for 24,500.00. It uses analog active crossovers between its amps forgoing the huge advantage doing this in the digital domain. There are things you can do in the digital realm such as subwoofer management, room control and EQ that are impossible to do in the analog realm without adding distortion. I also hate the idea of amps closed off in loudspeakers were they have no ventilation and get the crap vibrated out of them if there is a woofer in the box. I have seen connection work harden and break. I would get the passive version of the speaker and triamp it using a DEQX Pre 8 and you can add subwoofers seamlessly down the line if you care. You get a preamp, a digital processor, 8 channel DAC and high res streamer all in one Australian Box. Then you can get whatever amp you like best in each position. One more thing about DACs, they followed the same path op amps did. Over a period of 40 years the DAC chips now handily match or even improve on the function of discreet units. Using them allows the manufacturer to save serious money and be able to offer 8 channel DACs at a reasonable price. The Pre 8 is not cheap at $15,000, but if it had 4 discreet DACs (8 channels) it would cost $55,000. For people who like the idea of an active loudspeaker, and I am one of them, the Pre 8 is a game changer. 

After almost a years time the OP most certainly made a choice- @seadog137 what was your verdict? 

@ghdprentice  -  You are well aware of the role "synergy" plays in a particular system of assembled components, not to mention the effect of the room itself.  On that basis alone, it becomes short sighted to "root" for one's own component choices.  

Was the original question a fair one?...."dCS Bartok Apex vs any similar priced DAC".  Sure it is, however, it is also an invitation, for often times, shallow non-substantive opinions.  And don't forget there's lots of rich guys who purchase high-end audio who know very little about the subtle nuances and differences. (I've never heard a $100k system that sound BAD.)  When one is spending $25k-ish on a single DAC component, don't 'cheap-out'.  Buy a couple of plane tickets if necessary and audition for yourself through a competent/honest dealer.  The most people on these sites can offer is a simple opinion/statement that likely amounts to, "I like my expensive DAC very much" while thinking, "I'd be damn lucky to re-capture 60% of its cost if I listed it for sale on A-gon".  

@jymc but given this:

You are well aware of the role "synergy" plays in a particular system of assembled components, not to mention the effect of the room itself.

why would this matter?

Buy a couple of plane tickets if necessary and audition for yourself through a competent/honest dealer.

Unless by chance the dealer has the exact same other components, which is a long shot.

Without these...

The most people on these sites can offer is a simple opinion/statement that likely amounts to, "I like my expensive DAC very much"

...according to you, "shallow non-substantive" opinions there would not be much on any of these forums, would there?

Also, perhaps someone mentioning a DAC they haven't even heard, but just read about, that may not be as popular on this side of the pond, like the Aries Cerat for example, may not have been on the OP's radar at all, and it may turn out after demo'ing it to be the perfect DAC for the OP, so "shallow non-substantive" post turned out to be very valuable information. 

Most importantly, like so many other threads the OP just disappears and never returns so valuable/useless posts aside, it is all for nothing.

I hope we can both agree that here is an example of a great thread:

DAC advice needed

magnuman

It’s always the guys who are UNwilling to spend "$21,000 or $80,000 on a DAC", who manage to suggest their $4,500 DAC is "just as good or better"....and that my friend might be the winner for THE MOST "ridiculous statement"?? BTW, there are indeed MANY cartridges that are far superior to whatever $5,000 Japanese cart you’re touting.