Of course we all hear things a bit differently.
Having said that to my ears the Bartok is anything but thin sounding. IMO the Bartok presents music with substantial tonal body and a relaxed easy to listen to presentation along with good but not class leading detail. Most reviews position the Bartok vs Dave sound as almost yin and yang. More relaxed Bartok vs very detailed airy presentation of the Dave.
Also, most if not all professional reviewers who’ve compared the Bartok to either the Denafips or Dave, rate it clearly above the Denafrips and next level above the Dave as well, though the Dave is still quite good.
I spent quite a bit of time auditioning the Bartok before going in a different direction in my new headphone rig. I found it to be quite good as a DAC with an unremarkable headphone amp.
Good luck! 🙂
Having said that to my ears the Bartok is anything but thin sounding. IMO the Bartok presents music with substantial tonal body and a relaxed easy to listen to presentation along with good but not class leading detail. Most reviews position the Bartok vs Dave sound as almost yin and yang. More relaxed Bartok vs very detailed airy presentation of the Dave.
Also, most if not all professional reviewers who’ve compared the Bartok to either the Denafips or Dave, rate it clearly above the Denafrips and next level above the Dave as well, though the Dave is still quite good.
I spent quite a bit of time auditioning the Bartok before going in a different direction in my new headphone rig. I found it to be quite good as a DAC with an unremarkable headphone amp.
Good luck! 🙂