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Esoteric n-01 xd vs DCS Bartok

Hi all
I have been changing my gears a bit now. I am in final step in finishing my set up. Now I am down to decide on a good high end streamer/dac.
My system is aerial acoustics 7T, with 2 REL S5/SHOs, Luxman 590axii, Lumin T2, acoustic zen absolute speaker cables, Harmonic technology power cords and cards cross XLR inter-connects. I primarily listen streaming on roon using tidal and Quboz.
Lumin T2 was actually purchased recently. I like it but want to step up. I wish I had decided to go higher dac before purchasing lumin T2, but now I want to get an end game streamer/dac lasting at least for 3-5 yrs.
After reviewing and hearing from people, I am considering esoteric n-01xd and dcs bartok. I have heard esoteric n-01 but not the xd version and they sounded great. My dealer says xd sounds awesome. Saw the specs and they use grandioso’s 64 bit dac and better clock and power supply compared to n-01. I have not heard dcs bartok but have seen rave reviews. I don’t care music being very analytical but like more musical, non-fatiguing with good 3D-soundstage. Is it worth going up the price to this level. I have heard lumin x1 but they are not my taste. Has any body listened these gears ? What are your thoughts and suggestions ? Appreciate your inputs. Other option I am considering is to use my lumin t2 as streamer and connect to dac like chord Dave or Bricasti. M1SE. 
Thanks in advance. 
On a lower price range, I am considering Naim ndx-2 or esoteric n-05.
romney80

Showing 3 responses by indranilsen

indranilsen
113 posts
 
@rossb- I didn't audition the Lumin unit, so I can't comment on its performance.
Thanks.
indranilsen
113 posts
 
Hello Romney- I have recently gone through a similar situation and purchased Bricasti DAC (M12). I did listen to DCS Bartok and a few other DACs like DCS Rossini, Chord Dave, etc during this evaluation process. Although all of these DACs were really very good sounding, Bricasti turned out to be relatively better and musical at-least to my ears... So you should give it a try if that's a feasible option for you. I have the same floor-standing loudspeakers that you have, Aerials Model 7T.
This Bricasti unit, M12, being a source controller allows me to connect my turntable to it by-passing the existing pre-amplifier Parasound Halo JC2. It greatly helped simplify my two channel set-up. That was another big reason why I opted for this Bricasti model instead of their dedicated DAC M21. 
Hope that helps.
Thanks.
indranilsen
113 posts
 
@romney- I listened to both DCS Bartok and Rossini. They were very good, providing enough details and balance over the entire frequency range to capture your attention. I listened to them at a local dealer’s showroom with a different set of electronics and speakers than what I have in my music room. If I didn’t listened to Bricasti I would have  had no hesitation selecting the Bartok. Rossini is more expensive but I didn’t think that the difference was huge.

I listened to the Bricasti unit in my music room with their power amplifier M25 and the combination did sound really special. It was much detailed without being harsh, cleaner and the music evolved effortlessly in my two channel system.
At this level both of these products are really good and it would come down to your personal preference when making that final decision. Good luck for the upcoming audition and let me have your feedback on both of these units.
Thanks.
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