MSB vs dCS Bartok

After a long time of reflection I think the MSB Premier is what I need.

By all accounts the way it connects directly to a power amp and bypass the need for a preamp is second to none.

My only concern is I have like 80% rock, pop, blues in my collection. I really do like the way Naim plays rock music in a propulsive way.
Does MSB have that similar propulsive way with rock ?

Does MSB have that similar propulsive way with rock ?

Oh yeah, R2R has a great boogie factor and drive, makes you think it DR is far better than DS, even if the specs show the opposite.

Cheers George

Hi

I have ATC SCM 20ASL speakers which are extremely revealing and I use them with my JL Audio dual F112v2 subs through a JL Audio CR1 crossover.

First I had a Naim Nova which sounded very good, and I listen to probably 80% rock from mainly the 70's and 80's but also love stuff like Kraftwerk to Yellowman and just recently started getting into Classical.

Naim has a great in-house sound (PRAT) signature especially for rock, but I knew I could do better, like you the Bartok piqued my interest, so I arranged a home demo, sounded great and decent incremental improvement over the Naim, but in my opinion for two and a half times the price of the Nova it was not a real contender, then luckily one day on one of my frequent visits to my local dealer I got a deal I could not refuse on a rather special Streamer/Dac/Pre-amp, and for not a great deal more than the Bartok.

Said Streamer/Dac/Pre-amp promptly taken home for a demo, quickly hooked up in my system, and I knew absolutely straight away I had something special, just everything I had been searching for in so long.

Product being the T+A SDV 3100 HV, at the same time I bought a Sablon Audio RJ45 ethernet cable which for the price as to be one of the best purchases I have made, everything just fell into place, next and last on my list to buy is the EtherRegen.

Hope this helps.

Good luck and hope you find audio nirvana like I did after a long and sometimes frustrating time.

Thank you for an excellent post and thoughts on your choice.
Unfortunately T+A is unavailable in my Country. 

I think dcs Bartok offers ridiculously good value in the crowded price bracket it’s situated itself in. If I had the good fortune to be considering a dac, I would also be considering the aforementioned Bricasti dac as well perhaps the Berkeley Audio Alpha Series 3.

Have you seen the Stereophile review for the Bartok? The measurements for the thing are amazing