Esoteric XD Series

Mike said:
After warm up, I noticed soundstage wide to be one of the strong points. As good as anything I’ve tried. As the evening went on, soundstage depth, especially during a couple of live recordings, was superb. Definitely great layering as well. I am completely blown away by this new Esoteric sound. In a word: “live”.
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Any comparisons to EMM sound signature? I'd figure they would have more in common with other.

Rather than MSB as an example.

The N01XD streamer might be a winner for me in the future.

Looking forward to reading more about it.
 
aardvarkbark said:
What do you consider "old Esoteric"? Are you comparing K-03-XD to K-03 or K-03X?

What are the optional filters and on the XD? I have two K-03-X and '4FS' is not an option. What are the upsampling options?
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You can download the K-03XD user manual from the Esoteric website. Basically the 4Fs setting is 4x upsampling (goes up to 16x). There are no optional filters as with the K-03X (and earlier) players.
 
I’ve always really enjoyed the sound of the Esoteric Players and Streamers. In my opinion, the Master Clock is not really necessary. It can change the sonic signature. Hard to beat the K-01XD and K-03XD at their respective price points.

Ken
 
I wonder how a complete Grandioso Series (SACD, DAC, Pre-Amp, Amps) would sound compared to the MSB Select II?
 
Calvin said:
I wonder how a complete Grandioso Series (SACD, DAC, Pre-Amp, Amps) would sound compared to the MSB Select II?
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I owned the Esoteric Grandioso K1 CD/SACD Player and Grandioso G1 Master Clock (not the Grandioso preamp or amps), and in my opinion, the MSB Select II DAC is sonically superior. But I think we’ve covered this ground before.

The preamp was ARC REF10 and the amps were Vandersteen M7-HPA monoblocks.

Ken
 
Alpinist said:
I owned the Esoteric Grandioso K1 CD/SACD Player and Grandioso G1 Master Clock (not the Grandioso preamp or amps), and in my opinion, the MSB Select II DAC is sonically superior. But I think we’ve covered this ground before.

Ken
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Sorry, what I was getting at was has the Grandioso been updated with the "new Esoteric" sound, or is it still the "old" sound? If updated how does it compare ...
 
Calvin said:
I wonder how a complete Grandioso Series (SACD, DAC, Pre-Amp, Amps) would sound compared to the MSB Select II?
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In my opinion the MSB Select II would be an easy choice in this comparison. Sound / performance wise and also in terms of hardware and software obsolescence.
 
Calvin said:
Sorry, what I was getting at was has the Grandioso been updated with the "new Esoteric" sound, or is it still the "old" sound? If updated how does it compare ...
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Hi Calvin,

The Esoteric sound changes every year with the new models. Mike is saying a nice improvement with the XD so maybe they’ve closed the gap some. But the Select II DAC got better too with the introduction of their Pro USB Module.

Ken
 
Esoteric went from an approx 4-year product cycle to 2 years with the S series, but with their new in-house FPGA DAC technology
1- they have the potential to upgrade their DACs via software (if they so choose), and
2- they are now divorced from the AKM DAC chip product cycles,
so maybe their future product cycles will lengthen.
 
aardvarkbark said:
What do you consider "old Esoteric"? Are you comparing K-03-XD to K-03 or K-03X?

What are the optional filters and on the XD? I have two K-03-X and '4FS' is not an option. What are the upsampling options?
Click to expand...

I had the K-01x, and older K-05 and a Grandioso K1.

I always felt the older esoteric had “bite” and was over sibilant, and very detailed.

I was then at one of the shows last year and walked into the Esoteric room. I could tell right away this was a different, very different. I believe you can find my comments about sitting and listening in this room.

This new XD has such incredible dynamics, bunch and bass control, while none of the previous bite/sibilance. Highly impressed!


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GSOphile said:
Esoteric went from an approx 4-year product cycle to 2 years with the S series, but with their new in-house FPGA DAC technology
1- they have the potential to upgrade their DACs via software (if they so choose), and
2- they are now divorced from the AKM DAC chip product cycles,
so maybe their future product cycles will lengthen.
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They would do themselves proud if they were to confirm they intend to offer an upgrade path, even if only firmware. Their history suggests they will find a way to make any upgrades come with a new model number. Without confirmation I will remain skeptical.
 
Calvin said:
Sorry, what I was getting at was has the Grandioso been updated with the "new Esoteric" sound, or is it still the "old" sound? If updated how does it compare ...
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The Esoteric Grandioso K1 was superseded by the K1X in 2019. This model was the first Esoteric player with the new Atlas transport and FPGA DAC technologies now found in the K-01XD and K-03XD.
 
I’ve had it playing non-stop. I’ve been listening again tonight and currently spinning The Essential Sade. A fantastic reissue and considerably better than the original Sade digital releases.

I’m noticing tonight how composed it is with musical complexities. Nothing gets lost in translation or “smudged”.

I’ll let it break in a few more days and then play with the filters a bit more.


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Alpinist said:
I’ve always really enjoyed the sound of the Esoteric Players and Streamers. In my opinion, the Master Clock is not really necessary. It can change the sonic signature. Hard to beat the K-01XD and K-03XD at their respective price points.

Ken
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but...have you ever actually owned or heard either k01xd or k03xd?
 
The K-03XD has been running all week. It was “yo-yo’ing” a bit a couple of days ago, but has really settled down now and it’s sound signature is shining through.

I’ve experimented more with the filters as well. The DSD has a softer, mellower tone, almost like someone through a light sheet/blanket over the speakers. On overly bright or forward speakers (like Paradigm), some may prefer this setting. On my MBL 101e mk2’s, I’ve been really enjoying 4Fs the most. This upsamples all incoming signals below 176.4hz to 176.4hz.

I have been spinning a lot of discs and when not actively listening, things are on repeat.

The only digital input I have tested is the USB (with a Sigma USB [emoji39]) and I can honestly say, the USB input definitely rivals the spinner, not 1:1, but certainly 90-95% of it. That’s a first, but to be fair, it could be the Shunyata Sigma USB which is the best I’ve ever heard - by far. Must CD players digital inputs take a back seat to their rival transport section. Not the case with the K-03XD. I find the USB input exceedingly transparent, just like the transport.
 
Considering K-03XD has inherited quite a bit of technology from D1X ($50K) and P1X ($50K), $14K is a much sweeter price point than $100K.
 
Mike - How’s the soundstage? I’ve had a few Esoteric models through my room. Had the Grandioso K1 for the longest. I always found that sounds were very pinpointed in the soundstage, wide and deep.. but incredibly exact. Whereas the EMM feels more like live music with brushstrokes in the soundstage.

Not saying either is a bad thing, just always seemed to be the house sound of Esoteric gear.


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Phishphan said:
Mike - How’s the soundstage? I’ve had a few Esoteric models through my room. Had the Grandioso K1 for the longest. I always found that sounds were very pinpointed in the soundstage, wide and deep.. but incredibly exact. Whereas the EMM feels more like live music with brushstrokes in the soundstage.

Not saying either is a bad thing, just always seemed to be the house sound of Esoteric gear.


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Wide and deep with pinpoint accuracy. Still beyond impressed. Love that it’s so much more natural than previous esoteric models.


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