Esoteric XD Series

Congratulations Marcin! Very nice. Looking forward how it sounds in your system.

It seems that the new X/XD series are the ways to go, rather than even the K1, now discontinued.

There is a new revieuw of the K01XD on High Fidelity Pl. Very positive, as expected.

(I can't post links here until 10 posts)
 
bizuras said:
Congratulations Marcin! Very nice. Looking forward how it sounds in your system.

It seems that the new X/XD series are the ways to go, rather than even the K1, now discontinued.

There is a new revieuw of the K01XD on High Fidelity Pl. Very positive, as expected.

(I can't post links here until 10 posts)
Click to expand...

Here ya go:

High Fidelity

Use Google and their translate feature.
 
Mike said:
Great review!! Well you know my thoughts. They align with the reviewer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

Mike,
The reviewer, Wojciech Pacuła, is one of my favorites. I check out his website on a regular basis. He is very forthright in his reviews and I have found his impressions to align perfectly with mine on a few components I have owned over the years.
 
apdoc2004 said:
Mike,
The reviewer, Wojciech Pacuła, is one of my favorites. I check out his website on a regular basis. He is very forthright in his reviews and I have found his impressions to align perfectly with mine on a few components I have owned over the years.
Click to expand...

That’s cool. I found this paragraph very interesting as I found the same thing. I settled on 4fs. I just went back to native and yup, I think I prefer 4fs. 8fs was a little too much of a good thing for my ears. I’ll try 16fs as Wojciech suggests since I really never did.

“The Esoteric player offers user digital filters to choose from as well as a choice of the type of upsampling. I listened to it for a long time with the PCM signal upsampled to DSD, but I gave it up. Converting PCM to DSD in this case results in a warmer, darker sound, which, however, does not have the dynamics of the original, nor its resolution. So in the end I listened to music with PCM max upsampling (16 fs). For PCM I chose M3 filter and for DSD the FLT2 one.”
 
I run my Grandioso transport at 88.2 upsampling when playing CD's....dispensed with any experimentation on that, just accept it for what it is. Obviously, when playing SACD's it's native DSD.
 
Can anyone tell something about the differences in SQ between K03 XD and K01 XD, especially is the K01 XD much better or is it rather marginal.
Can stretch both, but saving some money is also fine.

Bought last year already a K1, but the seller turned out to be a scammer (through Hifi Shark, so beware). Luckily, in the end I got all my money back, thanks to my lawyer.

Thanks
 
bizuras said:
Can anyone tell something about the differences in SQ between K03 XD and K01 XD, especially is the K01 XD much better or is it rather marginal.
Can stretch both, but saving some money is also fine.

Bought last year already a K1, but the seller turned out to be a scammer (through Hifi Shark, so beware). Luckily, in the end I got all my money back, thanks to my lawyer.

Thanks
Click to expand...

So much of that going on with the used market right now. It’s really annoying.

The historically speaking there wasn’t always a major difference between the K1 and K3. But with the XD series, there is a significant difference between the K-01XD and K-03XD. I believe the K-01XD carries triple the number of delta-sigma chips over the K-03XD. Sonically, there is greater layering and a smoother presentation with the K-01XD. That being said, the K-03XD is a super performer at $14k and it’s the product that got me hooked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Mike said:
That’s cool. I found this paragraph very interesting as I found the same thing. I settled on 4fs. I just went back to native and yup, I think I prefer 4fs. 8fs was a little too much of a good thing for my ears. I’ll try 16fs as Wojciech suggests since I really never did.

“The Esoteric player offers user digital filters to choose from as well as a choice of the type of upsampling. I listened to it for a long time with the PCM signal upsampled to DSD, but I gave it up. Converting PCM to DSD in this case results in a warmer, darker sound, which, however, does not have the dynamics of the original, nor its resolution. So in the end I listened to music with PCM max upsampling (16 fs). For PCM I chose M3 filter and for DSD the FLT2 one.”
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Mike. I'll have to try the oversampling and filters with the N-01XD.

As of now I find the sound of the N-01XD without oversampling (streaming from a Synology NAS and using the Esoteric app) + Cybershaft OP21A connected by RCA cables to the Devialet is truly excellent but currently still a bit being what I am getting streaming using Raat from the Mojo Audio EVO linux music server to the Devialet, but I suspect that this result may be impacted by the early burn-in of the Esoteric and by the mid range RCA cables I am currently using. I'll report again after my Chord Sarum T RCA cables are in place some time in February. I am currently using a Sigma V1 clock cable btwn the Cybershaft and the Esoteric and an Omega may be another way to improve.

Ideally I'd like to use Roon to stream from the Mojo Audio EVO through ethernet via the Melco S10 to the Esoteric but that will have to wait until the Roon certification of the Esoteric. I suspect that may be the best of both worlds in the end.

I was hoping to be able to stream from the Mojo in USB to the Esoteric also, but I haven't been able to find linux drivers for the Esoteric USB protocol.

Cheers,
Bernard
 
bernardl said:
Thanks a lot Mike. I'll have to try the oversampling and filters with the N-01XD.

As of now I find the sound of the N-01XD without oversampling (streaming from a Synology NAS and using the Esoteric app) + Cybershaft OP21A connected by RCA cables to the Devialet is truly excellent but currently still a bit being what I am getting streaming using Raat from the Mojo Audio EVO linux music server to the Devialet, but I suspect that this result may be impacted by the early burn-in of the Esoteric and by the mid range RCA cables I am currently using. I'll report again after my Chord Sarum T RCA cables are in place some time in February. I am currently using a Sigma V1 clock cable btwn the Cybershaft and the Esoteric and an Omega may be another way to improve.

Ideally I'd like to use Roon to stream from the Mojo Audio EVO through ethernet via the Melco S10 to the Esoteric but that will have to wait until the Roon certification of the Esoteric. I suspect that may be the best of both worlds in the end.

I was hoping to be able to stream from the Mojo in USB to the Esoteric also, but I haven't been able to find linux drivers for the Esoteric USB protocol.

Cheers,
Bernard
Click to expand...

I’m still playing with the filters, but 4fs is my fave so far. I’m also anxiously waiting for Roon certification too. Even though I hate the bugginess of Roon and realize it may not be sonically the best, it will be the best option for the N-01XD. For now, I’m using the Lumin app and it’s running great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Mike said:
So much of that going on with the used market right now. It’s really annoying.

The historically speaking there wasn’t always a major difference between the K1 and K3. But with the XD series, there is a significant difference between the K-01XD and K-03XD. I believe the K-01XD carries triple the number of delta-sigma chips over the K-03XD. Sonically, there is greater layering and a smoother presentation with the K-01XD. That being said, the K-03XD is a super performer at $14k and it’s the product that got me hooked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike, now you are not saving me any money.
 
Hello Mike,

Although the K03XD is already excellent, there is still a big gap between the SQ of K03XD and K1X, fully expected, as the latter is also in another league pricewise.
Where do you place the K01XD regarding the SQ; closer to K03XD or closer to K1X. Thanks.
 
bizuras said:
Hello Mike,

Although the K03XD is already excellent, there is still a big gap between the SQ of K03XD and K1X, fully expected, as the latter is also in another league pricewise.
Where do you place the K01XD regarding the SQ; closer to K03XD or closer to K1X. Thanks.
Click to expand...

This will sound like a PC answer, but truly in between. If pressed, I would say closer to the K1X. In years past, the K-03 versions were quite close to the K-01 versions. With XD, that’s not the case. K-01XD is really a nice step up. HOWEVER, the K-03XD at $9000 less is really an incredible performer and if you never hear the K-01XD directly against it, ignorance will be bliss!


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Thanks a lot, Mike, very helpful.

That takes away my last little doubts, so K01 XD for sure will be the one.

No chance to listen to one of these of the new series, thanks to the pandemic, heard fairly recently only was the K01X.
 
Mike said:
That’s cool. I found this paragraph very interesting as I found the same thing. I settled on 4fs. I just went back to native and yup, I think I prefer 4fs. 8fs was a little too much of a good thing for my ears. I’ll try 16fs as Wojciech suggests since I really never did.

“The Esoteric player offers user digital filters to choose from as well as a choice of the type of upsampling. I listened to it for a long time with the PCM signal upsampled to DSD, but I gave it up. Converting PCM to DSD in this case results in a warmer, darker sound, which, however, does not have the dynamics of the original, nor its resolution. So in the end I listened to music with PCM max upsampling (16 fs). For PCM I chose M3 filter and for DSD the FLT2 one.”
Click to expand...

I’ve lived with this setting for a month. I’m back to my 4fs/M1 filter. I left DSD at FLT2.

Much happier with my settings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I added a Ideon 3R Master Time Black Star Reclocker to my K01-XD last night
It made a nice improvement out of the box .
 
Mike said:
I’ve lived with this setting for a month. I’m back to my 4fs/M1 filter. I left DSD at FLT2.

Much happier with my settings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
After breaking in my K-01XD and some experimentation, these settings are also my preferred. I occasionally use M3 to take the edge off some less well recorded music. The K-01XD is a fabulous piece.
 
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