Thread: *NEW* Esoteric N-05XD

Originally Posted by Mike

Green light should mean external clock is active.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I reread the manual, I only had the N-01XD for a couple of months, and it appears that we are both correct… depending on if you have the clock sync set to ON or OFF. I had it set to OFF as I only used the USB and NET input. In this instance the light is solid green indicating that the internal oscillator is being used.

Originally Posted by brodricj

Clock light in green means what, no external clock?

That’s probably the case for me as I don’t have an external clock.

What’s good? I’d prefer to keep the color in black and I know most esoteric clocks don’t come in black.

hi guys, first post here and English is not my mother language so excuse me in advance :

I was looking for a new streamer with DAC in the 5K plus region and was leaning on a Ayre Digital Hub with the solo focus of Streaming Tidal via Roon Nucleus.
My other equiment is a SME turntable with Gold Note phono preamp connected to an integrated fom Luxman, the 507uxII. My old streamer is already sold, a Lumin.

Then, this new Esoteric N-05XD appeared and i am still intrigued if i can take advantage of its preamps capabilties, besides the more straightforward Roon Ready function.
So, if i understood correctly, with this N-05XD i would be able to connect my phono preamp to a XLR input and then from the Esoteric to my Luxman integrated also via XLR output. On this case, the integrated would work only as a power amp and i could control the volume and all other options via the Esoteric. Am i right?
If so, should i expect a sound quality upgrade on this solution comparing to my current, feeding the phono directly to the Luxman?

Any feedback is much welcome

Stay safe.

I can get a demo unit whithin some weeks or strech my budget...if my assumption of improving also by analog source is right.
Also, will not decide before a in house demo, of course.

Are we audiophiles or not?

Well, looks that i am going to find by myself

Will let you know, if anyone interested.

does anyone knows if using balanced outpus to my integrated Luxman and setting the volume control to variable(instead of fix) on the N5-xd i am turning off the preamplification of the Luxman ?

Tks.

Originally Posted by beckzito

does anyone knows if using balanced outpus to my integrated Luxman and setting the volume control to variable(instead of fix) on the N5-xd i am turning off the preamplification of the Luxman ?

Tks.

After reviewing the connections and manual for the Luxman the two pair of XLR inputs appear to be standard inputs which would be routed through both the preamplifier and power amp sections. There is a pair of RCA inputs marked "MAIN IN" which allow direct access to the power amp section without going through the preamp section, but I don't see any similar input via XLRs provided. Hope that helps and welcome to AudioShark!

Many thanks to both of you.

For the time being i set a Denon AVR to the Main In of the Luxman with RCA... and from Luxman to Esoteric with XLR. Also set the Esoteric as L_VOL Fix.

This way i control AV and Stereo content with only one volume control.

Hi again

My demo N05-XD had "Tidal Connect" on display everytime when playing from the app ... but my new model presents only format and bit rate.
I already updated the general firmware and checked network module version: 14.1s (on esoteric website last one is 14.1k but no 14.1s, strange...)

Plus, i did not find any setting to toggle the screen information.

Anyone knows what i am missing here?

PS-sound is a delight(Lumin D1 was good but this makes my Marten speakers reach the heaven)

Originally Posted by beckzito

Hi again

My demo N05-XD had "Tidal Connect" on display everytime when playing from the app ... but my new model presents only format and bit rate.
I already updated the general firmware and checked network module version: 14.1s (on esoteric website last one is 14.1k but no 14.1s, strange...)

Plus, i did not find any setting to toggle the screen information.

Anyone knows what i am missing here?

PS-sound is a delight(Lumin D1 was good but this makes my Marten speakers reach the heaven)

Now that you mentioned it, I do have the same question. Mine seems to come with most updated firmware version. And it’s displaying format and bitrate, not “tidal connect”. Manual doesn’t seem to explain it as well, I just went through it twice.

Not that it matters a lot, but it’d be good to know.

Hi Peter

< and > act like previous and next track.

Exactly like you described, Peter

Dont know whats Esoteric logic on showing either source info or format/bitrate on screen, depending on the volume control...but no big deal here

Originally Posted by Elberoth

How do you feel it sounds after 3 weeks, compared to the discreete ?

BTW - you can get the Mutec Ref 10 clock in black. Hugely better performance than Esoteric clock. Cheaper too (one of the rare cases where sth is much better and cheaper at the same time).

N-05XD is a winner. Big sound, very detailed yet musical. Play every genre very well, at least the ones I listen to. I had some worries as I can’t stand the bright sound or sibilance and N-05XD produces neither. I can listen for hours without fatigue.

There’s also something about media player + DAC in one box implementation. For this $10k-ish price point, I feel this is the way to go. It just sounds more coherent to me than my previous setup.

As a side note, my current Ethernet connection is EtherREGEN &gt; Gigafoil &gt; Shunyata Omega &gt; DAC. Previously also was the same setup except another Ethernet connection from EtherREGEN to Roon Nucleus.

Currently contemplating to add a 10MHz master clock. As suggested, thinking of either Mutec or CyberShaft. EtherREGEN might also benefit from it by running another line. BTW if anyone has an extra OP21A lying around, I’d like to know about it.

As for the break-in, I’m quite bad keeping tab on how the process progresses. I did notice even at 300hr (this is &gt; recommended 200hr), it was still changing. Now I’m at &gt;500hr and seems to have fully broken in. Do note, I don’t know exact number of hrs it’d take.

To conclude, I recommend N-05XD wholeheartedly.

I still have it on for default, which is PCMF OFF, PCMΔΣ 512 and DSDF OFF.

Originally Posted by MDP

Well,well,well.......My black N05XD showed up Saturday

Right out of the box it sounds big and beautiful....great bass,smooth treble, a great sense of space.

I'm thrilled, and it's not even close to broke in.

That was relatively quick and nice surprise. Congrats and enjoy!

Congratulations Mark. The N-05XD is a fantastic piece.

I had RDOT filter selected since day one because it is the easiest one to like:more bass, fuller sound, more body and presence.

On the last week i changed to OFF and it is growing on me, seems more balanced and detailed without being to harsh.
I have big Marten speakers so in the long term it may be the one i choose from.

New member here but I've been reading this forum for a very long time. I am searching for an option for a new DAC and streamer. It's impossible to try everything in home and I'm doing my best to go to Audio shows and research products I'm interested in. I was looking for a separate DAC and Streamer but have now decided to also include combination DAC/Streamer all-in-one boxes like the Esoteric N-05XD. I understand the pro's/cons of separate components and combination boxes. The problem I can't seem to decide is if the sound quality of a separate DAC and Streamer will be better than a combination box if the price of both is equal. For instance, I could purchase the Esoteric N-05XD for approximately $11,000 US dollars but I could also purchase a Holo Audio May KTE DAC and a Auralic ARIES G2.1 streamer for roughly the same price minus cabling. Obvious advantages of combination boxes are saving shelf space, factory synergy/integration of DAC and streamer and not having to purchase connecting cables. Disadvantages are if anything breaks in the box the whole thing needs to be sent in for repair. Also, if the DAC or streamer gets outdated you can't separate them and will need to sell the entire box.

I was wondering if others faced this same problem and how they resolved making a purchasing decision? I'm SURE the Esoteric N-05XD is an excellent product but I also understand there is a premium price for this brand. Also, this comes with a preamp that I really don't need/want and a headphone amp I have no use for. I have listened to some combination boxes including the DCS Bartok and it wasn't my cup of tea. My main question is can I do better than the Esoteric N-05XD for the money by buying separate components? Is the combination box a sound compromise and more for convenience when you factor in the costs? All opinions welcome. The above example of separate components was just an example, substitute Chord or any other major name products that would equal approximately $11,000.

Originally Posted by musicman1

New member here but I've been reading this forum for a very long time. I am searching for an option for a new DAC and streamer. It's impossible to try everything in home and I'm doing my best to go to Audio shows and research products I'm interested in. I was looking for a separate DAC and Streamer but have now decided to also include combination DAC/Streamer all-in-one boxes like the Esoteric N-05XD. I understand the pro's/cons of separate components and combination boxes. The problem I can't seem to decide is if the sound quality of a separate DAC and Streamer will be better than a combination box if the price of both is equal. For instance, I could purchase the Esoteric N-05XD for approximately $11,000 US dollars but I could also purchase a Holo Audio May KTE DAC and a Auralic ARIES G2.1 streamer for roughly the same price minus cabling. Obvious advantages of combination boxes are saving shelf space, factory synergy/integration of DAC and streamer and not having to purchase connecting cables. Disadvantages are if anything breaks in the box the whole thing needs to be sent in for repair. Also, if the DAC or streamer gets outdated you can't separate them and will need to sell the entire box.

I was wondering if others faced this same problem and how they resolved making a purchasing decision? I'm SURE the Esoteric N-05XD is an excellent product but I also understand there is a premium price for this brand. Also, this comes with a preamp that I really don't need/want and a headphone amp I have no use for. I have listened to some combination boxes including the DCS Bartok and it wasn't my cup of tea. My main question is can I do better than the Esoteric N-05XD for the money by buying separate components? Is the combination box a sound compromise and more for convenience when you factor in the costs? All opinions welcome. The above example of separate components was just an example, substitute Chord or any other major name products that would equal approximately $11,000.

My personal opinion is if the playing field is not at the stratosphere level, one box solution for streamer + DAC is way to go for $10k-ish price point. It gets most bang for your buck as one box has its own sonic advantages. Also it’s important to note that when N05XD first came out, it was regarded as new product category and I do expect many similar products to come out in coming years.

Thanks for your opinions on this. Every comment helps. I still don't fully understand how you came to your conclusions that a one box solution is better? Did you do some type of A-B testing with a combination box versus separate DAC/Streamer? I have no doubts that a single box solution can be very good. I even outlined some of the Pros and Cons above in my original post. Is a single box solution better since both the DAC and streamer were manufactured by the same company and designed to work together and have good synergy? Certainly, there are some disadvantages with them sharing a single chassis with noise and sharing common parts such as power supplies. I do admit that the single box solution is very attractive to me with saving space on my desktop. On the other hand, my ultimate objective is sound quality.

Originally Posted by brodricj

Yeah. What he says. The price point of N05XD is very odd. It should have been priced much closer to N01XD.

No, it shouldnt have. The N-01XD is overpriced. Either way I still liked it, the Distributor is a mess though.

I guess I'm not going to get any more input on this. I'll be at Axpona next week for all 3 days and I see Esoteric will be there so hopefully I can get more opinions and do some listening.

Originally Posted by musicman1

I guess I'm not going to get any more input on this. I'll be at Axpona next week for all 3 days and I see Esoteric will be there so hopefully I can get more opinions and do some listening.

You can buy my X1 for $11K… itll sound better than the N-05XD or any other 2 piece components you will cobble together

"I still don't fully understand how you came to your conclusions that a one box solution is better?"

I agree with kzhtoo at this price point. A two-box solution requires two cases and power supplies - significant cost items that could be used to upgrade the DAC/streamer electronics in an integrated solution. Also, don't forget to include the cost of the additional power and interconnect cables, and, as was mentioned, shelf space. But in the end, the keys will be how do they sound and do they include the functionality most important to you.

Originally Posted by musicman1

Thanks for your opinions on this. Every comment helps. I still don't fully understand how you came to your conclusions that a one box solution is better? Did you do some type of A-B testing with a combination box versus separate DAC/Streamer? I have no doubts that a single box solution can be very good. I even outlined some of the Pros and Cons above in my original post. Is a single box solution better since both the DAC and streamer were manufactured by the same company and designed to work together and have good synergy? Certainly, there are some disadvantages with them sharing a single chassis with noise and sharing common parts such as power supplies. I do admit that the single box solution is very attractive to me with saving space on my desktop. On the other hand, my ultimate objective is sound quality.

I’m mainly talking from my personal experience. I used to own MSB Discrete (which is awesome BTW) and recycled a few media players in $2k-4k range. The advantage of N-05XD in my system I notice is immediacy, coherency and that bold dynamic Esoteric’s own in-house Master Sound Discrete sound. All these attributes collectively is what won me over although MSB analog sound is quite addictive too.

Again, I need to stress that we’re only talking about $10k price range. I do think players like Taiko Extreme or Aurender N20, N30, etc. can raise the performance of any DAC. But those players alone cost multiple times more than N-05XD.

I’d suggest you audition N-05XD in your system if you could and give it plenty of break-in time as, just like many other DACs with quality components, it takes a bit of break-in.

Originally Posted by dznutz

You can buy my X1 for $11K… itll sound better than the N-05XD or any other 2 piece components you will cobble together

I doubt it.

Originally Posted by MPW

Are you all speculating as to which sounds better, the X1 or the N-05XD, or do you have actual experience? I would love to hear some impressions of these two from those who have heard both in the same system. Perhaps Mike could chime in as well.

I own the X1 and have owned the N-01XD. I would assume the N-05XD is inferior to the N-01. That being said I prefer the X1 to the N-01. Its more organic sounding without losing any detail. Its also a very well ironed out product. Now the N-01 is built better than the X1, material and assembly is ahead for sure. So there you go… neither touch the sound quality I get from my DC-1000 Dac, at double the price of course.

Originally Posted by MPW

Are you all speculating as to which sounds better, the X1 or the N-05XD, or do you have actual experience? I would love to hear some impressions of these two from those who have heard both in the same system. Perhaps Mike could chime in as well.

I never had X1 in my system, hence it’s more of speculation. I read somewhere MSB Discrete is preferred over X1. I’m thoroughly familiar with MSB Discrete as I had it for 2+ years.

Anyhow, can’t deny synergy and personal preference. Digital has come so far that even at $10k-ish level, it has become quite difficult for a quality component to leave another quality component in the dust.

Also, N-01XD isn’t entirely the same as N-05XD. One is a DAC and the other being one box solution.

I have owned Lumin’s S1 and X1 - both terrific streamer/dacs.

I currently own the Esoteric N01XD. In my system and my ears, the N01XD is clearly superior to the excellent Lumin X1 and the very good S1.

Now, we know that in all things audio, personal taste really matters. But to me, the musicality of the latest generation of Esoteric is much more natural sounding than the presentation of the Lumin X1.

Originally Posted by Jack

N-01XD is also a streamer/DAC

I think you’re right. N-01XD is network DAC, whereas N-05XD is network DAC/ preamp that has headphone amp and volume control.