Thread: *NEW* Esoteric N-05XD

Thanks for your opinions, guys. I'm hoping to learn more about the product next week at Axpona. Also, I spoke to an authorized Esoteric dealer and he has offered to give me a loan of the N-05XD and try it out. The one thing that is disappointing for me is the lack of reviews on this. I found one from Australia but that's about it. Also I can't find any internal pictures at all.

Originally Posted by musicman1

Thanks for your opinions, guys. I'm hoping to learn more about the product next week at Axpona. Also, I spoke to an authorized Esoteric dealer and he has offered to give me a loan of the N-05XD and try it out. The one thing that is disappointing for me is the lack of reviews on this. I found one from Australia but that's about it. Also I can't find any internal pictures at all.

Because theyre selling all on their own, no need to pay for any reviews. Theres also no internal photos as Im sure the case is practically empty.

When you get the loaner unit, pop the top and take some photos.

Originally Posted by dznutz

Because theyre selling all on their own, no need to pay for any reviews. There's also no internal photos as I'm sure the case is practically empty.

When you get the loaner unit, pop the top and take some photos.

Thats not very encouraging! Is this why you are selling your X1? While sound is the ultimate test, this is precisely why I always like to see internal shots of the case. I want to see what I'm paying for especially at this price point.

Originally Posted by musicman1

Thats not very encouraging! Is this why you are selling your X1? While sound is the ultimate test, this is precisely why I always like to see internal shots of the case. I want to see what I'm paying for especially at this price point.

Because I made a “tongue in cheek” comment about offering my X1? No, I am not currently seeking a sale. Its a great device, in my hands-on experience the best at its pricepoint compared to others. Now, keep in mind that I spend more on this hobby in a month than 99% do in a year. So theres only so much gear that I can have on hand at any given time… Im not going to have $200k sitting in a corner for a year.

But perhaps spend less time talking on a forum and buy it. Crack it open and then tell us all about it with photos and your experience with it and if YOU recommend it to others and why.

Check out the internal pics of the Teac UD-701 which is the baby brother of the 05xd. Definitely packed. I have both but haven’t opened either.

Tony

Originally Posted by mantis007

Check out the internal pics of the Teac UD-701 which is the baby brother of the 05xd. Definitely packed. I have both but haven’t opened either.

Tony

Thanks for this information Tony. I wonder how close the internals are to both DAC/STREAMERS. I'm very interested to hear your opinions on both units. I'd be curious to know if the N-05XD is deserving of the $11K price tag compared to the 4K price of the UD-701. The N-05XD obviously has much nicer case work but in the end the features/Specs of the UD-701 are very good. The reviews are also very good with the exception of a clunky streaming interface.

I think Esoteric subcontracted some of the their software/firmware to Lumin, but there are some notable differences, e.g., the N-01XD and N-05XD are both roon ready.

The Teac UD-701N is also Roon Ready.

Originally Posted by GSOphile

I think Esoteric subcontracted some of the their software/firmware to Lumin, but there are some notable differences, e.g., the N-01XD and N-05XD are both roon ready.

Just for the record Lumins are also Roon Ready.

Originally Posted by audio.bill

Just for the record Lumins are also Roon Ready.

Yup, you're right. I was confusing them with Aurender. Thanks for the catch.

@musicman1- The 05 doesn’t even have 100hrs on it but I will post something after it gets a few hundred more. I found a pic/review of the 05 and it looks very different than the 701 inside:

audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/odtwarzacze-sieciowe/3473-n-05xd

I can say, the the 701 is very good and to my ears as enjoyable as the Bricasti M3 which I actually liked better than the M1SE. The streaming interface isn’t too bad IMO once you get used to it - certainly not as slick as Roon though. Both DACS are really convenient as you can plug in a USB stick with your favorite music and use the Esoteric or Lumin app to play music or any DLNA software - no server needed.

Originally Posted by mantis007

@musicman1- The 05 doesn’t even have 100hrs on it but I will post something after it gets a few hundred more. I found a pic/review of the 05 and it looks very different than the 701 inside:

audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/odtwarzacze-sieciowe/3473-n-05xd

I can say, the the 701 is very good and to my ears as enjoyable as the Bricasti M3 which I actually liked better than the M1SE. The streaming interface isn’t too bad IMO once you get used to it - certainly not as slick as Roon though. Both DACS are really convenient as you can plug in a USB stick with your favorite music and use the Esoteric or Lumin app to play music or any DLNA software - no server needed.

Thanks for the reply and posting that link. That is very helpful. How would you compare the two units especially sound wise? One thing that surprises me is how bad the wire management is in the 05. The Teac isn't much better.

Ya, the inside of that thing looks like a disaster. Good job finding a photo!

Originally Posted by mantis007

@musicman1- The 05 doesn’t even have 100hrs on it but I will post something after it gets a few hundred more. I found a pic/review of the 05 and it looks very different than the 701 inside:

audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/odtwarzacze-sieciowe/3473-n-05xd

I can say, the the 701 is very good and to my ears as enjoyable as the Bricasti M3 which I actually liked better than the M1SE. The streaming interface isn’t too bad IMO once you get used to it - certainly not as slick as Roon though. Both DACS are really convenient as you can plug in a USB stick with your favorite music and use the Esoteric or Lumin app to play music or any DLNA software - no server needed.

Originally Posted by dznutz

Ya, the inside of that thing looks like a disaster. Good job finding a photo!

I agree. Looks like wires flying everywhere but I guess it all about how it sounds in the end. Surely the internals are not inspiring to the least.

Even a $3k Roon Ready streaming DAC, with phenomenal headphone amp, innovative VC has a very neat and tidy interiors, sounds and measures excellent.

https://article-imgs.scribdassets.co...leBX2TB4Y8.jpg

Originally Posted by musicman1

Thanks for your opinions, guys. I'm hoping to learn more about the product next week at Axpona. Also, I spoke to an authorized Esoteric dealer and he has offered to give me a loan of the N-05XD and try it out. The one thing that is disappointing for me is the lack of reviews on this. I found one from Australia but that's about it. Also I can't find any internal pictures at all.

Actually, there are plenty of pictures online. And also some reviews. (unfortunately, Audioshark does not allow me to post links before I reach 10 posts. But you can search for reviews from "Haute Fidelite" (French) and hifi.nl (Dutch), and pictures from soundcore.kr)

Regarding your original question, I moved from a separate Lumin U1 mini plus a separate Nuprime Evolution DAC to the Esoteric N05XD, after a home-demo. It was simply incomparable in this case. The fact that even a USB cable connecting the streamer + dac has a significant effect on sound quality/signature, not to mention the different power supplies and power cables in the streamer and dac, made me realize that sometimes, less is more.

Originally Posted by Bfmcosta

Regarding your original question, I moved from a separate Lumin U1 mini plus a separate Nuprime Evolution DAC to the Esoteric N05XD, after a home-demo. It was simply incomparable in this case. The fact that even a USB cable connecting the streamer + dac has a significant effect on sound quality/signature, not to mention the different power supplies and power cables in the streamer and dac, made me realize that sometimes, less is more.

Yep. One box solution has its own advantage and it’s really not insignificant. And I’ve never heard from anyone who has actually heard N-05XD said it sucks.

Originally Posted by kzhtoo

Yep. One box solution has its own advantage and it’s really not insignificant. And I’ve never heard from anyone who has actually heard N-05XD said it sucks.

Exactly. A friend of mine was auditioning at his home several DACs around 40-50k, "served" by a Taiko Extreme server, and preferred the N05XD as a DAC (even if in his case, paired with the Taiko, which he needed to keep).

Originally Posted by wklie

Luxman MAIN IN (for connection to a separate preamp) is RCA only, and you need to turn on SEPARATE function to use this connection.

Since it's RCA only, from a connection standpoint I think you're better off using the N-05XD line out L_VOL as FIX and use the Luxman to control the volume.

Or, you may do an A/B comparison of N-05XD preamp with RCA output vs the N-05XD FIX XLR output to Luxman integrated preamp. Be careful with volume settings before starting any music playback.

@wklie, after updating the various firmwares on my N05xD (USB, NET module, I/F, etc), I cannot detect it with general UPnP-based apps (e.g., BubbleUPnP) from my iPad. Strangely, the official Esoteric Sound Stream app also does not detect it in my Android phone (but works fine on my iPad). I already tried the "usual" troubleshooting approaches (e.g., restart the entire newtwork from the router up to the Esoteric N05xd and android + iOs control devices; uninstall the apps and fresh reinstall; etc), with no success. Do you have any idea why this may be happening?

Hello all,
First, let me apologize for my English, it is not my native language.

I have a Michi P5 with a S5 amplifier, a pair of B&W 802D3 and wanted to upgrade my dac. After some extensive testing, I came to the conclusion that a dac with a variable volume was the way to go in my system. Doing so with the Lumin dacs, bypassing the P5 preamp, sounded so much better, with more details, more air. Auralic Altair and Vega 2.1 did not impressed me so much as far as only pure sound is considered. The Lumin T2 was so much better with its leedh control.
Then I had a chance to listen to a Meitner MA3 on my system, directly to the power amp and it was even better. The Meitner was the best sounding DAC I ever heard on my system. Problem was that there is no analogic input for my Home Cinema and turntable... so I listened to a Lumin P1 and even the sound was nice, better than the T2, the Meitner MA3 was still superior in every way. Sound is what matters, so I thought I will go with the MA3. Too bad for the home cinema and turntable.
Then I heard about the Esoteric N05 XD that seems to have it all : streamer, roon compatible, 2 analogic inputs, an analogic variable volume, headphone amp and build like a tank (Meitner is a joke on this chapter) but the N05 XD costs must more than all the other dacs I had a chance to try.
I was about to pull the trigger on the MA3 when i was proposed an used N05 XD (3 month old) at roughly the same price as the brand new Meitner.
So now, all this chat to tell that I sold my Michi P5, my streamer and I will receive my N05 XD next week, without even having a chance to listen to it... (yes, breaking rule number one). I am impatient and at the same time a little afraid that it won't please me as much as the Meitner. Well I coul not resist.
So stay tuned, I will tell you how it went with this N05 XD :-p

Originally Posted by wklie

Make sure you're not getting a Network Error display on the N-05XD front panel when switched to its network input.

You did the right thing to power cycle the network starting from the router and include both Android and iOS devices.

This kind of symptoms usually indicates router operational instability from multicast. What router brand and model are you using? Did it update itself automatically (although non common this could occur)? Also describe your whole network, especially if you use mesh or any WiFi access points or powerline network.

In WiFi router set different SSID (name) for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi. Set the mobile devices to connect to each of them, see if it makes any difference to the detection.

Please try Lumin app, Tidal app (if you have a paid Tidal account), and Spotify app (both paid and free accounts should work).

Thanks Peter. Concerning the points you suggested:
- "Network error display on the N-05XD front panel when switched to its network input": No.
- "What router brand and model are you using": Hitron Chita Hub5. It is supplied by my ISP in Portugal. I believe it occasionally undergoes automatic firmware updates, but I cannot confirm it as the log is not visible to me. Also, I do not use mesh nor wifi access points. My current setup is: Router (Hitron Chita Hub5) - ethernet cable to Switch (Silent Angel N8 Bonn) - ethernet cable to streamer (Esoteric N05-XD).
- Wifi names for 2.4 and 5GHz are already different. I also had tried connecting to each one of them, but did not help.
- Other apps like Lumin app (in Android) and Tidal also do not detect the Esoteric.

What I find very strange, is that I have problems occuring both in iOS and Android. In summary, this is what I have at the moment:
- iOS 15.4 on iPad Pro: The Esoteric Sound Stream app and Lumin app work fine. However, a UPnP-based app (JPlay) stopped detecting the Esoteric streamer.
- Android 9 on Lenovo Z6 Pro: Nothing works: neither the Esoteric Sound Stream app, nor the Lumin app, nor other UPnP-based apps (e.g., BubbleUPnP).

All of the above apps in iOS and Android used to work fine until a few weeks ago...

Thanks again

Originally Posted by wklie

Assuming you have login and password access to the router settings:

- Disable firewall and guest mode in the router
- Power cycle the router, switch, Esoteric and all devices including iPad and Android devices
- On iPad, launch YouTube app and check whether you can AirPlay to the Esoteric
- Create a free Spotify account and try Spotify app on iOS and Android

As a last resort, check whether the router allows you to set it to run in bridge mode. If it can, set it to bridge mode after you have purchased a normal WiFi router such as TP-Link or Asus (enable Multicast Routing).

Peter, another round of attempts based on your suggestions:
- Firewall cannot be disabled in my router. Guest mode also does not seem to be an option.
- Power cycle all devices has been tried several times. I even did a factory reset on my router, as well a factory reset on my Esoteric N05-XD. Nothing seems to help.
- On iPad, I cannot Airplay anything to the Esoteric.
- Spotify is the same, does not "stream" to the Esoteric, either on Android phone or iPad.

What is very strange and frustrating is that all these issues started after updating to the latest firmware on the Esoteric, so it would be nice to confirm if it is nothing related to that. Is it at all possible to revert the firmware to the previous version, to see if it helps?

Originally Posted by brodricj

Have you tried the factory reset procedure (page 33 of the OM)? Failing that it seems you've tried everything else. Maybe it's time to involve the dealer.

Thanks for the suggestion. I already tried this and did not help. I can involve the dealer but anticipate he won't be able to help a lot. These appear to be related to network issues in this last firmware version, so not sure how he would be able to help. Hopefully Peter Lie will be able to sort this out via a different firmware?

Hello. Do you guys think it would be a worthwhile improvement to add the ES-Link analog card to my Esoteric F-07?? The card retails for 1k. Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks
Tony

Originally Posted by wklie

No one else has reported similar symptoms. This does not look like a streamer firmware issue.

If there is a fundamental firmware flaw that prevents AirPlay and Spotify from working, it could not have passed Esoteric QC.

You could, however, do a network board reset. Power down the N-05XD. Use a pin to insert into the reset hole near the network port at the back. Power up the unit while holding the pin. Do not release the pin until 20 seconds later.

Tried the "network board reset" twice. Still the same problem.

Peter, while not other people have reported problems so far, I wonder if many people have been using UPnP apps or AirPlay or Spotify to access their Esoteric N05XD, as opposed to the original SoundStream app, in the last few weeks. I just noticed the problem because I also use other apps other than SoundStream in iOS. While I cannot certainly guarantee that this is related to the recent firmware update, it is certainly a remarkable coincidence that raises suspicion. The fact that the issue occurs not only in the iPad (with 3rd party UPnP apps, or via AirPlay, or via Tidal or Spotify), but also on the Android phone (with the original Esoteric SoundStream app, or other 3rd party UPnP apps, or via Tidal or Spotify), seems to point to the Esoteric, right?

I can always try to pack the Esoteric and take it to a friend's place and set it up there to completely rule out problems in my home network, but would like to avoid all that hassle...

Originally Posted by Bfmcosta

Tried the "network board reset" twice. Still the same problem.

Peter, while not other people have reported problems so far, I wonder if many people have been using UPnP apps or AirPlay or Spotify to access their Esoteric N05XD, as opposed to the original SoundStream app, in the last few weeks. I just noticed the problem because I also use other apps other than SoundStream in iOS. While I cannot certainly guarantee that this is related to the recent firmware update, it is certainly a remarkable coincidence that raises suspicion. The fact that the issue occurs not only in the iPad (with 3rd party UPnP apps, or via AirPlay, or via Tidal or Spotify), but also on the Android phone (with the original Esoteric SoundStream app, or other 3rd party UPnP apps, or via Tidal or Spotify), seems to point to the Esoteric, right?

I can always try to pack the Esoteric and take it to a friend's place and set it up there to completely rule out problems in my home network, but would like to avoid all that hassle...

Have you notified your Dealer of these issues? Or was this a used unit?

There is only so much that Peter can do here. You need Esoteric to get involved and the Distributor as well. Perhaps even exchange the unit for a new one.

I bought new in January. I have not yet notified the dealer, will do it now just for the record, as I am not sure how helpful they can be at this stage, since it still works fine in the "official" Esoteric Sound Stream app in the iPad. The fact that the dealer is 400km away also does not help. Anyway, since Peter, a very knowledgeable person, believes this is a router problem, I will try to sort that our first.

Originally Posted by wklie

From my point of view, all these point to the router.

Peter I just remembered to mention a few additional details.

My iPad, which does not Airplay from youtube to the Esoteric, is able to Airplay perfectly to my Apple TV.

My Android phone, which does not “cast” from Tidal or Youtube to the Esoteric, is able to “cast” perfectly to my Sony Smart TV and my Google Chromecast.

Not sure if this is of any further help. I just remembered you may be assuming that Airplay and Tidal Connect did not work at all with my devices, but they do.

Apple TV is wireless. (The same for the Sony Smart TV and Google Chromecast)

Also tried connecting the N-05XD directly to the router, bypassing the switch - still the same result.

Hi Peter,

Just a brief follow-up to let you know I bought an Asus AX-86S router, and it solved the problems I was experiencing with the Esoteric connecting to various apps. Thank you again for your help!

Originally Posted by Bfmcosta

Hi Peter,

Just a brief follow-up to let you know I bought an Asus AX-86S router, and it solved the problems I was experiencing with the Esoteric connecting to various apps. Thank you again for your help!

Glad to hear you’ve got it sorted out.

Trying to decide whether the N-01XD is worth an extra $9,000 over the N-05XD. I won’t be using the pre-amp/headphone amp in the N-05XD, but don’t mind them being there if there isn’t much noticeable difference in sound quality AND I can save $9,000.

In the US the N-01XD is US$20,000 and the N-05XD is US$11,000.

Hi, I’m new but this thread intrigued me. I might be the odd one out here… I had an N-05XD on loan for a month but it had to go back as the sound was lifeless, it just did not engage me, and I really really wanted it to. The idea of the one box was just what I was after as long as I wasn’t making a massive compromise. Unfortunately I’m this case it was. Out of the box it’s sound was lifeless and over the time I had it and put three weeks of continuous playing on it nothing changed…
I went back to my Aries server and DCS Debussy DAC and the life returned. I then tried a Weiss DAC502 which is a similar one box item, though not as user friendly. WOW! Especially with the Aries as server the sound is so real, it just sounds right. So much so I have one on order.

See this is the thing that intrigues me most about our pastime, the reason why two people can have such different views on the same kit. Would you mind voicing what exactly it was about the voicing of the DCS Debussy that was not to your liking? It’s possible the Esoteric I had was not fully run in, but after a month with no significant improvement I couldn’t take the risk and it had to go back. Whereas the Weiss you just believe. You know you are hearing what you are supposed to hear. It’s a strange sensation not to be wondering if there should be more or less of something…

Originally Posted by brodricj

At its price point it's going to bring a lot of new customers into the Esoteric owners' family.

This. Brought me in

Hi all,

Wondering how the earlier owners of the N-05XD are finding it 12-18 months on - do you still own the N-05xd or have you had the upgrade itch since?

I've been searching for owner comments and comparisons of the N-05XD against other dacs but there is little out there or little that I can find.

Would anyone have any comments on how as a DAC the esoteric compares to the May, the MSB Discrete or the Aqua La Scala/Formula?

Lastly is there much difference between the USB input and the built in streamer if using roon? I have an antipodes K30 and can pass network out or usb.

Thankyou