Esoteric Grandioso K1 Unboxing

[Mike]

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[Alpinist]

Gorgeous, congrats Mike!!! Major eye candy!

Enjoy,
Ken

[kzhtoo]

Build quality is off the chart. Interested to know how its DAC section stack up against Berkeley, Lampizator, Chord, etc.

[Alectiong]

How does it sound compared to K01X?


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[Mike]

How does it sound compared to K01X?


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Too early to comment. I'll just say, it's smooooooooth.

[Alectiong]

Wow! I bought my K01X less than a year ago. Maybe should have waited


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[Mike]

Wow! I bought my K01X less than a year ago. Maybe should have waited


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The K-01x is a fantastic performer. It has the same great build quality and musical sound.

[Elberoth]

A real eye candy !

[jdandy]

Mike.......Phew! What a beauty. Absolute state of the art in a one box SACD/CD/DAC.

[socfan12]

WOWZA!!!!

Congrats, Mike, what a great toy!

[Audio 1]

Very gorgeous and I am sure the sonics are also stellar!

[Golum]

Maaaaaaammmaaaa mia....

[Ritmo]

Great looking player Mike! Are you connecting it to the system driving the M3s?

[Mike]

Great looking player Mike! Are you connecting it to the system driving the M3s?

I've connected it to the system for the Magico event this weekend where we are debuting the S3 Mk2 and Peter MacKay from Magico is attending to give a talk on the new S3 Mk2.

[still-one]

Mike is the Grandioso replacing the 30th Anniversary unit in your main room?

[Mike]

Mike is the Grandioso replacing the 30th Anniversary unit in your main room?

No, I have both. I will move the 30th Anniversary to one of the other show rooms.

[Marslo]

I had Esoteric X-05 for two years in my system. Still have in memory the build quality, never had a piece of gear which excels this of Esoteric.
Congratulations Mike, I envy you

[tunes]

Cd sacd transport doesn't get much better than this. Wow!


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[La Dolce Vita]

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Wow! What a different look! First impression I had was that something fell on the top portion of the faceplate and severely dented it.

It only takes a few seconds or minutes to realize the progressive styling of the chassis - nice!


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[Elberoth]

That would take a hydraulic press to make the dent like this.

Hydraulic press vs Esoteric K1 anyone ?

[kkfan]

What a beautiful player! Please share your thoughts on audio, Mike, once you've had enough time with it.

[La Dolce Vita]

What a beautiful player! Please share your thoughts on audio, Mike, once you've had enough time with it.

No doubt it will be killer! Just consider the K-01X. Wow... hard to imagine they could come up with something better...


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[Mike]

What a beautiful player! Please share your thoughts on audio, Mike, once you've had enough time with it.

I will tell you, it's freaking amazing. I mean, so good, it's thrown me for a loop. I was expecting it to be good, but it's truly at the upper echelon level. It is so smoooooooth. The last tiny bit of digital hash is gone. The Grandioso K1 sports the new AKM chip called "velvet sound". I will tell you, that aptly describes it.

http://www.akm.com/akm/en/product/featured/velvetsound/


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[kkfan]

I will tell you, it's freaking amazing. I mean, so good, it's thrown me for a loop. I was expecting it to be good, but it's truly at the upper echelon level. It is so smoooooooth. The last tiny bit of digital hash is gone. The Grandioso K1 sports the new AKM chip called "velvet sound". I will tell you, that aptly describes it.

http://www.akm.com/akm/en/product/featured/velvetsound/


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Thanks, Mike!

Sounds like a winner all the way!

[Alpinist]

I will tell you, it's freaking amazing. I mean, so good, it's thrown me for a loop. I was expecting it to be good, but it's truly at the upper echelon level. It is so smoooooooth. The last tiny bit of digital hash is gone. The Grandioso K1 sports the new AKM chip called "velvet sound". I will tell you, that aptly describes it.

http://www.akm.com/akm/en/product/featured/velvetsound/


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Hi Mike,

I've read that beautiful beast needs at least 500 hours of burn in. What are you at so far?

Best,
Ken

[Mike]

Hi Mike,

I've read that beautiful beast needs at least 500 hours of burn in. What are you at so far?

Best,
Ken

No where near that and yes, it keeps improving.

[Alectiong]

Would be keen to know how it compares to the K-01X in SQ.


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[Mike]

Would be keen to know how it compares to the K-01X in SQ.


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It's better - no doubt. A client who did a shootout last week said the K1 was a "major improvement in all areas" over the K-01x. I would say it's smoother, removes that last bit of digital "hash", bigger soundstage and it's true to its name "velvet sound".


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[Ctsooner]

I have always enjoyed their gear. Some of the best looking, best built and great sounding. Heard a bunch when I was in Japan and I have a local dealer I do some business with who always has their top pieces out.

[Alectiong]

Does the K1 have the same suite of upsamplings and digital filters as the K-01x? If yes, I wonder if anyone who tried them can share their preferences of the settings.


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[Mike]

Does the K1 have the same suite of upsamplings and digital filters as the K-01x? If yes, I wonder if anyone who tried them can share their preferences of the settings.


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No filters on the Grandioso K1.

[Ritmo]

No filters on the Grandioso K1.

Raw and unfiltered...

[Alectiong]

No filters on the Grandioso K1.

That is right , no filters for CD. For DSD, the setting is either OFF or ON, but no further information given. I received my unit today. Right out of the box , it sounds fuller with more meat on the bones compared to K-01X. Will see what happens after a few weeks .


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[Tony007]

The owners manual makes no reference to FIR or Short delay digital filters?

[Mike]

That is right , no filters for CD. For DSD, the setting is either OFF or ON, but no further information given. I received my unit today. Right out of the box , it sounds fuller with more meat on the bones compared to K-01X. Will see what happens after a few weeks .


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Congrats Alectiong. It's a wonderful piece. It really is the complete digital hub. I love mine and yes, I agree with your comments vs the K-01x.

[Mike]

The owners manual makes no reference to FIR or Short delay digital filters?

Not that I could find Tony.

[Tony007]

This new akm dac has several digital filters "on board". Perhaps Esoteric can confirm which one is active when playing back red book.

[Audiophon]

Hi Mike,
How does the T&A PDP 3000 compare to the Esoteric with SACD/CD?


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[Mike]

Hi Mike,
How does the T&A PDP 3000 compare to the Esoteric with SACD/CD?


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Comparing to the K-01x?

The T+A gets the nod in the build quality, transport. Sonically, they are both excellent. The T+A has a very fast dynamic, lively sound with a touch of sweetness. The Esoteric is maybe a little more relaxed.

The Grandioso K1 though is another story sonically.


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[Audiophon]

Thanks Mike! Can you compare the sound of the Grandioso to Lampi GG? Are they in the sand sonic league (sure... one is a DAC and the other a transport and DAC, so difficult to compare...)?


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[Mike]

Thanks Mike! Can you compare the sound of the Grandioso to Lampi GG? Are they in the sand sonic league (sure... one is a DAC and the other a transport and DAC, so difficult to compare...)?


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I don't have a GG on hand any more (only a Big 7). The Lampi's are very dependent on tube compliment, so it's difficult to compare. Lampi's with the right tube compliment are very organic and natural - especially with chip less DSD. Did we give up some magic when we had chip less DSD for convenience? Maybe.

I love the Lampi guys, they are all total nerds for what they do.

The Esoteric Grandioso K1 is really superb and I have heard it with the external clock. DAMN good!

I'm really excited to hear the new Berk REF 2 MQA version. The guys at Berkeley told me "MQA aside, the improvements to PCM are off the charts."




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[Alpinist]

Congrats on your Grandioso K1, stunning! The new AKM 4497 chip is a real game changer. It actually has 6 digital filters but they are all internally preset by Esoteric to achieve optimal sound. And from the feedback I've read, it has worked quite well.

Enjoy,
Ken

[mdp632]

Congrats on your Grandioso K1, stunning! The new AKM 4497 chip is a real game changer. It actually has 6 digital filters but they are all internally preset by Esoteric to achieve optimal sound. And from the feedback I've read, it has worked quite well.

Enjoy,
Ken

Ive always been curious about Esoteric digital. But , for the price they still use an off the shelf AKM chip. I can't get it over in my head that the competition in the same price range. For the most part is using custom FPGA etc..

[Alpinist]

Ive always been curious about Esoteric digital. But , for the price they still use an off the shelf AKM chip. I can't get it over in my head that the competition in the same price range. For the most part is using custom FPGA etc..

Have you listened to it yet? I wouldn't be so quick to make snap judgements on the Grandioso K1 until you audition it. The new AK4497 chip offers a dramatic improvement over previous iterations and there are many other upgrades with the Grandioso technology. The K1's detail, organic musicality and soundstage are amazing. To my ears, I preferred the Grandioso K1 to both the Esoteric Grandioso stack (K1 DAC chip is two versions newer) and the DCS stack (no tomatoes please!). The only DAC I've heard that I preferred over the Grandioso K1 was the MSB Select II. YMMV.

Ken

[Mike]

Ok, let's see what this big boy does in the AG system.




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[mdp632]

A visually stunning piece of gear without a doubt.

[Mike]

Are any of the Esoteric Grandioso K1 owners using upsampling? What do you find sounds best?

I'm liking the upsampling to DSD.


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[mdp632]

I'm not a K1 owner but curious about its DAC performance as it relates to high res files and tidal streaming.

if you happen to try out this feature it would be interesting to see how it ranks compared to the other dac you've had in your system

[Mike]

I'm not a K1 owner but curious about its DAC performance as it relates to high res files and tidal streaming.

if you happen to try out this feature it would be interesting to see how it ranks compared to the other dac you've had in your system

I've tried it extensively in my store with the Aurender N10 and I feel the DAC chipset in the Grandioso K1 ranks right up there with the other best DAC's I have in the store. It gives up nothing to the other big boys.


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[Alpinist]

I've tried it extensively in my store with the Aurender N10 and I feel the DAC chipset in the Grandioso K1 ranks right up there with the other best DAC's I have in the store. It gives up nothing to the other big boys.


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Mike has to be a little diplomatic with his praise, considering all the top DAC brands he carries, but in my honest opinion, the Grandioso K1 is a material step up from the Berk Ref2 in both soundstage and detail. Plus the sound quality with SACDs and DSD is simply breathtaking.

Ken