jdandy
New member
- Thread Author
- #1
Yesterday the new Esoteric K-01X arrived and is now installed in the studio sound system. It replaces an Esoteric K-03 that is now serving my living room system. The K-01X is a gorgeous machine, not unlike its older sibling. It's heavier, too. I am excited to have the Esoteric K-01X SACD/CD/DAC in my studio two channel system. She is a beauty for sure.
I had given strong consideration to the possibility of going with a DAC only arrangement in the studio system. The main contenders were the new Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC Reference Series 2 and the EMM Labs DA2. Ultimately it came down to how I use the sound system. I like to spin SACD's and having the option to spin friends CD's. A DAC only option would have eliminated a particular source I consider important. Once I made the decision to maintain a transport in my sound system there was only one other single box choice on my list, the Esoteric K-01X.
I placed the new K-01X on Stillpoints Ultra Mini's in the same location where the K-03 had been so that I could continue to have the Aurender N10 Music server reside on top of it. I like the way those two components look in close proximity. I wound up listening to the N10/K-01X until 3:00 AM last night. Even right out of the box the Esoteric K-01X sounds remarkable. I left it playing with the Aurender N10 on repeat and it now has approximately 25 hours on it. I plan to continue this break-in process for several hundred hours, switching between all of the upsampling and filter settings, as well as using the transport for CD's and SACD's. I am familiar with the two K-03's I broke in so I am prepared for the K-01X to blossom like a rare orchid as the hours are logged. At this moment the K-01X sounds impressive but the future will deliver more as the break-in hours accumulate. I can already hear improvements I like but will wait until the player has "matured" with several hundred hours of use before focusing a critical ear on its performance.
I had given strong consideration to the possibility of going with a DAC only arrangement in the studio system. The main contenders were the new Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC Reference Series 2 and the EMM Labs DA2. Ultimately it came down to how I use the sound system. I like to spin SACD's and having the option to spin friends CD's. A DAC only option would have eliminated a particular source I consider important. Once I made the decision to maintain a transport in my sound system there was only one other single box choice on my list, the Esoteric K-01X.
I placed the new K-01X on Stillpoints Ultra Mini's in the same location where the K-03 had been so that I could continue to have the Aurender N10 Music server reside on top of it. I like the way those two components look in close proximity. I wound up listening to the N10/K-01X until 3:00 AM last night. Even right out of the box the Esoteric K-01X sounds remarkable. I left it playing with the Aurender N10 on repeat and it now has approximately 25 hours on it. I plan to continue this break-in process for several hundred hours, switching between all of the upsampling and filter settings, as well as using the transport for CD's and SACD's. I am familiar with the two K-03's I broke in so I am prepared for the K-01X to blossom like a rare orchid as the hours are logged. At this moment the K-01X sounds impressive but the future will deliver more as the break-in hours accumulate. I can already hear improvements I like but will wait until the player has "matured" with several hundred hours of use before focusing a critical ear on its performance.
