Impressive first listen - Esoteric K01XD

I have a K-01XD and play mostly classical music. I have experimented fairly extensively with the filters and upsampling. The defaults are M1 and no upsampling for PCM; no filter for DSD/SACD. My current preferences are M1 with 8X upsampling for PCM, F1 for DSD. The filters and especially upsampling will tone down a bright recording but will not put lipstick on a pig. Other components in your chain may also impact brightness after details have been unmasked by a source upgrade (e.g., amps, speakers, cables).
 
I'm just looking for a slight impact. I understand the options won't, nor should they, do anything drastic. The impact of up sampling is puzzling. Never would I have thought upsampling would impact tone more than filtering.
 
egradyh said:
I am considering either the K-01XD or the 03-XD. Do the digital filters on these units give you the option of toning down overly bright recordings? Sometimes accuracy only exposes poor mastering.
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I've been a fan of the Esoteric K-01XD since I heard it (or one of its siblings, don’t recall now that I think of it) at Suncoast a few years ago. I immediately ordered the K-01XD because of that experience. Others have pointed out the subtle but audible impact of the various filters and sampling rates available. But the key to its performance in my opinion is the Master Sound Discrete DAC (now in the SE version). Without its exceptional transparency, tonal density, and the ability to deliver a coherent continuous presentation of the music, sampling rates or filters are immaterial. Yes, filters will affect the perceived noise floor and sampling rates will alter the perceived frequency response of the digital file, but the DAC in the K-01XD is quite excellent at what it does. The ability to “customize” its sound with a choice of filters and/or sampling rates is the proverbial icing on the cake.
 
egradyh said:
I'm just looking for a slight impact. I understand the options won't, nor should they, do anything drastic. The impact of up sampling is puzzling. Never would I have thought upsampling would impact tone more than filtering.
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Me neither, and I don't understand why, but IMO it does. To me some upsampling choices sound worse, some better than none. To my ears the effects are not linear, and the perceived changes vary from recording to recording. Looking for a balance. Some of the best recordings I own are great old performances (before the CD era and in the early CD era) where making a slight improvement in a marginal recording can be a real difference maker.
 
GSOphile said:
Me neither, and I don't understand why, but IMO it does. To me some upsampling choices sound worse, some better than none. To my ears the effects are not linear, and the perceived changes vary from recording to recording. Looking for a balance. Some of the best recordings I own are great old performances (before the CD era and in the early CD era) where making a slight improvement in a marginal recording can be a real difference maker.
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Does anyone know if you use an external dac with the k01xd do the filters settings make a difference or not? Does it just go over raw or processed based on the filter settings set in k01xd?
 
GSOphile said:
Me neither, and I don't understand why, but IMO it does. To me some upsampling choices sound worse, some better than none. To my ears the effects are not linear, and the perceived changes vary from recording to recording. Looking for a balance. Some of the best recordings I own are great old performances (before the CD era and in the early CD era) where making a slight improvement in a marginal recording can be a real difference maker.
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+1

Bruno Walter and Georg Szell are the recordings I’m looking to tone down a bit.
 
egradyh,
K-01XD with PCM filter = M1 (the default) and 8X upsampling, and DSD F1 filter, I'll comment on several recordings:
1. Szell/Cleveland - Beethoven Symphony No. 3 and three overtures - 50s and 60s recordings remastered to SACD by Sony in 2000 - a very slight tinge of brightness, but this recording, especially the first movement, suffers from the extreme dryness of the Severance Hall acoustic.
2. Szell/Cleveland - Wagner Ring, Meistersinger, Tristan & Isolde, recorded 60s, digitally remastered to Sony CD 1992. Szell gets Wagner. Most would be pleased with this recording on the K-01XD.
3. Same performances as #2 above but digitally remastered to SACD by Sony in 1999. Don't bother. IMO they totally screwed up this remaster.
4. Fleisher/Szell/Cleveland - Beethoven Piano Concerto 4, Mozart Piano Concerto 25, recorded 1959, remixed for CD 1982 - outstanding performances and excellent CBS CD. IMO not bright.
5. Walther/Columbia Symphony Orch. - Beethoven Symphonies 4 & 6, recorded late 50s, Sony digital remastered CD 1995. This disc has the full Columbia sound, reminds me of their vinyl from that era. Symphony No. 6 is particularly good. Not bright on my rig. This old CD given to me by a friend. First time I listened to it last night. Will be investigating Bruno Walter further thanks to your post.
 
GSOphile said:
egradyh,
K-01XD with PCM filter = M1 (the default) and 8X upsampling, and DSD F1 filter, I'll comment on several recordings:
1. Szell/Cleveland - Beethoven Symphony No. 3 and three overtures - 50s and 60s recordings remastered to SACD by Sony in 2000 - a very slight tinge of brightness, but this recording, especially the first movement, suffers from the extreme dryness of the Severance Hall acoustic.
2. Szell/Cleveland - Wagner Ring, Meistersinger, Tristan & Isolde, recorded 60s, digitally remastered to Sony CD 1992. Szell gets Wagner. Most would be pleased with this recording on the K-01XD.
3. Same performances as #2 above but digitally remastered to SACD by Sony in 1999. Don't bother. IMO they totally screwed up this remaster.
4. Fleisher/Szell/Cleveland - Beethoven Piano Concerto 4, Mozart Piano Concerto 25, recorded 1959, remixed for CD 1982 - outstanding performances and excellent CBS CD. IMO not bright.
5. Walther/Columbia Symphony Orch. - Beethoven Symphonies 4 & 6, recorded late 50s, Sony digital remastered CD 1995. This disc has the full Columbia sound, reminds me of their vinyl from that era. Symphony No. 6 is particularly good. Not bright on my rig. This old CD given to me by a friend. First time I listened to it last night. Will be investigating Bruno Walter further thanks to your post.
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The last movement of Mozart #36 and Brahms #3 are examples. Not all Walter’s recordings have edgy massed strings. The Beethoven Symphony’s are fine. What is really odd is Mozart #35 sounds fine, but the last movements of #36 and #38 are edgy. Beethoven #6 is one of the very few recordings where the sound and performance are all time greats.
 
hello, another question ;),

when you connect a streamer to the DAC of the K01XD, is it better to use the coaxial entry or the USB entry? Which one is the best?
 
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