jwhite613
Active member
Angel... I think Bob was referring to you as one of the good people. Someone who came to AudioShark and shared his honest opinion on a piece of gear.
So Does All The Hype On That Other Site Add Up - Esoteric K03
- Thread starter radioactive
- Start date
NorthStar
New member
Yes, Cyril got my post right on!
It's not because I was banned from that other site that I changed my mind on all the great audio components providing happy music listening to so many owners.
That particular audio component, the Esoteric K-03, was quite a revelation for me, from so many happy owners. And I also read quite a few pro reviews, and all were kind of magical from their own reviewers/listeners' views. ...And same with the K-01.
I believe that I touched all the main points; satisfaction from their owners in their music listening enjoyment, the financial aspect for different type of people having more or less the resources and sacrifices, and even the WAF aspect of it.
One thing that I did not mention is the beauty (looks) of that machine. ...Very nice and elegantly simple design. ...And the silver color for that K-03, and also K-01 is also the best.
Silver is more refined and luxurious than black, and that's a fact.
Often I'm humorous, and not everyone can read me all the time. That's ok; sometimes it takes more time to know one better. At the end it always turn for the best. ...Except at that other place, but just from very few people (only three actually). And you simply cannot argue with a dictator, just not possible, unless you agree with everything he says, and even when he's wrong. But then, you're selling your soul to the devil, way of speech.
We're just humans, not Supermen, and when the going is getting nastier for all the wrong reasons, and that a dark cloud is falling upon incomprehension, and that men stop being real men, losing their senses and sensibilities, and unable to apologize for their bad behavior, or mistakes, or wrong judgement; then we all have our own limits, and can take a lot, till the day of total liberation.
And that day finally came to me, thank you big time to Mike, Joe, and Mark.
And furthermore, they helped me too in making the best decisions from other audio forums.
What they did is to simply give me a true hand at reaching much much deeper the good man inside me.
Team work is much more powerful than working alone. And a team of peaceful and intelligent men together (women too), can achieve much much much more than an organization of cover-ups for the financial gain and prestige of its 'head'.
Oh well, here I go again, and we know what's right and what's wrong.
* Yes, the Esoteric K-03, but there are also so many other great CD/SACD players!
Some cost less, others more. ...Prices for all type of wallets, and looks for all taste.
We all want the perfect wife, daughter, son, ...and we can only give what we have.
P.S. And yes too; "the good people following us right here", mainly in reference to you directly, Angel.
It's not because I was banned from that other site that I changed my mind on all the great audio components providing happy music listening to so many owners.
That particular audio component, the Esoteric K-03, was quite a revelation for me, from so many happy owners. And I also read quite a few pro reviews, and all were kind of magical from their own reviewers/listeners' views. ...And same with the K-01.
I believe that I touched all the main points; satisfaction from their owners in their music listening enjoyment, the financial aspect for different type of people having more or less the resources and sacrifices, and even the WAF aspect of it.
One thing that I did not mention is the beauty (looks) of that machine. ...Very nice and elegantly simple design. ...And the silver color for that K-03, and also K-01 is also the best.
Silver is more refined and luxurious than black, and that's a fact.
Often I'm humorous, and not everyone can read me all the time. That's ok; sometimes it takes more time to know one better. At the end it always turn for the best. ...Except at that other place, but just from very few people (only three actually). And you simply cannot argue with a dictator, just not possible, unless you agree with everything he says, and even when he's wrong. But then, you're selling your soul to the devil, way of speech.
We're just humans, not Supermen, and when the going is getting nastier for all the wrong reasons, and that a dark cloud is falling upon incomprehension, and that men stop being real men, losing their senses and sensibilities, and unable to apologize for their bad behavior, or mistakes, or wrong judgement; then we all have our own limits, and can take a lot, till the day of total liberation.
And that day finally came to me, thank you big time to Mike, Joe, and Mark.
And furthermore, they helped me too in making the best decisions from other audio forums.
What they did is to simply give me a true hand at reaching much much deeper the good man inside me.
Team work is much more powerful than working alone. And a team of peaceful and intelligent men together (women too), can achieve much much much more than an organization of cover-ups for the financial gain and prestige of its 'head'.
Oh well, here I go again, and we know what's right and what's wrong.
* Yes, the Esoteric K-03, but there are also so many other great CD/SACD players!
Some cost less, others more. ...Prices for all type of wallets, and looks for all taste.
We all want the perfect wife, daughter, son, ...and we can only give what we have.
P.S. And yes too; "the good people following us right here", mainly in reference to you directly, Angel.
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sharkmouth
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2013
- Messages
- 1,615
I had the K-03 in my system for a fortnight way before the frenzy started, I didn't take to it although it was a good thing, admittedly it didn't hang with the MSB gear.
iamhifi
New member
Hello Bob,
l like the way you wrote the passage this time, Thank you for clarifying, I have known of this site even before it air and know what it stands for, and I know that everyone here are all good people, great friendship and great knowledge.
Cheers,
Angel
radioactive
New member
- Thread Author
- #26
Looks like a frenzy here, but glad it's all cleared up...
@Angel - Thanks for your input. What amps and speakers do you have? No offense, but if it's so good, why did you sell it? And I seriously mean it -- no offense -- really. I'm always searching for gear that I love the sound of -- if I find it, you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands in order to get it from me
I suppose there's always better, but better is relative especially in terms of what we can afford. I'd offer up that if you didn't like digital, you just haven't found the right balance -- it can be very good sounding (don't give up and go to analog just yet) on the right mix of gear and source (meaning digital files).
Esoteric is one of the manufacturers that takes the time to build their own transport - and it's a very good one at at. My initial issue when confronted with the option of a purchase was that I just don't spin anything (vinyl or digital discs). Everything is ripped and played back via a DAC and digital source so I didn't want to invest in a transport. I did take the time to sit at a dealer's and listen to the K03 for the better part of an afternoon and compared it to several other playback systems (DCS's Debussy, and a few others). I also tried the D07x but it was also not a good fit. The Esoteric K03 sounded very detailed, but it just didn't blend with the gear well (IMO). I found it not my cup of tea -- that's all. I'm not bashing the product at all. It's a fine product and I'm sure it has synergy with gear that produces fantastic sound (which is why I ask what your speakers and amps are).
Bryan
@Angel - Thanks for your input. What amps and speakers do you have? No offense, but if it's so good, why did you sell it? And I seriously mean it -- no offense -- really. I'm always searching for gear that I love the sound of -- if I find it, you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands in order to get it from me
I suppose there's always better, but better is relative especially in terms of what we can afford. I'd offer up that if you didn't like digital, you just haven't found the right balance -- it can be very good sounding (don't give up and go to analog just yet) on the right mix of gear and source (meaning digital files).Esoteric is one of the manufacturers that takes the time to build their own transport - and it's a very good one at at. My initial issue when confronted with the option of a purchase was that I just don't spin anything (vinyl or digital discs). Everything is ripped and played back via a DAC and digital source so I didn't want to invest in a transport. I did take the time to sit at a dealer's and listen to the K03 for the better part of an afternoon and compared it to several other playback systems (DCS's Debussy, and a few others). I also tried the D07x but it was also not a good fit. The Esoteric K03 sounded very detailed, but it just didn't blend with the gear well (IMO). I found it not my cup of tea -- that's all. I'm not bashing the product at all. It's a fine product and I'm sure it has synergy with gear that produces fantastic sound (which is why I ask what your speakers and amps are).
Bryan
Yes I have a K-01 on order, and my decision had nothing to do with hype or a group buy (I'm in the UK).
At my dealers I was able to listen to the K-01, K-03, Burmester 089 & 069. I spent very little time with the 069 as, at almost twice the price of the K-01 and 089, it was well out of my price range.
The K-01 was the one I chose, simply because it was the one I really enjoyed listening to. With the K-01 I forgot that I was supposed to be comparing players and just let the CD run.
Before settling on the K-01 I was able to have the pre-amp removed and run it directly into the Burmester 911 mk3, which is how I intend to run it in my system, and that was it, I ordered one.
Although is seems to be generally accepted that extended run in time, with an IsoTek disc, is required, I can find no mention of this in the on-line manual. I will, however, bow to the experience of others and leave a CD spinning when I'm not listening to it. I'm not sure if the "special" run-in disc is supplied, if not I've an XLO CD with a burn in track that I can use.
My K-01 is due to arrive in Germany tomorrow, Friday. I don't know how long it will take them to send it on to my dealer, and then he has to get it to me. I'm hoping that it will arrive next week, but I think it's more likely to be later than that, I'll keep you informed.
radioactive
New member
- Thread Author
- #28
Colin,
Unfortunately I didn't listen to the K01 -- it was just more than I was willing to spend. I wanted to be under $14K. I wish that Esoteric would just make a DAC version of the K01 with USB. I'd at least give it a serious run with the bulls. Their current lineup for DAC's needs to be refreshed.
BTW those Giya G2's are something right out of Dr Seuss! Man they are trippy looking!
And congrats on the K01.
Unfortunately I didn't listen to the K01 -- it was just more than I was willing to spend. I wanted to be under $14K. I wish that Esoteric would just make a DAC version of the K01 with USB. I'd at least give it a serious run with the bulls. Their current lineup for DAC's needs to be refreshed.
BTW those Giya G2's are something right out of Dr Seuss! Man they are trippy looking!
And congrats on the K01.
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Jeffkad
New member
I really believe the owners of the esoterics are genuinely happy and impressed with the esoteric performance level. They have nothing to gain by pumping. I just got my K-03 the other day. I have not had extensive time on it, but I can confirm what some others have said: the default settings out of the box sound pretty weak for a 10k machine. Have no idea what they were thinking, and maybe break in would improve this, but upon switching to a recommended setting of 2x upsampling and FIR1, the improvement cold out of the box was dramaticly better. The level of detail is spectacular. That said, it sometimes is so dynamic it's almost piercing. Which is what many at AA and Agon said it would sound like before proper break-in. I will break-in accordingly, but will also soon try the setting that the TAS reviewer recommended: 2x OS and SLY_1, which he said was more analog like. I am going to give this experiment plenty of time, as the overwhelming opinion is do NOT judge this CDP until you've put 400-500 hours on it. So I won't. However, even now, I admit I was quite amazed by the sound with the initial OS/filters settings. And yes Tremayne, an extensive burn in CD is provided in the box.
jwhite613
Active member
Jeff... Congratulations on the new spinner. Keep us update through the long break-in. And Enjoy!!!
NorthStar
New member
Thank you Colin for sharing.
__________________
* Esoteric K-01 CD/SACD Player | The Absolute Sound
* Esoteric K-01 -- The Ultimate Source?
* Esoteric K-01 SACD Player | Ultra High-End Audio and Home Theater Review
{ => The Audio Beat - The Grail Quest: Searching for Superior Single-Box SACD Sound; Esoteric K-01 }
* Audio Federation Blog » Blog Archive » CD/SACD Player Shootout: EMM Labs XDS1 versus Esoteric K-01 - High-end Audio Blog
* REFERENCE COMPONENTS-DIGITAL SOURCES
________________________
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-> SoundStageXtreme.com | UltraAudio.com | Esoteric P-02 SACD/CD Transport and D-02 Digital-to-Analog Converter
-> Esoteric P-02 SACD/CD Transport & D-02 DAC Review | Dagogo | A Unique Audiophile Experience
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Penthouse-D
New member
I bought mine well before the "frenzy". I had a McIntosh MCD1100 and was totally underwhelmed, especially when McIntosh took well over a year to correct the issue the unit had. The K-03 was a bit bright at first. After some break in, the K-03 sounds really sweet, so maybe the folks who find it bright have listened to a unit with few hours on it. One thing for sure, you can not beat the build quality, especially the transport.
No doubt, if you are looking for a world class CD player and transport and DAC, this does it all - and I mean all.
But I have to wonder if we aren't at a bit of a digital crossroads right now: to rip everything, or keep the CD player....that's the question. As long as SACD remains a viable format, I think a CD player remains a great option. But will HD downloads eventually replace SACD? Maybe...
But I have to wonder if we aren't at a bit of a digital crossroads right now: to rip everything, or keep the CD player....that's the question. As long as SACD remains a viable format, I think a CD player remains a great option. But will HD downloads eventually replace SACD? Maybe...
That's what I love about this forum. A friend brought it to my attention on the "other forum"
That the k03 had only praises and not one negative thing about it.
I went around and checked and he was right.
In my experience Ive yet to see the piece of audio gear that every single person likes.
Some love the ko3. Some don't . Could be the system associated.
Not enough burn in time . Or other factors. The fact that we are free to voice those opinions here and give our own honest opinions without feeling like we are doing something wrong is a tribute to what a great forum that Mike has put together here.
As far as the Ko3 goes I have never heard one, but am definitely interested in hearing one once my analog side is finished.
That the k03 had only praises and not one negative thing about it.
I went around and checked and he was right.
In my experience Ive yet to see the piece of audio gear that every single person likes.
Some love the ko3. Some don't . Could be the system associated.
Not enough burn in time . Or other factors. The fact that we are free to voice those opinions here and give our own honest opinions without feeling like we are doing something wrong is a tribute to what a great forum that Mike has put together here.
As far as the Ko3 goes I have never heard one, but am definitely interested in hearing one once my analog side is finished.
Yes indeed. All opinions count. I just don't want people to get personal and bash something. If you don't like something, that's cool, it wasn't your cup of tea. It's a learning process. This past weekend was a huge eye opener for me. Hearing all that gear in one day was a treat. I find it hard to hear something, and then two months later hear something else and then compare. The one shock for me was that I preferred the McIntosh 601's to 1.2kws.
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MrAcoustat
New member
Yes Bryan as you say, it's a question of matching like anything else, i own a Chord One cdp and lots of people also find that unit BRIGHT well i am more of a smooth sound kind of guy and all i can say is both my Chord units sound transparent with my Acoustat's BUT nothing bright about any of the two units BUT there is NO silver wire anywhere in my system because i prefer COPPER.
GaryProtein
New member
I just saw the YouTube.
The K-03 needs a tray thumb hole on the right side also to enable the disk to be retrieved with the left hand as well. How could they not have thought of that????
I am right handed, but I have always inserted and removed disks with my left hand.
The K-03 needs a tray thumb hole on the right side also to enable the disk to be retrieved with the left hand as well. How could they not have thought of that????
I am right handed, but I have always inserted and removed disks with my left hand.
Radioactive,
Thanks for the congrats, unfortunately I still don't know where in the world my K-01 is.
The Giyas do divide opinion on their looks, but I've found that visitors who see them, rather than photos, really take to them. Most compare them to sculptures or musical instruments.
Vivid design and build every part of their speakers, with no outsourcing. The shape is very much defined by the engineering required to accommodate the drivers, it's not a case of coming up with an eye catching shape, and then fitting the drivers into it. How the Vivid shape evolved is really interesting, at least it is to me, but that's not really appropriate for this thread.
Then there's the sound, absolutely glorious, I love them :heart:.