Well, after chatting with Mike in the background a fair amount in recent weeks, I think it is appropriate for me to contribute to this forum my experience with the K1X/PS1/Cybershaft setup, by combining and editing several posts I made on another forum.
I recently replaced an Esoteric D02/P02/G01 stack with an Esoteric K1X/PS1/Cybershaft OP21A/Ultra Pure PS setup. For me, the K1X is a revelation, especially in combination with the PS1 and the Cybershaft clock and PS. To my ears, the sound I am getting is better than what I have heard from both a DCS Vivaldi stack and a Nagra HD DAC X in a system with the same electronics as mine with Magico M3 speakers, and is in the same league (at least at first blush) as what I heard at MagicoÂ’s facility from a system consisting of MSB Select II feeding CH Precision M1 monos (might have been M1.1s) and Magico M6 speakers. To be fair, I listened to this last system for only an hour, using music I know well, and some cuts chosen by Alon Wolf. It could well be the case that if I had spent significant time with it, I may be more or less willing to state that the sound I am getting is in the same league as that being produced by the system at MagicoÂ’s facility.
In any event, what I hear from the K1X is music with a transparency, organic immediacy, unetched detail, tonal density, three dimensionality, openness and incredibly well articulated, center of the earth bass that is only matched by the system I heard at Magico. It goes without saying that there are plenty of great systems with great digital front ends I have not heard. But I sure do love what I am hearing. Interestingly, I am getting this sound, which largely mirror's Mike's experience, in a system that incudes electronics and speakers that are very different than Mike's, especially the speakers and electronics.
The other equipment in my system includes a Baetis Ref server (soon to be replaced by a Taiko SGM Extreme), Spectral DMC 30SV pre/DMA 500 AR mono amps, MIT SHD interconnects and speaker cable and Magico M Project speakers. Clock cables are Shunyata Sigma v1. Looking forward to getting the v2 version, or perhaps the Omega version
. I also own a Spectral 4000SV CD player, and while it is higher resolution than the Esoteric P02/D02/G01 on redbook CD and creates a wonderful synergy when used in an all Spectral SV topology setup, it is clearly bested by the new rig and has been largely collecting dust of late. For those who are interested in some clock comparisons, and the relative contribution of the Cybershaft vs the PS1, read on.
Before selling the G01, I tried using it with the K1X and found that whereas the G01 was necessary for the D02/P02 to sound highly resolving and musical (rather than fairly resolving and a touch too analytical, which they did without the clock), it did not provide the K1X with a clear improvement. Indeed, I slightly preferred the K1X without the G01, although my wife (a jazz vocalist with an excellent ear) slightly preferred it with the G01. By contrast, the Cybershaft clock and itÂ’s PS made a dramatic improvement to the sound of the K1X, which already sounded streets ahead of the older stack. This improvement was in the nature of greatly enhanced spatial resolution and transparency. It was more impactful than the addition of the Esoteric PS1, which I would characterize as being akin to going from a great stereo amp to a pair of monoblocks based on the same circuit design (larger soundstage and better low end and better dynamics). Further, adding the G01 to control my DCS Network Bridge as a Word Clock generator while slaved to the Cybershaft added no noticeable improvement as compared to not having the G01 in the system. I appreciate that the G01 is not the latest offering from Esoteric, but it is the data point that I have.
What I did not do was wait the presumably 200 hours or whatever the burn in period is for the K1X before adding the clock and the PS1. Rather, I had the K1X for about ten days before I had the clock, and it was another week or so before the PS1 showed up. During the period from getting the K1X and finally the PS1, I was only semi-diligent about burning in the new pieces. So it is reasonable to conclude that some (significant) improvements continued to take place in each component in addition to compounding improvements being realized by the addition of the clock and then the PS1. Indeed, the whole setup does seem to me to be getting better still. I have also not gone back and tried the K1X with the PS1 but without the clock, or with the clock and without the PS1 now that they have undergone perhaps 100 hours of use. So, my inquiry is far from being as methodical as it might be. That said, I am pretty confident in my conclusion that forced to choose I would take the clock over the PS1.
