Which Esoteric amp?

[Paleo137]

Hi,

I am considering upgrading my power amp from a Bryston 4B3 (2x300 W) to an Esoteric amp. My speakers are PMC fact 12s, which have a sensitivity of 84dB.

I am trying out the S05, which is class A and is rated at 2x30 W. I prefer it to the Bryston, and it manages to produce sufficient volume. It runs very hot and the oak shelf above it becomes uncomfortable to touch.

As the S02 is 2x145 W, I was thinking that would be the one to go for given the low sensitivity of the speakers. My hi-fi dealer, who had an S05 in stock, proposed I listen to that one to hear the “house sound”. On paper, the S02 and the S05 are quite different, the S02 being A/B.

Has anyone compared these amps, or is familiar with one of them? I would be grateful for any impressions.

Does the S02 run very hot as well? Esoteric recommends leaving 8” above either amp. In my rack, that would be impossible. The space for the amp is just over 10” at the moment and could just about be increased by another 4”. The rack is open at the sides and back. The S05 is 7.5” high, which would produce a 6.5” gap, the S02 is 8.5” high, leaving a 5.5” gap. I assume Esoteric is playing safe when stating what the gap should be, and a slightly smaller gap will not result in instant disaster. Still, I am worried about the amp overheating or the shelf warping.

A possible solution would be to put the amp on the top shelf. This would not be optimal for the speaker cables but would certainly provide sufficient air space.

I would be grateful for any advice.

 

[SCAudiophile]

I own two S-02 stereo amps (and previously own an Esoteric A-02 stereo amp). Esoteric amps are not talked about nearly often enough, and I found that the A-02 and now, with the S-02 even more so, their amps have the same SOTA, wonderful, musical sonics as many of the more Audiophile-favorite amps at a fraction of the cost.

A friend also has the Grandioso S1, which I've heard, and I would say the same for it and the Grandioso M1 monoblocks that I've heard on multiple occasions.

In practice these amps are beasts and I've pushed them hard with big symphonic, pipe organ, techno, prog rock, hard rock, etc at wall-moving volumes. They are, to me, fantastic amps.

The S-02, or if you can find one used, the Grandioso S1 which has identical specs to the S-02 but with differences in the case aesthetic, binding posts and some differences in parts internally to all readily drive your speakers beautifully. That efficiency spec requires power.

If memory serves the first 30+ watts on the S-02 are Class A and Esoteric Class A has always impressed me and others who have heard them, very much.

For run temperatures for the S-02, I took these after playing music constantly for well over 7 hours, amps are on 24/7...

All temps in Fahrenheit.

Klein infrared digital with a variable emissivity setting for tweaking to material measured.

Temperatures +/- 0.5 degree (real-time fluctuations, lack of perfection by the guy holding the Klein gun)

Front of chassis: 83.9
Top front center plate: 89.7

Center top vent forward: 88.0
Center top vent: back: 85.3

Left long top vent: 108.5 to 111.1
Right long top vent: 106.9 to 109.5

On long vents, the range of temps is from when I scanned front to back and back to front,...there were temp changes along the insides.

The amps are on stands with ample open air above them.


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[SCAudiophile]

Two photos:

Don't know where you are located...if you are ever near Greenville SC, you are welcome to hear them here.

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[Mr Peabody]

Isn't the S02 discontinued?

There are quiet fan options you could use to dissipate some of the heat.

If you have an Esoteric front end with the current drive peature you can get even more from the amp.

 

[Paleo137]

Hi,

Thanks for your informative and very useful reply. I'll measure the temperature of the S05 next time I use it. I'll try out the S02 soon.

I agree that the Esoteric amps are a not talked about much. I found it impossible to find reviews Esoteric are famous for just their digital devices it would seem. I have come across the idea that these are so good in part because of the quality of the non-digital part of them.

 

[Paleo137]

Two photos:

Don't know where you are located...if you are ever near Greenville SC, you are welcome to hear them here.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

Amazing system. I'm in Scotland so unlikely to pop by.

 

[Paleo137]

Isn't the S02 discontinued?

There are quiet fan options you could use to dissipate some of the heat.

If you have an Esoteric front end with the current drive peature you can get even more from the amp.

Hi,

The S02 has indeed been discontinued. My dealer has been able to find one of the last ones so I'll be able to buy it for quite a good price.

I considered fans but I'll see how hot it runs first. My dealer is reluctant to put it on the top shelf of the rack but that may have something to do with the weight of the device. My speaker cables are quite heavy but they leave the lockable banana plugs at right angles.

I have the K01XD player which has the ESL output, but my C03XS pre amp does not seem to have the corresponding input.

 

[JGlacken]

Since you have an Esoteric front end, I would definitely get an Esoteric amp! I have heard Mark’s S-02s above, and can tell you there is nothing missing. Of course a super system.
I have N-01XD, C02X and Grandioso S-1. The synergy is awesome.
You might want to look at hifi Shark as there are Esoteric amps listed for sale. Some at great sale prices with proper voltages for you.

 

[SCAudiophile]

Isn't the S02 discontinued?

There are quiet fan options you could use to dissipate some of the heat.

If you have an Esoteric front end with the current drive peature you can get even more from the amp.

Yes, the S-02 is available built for Europe only today (according to website at least), and the Grandioso S1 was discontinued and replaced by the Grandioso S1X. They are still great amps when found on the used market.
POWER AMPLIFIER | ESOTERIC:Japan high-end audio manufacturer | エソテリック

Good point on the quiet fan idea.


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[SCAudiophile]

Thanks, JGlacken...the same is true when I heard your system!!! (Antipodes Oladra, Esoteric N-01XD, C-02X and Grandioso S1)

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[Paleo137]

Since you have an Esoteric front end, I would definitely get an Esoteric amp! I have heard Mark’s S-02s above, and can tell you there is nothing missing. Of course a super system.
I have N-01XD, C02X and Grandioso S-1. The synergy is awesome.
You might want to look at hifi Shark as there are Esoteric amps listed for sale. Some at great sale prices with proper voltages for you.

Hi,

I agree about the synergy. The K01 produces great detail, the S05 great musicality. Amazing combination.

 

[brodricj]

Since you have an Esoteric front end, I would definitely get an Esoteric amp!

I have an Esoteric front end, but when I saw on the Esoteric YT channel that it takes three days warm up for M1X to sound its best I crossed it off my list for further consideration.

 

[SCAudiophile]

If they are fully broken in, I would bet in actuality, it is more like 1 day or so, just like any other big amp, and the preceding models (A-02, S-02, S1, M1) after a long, complete power down for amps and preamp.

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[costintdan]

Two photos:

Don't know where you are located...if you are ever near Greenville SC, you are welcome to hear them here.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

Hello, can you please tell me how you’re using 2 S-02 amps? I haven’t found any specification using them in bridge or bi-amp mode.

 

[SCAudiophile]

I have an Esoteric front end, but when I saw on the Esoteric YT channel that it takes three days warm up for M1X to sound its best I crossed it off my list for further consideration.

I heard a fully broken in pair of M1X after the system had been powered up for just short of half a day and they (and the system) sounded fantastic. Returning the next morning and again in the late afternoon, everything was at run-rate and had matured a bit more in the ensuing 2nd 24 hour period. On day 3, there were no changes readily discernible and the system continued to sound wonderful.

This is no different (IMHO) than what I've heard in my own setup with various amps from manufacturers such as Esoteric (S-02 and A-02), Edge (NL12.1, G8), Maker Audio (NL14) and other amps in the past, nor is it any different than what I've heard from friends' setups with many big name brands using other manufacturers' top notch Class A or AB power. Given a properly broken-in amp to start with, they all seem to have some sort of maturation period from initial power on when things sounds great however more time (half a day, one day+) is required for the power supplies, caps, and over circuitry ot reach their run-rate performance and "sound their best".

It might be worth revisiting them and hearing them simply as a fun listening experience; they are excellent.

One YouTuber source that talked about the M1X amps mentioning the 3-day quote was very complimentary however, he did not appear to allow them enough time to fully break-in from a new out of box state before switching to another set of amps, so I"d suggest he never heard them at their absolute best even though his experience was reportedly very good and he had many great things to say about them.

 

[SCAudiophile]

Hello, can you please tell me how you’re using 2 S-02 amps? I haven’t found any specification using them in bridge or bi-amp mode.

I am using one S-02 to power each of my speakers' connections that require external amplification. The Valor specification I chose is the one that requires 4-channels of external amplification and then with a further 2250 watts of internal amplification in each speaker (for the 2x12" subs, the 2x14" bass drivers and 2x8" SUT array). Each S-02 drives the 14" mid-woofer and the high frequency array in the corresponding speaker; this is technically a bi-amping case viz. use of the S-02 amps from which I hear great results.

Unlike the Esoteric A-02 that I owned, I don't believe the S-02 was intended to be strapped (bridged) to mono and again unlike the A-02, there is no switch on the back to put them into bridged mode. (The new S1X has a switch to takes the amp from stereo mode to "bi-amp" mode as an fyi). I would suggest contacting Esoteric with specific questions on the intents inherent in the S-02 design, why the S1 does not have a BTL (bridged) or Bi-amp mode switch and why the S1X does.

As an aside, when it comes to bridging a stereo amp to mono versus bi-amping (assuming your speakers allow for separate connections), I've always favored bi-amping (or tri-amping) personally though mine is not an expert's opinion
as you would get from Esoteric and other sources. When I've seen amps that are designed to allow bridging to mono, there always seems to been some increase in THD and other parameters. My experience is not exhaustive however so take this with a grain of salt and seek more opinions.

 

[brodricj]

I heard a fully broken in pair of M1X after the system had been powered up for just short of half a day and they (and the system) sounded fantastic....

Unfortunately local Esoteric distribution model doesn't have stock of home demo units. The way it works is, if you want it, you put down a deposit, they order it from Esoteric, when it arrives at the distributor you pay the balance, and then it lands on your door step. I can understand that in a market such as ours. I'm a big Halcro fan and I was able to get a home demo of Eclipse mono and it was clearly a step up on the previous flagship dm88 (which I own). M1X would give me the full Esoteric system and ESLA through the signal chain. And I have some recent insight from Bladelius about what they have in the power amp pipeline and it looks very appealing. So doing nothing at the moment is a safe bet and keep my powder dry. I'm looking forward to Esoteric N1T arriving late June.

 

[SCAudiophile]

Unfortunately local Esoteric distribution model doesn't have stock of home demo units. The way it works is, if you want it, you put down a deposit, they order it from Esoteric, when it arrives at the distributor you pay the balance, and then it lands on your door step. I can understand that in a market such as ours. I'm a big Halcro fan and I was able to get a home demo of Eclipse mono and it was clearly a step up on the previous flagship dm88 (which I own). M1X would give me the full Esoteric system and ESLA through the signal chain. And I have some recent insight from Bladelius about what they have in the power amp pipeline and it looks very appealing. So doing nothing at the moment is a safe bet and keep my powder dry. I'm looking forward to Esoteric N1T arriving late June.

I've never seen home demos possible here for Esoteric either, at least not where I've lived in MA, CT and SC. That may have changed with a new Esoteric Grandioso and Esoteric core line dealer that has recently opened not too far from me whom I've known for years from various get togethers at each others' homes here.

I am big Halcro fan from years ago as well and would love to hear their latest some day...