CD Player break in period

Cerrot,

I had the same experience as you with this player. In addition to the issues you mention, my demo unit had an exceptionally loud transport during play (heard from listening area during play in a dedicated audio space). It was returned.

It may have been a faulty unit. I also wonder if those who purchase the unit get hung up on the "apparent" good build of the unit and therefore never really "hear" the unit.

YMMV.

Dodgealum, I have contacted a few Esoteric X03-SE owners as I was very concerned that there was something wrong with my player. The few I spoke with are in the same boat, one at 250 hours found player unbearable (I could not listen to mine) and two told me that it took 800 hours and they were shocked that it was even better after 1,000 hours. Please let me know your thoughts.

try a stock (inexpensive) belden power cord. i had a levinson 383 integrated amplifier and added an aftermarket cord, which resulted in a sound that was too bright (although it did add a bit more definition). when i put the stock cord back onto the amp it sounded alot more "relaxed". the amp was expensive and i was greatly relieved and left well enough alone.

I'm trying to keep an open mind here but I'm really having difficulty believing that a $7K cd player can sound "unbearable" regardless of how many hours of break in. These kind of statements simply baffle me. In my experience, break in results in a subtle change in the sound that a lay person would never even notice. When those of us who have been at this for a while and know our systems well put on our "analytical ears" we can discern these subtle changes. Again, I could be wrong since I have not had a chance to hear my player yet but if mine sounds "unbearable" with the first CD it is going back to the dealer. I have another concern--that people unwittingly use break in time to grow accustom to bad sounding equipment. They want to believe the piece they bought sounds good and so over time it begins to but instead their ears just get used to the sound they are hearing (which they accept) rather than the sound of the equipment actually improving. This is why I have a rule when I demo speakers--I listen to about 30 seconds of a very familiar cut. If it sounds "wrong", I'm done. (Sometimes I will then listen for another half hour or so just to try and learn something). If it sounds "right" I settle in for an extended session of analytical listening. If I don't do this what can happen is I start convincing myself that the speaker that sounds "wrong" may actually sound better than I originally thought. In other words, my ears begin to adjust to the sound and it becomes more acceptable.

I agree with much of what Dodgealum is saying. I do believe in burn in time, as I have heard subtle, but meaningful change occur over time. However, in the case of the ridiculously long burn in times mentioned here, I'm more inclined to believe that it is simply your ears adapting to the sound than the sound of the cd player changing.

I also agree that "unbearable" sounds a bit harsh, especially for a $7K cd player. I am not a fan of Esoteric players, but I would not say they sound unbearable. They have there strengths, dynamics, power, details, and in the right system I'm sure some will love them. I do prefer a more musically involving, richer and dimensional sound from my digital source, which is why the Esoteric's are not for me. However, I think "unbearable" is a bit melodramatic.

Cheers,
John