Esoteric K03XD

I bought one about 6 months ago to replace a K05X.  I found it was indeed more musical and organic, yet has great detail. It also creates an excellent sound stage.  I can easily hear where the different drums are in a drum set.  It is quite large and heavy.  With a very few rock recordings, I found the sound to be still a bit bright.  I assume the player would have to be extremely warm to tame those discs.  I solved that problem by putting a Schiit Loki in the tape loop of my pre-amp, though I find I almost never use it. 

Since I bought the N03T streamer, and connected it to the X03XD via USB, I use the player mostly as a DAC.  That works also very well.

The DAC in the new XD Line is what makes all the difference in the world over the older players that used Chips.

If he is a good friend, he will let you send it back if you don't care for it.  Won't he?  

Chayro,
Yes I will have the option of shipping back the player if I don't want to keep it.  I am just trying to get some feedback from owners or others who has heard the K03XD.   Shipping back is always a option but also a pain in the butt.

That’s very nice of him. And I agree shipping is expensive and also very risky. I don’t know - I have something against Esoteric since I had my X-05, which I absolutely hated. Nobody ever says anything bad about Esoteric until the next generation comes out and you start hearing how the last ones sounded "dry" and "sterile", but these new ones are the cat’s ass. Just seems to go that way with that brand. But that's strictly my personal prejudice.  

I have an Esoteric K-01XD SACD player. It is fantastic - the best front end source to my system which includes a Luxman CL1000 preamp, ARC 250SE tube amps, and Wilson DAW speakers. Better than a DCS Vivaldi and the MSB high end systems (I have owned these). Although many do not like MQA, it will unwrap those, and does a wonderful job with DSD, SACD, PCM, PWM-adjustable filters. It is also FPGA, and upgradable. The sound is very tube-like, which may be good or bad, depending on your point-of-view.

Gerryah930,

Thanks for your on the K-01xd.  Did you own any Esoteric players before the K-01xd?  If you did how did they compare?

I have not heard it, but go to Music Direct and look at the one review of the K-03XD from a buyer/owner:
Well this is something completely different. I've not had it that long and am still running it through its paces but I'm coming to the conclusion that this outperforms any turntable that I'm familiar with. And this is coming from a true dyed in the wool, buried in the analog camp kind of person. It doesn't sound like a cd/sacd player or like any turntable that I'm familiar with. It sounds like master tape. Pretty convinced now that DSD is the way to go. No streamer i have listened to and I have heard some truly great machines don't sound like this. It has changed my world view about playback systems. The fact that some fifty cent discs from a resale shop can sound phenomenal makes it a game changer. Disc after disc in my collection sound like I never heard them before. I will definitely think twice next time some limited $135.00 plus disc comes out. That's it for now and I will be listening to a bunch of Mofi sacd discs recently purchased of music I already own on Mofi One Step pressings. It should be interesting. One more thing; it deserves an additional star. Score: ******

Fred60,
Thanks for the above information.  Sounds like he was over the moon about the K-03XD.

I don't know anything about Esoteric products.  But I do know this, if a friend is offering you a chance to own a great piece of musical reproduction at a reasonable price, asking oneself how to incorporate that component may be more advantageous than how to exclude.   It may not work out in the end, but that may be a byproduct of your system.  A need indeed is a friend in need.   

The key to any gear is the power supply and the Esoteric players I've owned all have huge power supplies and the built quality is 2nd to none. I have no issues with CDs if mastered with care and I'm a vinyl man. I know for years the magazines have done a 180 on them bashing them while before they rated gear as SOTA using CDs as the source. You need a well-made and designed CD player to bring out what the CD medium is capable of. Esoteric and a few others do a great to superb job, the Marantz SA10S1 would be a great start, and then of course the Esoterics. Power cords matter when powering them. 

I have no issues with my K-03XD.  I had a Marantz ModWright player before the Esoteric.  The Esoteric is better in every way as it should be.  I don't find it bright or fatiguing and it will be my end game player / transport.  The only way to ship these is via freight on a pallet not through other methods wich can tumble the boxes and screw up the transport.  

I have an K01-X which offers various filter settings to adjust the sound. Nothing dry or sterile. Esoteric releases every 2 years a new product that is supposedly a breakthrough. Not fun if you own these units as the value loss is not to be underestimated. Assuming they are better every generation then we start from a very high quality and go up from there, meaning these will all be end game units with minor differences. I think this is a save buy from a highly respected brand.

Anyone compared the K-03XD to the K-05XD?

Mike at Suncoast audio responded on his Audio Shark forum.  The 05XD is close but the 03XD is superior.  I'm not exactly sure what this really means in terms of the actual sonic differences.

  

we are an esoteric dealer the line is going through a new se update so you may want to look at a new ko5xse although it is a model lower it will sound better witht he new updates

 

Dave and Troy

audio Intellect NJ

Esoteric dealer

the line is going through a new se update

@audiotroy The K-05XD was released a year ago and already an se-update???!!!

yes the entire line is getting updated

While I do believe eventually the K-05XD will be upgraded to SE model, others do not believe that will be happening near term.   It came out later in the K-XD line, and reportedly already has the Master Sound Discrete Clock which is part of the SE upgrade with the K-01XD and K-03XD.

Does anyone see a pattern regarding the release of "new and improved" models and the time frame between the "upgraded" models? Quite different than say Luxman who releases a new CDP model every five to seven years. However, In their defense, they are similar to Wilson and DCS in that regard.

And yes, amazing how each new version is no longer "dry and sterile" or more "liquid and organic" when compared to the previous model. What a joke.

@bubinga,

Have you had a bad experience with Esoteric?   I note both here and the N-01XD SE thread in this forum that you seem down on Esoteric.  In reading from users that have compared Esoteric sound of the discontinued AKM chip DAC units to the now Master Sound Discrete DAC, a ladder DAC with FPGA Delta-Sigma modulator, there is a difference in sound quality presentation reported as beneficially less clinical to a warmer, yet still detailed presentation.   

@azwill

While I do believe eventually the K-05XD will be upgraded to SE model, others do not believe that will be happening near term. It came out later in the K-XD line, and reportedly already has the Master Sound Discrete Clock which is part of the SE upgrade with the K-01XD and K-03XD.

+1 Yes, the K-05XD was released 2023, 3 years later than the K-03/01XD.