Esoteric X-01 SE vs EMM CDSA SE

Mixalis: I'm not sure if this helps, but I did have a standard X-01 in my system and was not impressed at all. The high frequecnies were very analytical and fatiguing. Bass was excellent. Overall it sounded very "digital" to my ears. I'm not sure if the Limited or D2 would compare. The build quality on the Esoteric is amazing and "could" be bought for that reason alone. It is a work of art.

The EMM Labs CDSA SE is to my ears the much better sounding player. It is truly engaging and musical with wonderfully extended and smooth highs, incredible staging and imaging, prodgious bass that is detailed and tight, and a midrange to die for. It is not up to the Esoteric in build quality, although is very attractive and an improvement over previous EMM products. Best wishes on choosing a player.

Frank

There are some to claim there's no difference between meridian G08 and 808 as for sound. In this price I'd like to have good SACD playback.

Mixalis if I were you I'd go for the EMMlabs.

We compared sacd on the Esoteric X-01 and the cd layer on the 808. The X-01 had more power in the low freq., but overall we found the 808 better. I tested many sacd recordings and a lot of them make instruments and voices sound to big. And that is why sacd is often not natural sounding. People should listen to instruments first and then of a system. And then they will understand what it means. Many peole of recording studio's had to admit that this is a problem of sacd.

Leonx, I have heard SACDs where the imaging is bloated and overgrown as you suggest. Other disks where the imaging appears to be right on the button. My experience is that the bloated instrument images is mostly on SACDs that are remasters of old tapes from the 50s, e.g. Dvorak Cello Concerto with Piatigorsky/Munch, or Starker on Bach suites.
This may be just a case of conscious over-engineering of old master tapes by sound engineers that should quite frankly consider visiting a concert hall before indulging in any more fantasy pastiches of unrealistic hyper-realism.

Guido, the Piatigorski/Munch Dvorak sounds OK on vinyl. I'm surprised the sacd doesn't.