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Best SACD: Modwright OPPO vs Esoteric X03 series?

There seem to be about 5 of each available on Audiogon right now for about $3k +/- $300. I can maybe stretch my budget and lay my hands on cash in few days. In the mean time, I need to decide which type is likely to sound better. I am running a hodge-podge system made from a few 'over achievers' and a lot of attention to detail. Amps are 600w D-Sonic and the preamp is a W4S STP buffered passive. Speakers are 6.1 Genesis and most of my cabling is from Kaplan or his new Waevform Fidelity. I have no chance to audition either model as the Milwaukee area is kind of an audiophile dessert, and would appreciate hearing from anyone who has.
mcbuddah
zephyr24069's avatar
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zephyr24069
1,243 posts
 
Thank you very much,...it's what they do for the music, energy and realism of what I hear that I like the most. Let me know of any more specific questions on these and others I've tried (Audioquest SKYs, Volcano, Eagle Eye, Raven, etc...years ago, Tara Labs 0.8 HFX and 0.5 HFX a few years ago and other brands). I'll be glad to help.
missioncoonery
1,215 posts
 
I might add before you drop a ton of money on cables..The 03se really sounds great with stock power cord and cheap ICs.It might be more wise to buy entry level stuff of a good brand you like and spend the rest on music....or a turntable if your seeking "the analog experience"
melbguy1
1,438 posts
 
10-14-15: Mattmiller
Go with the OPPO, not only will you save a bunch of money, the sound will be much warmer and more analogue like, easy to listen to for long periods at higher volumes. Yes the Esoteric is built like a battleship, the OPPO is a very dependable machine as well. Regards,

Matt
I'm with Matt on this, the Esoteric players i've heard are good sacd players yes, but there are better sounding rbcd players. So it really depends whether you're heavily invested in sacd's or listen mostly to rbcd's. Also, if you need a good bluray player, the Oppo is a no-brainer & will allow you to play DVD-A, Bluray audio & obviously bluray movies.
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cerrot
1,700 posts
 
it would not even be close between those two players. All you need to do is liten to them both. The Oppo is good for the money. The esoteric is good, regardless of the money.
melbguy1
1,438 posts
 
Everyone knows the MW oppo 105 competes with players up to $15k. No one would deny the Esoteric would have the wood over the Oppo on SACD, but I would very happily throw a fully loaded Modwright Oppo 105 with the Bybee & Audio Magico options up against an Esoteric X03 playing a well mastered XRCD. The other benefit of the Oppo is, you can further improve & tune the player by upgrading the factory tubes to some matched NOS tubes. Any one else car to chime in?
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