Esoteric P02X, D02X (and C02X), any direct listening impressions are appreciated....


I'd appreciate any direct experience from those who have done serious listening to the new Esoteric P02X and D02X transport and DAC.

Any comparisons to the prior 02 (non-X) transport and DAC would be appreciated as would listening impressions in general and against other high-end units, including but not limited to the Esoteric P1/D1, K-01X, EMMLabs, etc....

Primary reason the move from the 02 to 02X level is being considered is the native DSD streaming input on USB to the D-02X (D-02 is limited to PCM at high up-sampled rates) and the possibly attractive nature of the ES-LINK4 protocol and connection type between P02X and D02X, over and above what ES-LINK3 already provides between P02 and D02.

Thank you!
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xzephyr24069
Thanks, it been wonderful hearing your similar experiences and thoughs towards the latest offerings and directions of the mystical perfect sound forever! If there is such a thing...

The balance and sensitivity which you have achieved might be the biggest stumbling block as it would be highly difficult to demo them, not that they will not be better, but upset the delicate balance that you have painstakingly put together over a the years.

My progression from the puccini to k03 to k01 and now X was a no brainer and did not require audition.

With the addition of clock system, cables and tweaks i have made over this time, i actually mucked up the balance just by changing the wall socket housing for the amps from a stamped metal to cast hubbel. I had a panic attack and required a couple of days adjusting a cimbination of tweak and footer position slightly just to reachieve the balance i like.

It was not so much as getter getter bass, more detailed and open sound etc, but a balance i could sit back, play any selection and just relax and enjoy the music.

Try changing out the 75ohm bncs for a 50 ohm, plating does matter. As the cable is the same, it is clear the different connectors have caused a change in balance and upset your enjoyment. I highly doubt the cable itself is different from whatever impedence. Just as eslinks4 will possibly be much more limited to finding a new balance with the X seperates as the choices from hdmi types are just too limited and adding more factors in acheiving this delicate balance of musicality. 

Too many manufacturers claim thei digital is 75ohm, but short of a handful, few are true coaxial construction required to acheive a 50 or 75ohm and just plain twisted or braided designs,  as this requires a specific industrial manufacturing process just to get the impendence correct.

Cheers
Thank you for the feedback and great advice; it's been great to hear someone else going through the same things and grappling with the same questions and goals!  I am going to think alot more about whether this upgrade is worth it or rather should be put aside in favor of just listening and enjoying what I already have and (if any upgrade is ever possible or necessary) planning to go to the Grandioso level of componentry. Have a great week!!
May I suggest the STEALTH Veridig Sextet in the new V.16 with tuning collar not even advertised on the STEALTH site as of yet?  Here is a review.

http://www.dagogo.com/stealth-audio-cables-varidig-sextet-v-14t-digital-cable-review

Once you experience STEALTH Audio Cables, you will quickly realize its cables are in a world of their own.  Yes, I have been a Kubala Elation supporter for over a decade but when you connect STEALTH and realize it will yield 40% more than Elation you simply make the move as quickly as I did and never look back.  I know you will say, is this guy nuts at 40% but I can only say this is the truth from what I have experienced.  With STEALTH, Kubala Elation doesn't even make it to the playoffs to compare.
Zephyr, I'm respectful of the fine power supplies of Esoteric including your unit but wonder if you happen to have tried AC power isolation/conditioning say like Equitech or Fuhman or some other unit? Perhaps Isotek?
Good Morning Guys!

Cdrc: I did see that review last week and have used the Varidig Sextet in the past; it is a fine digital cable. I wonder about the rationale behind the tuning collar and how magnetic force corrections are relevant to a digital signal, all 1s and 0s in a correct digital cable; I will have to read up a bit more on this in the days to come. Thanks for the recommendations!

Ptss: Thank you! For many years I have been a power conditioner fan and have used Monster, Richard Gray, Shunyata, Equitech, ExactPower, Furman and Bybee.  As of today, I do have the following for power conditioning/power-correction/grounding as the Isotek gear is the best I've ever heard for my setup;

- whole-house dual grounding rod system with CADWELD bonding (thank you Cdrc!)
- plated copper bus-bar main and sub panels
- Environmental Potentials EP-2050 Waveform and EMI/RFI removal on main panel
- Environmental Potential EP-2750 Ground Filters on sub-panel
- Granite Audio Ground Zero star-grounding system
- Isotek EVO3 TITAN
- IsoTek EVO3 SIGMAS tethered directly into TITAN using Neutrik Powercon
Note: the tethering of the SIGMAS into the TITAN results in uniform ground plane for all devices as I have one power conditioner tailor-made for high-current devices (TITAN) and the other built for all other components (SIGMAS) and this allows them appear as one for purposes of ground plane, etc...