EMM DCC2/CDSD versus Esoteric X-01

The UX-1 and X-01 are cut from the same “sonic cloth”. They both are very neutral with no warmth to the sound. In many systems they may sound hard or bright. The X-01 is no better in this regard than the UX-1. In fact, the UX-1 sounds a little less detailed in the highs. I have lived with the UX-1 for over a year now and still enjoy it. The choice of AC cable and interconnects are crucial to the ultimate enjoyment of this product. I feel that the UX-1/ X0-1 are superior the DV-50S.

I recently had the good fortune to live with the EMM DAC6e and CDSD for a month. I found this combination to be superior to my UX-1 and a friend’s X0-1 in SACD and CD.

Comparing the EMM combination to a Reimyo CDP-777 on RBCD, I preferred the Reimyo. The Reimyo has a certain quality of richness to the sound that separates it from the other units. I found that the Reimyo requires the Harmonix AC cable to sound its best. The Harmonix cable sounded too full in the bass on the Esoteric UX-1. Also, the Reimyo sounds much better using the single-end outputs.

Others have found the EMM to be superior in RBCD to the Reimyo. I guess it depends on taste and ultimately the system, isolation, etc.

At this point in time, given the failure of SACD and DVD-A to succeed in the market, I would focus my attention on RBCD performance. Personally, I find RBCD on the Reimyo to be more pleasing than most SACDs on the EMM products. Naturally, a multichannel system is an entirely different subject.

You can see my system and setup on Audio Asylum under “Mercman”.

Steve

Steve, I confirm your findings about X-01's extreme sensitivity to interconnects.
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a marathon open-house event at Aris Audio in Salt Lake City, where Scott Haver, Aris's proprietor, gave me free range of his excellent facilities and several systems. In particular,
I had the opportunity to audition at length a system consisting initially of X-01, Audioquest Panther XLR, Audio Research Ref 3 in its pre update config, Jaguar XLR, Theta Dreadnaught, Audioquest Pikes Peak, Vandersteen 5A.
I used for the audition a variety of chamber music and orchestra CDs from the same set I used in my original audition of the ARC Ref 3 referenced above.
While CDS that had only moderate pitch extensions yielded a very good balanced, graceful and detailed sound, any greater top or bottom extension in the recording -- as in violins high strings, high woodwinds and double basses, appear to yield shrill and distorted highs, nasal mids, bloating on the mid bass, and hazy low indistinct bass.
I was not a terribly happy camper. This until Scott suggested we change the AQQ Panther with a 3 ft length of Audio Quest Sky. The entire system started to shine. Glorious mids, highs became more extended and approx 95% free of distortion, mid bass bloating disappeared, deep Bass became clean graceful and correct down to the 16 ft range of the double bass pedal openstring notes in orchestral works.
In particular, the beginning of the 2nd movement in Dvorak's New World Symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein became something so emotional to raise your hair on end. The initial brass fanfare was deep with that slight treble cuivre that make good brass give goose bumps. The timpanis were clean and powerful while the double basses were something to be beheld.
In addition, what had suddenly appeared in spades was the threedimensional image of the hall, with a sense of space, air and overall grace I had seldom heard before in that recording. This seems to point out once again that X-01 is a wonderful but merciless machine: it is capable of extracting mountains of information from a disk. . . and if ICs and electronics downstream are not up to handling the information. . . results may be not of our liking. I only wish I had the opportunity to switch the Jaguar to Sky as well, and the Pikes Peak to Everest. . . may be next time.
One last note, during the audition I activated in error the button on the Ref 3 remote that turns off the balanced return signal on the ICs of this device. Suddenly the overall sound became completely bloodless, thin and uninvolved, until I turned the balanced signal back on. Small lesson learned: if a device is truly optimized for balanced operations, it is best used that way.

Guido

You must choose balanced on the Ref 3 if your IC's are balanced or you choose SE on the Ref 3 if your IC's are SE.
I am surprised that you got any signal at all

Oneobgin, I am aware of the need of using balanced devices as balanced. But my fingers sometimes commit the sin of Brownian motion on the remote.

I understand now.