Esoteric UX-1: How "noisy"?

MGottlieb, you're wrongly blaming the distributor when he in fact has no control over the upgrade program. Esoteric recently sent technicians to Japan for training and they have returned equipped to begin the upgrade program. Cost will be $584 for parts, $500 labor, and return freight which Esoteric estimates at $60 for a total of $1144.

The upgrade kits are on order from Tokyo and expected to be in the US about the last week in June. No upgrades will be scheduled until the kits have arrived. You can expect the machine to be tied up for about 4 working days to ensure proper installation and follow-up testing.

Contact your dealer for more info.

As far as i know the first available timeslot for updating an X-01 is in early July. As there is 0 profit margin for dealers in the update, you may want to contact TEAC America directly at 323-726-0303 to make any arrangements for your unit.

Actually if you want to contact Esoteric direct to schedule the upgrade, call 323-727-7617 and request an "X-01 Limited upgrade". They will schedule a time that is most convenient for you.

Either phone numbers will get you there. According to Emma at TEAC, a number of X-01 upgrade kits are expected this week from Japan, but TEAC is already booked up with upgrade jobs until early July.

Thanks for the info, guys. I called Esoteric directly and got the upgrade scheduled for July 10th in about three minutes. Seems like if you want information, the audiophile network is better informed than the dealer/rep/manufacturer chain!