One more thing, master clock generators or typically known as a word clocks don't speed up functions of the player but take the data stream, samples to an even higher rate of accuracy making for even better sound. Expensive? You bet, but the difference is not subtle. They're like the icing on a cake. I listened to one connected to a K-03XD and an all-out five chassis full-on Grandioso setup that I couldn't tell you the cost of but can tell you weighed in at two-hundred and seventy pounds, give or take a pound or two.
I heard a costly system from Esoteric.
2 days ago I was able to audition an Esoteric audio system. It consisted of the following:
Esoteric F-05 (Class A/B) integrated amplifier
Esoteric K-03 - CD/SACD Player
Over the years, I’ve been a vintage audio guy and I’m also into headphones. Someone told me that listening to an integrated amp with headphones (6.3mm) will give you an idea about how sound quality from the amp translates over speakers. I’ve found this to be very true in practice.
I gave it a go - with the NAD HP50, KEF M500, and some other (more) high-end headphones the store had. Currently, I only have the NAD’s and KEF’s, but I’ve owned dozens of high-end headphones in the past. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. Please allow me to explain without calling me a liar. It’s nothing personal, just my impressions!
There was considerably less drive/power behind the headphones. For instance, you would literally feel the bouncing air on the cups on closed-back headphones. Literally the same as a headphone dongle with a small amount (in mW of output power). In each song I listened to, I heard familiar details, but it was glossed over by a very sharp and peaky midrange and treble. There was clearly a boost in these frequencies. Bass was anemic. Normally, with high-power headphone amps and even some vintage integrated amps (high-end back in the 90s with 0.09 or less THD etc.), I got the detail with the sonic finesse. In other words, everything the Esoteric amp and CD player did together, I’ve already heard before. It simply pushed mid-treble frequencies to the forefront.
And the cost for this system? 13 Grand for the CD Player. And at least 10 Grand or slightly more for the amp. So 23 grand or slightly more with taxes factored in.
For this kind of money, if they are including a 6.3mm port for headphone listening, shouldn’t it be optimized? Afterall, if you’re going to include that in an amp, make sure it sounds good! I’ve heard headphone systems costing much, much, much, less that sounded better.
My last disappointment was the CD skip - track seeking function. It was very slow. Even some vintage CD players had a skip function where you hold down the track change/skip button and the numbers move like a stopwatch. On the K-03, it was by the second, or a few seconds at a time. And I had to press the play button again, rather than simply seeking the part of the song I want to listen to.
Source: high-quality CD’s that I burned with .wav files (familiar songs, and original CD’s from my CD collection)
Don’t get upset, Esoteric owners. Feel free to share your impressions without getting mad at me. I know this is a touchy subject; since the object of one’s desire (especially after spending this much money) should be justified!
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Isn’t esoteric the company which until recently the owners of certain players got stiffed by having to pay $2,500 just for shipping costs to send their players to Japan for repair, and that did not include the outrageous repair costs themselves? Wow, great company, great customer service. But if you're okay being treated that way and then recommending them to others, hey, c’est la vie. |
Yea its better to have a High End OPPO 103 Clone that Ayre has no parts for at all should anything go wrong. (And they havent had parts for it going back to 2016 when I first inquired). Get the most out of your 50 Pound Doorstop while you can. LOL Instead of posting on Audiogon endlessly all day every day get a 2nd Job so you can buy some modern day gear instead of that using that Fossilized mediocrity from the stone age. At the very least get a GEER BOX so that you can hook that Ayre/Oppo Clone up to a better Dac. |
What he said. I suspect this is astroturfing by a competitor. |
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