Esoteric Players: No Digital Input. WTF?

Playback Designs is another great player with several digital inputs. I love it and plan to use it later with a server. For now, I use a Wadia 170i iPod dock to use my iPod Classic 160G as a mini-server. The Wadia bypasses the iPod's internal DAC and the PD's DAC upconverts the 44.1hz signal to DSD, applies an alogarythm or two and produces great sound from lossless files ripped with error correction.

I wonder sometimes is Esoteric and Emm are worried about cutting into their separate DAC and clock sales. It's just something that pops into my mind as I consider various CD/SACD player options. When you're spending lots of money it's nice to get complete functionality out of all the parts.

Dave

As usual, one must go much farther up The Esoteric line to get the feature set found with the competition. You have to use one of their stand alone dacs to get inputs.

F&A... Every high end SACD player should have a digital in... even before redbook. And how about a USB in that does I2S conversion.

Undeniably TEAC Esoteric is rather conservative. . . yet, you should expect by CES time TEAC to introduce a version of the D-03 DAC that supports at least USB input. . . I do not remember about Ethernet. . . . after that, 'tis probably going to be gradual trickle down technology to the more affordable players.

Actually, G, there could also be some Esoteric trickle-up next year as they may go to 32-bit AKM Dacs in the D-03, which they currently use in the D-05. I believe there are some capacity/bandwith issues involved, or something like that. As you can tell, not an engineer...............

FYI - It also looks like APL HiFi will be coming out with 32-bit DAC boxes early next year as well - haven't heard one, but if they are anything like his Denon and Esoteric pieces, they should be very good.