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Esoteric P03 - D03

Hi all,

I currently own an Esoteric X01-D2. I'v recently been offered a very good! deal from my dealer to trade this for a stock P03-D03 distributor wants to get out. I was no expected as I was really shopping for an analog extension to my system. So I have accepted.

I was very happy with my X01, although I think it was actually better (in relative terms) with red book CDs than with SACDs, contrary to what magazines say. However, given I'm basically buying at second hand price for a new unit, and returning the X01 at a very good price, I decided to go ahead.

AS said I was happy with the X01-D2. Reasons for change, basically 2: Flexibility of a separates, specially allowing me to use DACs digital input with my streaming mod transporter, if desired. It can also handle higher saple downloads than the transporters DAC.

Of course, a gain in overall quality. Specially when it comes to SACDs, but also to CDs, given the D03-P03 working together flexibility and configuration alternatives. I've read a lot about how good this 2 together are, but have not had any direct feedback.

Regarding this last point, a question: I've been told by my dealer that Esoteric importer says the best way to connect these 2 is new Esoteric i-link cable. I don't think I want to go this way, but have no experience. Not only the cable has to be very expensive... but from reading the manual, digital XLR seems the way to go. I-link seems to be more oriented to multichannel, which I don't really care for in this se up. Any suggestions? How are you, other P03-D03 owners doing this connections and what are your experiences on it? Also, any direct experience among these 2 units. What areas of improvement should I expect, in your own experience, compared to the X01-D2?

Thanks
Eli
eelii08
eelii08 OP
169 posts
 
Strange. That is really bad from Esoteric. I would have thought it was a design "feature" of all the P03. Or something that affected some units of a certain series that got solved afterwards. But if you now first hand some of the transports do make the noise and some don't, it is bad. My unit is brand new, and so recently produced, and has the noise. Some older doesn't. So it is absolutely a random chance you get a noisy unit...

THis all means they now how to make them noiseless. And surely they now about the issue. Don't they test the units before shipping? Or they do and just don't care about some of them being as noisy as transports get? Do they maybe feel having their clients paying over 14.000 Euros for a transport is not a big enough amount as to have quality control checks and sending back the noisy units to get them fixed before shipping?

This is pissing me off, really, and a shame on Esoteric. Regardless of how good the thing sounds, and it sounds good, it shows very little care for the final output they produce, and very little respect for their clients -so us. Makes me wonder what other things about design and quality control they don't care enough about... on this or any other of their product line...

With what I'm learning here, I think I will call Esoteric directly and have a word with them.
perrew
299 posts
 
Where is Bill when you need him??
eelii08 OP
169 posts
 
Bill... who is Bill?
jojomusic
9 posts
 
My transport has a noice during time it pulls in the CD tray in and load the CD, sound likes "e e e and a click" and then quiet. I think this is kind of mechanical problem or not a good design on this transport.
mgottlieb
334 posts
 
I've heard people comment here on noisy Esoteric transports but have never experienced it. I can hear a quiet whirring noise when the system is dead silent and I get to within a foot of the P-03, but never from my listening chair and never when any music is playing. The same was true of my Limited, and my original D-50.
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