Apologies in the advance for the extremely long response; the thread has prompted
many good questions and points for feedback...
I agree that moving to the P-03/D-03 is the right move in terms of value for
the money you are looking to spend and overall sonic results. I've used my G-0s
clock (Rb oscillator clocking precision) to re-clock an X-03SE I had on loan for
2 weeks while my UX-1 was being upgraded as well as my UX-1 after it received its
upgrade to "Limited" status. At 176.4khz re-clocking I was able to hear some
improvements in both units but it was not as staggering an improvement as simply
moving to the P/D combo.
I've heard from several people who sell/demo the P03/D03 and the
P-05/D-05 combos and the overall feedback is that the 5 series
with the 32-bit DACs does not produce as musical and engaging
a result as the 3-series. The same feedback and more has been
gained from 2-3 owners of P-05/D-05 that I've spoken to on Audiogon
over the last couple of years. In all cases for RBCD and SACD,
the overwhelming favorite is the P-03 and D-03 combination.
That stated, for those fortunate enough to own the P-01VU/D-01VU
that I've spoken to, they say that RBCD is superior with noticeable
improvements on that highly-priced pairing over the 3-series with
their favorite SACD performance still being the 3-series run in
dual AES mode.
The G-03x clock will not give you any noticeable improvements in general
when utilized to re-clock a unit like the P-03/D-03, P-05/D-05 as the G-03x
does not deliver appreciably more accuracy than the crystal oscillator
circuitry that is already in the D-03 and D-05. The G-0s (in Rb oscillator mode)
or the G-0Rb (default is Rb-only) is the clocking upgrade to take notice of and
target long-term as you are moving to +/- 1-3 ppm to 0.5 ppb (as in billion)
which does deliver a very noticeable improvement when re-clocking any digital
unit that can accept Word Sync Input. The G-0s or G-0Rb make their overall
positive effects known most noticeably when you've used them for a while and
then remove them from the system; you'd notice a bit less refinement and precision
in imaging and fullness in certain aspects of the musical performance.
To my opinion though, what the G-0s and G-0Rb adds is the last .01% (not literally)
of improvements; in order to fully appreciate it, you need to be 'done' in all other
system aspects before thinking about dropping that much money on a high-precision
clocking circuit with parts per billion accuracy. I've come to this opinion after moving
up with the clock before other things were 'done' in my system and consider this part of
the path that I chose to be something I could have improved my thinking on at the time.
Consequently, I'd advocate moving to the P-03/D-03 first, re-clock the P-03 with the
Word Sync-Out functionality of the D-03 (has its own clocking circuity you can utilize
to sync the transport to the DAC and hear noticeable improvements in doing so) and get
used to pairing, break them in and enjoy them first so that if you do decide to add
the "uber clock", you'll know what you are experiencing after you add it to a system
you already know.
Others may not agree with me, but for the same money as the G-0s or G-0Rb,
you can take interconnects, power cords, ground solutions and/or speakers,
pre-amp or others components to where you really want them to be versus
ignoring other possible improvements and focusing on one the 'last few inches'
of improvement in the digital playback part of the equation (the uber clock).
For example, in the system above, if you move to the P-03/D-03/G-0s or G-0RB,
you are adding 2 more components (net) to the above system; that will increase
the amount of rack and equipment in between the speakers and get in the way of
hearing improvements brought about by the new digital playback stack you are
looking to add (IMHO). I found a huge improvement when I stopped doing this
and invested in moving all equipment (except for my Edge NL12.1 amp) out to
the side/rear of the room; this takes more racks, longer power cords (at least
1 for amp generally) and one good, long set of interconnects from pre-amp to amp.
I'd suggest looking at this before you purchase the "uber clock".
All of the above are personal opinion that I've come to after years of experimentation and
decision-making (some of which I'd re-trace steps on and change).
Observations (much more concrete);
- the P-03/D-03 is definitely a set it and forget combo after you make choices for clocking, up-sampling and filtering
- re-clocking is a separate choice from how you up-sample; I find that whether I use the clock circuitry in the D-03 or the G-0s, my favorite overall clock frequency is 176.khz. Again, this is separate and distinct from up-sampling choice
- up-sampling is a separate and important choice; it is largely a matter of personal sonic taste. I've tried every combination (44.1, 88.2, 176.4 and DSD) and favor 176.4khz up-sampling with all sources except SACD for which pure-mode DSD to DSD is my favorite
- Digital filtering On or Off is a choice. I tried both with all of the above combinations in the P-03/D-03 and have left Digital Filtering "ON" for several years as it is my favorite
- running the P-03/D-03 in "Dual AES" mode is by far (to my ears) the vastly superior choice for RBCD and SACD playback. If you have the P-03U (I do), the same is true for DVD-Audio (2-channel) playback
- running balanced XLR connections to your pre-amp is the superior sonic choice for output from the D-03 to your pre-amp no matter what is downstream from your pre-amp
- if you have the P-03U (I do), turning off the video circuity during audio playback does make a small improvement. The remote control makes this a 1-button choice and I'd highly recommend it
- STAR GROUNDING is a BIG deal with Esoteric separates whether you have 2 or 3 or 4 units put together (3 is with clock, 4 is if you are lucky enough to own the P-01/D-01 and master clock separates in 1st generation or VU configurations)!!! Esoteric's lead design is a grounding fanatic. In Esoteric's show setups, either he or a delegate will ensure that for best performance all Esoteric gear shares the same floating ground reference using a star grounding topology. I have found this to make a huge difference in my system using the Granite Audio "Ground Zero" star-grounding unit with appropriate ground cables. Given the 4 different grounging points in an Esoteric 3-box stack (transport has 2 different grounding points), the dual AES cables between transport and DAC, the balanced cables from DAC to pre-amp and the connections from amp to pre-amp, this makes consumate sense to me ever since I was given this feedback that all units should share a common view of a ground reference. This is particularly true of an Esoteric 2 or 3 (or 4) box stack in and of itself. More importantly, it SOUNDS BETTER when you get this setup right. System resolution, imaging, noise floor, etc...all improve drammatically. This is especially true when you have high sensitivity speakers in the mix
- you don't have to spend thousands on digital cable(s) for the clock circuit but you do need an accurate and high quality 75-ohm cable choice
- the choice of balanced interconnects and AES digital cables is important regardless of price point; find ones that you like and stick with them
As to the Legacy Focus SEs; I'd stack them up against ANY speaker I've ever heard.
I am convinced that they are one of THE best values and performers in the audiophile
world. They deliver everything important or that I ever wanted for any type of music
(I listen to everything!) and they do it with rock-solid imaging where these 200+lb
speakers disappear, musicality, tonal accuracy, etc...Over the past 6 years, since
picking up my first pair of Legacy Focus 20/20s, later moving to the Focus HDs and
last year moving to the SEs, I can tell you that I have NEVER had listening fatigue.
This is something I've not experienced with any other speaker. I would advocate that
no matter what one demos insofar as speakers are concerend that you find some way to
weigh a potential buying choice against Focus SEs or Whisper HD or XD from Legacy
before buying. I am not a dealer in any way shape or form. I am however a staunch
advocate of Legacy speakers. Hearing is believing the case of the Focus SEs, the
new Whispers or (according to a couple friends I trust), the Helix HDs.
Please let me know what other questions you might have an how I can help further.
Happy Holidays!
