Berkeley Alpha vs Weiss 202 vs Ayre QB9 vs ?

no never heard it

I meant to say the Esoteric K-01 not the x-1

Glory, yes personally, I find PD to be a significant upgrade over Berkeley. The biggest improvement is in the lower frequency where I feel Berkeley is a bit sluggish, as it has big,fat bass but a tad slow and a bit less well define. PD improves significantly on that. Midrange on PD is a bit more forward but overall, on most part, I think PD improves upon Berkeley in just about everyway, not always a huge different but I did not find PD lacking in anything in comparison to Berkeley. Whether the improvement is worht $10,000 or not, I am not sure but I also gain SACD capability and an excellent transport as well.

Forgot to add, I also auditioned EMM XDS-1 in my system and heard Esoteric K-3 in comparison to PD but in an unfamiliar system. The EMM unit is very nice, more laid back, a bit more detail than PD but I did not feel that overall it was any better. I actually prefer PD slightly over EMM but another friend of mine prefers EMM. However, considering the price difference, there was nothing much to think about. Beside, EMM can still be a bit quirky when used with computer server for hi rez material.

K-3 is a significant improvement over the older Esoteric. I used to own D05 for awhile. Much smoother midrange and high and lacked the digital glare that I did not like in D05. However, the tonal balance is still a bit too cool and lean for my taste. Another friend who has PD also comapared his to K-3, he preferred his PD but some other friends preferred K-3. So all in all, digital source at this level will depends very much on personal taste as well as the rest of the system.

Suteetat thanks for sharing your information. I don't have to worry about those other units and feel that I am done with digital and very happy with my modright sony.