Audio Research CD7 vs Esoteric X-01 LE

Bill-

I have heard both of these spinners, only in different systems. Yes, for CD playback, the Esoteric spinners are very lean to my ears. I prefer SACD playback on the Esoteric.

On the ARC spinners,very rich and full-bodied sound.
Most will say that the CD7 is the best cd player ARC has ever made. This should get you started and keep me posted.

p.s. Do not forget Cabling.

Hi Bill, how many hours do you have on X-01? What is the rest of your system... And what cabling are you using... Ranging from PCs to speaker wires? X-01 sounding lean can be caused by any of the following:

* Machine not completely broken in... Approx 1200 hours mandatory on the old darling;
* components down the chain sounding lean;
* Some cables not in perfect synergy with X-01... May be a PC or IC change in order? In my case, I found High Fidelity CT-1 PCs made by Rick Schultz to be a complete revelation on X-01.
* X-01 needing good footers... E.g. Nordost Bronze Sort Kones make X-01 warmer.

*... And finally, you and X-01 might just not get along at all at all at all.

Some investigation might be worth while. But, If X-01 were really not your cup of musical tea, ARC CD-7 might do the trick for you... No SACD support I believe.

G.