Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Gentleman, I am not kidding here about the burn-in proccess of the Esoteric K-01, go ahead, talk to any owner you like, they will tell you the same, go to the few threads here about the Esoteric players, I have had this conversation many times with owners of all the new Esoteric units, I was just like all of you guys, I did not believe it either!, after so many times of being told the same thing by all the owners, I had no choice but to believe them, OCD has NOTHING to do with it!

Hi Matt,
I have been following this excellent and enlightening thread for a while and would like to chime in with regard to the issue of burn-in.
I have been enjoying my K-01 for more than 2 years now. While I agree that burn-in is important, thinking about this detracts from the immense pleasure that can be wrought from this amazing player well before the 500-1000+ hours called out by others. I would like to echo Ctsooner that 200 hours is good enough to start enjoying the gorgeous capabilities of this player.
I also have The Muzik speakers in my system, and with the K-01, this is indeed a match made in audio heaven.
The sooner we stop thinking about the number of hours needed for burn-in of each of the options - 4 for upsampling and 4 for digital filtering, the sooner we can derive pleasure from just listening. While there are gains still to be perceived after more hours, the increments are small.
After 200 hours, the many options/combinations can be tailored according to the overall system sound, personal tastes and the recording on hand. The beauty of this machine lies in its ability to be tailored to many possible situations with no one "right" combination. It's simply laissez-faire.
Congrats on getting your ODSE DAC. Unless I am missing something, with the ODSE as DAC for the K-01 as transport, the burn-in of all the K-01's options may be moot.

Happy listening!
Jon.

Matt,
Thanks for your message. To keep the discussion open in relation to this thread, I reproduce the relevant parts of your message below.

"Thank you for your input! It is appreciated and heard.
I am listening to the K-01 while I break it in. But not critically for the thread until properly broken in. It actually had about 250 hours on it, so it doesn't need that much more for its current settings.
May I ask what settings you use?
And may I ask what other amps you considered/tried with the Muzik speakers? I am looking for a new uber amp and Guido Corona has made it very clear that The Muzik speakers demand more then 700 WPC into 4 ohms to deliver the dynamics and nuances that they are capable of."

I am currently using DSD for Upsampling and OFF for digital filter. It's strange as I am not a dsd diehard but somehow, having gone through all the different combinations, the dsd setting gets it right 90% of the time. This setting gives a wider and deeper soundstage, provides more body to and air around instruments, while notes decay that much longer.
My general impression for all the settings are as follows, depending on the overall sound of the system or recording to begin with :-

1. Cool, dry, lean, thin, fast -> FIR1/2
2. Warm, slow, boomy, laid-back -> SDLY 1/2
3. Balanced - DSD

If I am not using DSD for upsampling, I usually keep the setting to ORG instead of 2x or 4x.

Of course, it's all about synergy and your mileage will vary with the amps you use. I agree with Guido that the Muzik needs loads of power to soar. The amps I use for The Muzik are the Bryston 28B SST2 monoblocks which put out about 1200W at 4 ohms. I haven't tried other amps with these speakers because I had them before the speakers arrived and I am just lucky they sing well together. So, my K-01 settings are to be placed in this source-amp-speaker context.

I am not sure if you can find a pair of these Brystons used with the 20-year warranty intact..... but happy hunting!
Cheers! Jon.

Jon2020 your first post is a breath of fresh air and the truth. 1200 hours is truly the wrong frame of mind and filter for enjoyment and sanity. Great post that said it very well. Thank you.

Grannyring, I suggest you go to the Esoteric threads like I have, I have been told many times of the break-in time of the Esoteric units, I care less what Jon2020 has said here, one person out of 25 that has told me different!