Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

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!

Grannyring,
Thank you for your kind words. In this most joyous of hobbies, there is no need for unpleasant debates. It is simply a matter of whatever that is music to one's ears. If we listen less for pleasure than worry more about what "should be" - then the whole point of this hobby is somewhat lost along the way.
Btw, congrats on the very recent completion of your current set-up. Sounds awesome!

I agree completely with Jon2020.... At about 200/250 hours, K-01 starts becoming a very enjoyable machine... Just be aware that... "You ain't heard nopn'" yet.... There is likely to be even better to come for a spell. So, if you are not yet in rapture at this point, be patient and postpone panicking and placing an Agon ad for a while.

On the other hand, if panic / buyer's remorse could not be avoided, Do not worry about it.... Some lucky adoptive parent will pick up the "little" beauty and love its music on your behalf.

Concerning filter/upsampling settings.... I felt in my own system that 4X + S_dly2 offered a balance of resolution versus musicality that suited me. On the other hand, I might not have broken in the DSD engine to completion. Besides... A personal preference is exactly that... A personal, and often temporary matter.

Bottomline, K-01 is an amazingly flexible tool... It can deliver enjoyment to many, but not to all, within a variable amount of break-in time... Let us leave "Beliefs" and the pursuit of absolutes where they belong.

G.