Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

I'll ask Johnny about the Rom sig when I speak with him this week. As for the Ayre, I'm not sure if my integrated has that. I have the 7 not the 5...The 5 has the diamond stage. They are now making their top amps with double diamond stages...their USB only DAC (now with DSD) is as good as any of the DAC's I've heard. For many of us, we can't afford the awesome DAC's you are listening to here in this thread. I'm still waiting on the right music server I think.

UPDATE:

Finally got some time to compare the ODSE and give the Esoteric K-01 a good listen.

Most interestingly, I had the time to really give the different settings a listen on the K-01. First impressions were with short listening sessions. At times, I preferred the SDLY-2/4x settings and at times I preferred the DSD/off settings. The DSD/off setting is warmer and more musical but sacrifices high end refinement and extension. The low frequencies are more defined and the midrange has more of a tube warmth to it. The SDLY-2/4x setting is more articulate, more accurate and has significantly more extension in the higher registers. Overall I found the later to be a bit stringent and bright at times; although with full on orchestral majesty the SDLY2/4x setting seamed to reveal more of the music while giving up a bit of musical involvement.

i found more of a change when moving through the up conversion settings then the digital filter settings.

In contrast to my initial impressions I kept turning the settings back to DSD/Off unless listening to symphony where I just felt I was missing something with the DSD setting in play. For Symphony I chose Guido's 4x/SDLY2 most of the time but listener fatigue typically set in and I needed to change back to DSD/Off. I only burned in those settings, so for me to fully play would be another 500 hours with the FIR and SDLY1 settings. With vocals, rock, jazz and all other music, DSD/off was the obvious way to go. And this is on both CD direct as well as USB.

CD clearly sounded superior to USB, although not by nearly as much as one would have expected. I guess Esoteric didn't cheap out on the USB input. But with $21K retail to play with, they really should have enough money to go around and make everything pretty much top tier. There was a slight difference in levels between the CD and the USB input (even with my Mac set at full output). The CD was a bit louder but was easily adjusted with volume while listening. Dynamics were slightly improved and a sense of complexity more evident with the CD source, but VERY VERY subtle. sometimes I think I was hearing it just to hear a difference.

The background with the K-01 was pitch black. Like, black hole black. Zero, silence, the complete absence of anything but black.

ODSE back in play…. Black came back a tad, not quite black hole, but silent still. Like you knew the energy of the universe was there, but couldn't really perceive any physical culmination of that energy. But the magic that is the ODSE was there. Not overly bright, nor with mid's that stood out. There seamed to me to be more complexity in the music, more inner detail and more energy.

This was a very hard comparison as both are off the charts good. I need to sit down and do some more listening as I was pulled away shortly after putting the ODSE back in so my second half of the comparison was not complete….

I'll be back when I find the time. Hoping this Wednesday.

Cheers.

Hi Matt, your K-01 findings seem to be the opposite of my own... I found S_dly2/4X to be most emotionally absorbing for long term listening, while DSD/OFF seemed me more of an seat-edge experience that I could endure for a limited time.

Now I am wondering if I perhaps did not give the DSD circuit enough time to break in.

G.

They are the opposite of my initial findings as well. We spoke about what I heard off thread, and we both had similar findings. But today was very different. My findings were in contrast to my previous findings.

I look forward to my next session. That will help to reinforce my findings. I have not made any rash decisions thus far and wont start now.

What fun!

"09-06-14: Jon2020
....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
........"

Hmmm.....