S-05 Power Amplifier
 

Been very interested in the S-05, because as an N-05XD user I kind of want to complete the set.

But over here in Taiwan/HK, the majority of Esoteric users (or at least the ones that talk about their experiences) are using their source equipment only (CD players, streamers, clocks). Posts on local forums about their amps are few and far between, and so far there has been exactly ONE post of someone using it with a pair of JBL monitors (I have a pair of 4429s with my MA8900).

Was in Hong Kong recently, so I went down to the Esoteric dealer and listened to N-05XD / S-05 / Tannoy Westminster Royal GR for an hour, and it was amazing! Played a bit of everything I listen to - Brad Mehldau, Daft Punk, Adele, Sam Smith, Nine Inch Nails, Bill Evans, Alice Sara Ott, and the setup was a joy to listen to, with no fatigue.

Now that I'm back in Taipei, I'm going to try to listen to some different speakers with the S-05 and go from there. The main dealer also likes to pair them with Tannoy, but I found a shop that has Esoteric and Focal, so will give that a shot.

If anyone has the S-05 or the F-03A, what speakers are you using?

vodan… Welcome to AA! :wave:

I recently bought the N05xd and use it with Levinson electronics. It is better than the Lumin U1 into the DAC of my K01x player by a significant margin! My dealer has the N05xd and S05 combination paired with Focal Utopia's. This is a fantastic combination and is the best sound I have heard from these speakers. I have two concerns about this combination; room size and heat (from the S05). I prefer to leave my equipment on all the time and 30 watts may not fill a very large room.

My listening area is about 11' x 16', which is probably just alright by western standards, but a pretty big one in TW/HK where everything is so cramped. Also, the HK dealer drove the monstrous Tannoy Westminsters with ease, so I'm not too concerned about power.

The dealer actually had the S-05 on the bottom of a rack, with maybe only no more than 2 inches above. I asked him about the heat, and he said that since the design already dissipates heat effectively, there's no need to have a lot of room above it. My listening hours are from 11am to 1pm, 3pm to 7pm and maybe 10pm to 1am, so there will be some off hours here and there.

I think the S05 will fill your room easily. My dealer's room is bigger and there is no lack of power. I might disagree with your dealer, too much heat is always the enemy of electronics. That said, hopefully you'll find a spot with enough ventilation. :yes:

The bottom level of my rack is a little higher than 12 inches (so I can store some of the overflow from my record shelf). Esoteric's site lists the S-05 at 7-1/2 inches, so that leaves about 4-1/2 inches above the amplifier.

The amp will be placed at one end of the rack and the records will be at the other end, so the ventilation should be alright... I hope...:D

S-05 just arrived yesterday!

https://i.imgur.com/ZEjBsSV.jpg

I usually listen to music while I work and do very little critical listening, so there's bound to be stuff that I don't normally hear when I pay attention. Please take these initial impressions with a grain of salt because I don't know how much of it is just stuff I didn't notice before, versus the actual changes from MA8900 to S-05.

- feels more airy and 3D
- vocals are more focused and slightly forward
- bass didn't change in quantity, but is now tighter and less muddy

I was kind of wary of the combination of Esoteric amplification with JBL 4429, but so far I have no complaints.

Still playing vinyl through my MA8900 for the tone control. I do have an unbuilt Luxman equalizer DIY kit (look up "LXV-OT9" on google) and an audio-technica phono amp, so I might go that route eventually.

Congratulations,...beautiful amp!