Esoteric K03

[LooseLeaf]

Please excuse my ignorance on this digital subject.

This Esoteric k03 interest me however with music servers and computer audio so prevalent today would you spend the dollars on a player like this?
Recently I purchased a used ModWright ultimate Sony 5400 just for fun to use in a 2nd system for headphone amp and phones .
After reading so many positive views on the Esoteric I feel Im missing a big part of digital play back like for example SACD though I prefer JVC XRCD24 5 to 1 over sacd.
I love the convenience of coarse however I see the next step of music servers which I find confusing with choices of how to do it are all over the map.

So I guess my question to whom is reading my query is , would you spend the money on the Esoteric?

[NOLG4EVR]

Originally Posted by LooseLeaf

Please excuse my ignorance on this digital subject. This Esoteric k03 interest me however with music servers and computer audio so prevalent today would you spend the dollars on a player like this? Recently I purchased a used ModWright ultimate Sony 5400 just for fun to use in a 2nd system for headphone amp and phones . After reading so many positive views on the Esoteric I feel Im missing a big part of digital play back like for example SACD though I prefer JVC XRCD24 5 to 1 over sacd. I love the convenience of coarse however I see the next step of music servers which I find confusing with choices of how to do it are all over the map. So I guess my question to whom is reading my query is , would you spend the money on the Esoteric?

I would not. Your question is valid. I don't own a CD player anymore.

[Good Times]

I would say yes, only because the dac section on the K-03 is so good. I use my K-03 as a dac about 95% of the time, if not more. Handy to have the spinner there if I'm in the mood, but as a dac it's still a good value proposition imo.

[tdelahanty]

My answer is a HUGE yes !!! I own the K07, it is the best player I've owned, including Krell and Levinson separates. The computer world changes too fast (dac interface & file types) for me. No worries of hard-drive crash or virus. My music library is finite (CD/SACD), real, not a computer file.

[Robert_Anderson]

I have high dollar Esoteric components and love them. Nothing I have heard comes close on SACD. I will say, however, the best XRCD performance I have heard was on a Reimyo DAP 999 I had for about two years. I could shoot myself for selling it. The caveat is that it will not process SACD.

[jdandy]

LooseLeaf.......You will not regret owning an Esoteric K-03. The SACD and CD playback on the K-03 is exceptional and the ability to use the DAC with USB, Coaxial, and optical digital inputs provides you with the ability to use a server in the future should you decide to grow your system in that direction. I have two K-03's, one each in two different systems. The Esoteric K-03 is a fabulous audio component.

Those who chatter about the death of the CD are usually those who have a stake in some other format they hope to profit from. CD and SACD are alive and well. Being able to take full advantage of the CD and SACD formats with a component like the Esoteric K-03 should have that player/DAC at the top of your "must own" list.

[audio bill]

Originally Posted by Robert_Anderson

I have high dollar Esoteric components and love them. Nothing I have heard comes close on SACD. I will say, however, the best XRCD performance I have heard was on a Reimyo DAP 999 I had for about two years. I could shoot myself for selling it. The caveat is that it will not process SACD.

That is not surprising since the engineers who designed the Reimyo DACs are the same engineers behind the XRCD process. Obviously they optimized the DAC's performance using their best reference level sources. I agree that the Reimyo DACs are outstanding performers, but they have limitations in that I don't believe they support decoding of higher resolution digital recordings.

[LooseLeaf]

Well thank you everyone for your input, Dan I read your review and other comments last night on the Esoteric with interest.
My venture into digital play back has me a little gun shy because of my knowledge level on digital, however as time goes by I see it to be inevitable do to some health issues that will progress.
Choosing a far more convenient and easier way of listening to music is the path I'll have to take, snapping a cantilever on a Lyra Atlas cartridge ..twice ..will make you think what one is doing, well such is life I just move on.
I have also read disparaging comments about CD players in general and why would anyone would own one today, however as we all know the many debates raging on the subject seam to be endless and is nothing new in this hobby.
I will get to listen to the K03 soon however I would also like to investigate known quality recordings of high resolution down loads, the Esoteric including vinyl play back of the same recordings.

[djwhog]

I have to agree with Dan, you can do it all on the k03, stream digital at its best red book CDs sacd and then play to your source unit, laptop to media player etc. unless you go to at k01 you will be at world class level CDs,sacd, days the works!

I have a ref Sony machine, oppo 95 neither are in the same. Playing field.

Cd is not going away, sacd is still strong, and you get all the flex of a world class dac.

PS I am on my back deck with the iPad via JRiver playing wireless control to the laptop, to the mx150 / k03 to my out door system.. It is better than most If you can swing it contact Masterlu and get a k03, life is to short, you regret it

[MAC10]

LooseLeaf...I am the proud owner of a pretty high end DAC that is talked about on this forum a lot.
The AMR DP-777.
I also have a pretty high end music server called the Aurender S-10.
Last but not least I sold my McIntosh MCD1100 to buy an Esoteric K-03.
All this being said, and as good as a music server sounds through the AMR DAC or the DAC in the esoteric, it does not compare to the sound of the Esoteric K-03 spinning a disc.
If I want to impress someone auditioning my system, I ALWAYS pop in a cd.
It doesn't even have to be a SACD.
It's that good.
I have sometimes regretted purchasing decisions in the past.
The K-03 I will never regret.