Esoteric's new all-in-one audio player

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by TommyC

After looking at the Japanese MSRP, I agree with you.

The Esoteric A-03 retails for 900K Yen. Esoteric America sells it for 14K USD in 2010 (was 12K in 2009). The K-01 retails for 1,400K Yen. After doing the math, this comes to 21.8K USD. So, around 22K, just like you said.

Hi-fi are getting ridiculously expensive.

According to Stereophile the K-01 is listing at $22k and the K-03 at $13k.

Home Page | Stereophile.com



Jim

[mimesis]

Talking to an Esoteric rep at a high end audio show, the rep felt that the K01 would not be as good as the P03D03 combo, clock or not. Having owned the P03D03 when it first came out and finding it to rate well (I also owned at some point, usually side by side to compare for myself the Playback Designs, Zanden, Wadia 931/921 etc.), I went off in another direction but the K series, especially the K03 seems to be compelling for what it offers, particularly USB up to 192 for a music server and apparently discrete amplification circuits. I am in the market for a player to use for SACD primarily (I have a DAC setup I really like for regular CDs).

Bill

[howiebrou]

Originally Posted by mimesis

Talking to an Esoteric rep at a high end audio show, the rep felt that the K01 would not be as good as the P03D03 combo, clock or not. Having owned the P03D03 when it first came out and finding it to rate well (I also owned at some point, usually side by side to compare for myself the Playback Designs, Zanden, Wadia 931/921 etc.), I went off in another direction but the K series, especially the K03 seems to be compelling for what it offers, particularly USB up to 192 for a music server and apparently discrete amplification circuits. I am in the market for a player to use for SACD primarily (I have a DAC setup I really like for regular CDs).

Bill

Bill,

Do tell us more about your system. You appear to have had some serious kit through your house over the years.

Cheers

Howie

[cmalak]

Welcome to AA Bill

[mimesis]

Hi Howie, Cyril and all,
I've posted here a couple of times, as well as on Agon and WBForum. I started out with Sonic Frontiers gear and Dunlavy speakers, migrated to a Krell amp to drive those speakers and then embarked on a journey through a maze of gear, preamp, DAC, amp, speakers. Some of the more notable speakers I've had are Wilson 5.1s, Kharmas, Ebens, Genesis, Verity, Wilson Benesch, Reference 3A. At times I've had two setups on hand, but have scaled back to have perhaps two preamps or two DACs on hand to compare.

In my search for digital nirvana, at one point I had the P03D03clock, MPS5, Wadia 931/921 simultaneously. I've also had dCS three times, although I preferred the Elgar Plus sound to the Pagananini stack, especially at the going rates.

As of now, I have MBL 101E speakers, powered by Boulder gear; I happen to have a Goldmund preamp that I find superior to the Boulder but I am loathe to part with the Boulder - perhaps because it's so massively overbuilt, superior to many others I've tried (ARC, BAT, Accuphase, Levinson to name a few). The Goldmund provides more clarity and detail Things in the recording, such as breathing, piano bench moving or some other artifact of the recording venue is heard quite obviously through the Goldmund. In this respect, a Goldmund-Boulder pairing is similar to a Spectral preamp-amp.

Two things I've not yet tried: monster tube amps (I've had monster tube preamps and they are not my cup of tea) and low watt tube or solid state amps and full range speakers (Tonian, Musical Affairs are what intrigue me there).

The thing that has changed the least? My turntable, a Basis vacuum model. I first discovered the high end when I encountered the narrow, heavy paper stock,, thick covered Absolute Sound in a bookstore in DC in about 1993. Entered the high end for myself around 94-95 and haven't looked back.

Generally, I like to try somewhat out of the ordinary gear - although lack of distribution and support for some product lines in the US can make for a dicey buy.

Things I do like - craftsmanship, performance, attention to detail. I try to avoid reading marketing talk and gave up my magazine subscriptions 10 years ago.

I have an Oppo blu ray, DirecTV HD and a JVC projector mated to a Supernova drop down screen; this last item brought the visual image into the modern age (I was using a manual screen I bought at Costco) but I am by far a music person. I still like and collect CDs and SACDs, have dabbled with an Olive and a Mac music server and find that the metadata tagging is wrong too often that it drives me nuts.

Bill

[cmalak]

Originally Posted by mimesis

Hi Howie, Cyril and all,
I've posted here a couple of times, as well as on Agon and WBForum. I started out with Sonic Frontiers gear and Dunlavy speakers, migrated to a Krell amp to drive those speakers and then embarked on a journey through a maze of gear, preamp, DAC, amp, speakers. Some of the more notable speakers I've had are Wilson 5.1s, Kharmas, Ebens, Genesis, Verity, Wilson Benesch, Reference 3A. At times I've had two setups on hand, but have scaled back to have perhaps two preamps or two DACs on hand to compare.

In my search for digital nirvana, at one point I had the P03D03clock, MPS5, Wadia 931/921 simultaneously. I've also had dCS three times, although I preferred the Elgar Plus sound to the Pagananini stack, especially at the going rates.

As of now, I have MBL 101E speakers, powered by Boulder gear; I happen to have a Goldmund preamp that I find superior to the Boulder but I am loathe to part with the Boulder - perhaps because it's so massively overbuilt, superior to many others I've tried (ARC, BAT, Accuphase, Levinson to name a few). The Goldmund provides more clarity and detail Things in the recording, such as breathing, piano bench moving or some other artifact of the recording venue is heard quite obviously through the Goldmund. In this respect, a Goldmund-Boulder pairing is similar to a Spectral preamp-amp.

Two things I've not yet tried: monster tube amps (I've had monster tube preamps and they are not my cup of tea) and low watt tube or solid state amps and full range speakers (Tonian, Musical Affairs are what intrigue me there).

The thing that has changed the least? My turntable, a Basis vacuum model. I first discovered the high end when I encountered the narrow, heavy paper stock,, thick covered Absolute Sound in a bookstore in DC in about 1993. Entered the high end for myself around 94-95 and haven't looked back.

Generally, I like to try somewhat out of the ordinary gear - although lack of distribution and support for some product lines in the US can make for a dicey buy.

Things I do like - craftsmanship, performance, attention to detail. I try to avoid reading marketing talk and gave up my magazine subscriptions 10 years ago.

I have an Oppo blu ray, DirecTV HD and a JVC projector mated to a Supernova drop down screen; this last item brought the visual image into the modern age (I was using a manual screen I bought at Costco) but I am by far a music person. I still like and collect CDs and SACDs, have dabbled with an Olive and a Mac music server and find that the metadata tagging is wrong too often that it drives me nuts.

Bill

Bill...great intro and welcome again. Hope you stick around and contribute more. You certainly have been in the high end arena for a while like many of our members and your experience with many different brands/components will be very interesting to compare and contrast with other AA members with similar background.

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by mimesis

As of now, I have MBL 101E speakers, powered by Boulder gear; I happen to have a Goldmund preamp that I find superior to the Boulder but I am loathe to part with the Boulder - perhaps because it's so massively overbuilt,
Bill

Bill
Very interesting journey!!! It is nice to know that there is at least one other MBL owner on the site.

Jim

[dynaco1]

I ordered a K-03 two weeks ago. Should be here by Saturday unless the UPS truck get stuck in a snow bank. Sold my Esoteric SA-50 three weeks ago to buy the K-03; the SA-50 was a great entre' into the single-box SACD/CD/DAC solution. Really excited about the K-03. Bought a new Van den Hul Optilink mini-toslink/toslink interconnect to connect Macbook to K-03. Did the same with SA-50 and found theMacbook to be a great music server via toslink or USB 2. Same was true with Toshiba laptop via USB. We also have an Esoteric A-100 amp. Super stuff.

[jdandy]

dynaco1.......Welcome to Audio Aficionado.

[Gene]

Debating over either a K-01 or a Luxman D-08... any advice?