FOCUS ON THE ESOTERIC CD/SACD PLAYERS
Esoteric have gained an enviable reputation in recent years based on their high end CD/SACD players. Virtually every review both in the UK and the US audio press has bordered on the ecstatic and an Esoteric player has now joined most audiophile's wish list - ours included.
This summer sees Esoteric launch three new products that are going to consolidate that reputation: the X03, the PO5 and the D05 are players that you are going to being hearing a lot about this autumn. We now have these in stock and on demo, so call us up and book your appointment now to hear the best new CD/SACD players this year.
So why are Esoteric so highly regarded? A short list might look something like this:
1. They look great. OK, so it's not the most important thing, but given the choice between a great sounding player that looks pants and one that looks great, which are you going to buy?
2. They are superbly made. Esoteric make their own transports which to many audiophiles is a very convincing arguement indeed. It breaks the mould of cheap (and often tacky) PC or DVD based transports designed to last...oh all of two or three years. Not ony do they make their own but Esoteric make them to a standard that shames everyone in the industry. Want a solid, audiophile transport made to last? You have three choices then; go without (bit Hobbsian, but there we go), travel to the planet Zog in the hope that the Zoggians do things properly or buy Esoteric. The rest of an Esoteric's innards follow the same pattern. Again, that dooesn't mean it sounds great, but it sure helps.
3. They are well specified, versatile and easy to use. To be fair, most audiophile kit is these days, but rest assured an Esoteric isn't going to keep you wondering if you've set it up correctly (dCS please take note).
4. The prices are real world. Esoteric have always been an audiophile brand with audiophile prices designed for people who can tell the difference and are prepared to forgo the new BMW and/or the month in Barbados, but they are nowhere near the stratospheric prices of others we could name. Now with the XO3 priced at £3500 Esoteric are bringing their trademark sound into a very affordable area.
5. Last, and most importantly, they sound fantastic. Not edgy or digital, there's no greyness there; just the music. Clear, clean organic. Interested?
So what's new in the Esoteric range?
THE ESOTERIC XO5 CD/SACD PLAYERs They say: Includes a new VRDS-Neo/VMK-5 transport mechanism incorporating a new aluminium turntable and drive mechanism. Uses the Cirrus Logic's 24 bit/192 khz processing DAC in a dual mono configuration for superior imaging and sound staging.
We say: Lovely looks and feel. Operates like a dream, has balanced as well as RCA outputs and it has SACD replay! An exceptionally refined and fast sound with excellent transparency and soundstaging, I strongly suspect that this machine is going to redefine the performance envelope of the sub £5000 sector.
Price £3500
THE ESOTERIC PO-5 CD/SACD TRANSPORT They say: Incorporating a new VRDS-NEO mechanism which contains two propiatary technologies, the turntable clamping mechanism and the optical stability platform. These allow extremely accurate data retrieval and eliminates off axis errors. PCM digital upconversion. PCM to DSD conversion. Native DSD for SACD. iLink, RCA or 110 ohm balanced outputs.
We say: Designed to work with the DO-5, this transport uses new technology to raise standards of CD & SACD replay at this price point or anything near it. All the Esoteric hallmarks are there, wonderful build quality, easy to use and superbb results.
Price £4995
THE ESOTERIC DO-5 CD/SACD DAC They say: The D-05 is the world’s first D/A converter incorporating the “AK4397” Delta-Sigma DAC device from AKM Semiconductor, Inc. This device has full 32 bit processing capability. The “AK4397” was designed combining newly developed high speed / high capacity digital processing components and improved analog processing components. This device provides premium quality sound reproduction on a professional level. The “AK4397” has a superior and precise D/A conversion capability thanks to its fully extended 32 bit processing throughout all stages, including digital filter and the “Delta-Sigma,” modulator. This high performance technology is an evolutionary upgrade path from conventional 16 or 24 bit D/A converters. The D-05 incorporates dual mono digital and dual mono analog circuits, with dual mono power supply components to achieve extremely high resolution and superior channel separation. This design follows in the footsteps of Esoteric’s D-03 dual mono D/A converter. Word clock input and output is included for use with Esoteric transports or stand alone master clock sync generators. D-05 specifications: [Audio features] Total harmonic distortion; 0.002%, Freq. response (Super Audio CD); 5 Hz - 20 kHz (+0.5 dB, –3 dB), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N); 112 dB (JEITA) [Input terminals] Digital audio input; i.LINK (AUDIO) terminal (6-pin x1, 4-pin x1), XLR x 2 (Use 2 terminals for Dual AES output), RCA x1, OPTICAL x1 Word clock input; BNC x1 (44.1, 88.2, 176.4, 48, 96, 192, 100 kHz) [Output terminals] Analog audio output; XLR x1 (L/R), RCA x1 (L/R) Word clock output; BNC x1 (44.1,88.2,176.4,48,96,192,100 kHz) [Dimensions] (W x H x D); 442 x 124 x 332 mm (17-3/8” x 4-7/8” x 13-1/16”) [Weight] 13 kg (28-5/8 lbs). For more information please see www.teac.com/esoteric/ or contact: Esoteric_info@teac.com
We say: Designed to work with the PO-5, this transport uses new technology to raise standards of CD & SACD replay at this price point or anything near it. All the Esoteric hallmarks are there, wonderful build quality, easy to use and superbb results.
Price £3495