Our New Addition - Esoteric X03-SE CD Player

All:

The wife and I have been on a CD player search for a while. We have been using an old Musical Fidelity 308 CR CD player which sounded fine until we purchased a pair of Vantages. All of a sudden it started to sound a bit congested and constrained.

Our other equipment consists of Conrad Johnson 2250A Amp and PV 14L2 Pre Amp with a Martin Logan Depth sub. This is a pure 2 channel setup.

We listened to a bunch of CD players from Musical Fidelity, Classe, Sim Audio, ARC, BAT, and Ayre. Some sounded too constrained, some sounded a bit forward. When we heard the Esoteric we fell in love. Even though much of what we listen to is not on SACD, it was difficult to find a CD only player that impressed us as much.

The kicker is that we have lousy power here in New York. We had a chance to purchase a PS Audio Premier Power Plant as B stock at a good price. Once it broke in the sound of the system elevated to an entirely new level.

We have been listening to some regular discs as the unit broke in from a variety of artists ranging from Keith Jarrett to Kraftwerk and we are always amazed at how well this unit sounds.

If I had to nitpick on one point, it would be a wish for the soundstage to be a bit more expansive, but I really can't complain.

That's all for now.

Mike

This is a real nice CDP that is quite popular with many folks... congrats on the fine acquisition! Any pics to share?

I got to listen to that player when I was speaker hunting awhile back and the sound it produces has haunted me ever since.

Jerry:

This was the first CD player I have ever listened to that has me focused on the music as opposed to indiidual instruments. That's not to say that they are propelry not spaced and organized in the Esoteric, but rather that I don't really seem to hone in on the details as much as I have in the past. Listening to music has become much more enjoyable.

Mike

As pretty much everyone here knows I am a HUGE Esoteric fan. Congrats on your new addition. You'll have a long musical journey ahead of you...

Hi guys,

Congrats Mike on your new CDP.

Sorry that my SA60 didn't work out due to lack of a "program" button on the remote. Would have loved to exchange observations with other Esoteric owners.

BTW, received my Cary 306 SACD CDP and it's in the process of being broken in. Will provide comments once I listen for a couple of weeks. Initial impression is also very positive.

GG

congers said:

We listened to a bunch of CD players from Musical Fidelity, Classe, Sim Audio, ARC, BAT, and Ayre. Some sounded too constrained, some sounded a bit forward.

Click to expand...

Which ARC did you listen to ?

Bernard said:

Which ARC did you listen to ?

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Bernard: Listened to the CD3 MKII. While it was a marvelous machine, my wife and I just felt that the sound of the Esoteric was in a league of it's own. Others might feel differently though.

The CD3 was a bit more up front. The Esoteric overall sound was more relaxed, holistic, and engaging.

That was the deciding factor for us.

Mike

Gordon Gray said:

Hi guys,

Congrats Mike on your new CDP.

Sorry that my SA60 didn't work out due to lack of a "program" button on the remote. Would have loved to exchange observations with other Esoteric owners.

BTW, received my Cary 306 SACD CDP and it's in the process of being broken in. Will provide comments once I listen for a couple of weeks. Initial impression is also very positive.

GG

Click to expand...

Gordon - I have enjoyed reading some of your posts - found them to be insightful and tempered with reality.

There are so many variables that go into selection of equipment. The gentleman I used to do business with has moved out of retail audio sales and into high end audio systems for those who own a home worth far more than I.

About a year ago we got together and had a discussion regarding the "biggest bank for the buck" regarding our 2 channel setup. Given that we had already purchased the Vantages, we were told that there were some serious advances in CD technology over the past 3 years and that we should listen and see if any unit really made a difference.

We listened to the 2 channel version of the Esoteric (model escapes me) and the unit we purchased. There difference was amazing.

I wish that I could afford the Luxman equipment they were demoed on, but we like to eat.

In any event, I hope that you enjoy your unit as much as we enjoy the Esoteric.

Mike