esoteric products

I have both an Oppo-103 in my 3.1 system and an Esoteric-K 07 in my main 2 channel rig. There is no comparison between these two players.

And to the main point of the OP, Esoteric brand isn't going away, their products are well built, designed and sound excellent, there will always be demand for high quality products.

The k01x has be for everyone palate.

It just a player that does everything very well. It has dynamics and solidity in tone and very detailed.

Their are many players/dacs which may be sweeter, may have a more romatic female vocals which cost much less.

Over the years of owning many others player, imho, esoterics does have the sonic foundation pretty spot on and one should tailor ones sonic preferences with cables and associated equipment to win my vote overall.

I actually did not care for the old esoteric series at all, was it too neutral, on the extreme cold side? But not so for the new k series, its an easy match with a wide range of equipment and sound fantastic!

Fully agree. The K series sound fabulous and is built like a tank to last a lifetime. The only problem is that the dac section would need regular hardware upgrades and this cannot be done by the manufacturer a la Ayre products. Also, the transport mechanism will fail one day and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it would last at least 10 years. If it does, as a transport, it is a keeper for both redbook and sacd. When the dac upgrade bug smites, I would probably go with the Bricasti M1.

Axes anyone?It's beyond me why anyone (besides a tacky competitor)
would cast aspersions on the corporation or the generally fine products? I doubt they would appreciate a fine car either. I'm sure some would prefer the sound of Oppo, it's what they're used to. :-) To each his own. Red wine Sangria please, with brandy thanks.

I think a valid point has been raised in this thread, which is, the resale value of Esoteric products has plummeted dramatically in a short space of time. This is a fact, not mere casting of aspersions.
Current owners of Esoteric gear would be understandably anxious. Be that as it may, whatever the reason could be, it does not bode well for potential owners of new Esoteric products. Current owners like myself, who will have to upgrade one day, have no axe to grind. I have at any rate, resigned myself to an upgrade path as laid out above.
It may also be better to wait until the MQA dust settles. Turnover time for digital products burn so fast and furious with each passing day that to commit anything north of 20k may not be a prudent investment for digital nowadays.
This hobby for most of us is all about value for money. I doubt any of us who post here regularly are cost-no-object hobbyists. That we compare different components in different price bands indicates that we are essentially looking for value.