Esoteric K-01/K-03 Owners

Thank you Mark, while my nostalgic inclinations made me hope invane that K-03 remained superior as an all-in-one over its partial use with a computer front end, your findings do not surprise me. I wonder if applying the new blazingly fast and superliable Samsung 850 Pro SSd would give your MacMini an edge over the K-03 transport. See this detailed review of the device:

http://www.anandtech.com/print/8216/samsung-ssd-850-pro-128gb-256gb-1tb-review-enter-the-3d-era

I conjecture that the Samsung 850 Pros series blazing speed might reduce jitter even further.

G.

Perhaps Guido,
The specs of the 850 vs Agility 3 SSD are similar, yet there are advantages to the 850 Pro for sure.

The thing is, the 2010 Mac Mini has the drive buried in the back of the unit. They recommend that only expert technicians attempt to switch out drives....I am not that guy. Nevertheless, following an instructional you tube video I found, I gave it a go. Almost every component in the MM had to be removed. I needed my pair of surgical loupes to see half the screws I removed and of the 32, most had varying ISO standards....so they each had to be labeled to get the right ones back in the right place. 4-5 hours later I was holding my breath when I booted up the MM....all was fine.

Exhausting enough of a task, I won't be trying to tackle that again. When I eventually upgrade my Mac Mini this may be a viable option, as Apple received complaints about the aforementioned design and I understand the process of swapping drives is much easier based on its location in the enclosure.

I am sure the extent some of go to in the pursuit of the best SQ, seems ridiculous to many. Lol

Thanks for sharing.

Mark

Agh... Did not realize that replacing a drive in MacMini was this exciting... I appreciate your lack of enthusiasm with the idea of repeating the thrillsome experience G.

The transport (VMK-3.5-20S) and the clock (0.5 ppm vcxo part) appear to be the same between k-01 and the new x model. so do the power supply and the 8 dac/per channel configuration. which is a relief for me as a k-01 owner not willing to immediately upgrade.

the difference is the new akm dac chip, usb receiver and possibly the digital pre-amp section.

looking forward to hearing impressions but reminds me of the x-01 to d2 upgrade which i also skipped and was later awarded with the k series upgrade which was revolutionary

Mark,
I am afraid I use Windows 8.1 for hi-rez audio and will not be able to compare what you hope for. Also, I would need Amarra and A+ for the experiment.
I appreciate your resolve in getting past the Mac Mini's "screw vaults", so to speak. Well, I am a mite meeker when it comes to this sort of thing although I would do it on an old discarded piece just to exercise my hands and fingers. Looks like coincidentally, you may be a microsurgeon too, with your surgical loupes, precision and attention to detail with regard to the screw types.
Cheers!