Esoteric K-05 or K-07?

By all accounts, each higher level of Esoteric player is better than the last, so logically the 05 will be better than the 07. Haven't heard them against each other, but this is what I gathered in my lengthy online research prior to buying a K-03 (instead of a K-05, lol). Plenty of dynamics and detail. Check! Absolutely. Incredible detail. Lush sound? I love the sound of my K-03, and it has a very full and beautiful sound, but I equate lush to a more tubey sound, like you might expect from a Cary, or CJ, etc.

BTW, I did buy mine without hearing it. And I love it.

Thanks Jeff,

My concern with the K-03 is that the manual says you need a full 8" above the top of the player. I don't have that much room in my rack. Top shelf has my amp, so I can only have 1 or 2" of clearance on the next shelf.

K-07 is lower height, and that manual says nothing about all that clearance.

I'm replacing a defective Cary 303t with skipping problems. Loved the sonics, but could not deal with the quality issues. That's why I'm now considering Esoteric. I hate "glare" or fatiguing sound, and have been told Esoteric should fit the bill.

Does yours run hot, and how much clearance above the unit do you think I need?

Thanks so much for your comments.

Yashu, if you have a rack with the shelves vented on 4 sides, there should not be a problem with ventilation of K-03 or even K-01. My X-01, which runs a little warmer than K-01, has about 2" of top clearance... The player's top is warm, but never hot, even during summer months. If you like a highly textured and lush sound that never locks you into the syrupy arena, Esoteric is a fabulous way to go... K-01 is more textured/refined than K-03, which is more textured than K-05, which is more textured than K-07... You get the idea. Either way, as I mentioned in your other thread, break the player in with a lot of patience, and you will be rewarded by its sound. G.

I run my K-1 in a 10" open Zoethecus rack above a very warm Cary v12 amp.

It has 4 " clearance and never heats up.

Agree with others posting on the sound. Esoteric is more neutral than my previous Wadia which I loved, but I like the k-1 even better.

There are pretty good deals out there so I would go for a lightly used K-3 vs a new K-05 or 07.

K-01 is really world class, and the K-03 is supposedly 80- 90% of the K-01

I owned an X-05 for about 6 months and it was anything but warm or lush. Perhaps their more expensive players have a different tonal balance.