Esoteric K-05 or K-07?

@ Jmcgrogan2, Hi, At the cost of Taralabs Zero gold interconnects I have to use a source that has volume control, the Esoteric K-01, k-03 have very good 32 bit volume control going thru a true analog section of the player and a very good transformer, there will be no bit stripping of the signal with such a volume control, Then latter when finances are there I may move to a active pre-amp, However, If it turns out I find a player whether it is Esoteric or others out there that perform to my expectations with the volume, then I would need nothing!, also, with the Esoteric K series, I do not know if you are are aware that I will be able to add a media server and connect it to the esoteric k series if I go that route, a tuner, three complete sets of 24/192 inputs for such componets,, A volume attenuator will in no way compete with what Esoteric is offering for volume control in the K-03, k-01 series of players, they are esentually a digital hub. cheers fellas.

Yashu, sorry for delayed response. Mine is on top of my rack, so I have no issue. However, it never gets hot or even warm, and sometimes I have CD's piled on top. Also, there are no vents on top of the K-03, so I doubt there is any heat dispersion issue on top.

As always, room and system synergy trumps all, so no one can tell you what the Esoteric will sound like in your setup. However, as Guido said, the Esoteric has filters that can subtly alter the sound. And if, like me with my Mcintosh MC452 amp, you have a slightly warmer/lush amp or preamp, the Esoteric might be a good match. However, if, like Kiwi, you like a very lush sound like your old (and Kiwi's own) Cary CDP, which are known to be euphonic, the Esoteric may not be your cup of tea. I will also add that the new K series is definitely warmer/lusher than the old X series, so I would probably discount those comments regarding the X series.

Hope this helps...

Excellent comments Geoff... I discovered something fascinating with my old X-01 during the weekend... The unit had been sitting for a while on Aluminum-ceramic Nordost Sort Kones: yes, the yield a mild enhancement in resolution/imaging over the X-01's integrated footers.

My X-01 feeds a Rowland Criterion, which feeds Rowland M925 monos, feeding Vienna Die Muzik. Wiring is all Aural Symphonics. Titanium-ceramic Kones under amps and preamp.

I have a spare trio of Nordost Bronze-ceramic Kones, for which I have some historical misgivings because of mixed results on a few SS stereo amps, under which I much prefer the extension and sweetness yielded by the Titanium-ceramic variant.

Anyhow, on a lark, I replaced the Aluminum-ceramic Kones under X-01 with the Bronze-ceramic variants: two in front, just behind the integrated footers, and one in the back, just front of the footer.... There was a nice enhancement in imaging, but treble extension seemed to suffer a little bit.... On a further lark, I added just one Titanium Kone 1.5 inches from the front plate, half way between the left and right.... Bingo! The treble reopened up, without any treble excess... harmonic content, and imaging/staging were further enhanced, with the bass range assuming further gravitas... Yes, the word lushius does come to mind.

On one last experimental lark, I switched Kones.... Bronze under Rowland Criterion linestage, and all Titanium (4) under X-01... Ahg, forget lush... Shrill city without depth... Bronze Kones went immediately back under X-01, Titanium under Criterions.... And all's lushly find with the world once again!

Of course, the new K-0X series is not the same as X-01, but I venture to conjecture: a trio of Nordost Bronze Sort Kones spiced up with a single Titanium Kone under the new players may yield some fascinating results.

Saluti, G.

Yashu, read Ryan Colemans review of the P-02/D-02 in Ultra Audio( Soundstage). It's not the K-05 , however it is a great dicription of the strenghts of the latest Esoteric series players. The whole line shares the basic design philosophy and you can hear the heart of the sound in all the K's. I owned an X-01/D2 and was very happy with it. Great player to separate the sounds in the music and terrific detail and dynamics. Last year I purchased the K-01 and was blown away by the change in sound from theX-01. All the strengths are still there but the difference is in the way the presentation feels. There's a smoother presentation, much more natural. All the K's have this feel. The big difference in one model to another is clarity of each separate sound in the presentation. Go for K-05, and if you can get to the K-03, you may never upgrade again, I think there that good!

Hi Guido,

Very interesting comments on the use of various Sort Kones under the X-01.

I have something of a love/hate relationship with my Esoteric K-03 and have also been playing around recently with the use of various Sort Kones in my system

One thing is immediately clear. After trying various footers including Ansuz Diamond, Cold Rays (Ti), Pulsar points (Ti)and Sort BC (Bronze) & TC - all are far better than resting the K-series on its own footers - which is pretty interesting considering the work Esoteric is said to have put into the footer design!

Under the K-03 and indeed under most components, I've generally found TC to produce higher fidelity than BC. BC does sound a bit more 'earthy' with a little more mid-bass heft but it is at the cost of treble air and overall resolution most noticeable with a discernable loss of subtle reverberant and ambient detail.