Audio Aero Prestige vs. Esoteric X-01 Limited

Saxguy71, if you go to my thread entitled, Reference DACS: An overall perspective the following will make perfact sense to you.

The Audio Aero Prestige is a very type 2 flavor and the Esoteric is a very type 1 flavor. Both very good but not only different, but personnal taste and system synergy will really decide what works for you.

The system is as follows:

ARS Sonum Filarmonia
Merlin VSM-MXe loudspeakers
Cardas Golden Reference Interconnects and Biwire Speaker cables
Critical Mass Systems Grand Master Black Label Platforms
BPT 2.5

I am leaning towards the AA unit at this point. This is what Bobby recommended (in the Capitole).

I have an AA Prima Mk2 and auditioned the Prestige at length. AA makes exactly the type of sound I like. It doesn't sound like digital and yet has excellent resolution and timing. That is what I would go with.

I have the Prestige SE which was an upgrade from Prestige. They both require a long burn-in time to sound best (2000 hours) - I think its to do with the tubes. My dealer has the Esoteric P03/D03 combo which I auditioned. Esoteric build is stunning and sounds very good.

My preference is for the Prestige even though Esoteric P03/D03 presented more detail. Prestige for me was more musical and involving which I would attribute to its splendid presention of harmonics / tonal decay.

With my computer setup as a dedicated transport via Toslink (feeding 24/96), I am getting details that was missing (and other improvements such as bass and dynamics) but still retaining all musicality of Prestige SE.