Fair enough Mission. There is plenty of room for all views and opinions here, and no right or wrong. Some folks like tubed gear, others prefer ss. There is no doubt the Esoteric has a very good transport & excellent build quality. But at end of the day, you buy gear based on a balancing act between subjective sound, quality and other considerations such as resale value. Even if you describe the Esoteric as Mercedes, the next guy might prefer a Mustang. Different horses for different courses.
Best SACD: Modwright OPPO vs Esoteric X03 series?
There seem to be about 5 of each available on Audiogon right now for about $3k +/- $300. I can maybe stretch my budget and lay my hands on cash in few days. In the mean time, I need to decide which type is likely to sound better. I am running a hodge-podge system made from a few 'over achievers' and a lot of attention to detail. Amps are 600w D-Sonic and the preamp is a W4S STP buffered passive. Speakers are 6.1 Genesis and most of my cabling is from Kaplan or his new Waevform Fidelity. I have no chance to audition either model as the Milwaukee area is kind of an audiophile dessert, and would appreciate hearing from anyone who has.
Showing 7 responses by melbguy1
10-14-15: MattmillerI'm with Matt on this, the Esoteric players i've heard are good sacd players yes, but there are better sounding rbcd players. So it really depends whether you're heavily invested in sacd's or listen mostly to rbcd's. Also, if you need a good bluray player, the Oppo is a no-brainer & will allow you to play DVD-A, Bluray audio & obviously bluray movies. |
Everyone knows the MW oppo 105 competes with players up to $15k. No one would deny the Esoteric would have the wood over the Oppo on SACD, but I would very happily throw a fully loaded Modwright Oppo 105 with the Bybee & Audio Magico options up against an Esoteric X03 playing a well mastered XRCD. The other benefit of the Oppo is, you can further improve & tune the player by upgrading the factory tubes to some matched NOS tubes. Any one else car to chime in? |
Taters, not necessarily. Many an established high end audio company which have either changed hands or closed shop no longer support legacy products. For example, Infinity Systems no longer provide any technical support or parts for legacy speakers after the Harmon takeover. They even removed specs off their site. And there is a long bucket list of established high end audio companies which have closed the doors. Going with an established high end brand like Boulder, Vitus or Magico is certainly a safer bet that a business based around modding gear, though as with Infinity Systems, there are no guarantees. |