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Esoteric F-05 Integrated - any opinions?

I was wondering if anyone has heard the newly-released amp from Esoteric.  There does not seem to be any reviews on the internet (that I can find).
Ag insider logo xs@2xgreginnh
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greginnh OP
382 posts
 
Hi Stan,

The main reason for replacing the E-470 was due to what I considered to be a more of a "clinical" sound than what I liked.  I had plenty of power to drive my current speakers at the time (B&W 803 D3) so I gave up the Class A warmth of my Luxman L-590 AX to meet the needs of my speakers.   I then moved to a new home with a dedicated, but much smaller audio room in which the B&Ws did not play too well.  I sold them and went with Aerial Acoustics 7T and then went on a quest for a slightly warmer, realistic sound.  This was accomplished with the Esoteric IMO.   In my environment, the Esoteric works better by about 10% in terms of order of magnitude. 

Don't get me wrong, the Accuphase is a marvelous unit, just not my cup of tea.  Also, the Esoteric comes with a phono stage where as you have to purchase a phono card or use an external phono pre-amp with the Accuphase.
stan5468
8 posts
 

Hi greginnh,

Your overall summation basically describes the 'road' I wish to take my system to. Since I last posted, I decided to part company with my Evolution Acoustics MicroOne speakers and have gone back to ProAc (D2) (still a couple of weeks away due to the wood finish I ordered). Apart from the last three years with the MicroOnes, I basically had ProAc for the last 20+ years (Response 2 for about 4yrs and then the Response 2S for about 17yrs) and had always found them revealing (for their time) yet musically satisfying. Having been off work for the last few months recovering from surgery to both hands, I've had a lot of time to sit down and listen (while recovering and now drawing to a close......'Dammit'), I felt that a certain musicality was missing especially with prolonged listening; ..l wouldn't say clinical, but, a 'bit cool' in delivery (...ceramic drivers?). So I decided to change.

As for Accuphase, I did a brief listen (with some of my music) whilst at the retailer for ProAc, Accuphase et al, to a system comprising of Accuphase pre/power, Tannoy speakers, that was out of my league, although quite impressive, the manner it revealed the 'whole' reminded me of similar attributes in my system that I was trying to get away from. The retailer in question does not have an E-470 in stock so I would need to wait until he gets one in to replace one of the lower E series intergrated amps. On the other hand another retailer is expecting an Esoteric F-05 to be coming in for demo purposes so I'll get an opportunity to garner a listen there; but, will not be able to directly compare the  E-470 against the F-05,..... thus the reason for asking for a little bit more info from you.

Judging from your answer, I am looking forward to auditioning the F-05 and if I like will not worry about trying out the Accuphase at all.   

cmaronmurphy
4 posts
 
greginnh,

I have been listening to the F-05 over the last few days through Magnepan 3.7i's.  I love the overall sound and am considering replacing my PrimaLuna pre and power amp to simplify - an integrated amp with phono and DAC card fits the bill.  The F-05 I am listening to only has about 20 hours on it.  I've found the top end a bit dialed back - not soft or smooth but less present.  Did you experience any changes in that area after a full break in?
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greginnh OP
382 posts
 
cmaronmurphy - I found that my F-05 seemed to open up fully at about the 100 hour mark.  Using my Aerial Acoustic 7T speakers, I can't say that there was anything lacking in terms of presence in the top end. 
ktliao88
2 posts
 
My F-05 just arrived yesterday. At first hour of running, the sound quality was not better than my previous pre-amp/power-amp system, which cost only 1/3 of F05. I was worried my wife will not notice any upgrade.

After few hours of running, F-05 performed better and better. Even my wife is not sensitive at sound quality she still can feel improvement.

Originally, my target was Accuphase E-470, but the dealer I visited have no E-470 for demo. They introduced me F-05 and MBL C51.

Since I have no chance to audit E-470 and I read this review......

Thank you greginnh. I am very satisfied with F-05.
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