I am surprised that after having one problem with Esoteric you are willing to go down that road again. I play a lot of CDs and SACDs but I think that the transport plus DAC route is the way to go. CD transports can develop issues as they age, but DACs can last forever, and if you want to use them with other digital sources in the future then you are ready there as well. I use a Bryston DAC that can accept the outputted DSD from my SACD player, although I suspect that most of your listening will be Red Book CD
Esoteric K-03 or Luxman D-03x
I'm looking for a new/used player and I have an opportunity to buy a used Esoteric K-03 at a reasonable price and close to what a new Luxman D-03x would cost. My system is set up primarily to play vinyl and cd's. I recently owed an older Esoteric X-03se, which I really enjoyed, until it developed a transport issue so I ended up literally giving it away because of the difficulty getting it repaired at a reasonable cost. Whatever player I ultimately buy will be run through my Aesthetix Janus preamp even though I understand that the X-03 has some type of volume attenuator while the Luxman does not. New technology vs old, excellent build quality vs very good, manufacturer's warranty vs "if it breaks I pay to repair it". I don't own any sacd's but might consider buying a few of the better titles. Don't own any. MQA cd's but might buy a few to hear what they're all about. Help a brother out! No right or wrong answer but I'm just looking for other members honest opinions if you have owned and used either of these two players or which one you night chose and why. Thanks, Skip