Esoteric K01: What are the best settings for CD?

Hi Matjet, assuming all filters and upsampling levels have been broken in with at least 500 hours on each, my observations and preferences are as follows:

* No filters and no upsampling -- impressive result per se... In the sense that in spite of the reduced treble ceiling, relatively flat stage, and a bit of "overbite" artifact, the sound is moderately pleasing.... By the way, this is aledgedly the setting "recommended" by TEAC Japan engineers.
* 2X and 4X upsampling each add progressively more top and bottom end information without adding any artifacts that I can detect. My prefered upsampling rate is 4X.... And so is the opinion of Tim Crable at TEAC America.
* FIR filters were my first try at filtering.... I found both to be limited in dynamics and staging/imaging. They also seem to have some slight problems in delivering a realistic harmonic content.... The term "slightly music synthesizerish" comes to mind.
* Slow delay 1 -- Combined with 4X oversampling it delivered the very smoothest rendition, which I could characterize as being almost tuby in nature. If a super relaxed sound is what you seek, and you do not mind a trace of pleasing euphony, this is the combination to use.
* Slow delay 2 -- In combination with 4X upsampling this is my preferred setting. The opinion is shared by Tim Crable. More extended than SDLY1, it delivers more perceivable harmonic information and micro transients, but does not cross into emphasizing leading edges or stressing the treble content. Great staging and imaging, by the way. Marvellous musical rendition.... I can relax and sink into the music for hours at a time.
* DSD -- A bit of a wild thing in my context.... Enormous amount of information, but a setting that makes me sit strait and "ready to bolt".... It sounds slightly etched, and never lets me relax and just listen to music for sake of the music itself.

By the way, use of proper PCs, power conditioner, and dedicated line are all factors that influence K-01 performance.

Lastly, K-01 with 4X upsampling and Slow Delay 2 filter has yielded the sound that I have preferred over all CD players that I have ever operated in my system.

Saluti, G.

Hi Matjet, hoping the system cooperates with me today, here is my post from yesterday... am not at all surprised if you find that warm up time is necessary on K-01. I always left K-01 on all the time, and if I wanted to do some critical listening, I put it on repeat play for a few hours while listening to my favorite radio station to pass the time.

I did not "get rid" of the K-01 at all... But resources being limited under.... uhrn, marital concerns.... I had to choose between purchasing the Vienna Die Muzik and the marvellous K-01... So the K-01 review unit had to go back to TEAC *sigh!

Concerning PCs, my absolute favorite PC for all my equipment has been the Shunyata King Cobra CX. However I have heard that some of the members of the newer Z-Tron series from the same company may outperform it. Reason for liking King Cobra CX... the usual.... That marvellous sense of sinking into musical reality with revealing detail, depth of field, and no listening strain.

K-01 performs best fed from a dedicated outlet.... better staging and imaging in general, and I have some tracks that can otherwise show traces of brittleness in chorded higher bowed strings.

power conditioning... My favorite is the Shunyata Triton... have not found one that can yield the same magic yet, consistent with what Shunyata cords do for living, and what I deem to be music.

Footers/spikes.... I have tried Nordost Kones (Aluminum, Bronze, and Titanium)... I was conjecturing that I would like Bronze Kones best, but the most elegant sound with exposed rippling harmonics and lack of glare was from the Titanium variety.

Saluti, G.

Hi Washline, how much break in time did you allow for each filter and each upsampler?

G.

Audiolabyrinth, just leave K-01 on when you are not using it... the player sounds wonderful without any pre-listening playing time.... but if you have the patience of letting it play a couple of CDs in the background before critical listening, you will maximize its capabilities, and K-01 will give you truly amazing results.

But if you really insist throwing it out the window... please be careful.... Vertebral dislocation is apparently not covered by TEAC extended warranty. G.

That's understandable Audiolabyrinth... to maximize enjoyment of Esoteric components, a steadfast patience is golden. G.

Kiwi, if I recall correctly, DSD is selected in the "filters" menu... hence, whether DSD is an actual filter, or it is a CODEC, or something technically different, else... I am not sure if it matters. Are you suggesting a different term for it? Let us know. G.

Hmmm, I am familiar with the CD. I suspect there might be a little marketing spin/creativity on the naming of the tracks... Remember the old Drystan cold/pain remedy... Releaved a total of 12 symptoms, never mind symptoms were more/less repetitive... Whenever I used breakin CD on K-01, for many days at a time, I put the entire CD on repeat... The player did not appear to develop any emotional or respiratory problems as a result. G.

Tubed ARC players are lovely as well.... They will probably take a similar amount of time to break in... Unfortunately, by the time the digital electronics is broken in, you might need to start changing the 6550C tube in the power supply.... If my own experience with the ARC Ref3 linestage serves at all, After 1K hours of operations, 6550C might start showing the first signs of sonic sag... Good news is that 6550Cs tubes are not expensive... And after 500 hours more, your 6550C replacement in the power supply will reach its own optimum performance... And so give you bliss for, well you know... the balance of its lifetime.

Bottomline... There are rampant rumors of free lunches somewhere... But I have not eaten one yet *grins!*

Saluti, G.

Audiolabyrinth, if you audition K-03, include a listen to the Sdly1 filter... Its character might be in the general domain of your sonic preference. G.

Audiolabyrynth, on my system, consisting at the time of Rowland Criterion linestage, Rowland M725 monos, Vienna Die Muzik speakers, and a loom of top flight Aural Symphonics wires, I perceived K-01 staging as follows:

Slow Delay 2 with 4X upsampling: Images starting at front of speakers with excellent layering and depth.

FIR 1 and 2: barely behind front grill of speakers, but perceivably shallower than Sdly2.

DSD: Somewhat front of speakers with superior 3D development.... Even deeper than Slow Delay 2.

G.

Hi PhillyB.... I much prefered Sdly_2 with 4X oversampling.... But there is no right nor wrong... Just personal preferences... And this is exactly why these devices offer us user-selectable settings. G.

Jon2020 has reported significantly enhanced DAC performance on K-01 by installing the new USB drivers... Suspects that fixpack might include updated DAC firmware. See:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1412493000&openusid&zzGuidocorona&4&&

Hi Philip, there is no right nor wrong... There is only what works best for you. In the end, which setting do you like best....

* 4X upsammpling, No filters
* DSD
* other... Specify.

Guido

Hi Dgarretson, what is the list price of the Stanford Research Systems Perf-10 clock?