Esoteric N 05 xd

I agree completely, the XD is far more natural sounding to my ears. I always respected the prior models yet would not use them in my system. The XD models are much more to my liking and I could see myself owning one at some point.

I know the generations of the Esoteric product line. I read a lot about the newer XD series. It's true what they say: The X series is more detail-oriented, the new xd series lacks nothing compared to the previous X series, but it is fundamentally much more organic, airier, more natural with even more space and better dynamics, while not lacking in detail.

How are you liking the N-05XD now that it's been a few days running? I am considering one, but it's the top end of my budget, even used.

There are various settings you can choose on the N-05XD. See page 27 of the user manual, it explains the options including OFF, FIR, and RDOT, plus your choice of modulator frequencies.

As usual for tweaking digital filters these are not drastic differences but you may find one fits your preferences better than the others. 

Burn in is just purchase acceptance time nothing ever tangible happens, or the device will be burned in at the factory as a QA check. Well think about it, when does the burn in magically stop? Why doesn’t it continue burning in and why does burn in only make something better not worse

that's just my thought process though