Esoteric N-05XD opinions please

Hi @thyname

Yeah mine is a very old K-01. And not even the earlier x version. I still think it works great as a  transport. And i was feeding it to a AMR dp-777 which worked very well. And to be honest, the K-01, despite its aged dac section still sounds very resolving to my ears. I have been using a Cambridge Azur 851N for streaming from Tidal so far. And want to invest in better gear to improve my streaming playback. Considering the gear I presently use, I would think any 5k dac will be a big improvement on my current gear. I woud ideally like to keep it to one box, as Iam limited by shelf space in a small urban dwelling. And I tend to hold onto my purchases for pretty long.

So was considering the N-05XD. But user feedback is pretty scarce on this one. Though I found a few online reviews which were positive, as can be expected. The plan was to clock my old K-01 to the digital inputs of the N-05XD. As i still spin a lot of CD's. And give the old brick a new lease of life.

The other contendors are the Lumin P1 ( But i dont need a preamp ) and a Aurender A15 ( i dont know how good their dac implementation will be). Thus, Iam mainly focusing on the N-05XD. Thanks 

Thanks and best regards

Mike Y

Thanks a ton again @thyname

Esoteric it is then :)

Thanks and best regards

Mike Y

Thanks again @thyname

I would prefer to stay within the Esoteric line to the extent possible. Ive read great things about the N-01XD, but sadly cant stretch to it. And if the N-05XD has not fallen far off the tree, then i can buy it blind. The only thing needed is a little user confirmation, that in paring down the N-01 XD to arrive at the price point of the N-05 XD not a lot has been scarificed.

Iam mainly looking for a more relaxing sound, with slight warmth, but without sacrificing detail in the bargain. Does the new Esoteric sound fit this bill in your good opinion. Thanks

@mahler123 the esoteric's use the same app as Lumin. Ive read that esoteric has out sourced the streaming software and firmware updates to Lumin.

Thanks and best regards

Mike Y

Hi @doboree

The N-05 was launched sometime in 2015 if my memory serves me right. Today's dac's are almost a few decades, if not a generation ahead in technical advancements. Thus, the N-05 XD should be improvement over the older N-05 by a considerable margin I would presume. I have their K-01, which has a similar dac implementation to the N-05 with AKM chips. The newer N-05 XD is a completely newer implementation of their in house developed dac and a different sound completely.

Going for a N-05 today, will be a step back in time in my honest opinion. All the best. 

@doboree

Hearty congratulations on your new acquisition :)

Bet it sounds fantastic :)

Hi @jafant 

Unfortunately I dont have anything from Accuphase or CJ. My preamp is a passive from MFA, and my main amps are LM 503PA from Line magnetic. The LM amps helps smoothen things out, and with the combination of the passive pre preserves enough detail with a tinge of warmth. Just the way i like it :)

I also have a preamp from T+A, a P1260R, but I prefer the MFA passive for its slightly better clarity. I either spin CD's or stream from a Lumin U1X. I also have a vinyl rig which sees much use.

@jafant

Thanks for your kind words sir :)