Esoteric P-05 / D-05 and the K-03 thoughts ?

....thank you as always Alex. I have the Esoteric P-05 / D-05 along with the Esoteric G-03x clock. The best thing about these pieces is that they are all paid for ! I am at that spot where to trade them in I probably will take a big hit....and at this stage in my life ( and in this economy ) I'm tired of having a VISA bill. I may just sit back and listen to the the music.....unles you know of any buyers !

......okay then, there a couple of nice X-01 D2's for sale - would that be step up from the P-05 / D-05 set up ??? Anybody ???

No, as PCM1704 DAC is not as good as AKM AK4397 or AK4399 DACs, IMHO, of course.

The first year P-05/D-05 was introduced, we had a mini shootout at the CES in Las Vegas in the Esoteric suite at the Venetian. Out of everything they had, Esoteric Japan decided to compare the D-05/P-05 against the NWO-3.0-GO. Obviously they also thought that combo sounded best at the time. And if I remember correctly, the P-05/D-05 was the first Esoteric product to adopt the AK4397 DACs. But again, the latest generation AK4399 inside the K-01, K-03 and the new P-02/D-02 are superior.

Best wishes,
Alex Peychev

......okay then, there a couple of nice X-01 D2's for sale - would that be step up from the P-05 / D-05 set up ??? Anybody ???

While I haven't auditioned the Esoteric units in question, I am well aware of how the AK4397 (inside D-05) and AK4399 (inside K-03) compare; the latter is quite superior in every respect, so I'd say K-03 should be better.

Hope this helps!

Best wishes,
Alex Peychev