Hey Pharma007, what is your experience using the Grb clock with the D-02/ P-02? I have a great deal on the G-01 clock waiting for me to snap it up. I have found no info anywhere on the D-02/P-02 with the clock. Whats your take on the clock, is worth it ? |
Hi eelii008, I made the move on the G-01 clock, after reading your thread on the clock, I'm like a kid on on Christmas morning, can't wait. I have the Xlr out at 0db, what advantage did you notice with the output at 6db. I am using the Esoteric C-02 as my pre, and find the 0db output is better for low level listening. What are you current IC's and Clock cables, and how are connected into your clock. thanks for any help, great thread! Tom. |
Hi Hal123, I look forward to getting the clock after reading this thread. What cabling are you using? I hear Esoterics 6100 BNC's are great with the clock ! Any advice greatly appreciated, Thanks Tom |
Hal123, I use Analysis Plus Silver Oval ICs on alot of my system, but I use WireWorld Platinum Eclipse Series 7 ICs and BNC clock between the DAC and Transport. Definately great cables! I believe I can get better performance if I can get the Power Cords right, that is where I believe I can improve. I use Shunyata ZiTrons but I want to try the Mexcel cables. After reading eelii008 , he is very confident that the Esoteric cables perform best. So thats my next move, although there not cheap... But this is not a hobby for the penny pincher, thats for sure!! |
Hi Zepher, do you have any tubes in the chain? I agree with you on the Analysis Plus Cables, they are hard to beat for the price!!! |
Hey Eelii - Nice to this thread active again. I have the WireWorld Platinums Series 7 between the DAC and Transport now. I like them alot , but am compelled to try the Mexcels. I believe as you have stated, the Esoterics have been voiced and designed using the Mexcels, and I would be foolish to not give them a listen. I'm going to try the Synergetic Research Element PCs also. I have on good word that the Esoterics behave very well with the SRs. I have never tried active cables before, this will be a first! Any thoughts?
Also, on the other site, there is a fondness for WireWorld cabling, espiecally from the Senior Members. I know the mark up on cables is crazy, and I hope that the forum is not being used to solicite sales. I would like to believe people are sharing there honest opinion on the chemistry between components and leave the salesmanship to private conversation! |
I am very interested in your findings. As for the comparison of the Mexcels and WWs, i'm not so sure that comparison was ever made! Thats what I was saying about soliciting as a dealer, I tend to ignore any reviews by dealers of components and cables, they always are biased.
I hope to see the G-01 very soon, and I will order the 6100 BNC for the clock connections, give it some time to settle in and then I'll check out the 6300 II for my DAC to C-02 connection. The C-02 is just starting to open up. These Esoterics need a terrifically long time to really start to shine. My DAC/Transport took 400 to 500 hours before the
sound was constantly good.
Thanks for your help, I look forward to the change with the clock and new cables! |
I was on the Esoteric sight for latest updates on new D1/P1. The best I can make out translating, based on the D-02 at $23500.00 retail would put the new set at $86500.00 . Thats 2650000 yen for the transport, 1250000 yen for the DAC x 2 = 5150000 yen for the set .
Wonder how it sounds compared to the D-02/P-02 combo? I definately perfer the style of the D-02/P-02 over the new ones. |
Eelii, I am in the process of auditioning Stage III Concepts PCs, I will use Minotaurs on the DAC and Transport and will use the Zyklops on my PS Audio PS 10. I also think the PS 10 may be inhibiting the performance of the Esoterics, as they have such good power supplies. What are you using for line condition and surge protection?
Just wanted to hear what you think! Have you heard the Stage IIIs ? There are a little pricey, but are at the top of the food chain in terms of science and design... Oh ya , and price!! |
Hi Zephyr, I was look back at this Excellent Thread and saw you are using Legacy Focus 20/20s. I have a pair I've been listening to for 10 years and they still sound great. Definately a great American speaker, and super bang for the buck. I have them in my Family room system with a Bryston electronics, and an Esoteric X01/D2 for multi channel music, preyyt good system.
Anyway, are you still using the Legacy's as your main system speakers, or did you move on to the Whispers, as you noted? I am interested on moving to the new Legacy's with the Wavelaunch, any advice? Tom |
Eelii- Which conditioner is the PS? Are you referring to the PS Audio Perfectwave Power Plant? |
Eelii, Awesome, can't wait to hear your findings ! Keep us posted |
Eelii- my clock has arrived, I'm picking it up tomorrow... Any advice on initial hook-up? Still short an BNC 75ohm cable for the transport hook-up. I still excited when something new is going into my system! |
The Clock arrived so quick I didn't think of the cable right away. I ordered the matching Wireworld Platinum Eclipse BNC, thats what I have on the DAC/Transport , I can't see mixing the clock cables, but I did want to try the Acrolink/ Mexcels 6100s. I think I'm going to spend the momey on the interconnects before I change clock cables, it's not like the Wireworlds are bad, in fact they are there best cable and I loke them alot as ICs. Well anyway, I'll keep you posted, and thanks dor the help and support! |
Hey Zephyr, I have the G-01, which I am using at 22mhz . I just got everything on line Thursday, so I imagine this will get better and better. I can't believe there are doubters out there with the clock, it easily took my system to a higher level. It opened things up dramatically. I had heard the G-01 with a K-01 in a super system with Burmuster front end and Sonus Faber Aida's, so I had a good feeling that my system would have a doticable change for the good!.... I'll drop you a line, talk soon! |
Hey Eelii, You are making things very difficult, how much are these cords? And where do you live? I look firward to the full report! Thanks Tom |
Eelii, I am commiting to the Synergistic Research Element Series CLS PCs and Powercell 10 SE MK III. .Will place my order tomorrow, take a look a let me know what you think... Taik to you soon! |
Eelii, I ordered a trial with the Element Series CTS Power Cords and a Powercell 10 SE MK III. When they arrive I will have 4 weeks to audition them in my system, if I like them, I send back the trial cords and Synergistic drop ships the new ones to me. I figure I won't need 4 weeks, probably a couple of days to settle in and I should get a feel for them in a week or so. I know with the Synergistic stuff you either love 'em or hate 'em. I'll keep you posted. |
I ran into a little snag, I ordered a .5 meter clock cable, and I have .5 AES/EBU cables, so I can' t configure the clock to be within distance to reach with the cables I have. I ordered new clock cables yesterday, should see them by Friday! I am looking forward to adding a clock, then adding a Powercell, then new cords, and adding a new C-02 preamp into the mix. Wow, exciting times at the Colekat household.
I was listening to tunes yesterday and the sound was great, one of those
" good" days. Thinking about the potential of this system, I have four new changes or combinations of some changes. When its a good day , it's hard to imagine it can sound better. In the States, I definately notice better sound on weekends, definately power grid issues.
Anyway, I have alot to look forward too and to listen for! I'll keep you posted! |
Hey Everyone, I've had the clock in my system for a few days and am totally blown away at the difference it has made. The clock has really elevated my listening experience to high point. Music is as real as I've have ever heard it in my listening room. In a word... Smooth, and it hasn't even broken in yet! |
Hi Guys, Hi Eelii, How are the tunes with the 9500's? I have been trialing the Synergistic Research Element cords with the latest Powercell mk3 ! This is a very different sound and really works well with jazz and rock for me, but the jury is still out!
As for the clock, Tim Crable from Esoteric e-mailed me and gave me the
" best way" to hook up the clock is both P-02 & D-02 directly to the clock and use the A1 & A2 ports turning off all other off. There were several reasons stated for this and it was the G-01 , not the Grb, but the logic is the same. As for the output, when you hook up to the Word in BNC on both the D-02 & P-02, I assume you went into the menu and turn off the word out on the D-02, that bypasses the clock in the D-02, and the P-02 has no clock so the combo cannot see a signal from the D-02! |
Eelii, Have had the SR cords and Powercell for two weeks, have barely listened to them, baby has had all the attention. Tough to listen to music with a two week old baby ! But my impressions so far are very favorable! With jazz and rock very helpful in expanding the dynamics that may be squelched with the recording process. But there is an element of change to the music I cannot explain yet. How are the 9500's in your system? I will keep all posted of my findings... Got to get back to Madagascar, seen this movie fifty times... Funny what a 2 year old gets obcessed with! I wonder if music will be next, Hmmmm, better get a good education, this is cheap! |
I believe you are right on the money! I'm sure there is an upgrade in the technology and isolation can be a good thing, with the right cabling, but it seems more of an anwer to the DCS Vivaldi .
Good listening what ever you end up doing! |
Hi Opera Lover, Hope you are enjoying your Combo. I was unaware that the Grb did not output 22.579Mhz. I do know , as you stated, you want to stay away from using the PLL circuitry if it all possible. I have my rig connected directly from clock to both D-02 and P-02 directly, and the clock is output 22.579 Mhz. I also used the clock output at 176.4, but clearly perferred the 22.579 output. Music sounds very natural with the clock at any output into the D-02/P-02. Hell, music sounded great without the clock, but the clock takes it to another level. I don't know how there could be any clock doubters out there, it is easily the best upgrade I have made, and that includes all cables, and adding the C-02 preamp. I heard an immediate improvement and I would find it difficult to listen without the clock now that it is in the loop. |
Hey All D-02/ P-02 Listeners, It is certainly a treat to be entertained with the great fidelity these machines achieve, no matter what the settings,they are truly amazing world class performers and a gift to own.
Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays.
Great Listening To All |
Hey Pharma, I could not agree more, the clock with the D-02/P-02 is a huge step up in presence and soundstage. The music is far more natural with the clock! It has helped with cables too, seems now that I have the clock, the effect from cables is less noticable. I have added the C-02 Preamp also, and that has had a noticable improvement , again the music moves smoother and the overall presentation is very r"ealistic. I am using Snake River Audio Signature cabling and Power Cords, and Boomslang digital clock and word cables. With the mark up on cables, I was using WireWorld Platinum Eclipse, it is refreshing to find a cable source that isn't emptying the bank account to source this 4 box front end.
Mrry Christmas to everyone and Happy Listening |
Hey Eelii, Where have you been ? Hows the Power cords? |
Pharma, The Snake River cables are affordable High End. The Signature Series are Silver on Copper, all hand made with ultra high end connectors all hand Terminated with Silver fill solder. I was using Wireworld Platinum Eclipse Series 7 ICs with Shunyata ZiTron PCs . First I changed the 75 ohm connector to my server. I liked it and moved to Signature series ICs DAC to Preamp. Now I have them between the DAC and Transport , and all clock connections.
They are the best affordable cables I have used, a real sleeper. I think cables are the biggest challenge, and though these are a bit dark and tilt the treble back a little, they are certainly worth the price of admission and then some! Look at the website, and if you have questions, you can talk to the owner, he will make whatever you need! |
Pharma, I'm using the WireWorld Platinum Eclipse 7s clock and AES/EBU, and also analogs to the C-02. I also switch them out and use the Snake River cables to get a warmer presentation, which definately benefits CDs. The WWs are better cables for deliniating sounds, but the Snake River cables are really growing on me. They are such a good deal in a complete rip off industry, I have to really let myself enjoy them. If I paid more, it would be easier to explain why they sound so damn good.
I've been auditioning Synergistic Research Element Power cords with the Powercell 10 mk3 . First time I've had active cabling in my system. It is very holographic, three dimensional. At first it is great, but over time I've had listening sessions when it is intense, not in a bad way, just intense. I haven't decided on weather or not I'm going to make the switch. |
Hi Pharma, My front end is all Esoteric, D-02/P-02, C-02 Preamp and G-01 clock, Bryston 28Bsst2 mono blocks and Dynaudio Temptations, PS Audio PowerPlant 10 . All cabling for the front end is WireWorld Platinum Eclipse 7, with Shunyata ZiTron Power Cords and Snake River Audio Signature speaker cables. |
Hey Zephyr, I've tried to drop you an e-mail, but I either do not know how to use the service or it won't let me, probably the former, LOL!
The C-02 has better isolation of circuits and it has two outputs both single ended and balanced. It also has 4 transformers, as the C-03x has 2 , and there is an upgrade for a phono input.
It is a great sounding preamp and I am glad I went with the Esoteric over the Ayre or the EMM. I believe in synergy between products, though I would love to hear what tubes could do to mellow the sound a bit, just to hear what it could do, overall I love the detail and speed of good Solid State. |
Pharma, That is a World Class list of auditions... Great to hear you settled on the Esoterics. They are by a wide margin King of SACD at there price point. CDs can definately sound " brittle" with highly detailed cables. I think it is partly because most CDs have production limitations, only the best production CDs sound good to begin with. Even though they can be limited in resolution compared to SACDs, well produced CDs sound great on my rig.
The Esoteric sound is right on for me. I have an X-01/D2 I set up in my theatre rig to play multi channel SACD, and that sounds terrific too! It is not the smooth, refined and expansive presentation the P-02/ D-02 delivers , but it is definately Esoteric and it is a detailed, dynamic sound. I think that is where the Esoterics really deliver is in dynamics, great contrast in loud to soft, and with good cable choices, it is easy to nail it down however I like. |
Hey Zephyr, I think the C-02 sounds terrific, I haven't heard the C-03or C-03x , but I'm sure they are close in sound, and not far of in features! I got the C-02, because I got a great deal on a speaker trade-in with cash for the G-01 and C-02 together! I am glad I did. I have followed tour thread for a while and am starting to hear some of the improvements you text about as the hours build. I have around 200 hours on the C-02 and 300 on the clock. Definately opening up everytime I settle down and listen.
You have me very curious about your cable selection, what else have you tried? The Snake River Audio cables are a great deal, but I get a darker, laid back presentation with them, like I say great for CDs on the Esoterics! |
Zephyr, Awesome ! Ya cables and clocks.... That al get a more than a few fire up ! As for cables, I would like to stay away from making mistakes, to hard to get rid of! And the mark up is a sin !
By the way, what did you think of the Synergistic Research stuff? |
Well, if you are going all out auditioning, you may need to listen to the new Esoteric Gradioso's.... Just a thought! |
Zephyr, I have been hearing my rig come together nicely! The more time on these pieces the better they sound. You are right on, as I pass 200 hours the treble has become more and more natural, espiecally on CDs. There was a brightness to the sound which sounds much smoother now!
I look forward to ever better sounds with these machines, they are definately very satisfying to me and better as I listen more. I believe with a little cable swapping I can really dial it in.
Great talking with all you guys, have a safe and Happy New Year! |
Hi Pharma, Yes, I am happy with the sound overall, although there's always something I want to change. The D-02 sounds very good directly feeding the amps, but the C-02 in the chain makes everything sound much better. The C-02 is an excellent Preamp, it warms up the whole presentation. Pharma, I like these amps, but would move on if a better sound at the right price could be had. I think the amps influence the overall sound the least at this level, and think I need to listen to more cables before I look at new amps!
Pharma, you said nothing comes close to the Esoterics for SACD, and you like the Solution for CDs, how about as a pure DAC, where do you rank the D-02. I have listened to a few Hi End DACs, and the D-02 just sounded better right out the box. It has suberb resolution and detail and deliniation of instruments.
Any amp suggestions? |
Hey G, How much does the quad box set up cost? Right know I'm dialing in the cabling and PCs, but amps may be an upgrade at some point!
What are using for cables? |
I am located in South Eastern, Massachusetts, USA. Thats is some serious money for amps. Not that I'm not over budget already... I started with a 50k limit, and that hasn't gone so well. Anyway, I am always interested in improvement, but at this time cables and power cords are the cause.
But for the hell of it, what is a reasonable multiplier on the Rowland Amps? |
He was given the responsibilities of Tim Crable, as he retired. He told me that corporate was grooming his official fit in the there new program, but to contact him with anything I needed. I had an issue with my G-01 clock, it would not lock. The music would play, but the clock wouldn't stabilize. So after a lot of back and forth, and a call to the East Coast director of operations for Integra, they sent me a brand new clock, which was the right thing to do. After inserting the clock into the system I couldn't critically listen without it. Scott was a big part of the transaction. |
Hey Pharma, I see you have ranked the Esoteric DACs and Transports. After reading your prior posts, I would not have expected you to rank the D-02 & P-02 so highly in all your catagories. As a matter of fact, I did not think you were that fond of the D-02 . My impression is that you like other manufacturers DACs and Transports as well if not better, so how do you rank them all? |
Hi Guido, Great hearing from you, I was in Your area for a Super Bowl a few years back, and stopped into Antonne's to catch some tunes, wanted to see where Stevie Ray Vaughn got famous! Great time, listening to music live sure makes this hobby tough. There are times when I have it dialed right in, and it sounds live, only for the next song to expose the truth. There are so many variables and preferences to explore, to chain together a perfect combination is like winning the lottery, it happens, but theres alot of luck. We can throw our opinions around, and rank components, and talk about preferrences, but this is very humbling, and at a great cost. A great cost for me anyway. I don't have any dispossable income to use on this stuff, so I need to make good decisions, and thats why I bought Esoteric . I like the design philosophy, the house sound, the styling, and the resale. Esoteric is a sound you either like, or not, very few in betweens. Its about detail at the cost of so called musicality, its about deliniation of sound like no other, its about extreme bandwidth and dynamics, at the cost of sweetness. But, dialed in with the right cables, and speakers, its about those moments when all those separate sounds become a whole like no other . And the whole analog digital thing, if we liked spinning records, we wouldn't be on this thread trying to feel right about what we buy, we would be slugging it out on some analog thread doing the same thing.
So for my money, the Esoterics stand the test, great looks, good resale, terrific dynamics and detail, and a sound I can live with without second thoughts. The X-01 is an excellent transport, I still have my X-01/D2 in the chain for multi channel music. Still can't listen to the Eagles Hotel California in 2 channel . There are some things we like better than others.
And , oh ya, its not like the media is helping us out with this stuff. Thats the biggest problem of all, listen to some of the music they sell us, and the stuff we play it on makes it sound evermore what it is, crap!! That seems to be what we should be sharing about, what media to stay away from, not matter what we chain together, feed it junk and junk comes out!
But anyway, I think your set up is pretty cool, reading about the DAC you are using, it is highly regarded. How much did it improve the X-01, I haven't played my X-01 through the D-02, maybe I should give it a try! |
Hey Pharma, Glad your out there. Can't wait to hear your impressions of the new D1/P1. As for resale, 50 percent back on purchase is pretty good to me, espiecally digital, which is 40 to 50 percent off retail right out of the box. Look at Audiogon Digital, all the big dogs are at 40 to 50 percent. Which probably says they are way over priced to begin with.
Look forward to hearing your impressions of the new Esoterics! Hope there is something more than a souped up D-02/P-02!
And thanks for all the input, your like a high end instant reviewer! |
Hey Eelii, Where are you? Your thread is on fire! Hows the 9500's? Look forward to hearing back feom you. |
Hi Pharma, I 'll be honest, I hope you perfer the Esoterics over the DCS stack, and the Solution for that matter. I'm surprised that the Vivaldi is so dependent on DCS component synergy. But then The Esoterics also seem to like being coupled within the brand, though they do perform well with other brands. |
Hi Eelii, Glad to hear from you! The baby is doing great, he is a jazz fan! As for the 9500's , thats great news. I am packing up the Synergistic Research Element stuff and sending it back, so the search continues. I'm trying to avoid the obvious, that this gear performs best within it's own family of interconnects and power cords. It makes sense! I'm trying to find great results without paying the premium. The SR stuff sounds good, but is really difficult to work with, plus there is way to much clutter to deal with the cords for the active circuits.
I'm still hung up on the Stage III Concepts PCs, but once again I would like to audition the cords first, and there is no factory program for that.
Anyway, it is good to hear from you again! |
Eelii, So far I have had great results with all your suggestions. I would love to give the 9500 PCs a try. I am a bit disappointed with the SR cords, I had hi hopes for them, but they are a pain in the ass to work with.
I am hell bent on maximizing these components, I don't believe I will be moving from the D-2/P-02/G-01 for a long time, if ever. As great as they sound now, I know there is more to get from them, and cords and speakers are where my shortcomings are. It is a tough pill to swallow, to spend nearly as much on PCs and ICs as components, but it appears to be necessary to actualize the best sound from these pieces. |
Hi Eelii, Do you think the 9300's would be worth the change for the D-02/P-02, or should I just bite the bullet and go straight to the 9500's. Although, the 9500's , I would have to bring in one at a time because of the cost. The 9300's I can get a deal on three at a little over the cost of one 9500! What do you think? Would you go for the three 9300's? And if I buy one 9500 at a time, I would D-02 first, then the clock, then the transport? |
Hi Guys, Its been awhile! Just checking in on your thoughts.... I have a chance to buy a pair of Acrolink 6300s, not the new series II, they are the originals. I wonder if I should pass on them, and go for the newest ones!
Let me know what you think!
Eelii, how are the PCs? |
Hey Opera Lover, Spent better part of yesterday doing a Ypsilon DAC 100 Esoteric D-02 comparison. I've had my D-02 a year now, and would say it is as broken in, settled in, etc. anyway it is "in". The D-02 is by far the best Esoteric I've have heard, and I had the X-01/D2 and the K-01 after that, I still have the X-01/D2 for that matter.
The Esoteric sound as a whole is extremely detailed with incredible resolution, sounds are easy to deliniate and are very well sorted. That hasn't changed from the X-01 to the K-01 to the D-02/P-02, the progression has just gotten easier to listen too. No doubt the current Esoteric stuff is the best so far.
But, if I had it all over to do again, I would have paid better attention to the Hybrid stuff that is out there. After the Ypsilon DAC100 A/B with the D-02, I would not hesitate to move to the Ypsilon. And I love the Esoteric D-02/P-02, but overall, there is a general lack of musicality to the overall sound that was easily noticed in the Ypsilon. Now the Ypsilon has a tube in the output stage and does not upsample at all. In fact it only plays Redbook, and does so at a State of the Art playback. The listening was a pleasure . Now not to throw the D-02 out the window, I am still very pleased with the D-02, it does most things at a very high level, it just lacks a relaxedness to the overall presentation.
So I can see why you would be attracted to the D-01 Vuk, as it surely the most relaxed sound Esoteric has to date. |
