Esoteric X-01 Limited or new D-03/P-03

hello,
could compare both at the Munich HighEnd this year.
There is no doubt: P03/D03 is the much better choice. Why?
The transport is much more quiet than the X-01´s one. I think you know whats the reason - if not, see the details under their website.
The DAC D-03 is much more modern than the "oldfashioned" BurrBrown based in the X-01. See the website + the nice sixmoons test.
Which sound did they serve ? The X-01 sounds in comparison to much digitalistic. A piano sounded glass-clear and precise but somewhat cool - not as a piano sounds in nature. The P03/D03 let it sound much more natural, especially when the CD-datas were sampled up to DSD - formate.
I get this combo today for 10 days. The transport I use since 6 months is a Philips based one with a sophisticated sample rate converter - developed by Michael Pavischitz who is also responsible for the former Dynaudio Arbiter pre- and power amps (see Google under Arbiter). This transport sounds remarkable better than my former Reimyo.
If there is an interest, I can give some more details about the sound of the P-03/D-03 - combo. Let me compare some days.
My LS are studio monitors Klein und Hummel O500C (see www.klein-hummel.de under "studio", etc.)with inherent DAC´s. Thats the reason why i need only a transport. The DAC´s accept max. 48 kHz sample frequency. If one choose a higher rate (88,1 or 96 or 176,2 kHz or DSD) one has to use an external DAC between the Transport and the studio monitors.
regards Dittersdorf

Dittersdorf
, by all means, please do give us more details. And, were you comparing the original X-01 with the P03/D03 combo, or were you comparing the X-01 Limited with the combo?

It's my understanding that the VRDS in the P-01, UX-1 and X-01 is still the top transport. The VRDS in the P-03 is a lower cost unit. Not their best.
The P-01, UX-1 and X-01 VRDS uses a magnesium turntable. Magnesium has only two thirds the specic gravity of aluminum.The P-03 VRDS uses a duralumin (aluminum) turntable. I've never seen any claims by Esoteric that the duralumin table is much quieter. I'm not expert in this and if I'm wrong I'd like to know.

Of course at the Munic HighEndShow the X-01 Limited was shown.
Especially after upsampling from PCM to DSD music ! flows through the room.
Remarkable is that the P03/D03´s sound without any clock was better than with one.

Have had the P03/D03 for one week at home. The sound is very natural, but you can hear in a quiet room P03´s ball bearing noise at your seat 2,5m away from the transport. This construction based on 2 ball bearings is the most stupid one you can imagine. Have owned the P01 some month ago. Its noise was much louder than P03´s but I ask Esoteric: why noisy ball bearings ? Other manufacturers offer SACD transports which are loudless.
Because Esoteric is not able to offer a loudless transport, I would try to become happy with Accuphase´s newest DP 78. It includes the same AD 1955 chips. It gets in Germanys HiFi&Records a phantastic test.
I think, offering 25 years after the invention of CD transport mechanismns a transport which makes a lot of noise is a bad joke.
Dittersdorf

I read with interest Dittersdorf's comment about the noisy transports that he's encounted in the P01 and P03. A while back I purchased a UX-1 with a noisy transport and I even enquired in this forum about the noise. I, too, could hear it from 10 feet away, as Dittersdorf mentioned. Other X-01 and UX-1 owners reported that their units did not emit any noise. I swapped the UX-1 for a UX-1 Ltd and there is, indeed, no audible noise from the transport. Could this just be a series of bad transport mechanisms?