Differences Between Esoteric SACD Players

The Esoterics are wonderful sacd/cd players. I have enjoyed the entry level SA-10 very much. I have also heard in my system an X03SE and a P05/D05. As you move up through the range the sound gets even better. By better I mean the weight and impact as the sound goes from fantastic to even better still. The seperation of instruments and listening pleasure just gets better.You have to here the better units to see what you are missing from the still very good lesser ones.
The transport makes a huge difference in the sound of any cd player,so I can't imagine the SA-50 with its VOSP transport sounding as good as the X-05 with its VRDS-Neo but perhaps others have first hand experience.
This may be of interest to you.
http://www.high-endaudio.com/RECENT.html#Jan

Regards,

If you go to the 'high-endaudio' link you will find a $90K configuration, including a separate clock box. I wonder what $90K sound is like. I will be checking a NYC dealer on this.

Dorkwad: I like Dan's stuff...I own a 36.5 preamp and the KWA 150 amp. I am looking to Esoteric for the reliability as well as the sound. I am not sold on Sony reliability given the myriad problems people have had over the years with the various SACD players. The one thing I hate most is no music while a piece of my sysyem is gone to a manufacturer for a month.

Hi Buconero,
The reason I posted the link was that they cover a range of Esoteric players and explain what you gain as you move up the range.

Regards,

Teeshot: I'm not sure if this means anything but I also like Dan's stuff (and own the LS36.5 and KWA150) and chose the Esoteric X-03SE because it sounded great and is built like a tank. Their transports are unsurpassed and operating the machine makes you feel like your money was well spent. I did not compare the X-03Se to the X-05 but did discuss the differences with the dealer I worked with and, given the better DAC's, transport, internal wiring, ETC I felt it was worth the extra dollars. Since then I have read numerous comments on this machine that suggest it is the proverbial "sweet spot" in their lineup, representing the best sound and build quality for dollars invested. I don't know what your budget is or whether you are looking to buy new but I do believe that Esoteric has come out with a replacement model called the K-03, however I suspect that is considerably more expensive than the X-03Se. Sorry I cannot comment specifically on your question but perhaps this will provide some help in making your decision.