New Esoteric P02 D02

Hi Eelii,

Thanks for posting. I was wondering if I may ask you some questions.

First, can you let me know how you have configured the P02 and D02 - meaning, how are they connected together and also when you are listening to redbook CD, what upsampling, if any are you using?

Do you notice any difference in the noise floor between the 03 stack and the 02 stack?

Can you comment on the harmonic richness of the 02 stack compared to the 03 stack. For example, how do the upper frequency notes of a piano sound on the 03 in comparison to how they sound on the 02 stack?

Thanks very much, Arnie

Sure.

I have the 02s as I had the 03s most of the time. Two balanced from transport to DAC. It is the only way as you know to upsample. Same as with the 03s. For cables I use 2 esoteric mexcell, their top of the line. i think they are called 6300. Very expensive really but just the best with these units. Got a pair second hand here, like new for half the price. Still expensive but well worth.

I also tried the ilink with the esoteric iLink cable. Very very good. Almost as good, and only a step bellow the balanced esoteric cables, (at a fraction of cost), and actually better than with other brands balanced cables... I wrote a post a few months back on the ilink cable and the 03s saying how good it was.

Regardin listening mode, I've done CDs with both original -ORG- (so no upconversion at all) and a new mode 48-bit/176.4kHz with new ES link 3. To me this last seems slightly better but not by much and no conclussive. In any case, all that I said above stands for both ORG, so no upsampling, and ES Link 3. Difference between these two is small, really, and many times subjective. Differences and improvements I describe above are, in my opinion, anything but small...

There is also a new Dual AES 8Fs (24-bit/352.8kHz), but have listened very litle this way. Still it was very good and can not say if better than ES Link 3 as of now.

The DSD with SACDs was just as impressive as the rest and the gain from 03s was similar.

See, to me ears, the differences with playing modes are small in the context we are speaking. A matter of taste or even recordings. The difference between the 02s and 03s is anything but small. And anyone should be able to tell fast, personal tastes aside, in my opinion again.

Noise floor is clearly lower. That is why I pressume you hear all those new details in recordings that were not there before. Lots of low level detail.

Harmonic richness... that was probably one of the words I was looking for last night while writing the mini review. That is in good part what i meant when I said you can go so deep into the music. It is very very detailed in such a way: the richness of the music is quite mazing. WIth all the texture, color, definition... however you want to call it.

A piano? You have to hear a solo piano with the 02s. Upper is more natural. Easy to hear the difference. Not that the 03s were bad at all. This is just better in my opinion. Not too soft or sweet, not too bright or agressive. And surely defined. Just right. Again very lifelike. Also other excellent things improving piano performances. The decay of notes, the dynamics, the strength but definition at once of lower registers... Also piano concertos, or piano chamber is much better defines and with the right proportion within the presentation. I was freaking out the other day with Rachmaninov 3rd and 2nd... Likewise a piano duet. Is like if you could actually see the 4 hands. Follow the notes as I haven't been able before. Easy to follow which is doing what and how. While at the same time, all together sounds fantastic.

Hope this helps. Let me know any other thing you may want to ask. Happy to help. If you are really considering them, try to borrow a unit for your house for a few days to compare. But do it if you are really prepared to pay the price. Chances are you will keep it...

Well I better stop this or I may get an offer from Esoteric... I read it myself and think it is overdone. But than go back to listen to them, and it is precisely what I hear that I try to write.

There is only one thing that really has me surprised. You can not read anything in the web, magazines or other about them. No reviews from your usual sources, or the like. They have been out for a while. With the quality of these things I am really surprised. So much was written in the past about other units, and so good. And having owned myself many of the top esoteric digitals, I can say to me this is the best by far. Still out there all is mute mode.

Wondering if it has to do with what other poster mentioned earlier about esoteric having some kind of tough times in the US. Maybe they can't pay adds or similar or other compensations in kind... to reviewers, and so they are being kind of ignored...?

Hi Eelii,

Thanks so much for all of this additional detailed information. It does sound like the P02 D02 is a significant step up from the P03/D03 stack.

I agree with you that there is basically no information about how the 02 stacks sounds - other than what you have written in this thread. In the US, I suspect part of that reason is that I think they just became available here in early January 2012 so very few end users have had them and if any reviewers have them, it will be a few more months before we will read what they hear. The earliest insight from a reviewer will most likely come from Jeff Fritz at Ultraaudio as he has selected these for his digital front end as part of his "TWBAS 2012" (The Worlds Best Audio System). He also selected the Aurender S10 music server so perhaps some comparison of the P02 transport sonics versus the Aurender music server both feeding the D02 dac. I believe the first "public" listening of that system is scheduled for end of March.