Rocky Mt 2007: World Debut of Esoteric Transport and DAC
October 18th, 2007 — By editor
By Neil Gader
Esoteric has finally filled in the vital middle range of it’s lineup with a new pair of digital separates that pull together the vaunted technology and sophistication of it’s state-of-the art P- and D- 03 series yet at a much more accessible price point (try half!).
The D-05 follows in the princely footsteps of the D-03 with 32-bit D/A conversion in a dual-mono configuration but instead uses the new VRDS-NEO transport system which combines two Esoteric technologies–its turntable disc clamping system and VOSP pickup platform for ultra accurate data retrieval.
As expected build quality is beyond “robust.”
And Esoteric wasn’t even done showing off! Also on display for the first time was the mid-priced G-03x master clock at $4000.
It sports excellent oscillator accuracy to 0.1 of 1ppm, not quite up to the standards of the all out G-ORb but sensational for the price. It can handles three pairs of devices and has multiple sampling frequency settings up to 176.4kHz.
By Robert Harley
Esoteric introduced a new CD/SACD transport and matching digital-to-analog converter as a more affordable alternative to their P-03/D-03 combination (reviewed in TAS 171).
The $7,000 P-05 transport features Esoteric’s incomparable VRDS-Neo mechanism, and the D-05 employs what the company say is the world’s first 32-bit digital-to-analog converter.
The identically priced D-05 is a dual-mono unit, with separate power supplies for each channel. Watch for more details on the 32-bit conversion technology in our full report in Issue 179 of The Absolute Sound. Be sure and check out our Speaker section for hundreds of in-depth reviews
