Esoteric P-03 Universal Disc Transport and D-03 Digital-to-Analog Converter

A Transparent Window On The Source

I had hands-on time with all these transport sub-components during a visit to Esoteric’s California headquarters, which gave me an even greater appreciation not only of the engineering involved, but also of the remarkable level of execution. Every component is massively built, heavy, precise, with no apparent compromises to cost. When Esoteric wanted a sub-component, it ended up designing and building the component itself rather than sourcing it from outside suppliers. Each VRDS-Neo mechanism is made by hand and undergoes a two-day qualitycontrol check. Very few—if any—high-end companies have the resources to design and build from scratch a piece of mechanical engineering of this sophistication.

(Esoteric has designed a new transport platform called Vertically Aligned Optical Stability Platform [VOSP] for its lower-priced products, and will supply this mechanism on an OEM basis to other companies. Over the next year, you’ll see a wide variety of CD players from other high-end manufacturers using the Esoteric VOSP mechanism.)

The P-03’s VRDS-Neo transport mechanism is housed in one of the finest examples of chassis metalwork in high-end audio. The chassis construction, drawer operation, metal finish, and precision with which the chassis is assembled are beyond reproach. For example, the chrome-plated Allen bolts holding the top panel are tightened to a precise specification with a torque wrench. Here’s another example of the level of thought and detail in the P-03: When you open the drawer to insert or remove a disc, a small door glides out of the way and a blue LED gently illuminates the tray. Even the chassis feet are custom, patented, elaborate multi-part devices designed to reduce vibration. The entire product exudes elegance, luxury, precision, and serious engineering.

D-03 D/A Converter

The D-03 digital processor is housed in a chassis that is nearly identical externally to that of the P-03, making for a handsome pair when installed in an equipment rack. The unit can decode a wide range of input signals, including high-resolution PCM and DSD. As mentioned earlier, the D-03 outputs a clock to the P-03 transport, allowing the critical clock that controls the DACs (the place where jitter matters) to be generated by a precision device rather than by the jittered clock recovered from the S/PDIF digital interface. The D-03 employs other jitter-reduction techniques, including a buffer that temporarily stores the data to remove timing variations (active only when the D-03 acts as the master clock for the P-03).

The D-03 is essentially a dual-mono DAC, with completely separate power supplies (including power transformers specifically designed and built for the D-03 by Esoteric), and separate compartments within the chassis for each channel of DAC and analog output stage. A third power transformer supplies the digital circuits. Digital-to-analog conversion is handled by Analog Devices AD1955 chips in dual-differential configuration (two DACs per audio channel) for lower noise and greater conversion accuracy. The DACs can decode PCM or DSD, which means that DSD input signals are decoded in their native format rather than being converted to PCM. The analog output stage is alldiscrete, with no integrated circuits in the signal path. Output is via unbalanced RCA jacks or balanced XLRs. As noted above, two DACs per channel are employed, meaning that the balanced outputs are not compromised by the presence of a phase splitter to convert a single DAC’s unbalanced output into a balanced signal.

Listening

After living with a new component for a few months (particularly a digital source), I generally develop in my mind a shorthand synopsis of its overall sonic character. It might go something like this: “Somewhat forward perspective; sacrifices smoothness for detail resolution; deep bass extension but a little plumy in the midbass; and a touch of grain through the mids.” The reality is that all audio components impose a sonic signature on the music, some more than others. The ability to identify a component by its sound is not a good thing; it means that the product has enough of a sonic personality that its colorations overlay the music.

A school of thought in high-end audio suggests that a component can be judged purely by how different a variety of recordings sound through that component. The reasoning is that the component that resolves the biggest differences between recordings must have the least coloration and, ergo, is the superior product. Another way of evaluating a component is to see how it stacks up on a sonic checklist—tonal balance, freedom from grain, tone color, soundstaging, and the like. Finally, one can just listen to music and see how emotionally involving the experience is compared to listening through other products.