[Review] Esoteric X-01 Limited Edition CD/Sacd player

Esoteric X-01 Limited Edition CD/Sacd player

Esoteric X-01 Limited Edition CD/Sacd player


There's been an awful lot written about this digital replay device over the last 18 months. So, I would like to share a few thoughts of my own with you.
I've been living with this player for just over 3 weeks, its taken me that long (Very Unusual for me I know !!!) to finally dropping a few comments to paper so to speak (Virtual paper that is ;-) ).
For those of you that know me, it takes something pretty special to enthuse about, even the mighty Mbl & Meitner players leaves me cold !!!!
On this occasion however, the take is some what different.
Upon removing the X-01 from its box (that's 3 boxes as its sealed in a triple carton array), you realise, that even the packing pieces have been methodically worked out.
Lifting the unit is quite straight forward, although heavy (25+ Kilos) its physical size is not imposing, and much easier to man handle than a lot of other higher end equipment.
The unit oozes quality, its beautiful brushed aluminium carcass, secured by precision counter sunk washers & stainless allen cap bolts. Its thick burnished ally front panel coupled with the Rolls Royce quality buttons, that have wonderful presence of correctness about them. A generous sized blue display with 3 dimmer level options provides a clear and precise reading even at 15 feet!!.
All the function buttons are 'ringed' with a blue backlight surround, which 'change position' according to your current selected operation. Nice touch, however for me personally not sure about the m/f content factor there, a bit bling possibly.

The unit sits on its own outriggers, all of which are adjustable and more than capable holding its weight several times over.
The quality of this player never fails to impress me, from every angle its understated looks & Herculean construction just let you know this is one very special machine.
Ergonomics too, like all the very best things in life, are simple yet effective.
Clean lines, and quality also follow through to the remote control as well. Unlike the Wadia's of this world. The Esoteric remote functions from all angles, is very simple to use and has a very good range.
The remote itself, has that beautifully made solid yet elegant feel, whilst seducing your palms with a genuine leather back. A real pleasure to use, not only is the player bloody remarkable, the remote ain't bad either!!!!.
The Esoteric X-01 is badged an SACD/CD player, in the land of its creation SACD is still a 'big thing' although a victim of the format wars (IMO) its Kudos in Japan is still very much alive, hence the SACD/CD tag.
Technical specifications for this player are impressive, but do top spec's give top sound alone? Humm………….. Tuff question, one I'll attempt to answer!!!!
The X-01 utilities the best of the Teac 'Neo-mechanisms' (the less one be used in the X-03/UX-3)
http://www.teac.co.jp/av/esoteric/p01_d01/p01.html#

A Massive bridge unit made from SS400 steel supports the turntable (fashioned from Magnesium) and spindle unit, supported by 20mm thick stainless steel bridge coupled with 10mm steel bottom frame makes for one seriously rigid outer mechanism shell.
The motor is rated at 5000rpm, more than 3 times the rating of Sacd/Dvd-a rotational speeds. The sled motor too features some revolutionary design work, with a hall effect 3 phase brush less motors being used in the sled transport, coupled with current sensing speed feedback circuits controlling the actual mechanism itself, thus improving on data acquisition.

http://www.teac.co.jp/av/esoteric/vrds_neo/images/x01ux1_picup_s.jpg

The motor is completely isolated from the sled at all times, eliminating all the high frequency vibrations that occur in the transport drive itself.
One new innovation that Esoteric have implemented is the laser pick-ups mounting on a sliding shaft device, that prevents tilting even when the laser is being moved, along with upgraded supports to the photodiode.

http://www.teac.co.jp/av/esoteric/vrds_neo/images/thre_mor_s.jpg


What does this mean in layman's terms?.
Less grief for the disc and superior digital data acquisition and greatly reduced errors thrown in for good measure.
Fully isolated servo drive control and digital power supplies, that do not 'talk' to each other, further reducing the risk of contamination of the signals.
True dual mono dac's for left/right channels, each fully regulated and supporting some the best components you can lay your hands on.
Each dac module has 4 yes 4 Burr Brown dac-chips (1704's in true dual differential configuration) per channel producing some of the best jitter figures ever tested by Stereophile. http://stereophile.com/thefifthelement/205fifth/index3.html

The X-01 features include, 5 channel Sacd surround facility with full speaker management options and test tones. Balanced and single ended analogue outputs, dual digital outputs, both toslink and single ended (Which can be turned off via the software for claimed improved performance). An external word sync clock can be fitted also and engaged by the front panel button.
Using the players menu's are a doddle, simple & intuitive.

Enough of the guff, now down to brass tacks! How does it sound……………
Very different to almost all the equipment I've managed to listen over the years, but do this mean its better? Fair question……..
Right out the box, its pretty damn good, easily seeing off a standard 861 se with consummate dispatch. If fact the difference in ALL areas is pretty obvious from the outset.
The very first thing that strikes with the X-01 is the pure musicality this player exudes, intertwined with an expressiveness that I've never really heard before, its natural rhythmic prowess redefines the 'groove factor' by some margin whilst producing a wonderful flowing nature to the sound.
The detail that's portrayed (both macro & micro) is quite simply astonishing, it unearths layers on CD's that have laid dormant until now, yet have always been on there, just never released. You really do not grasp what is actually on the cd's until you play all your favourites on the Esoteric, it's a true hairs/back of neck syndrome thing!!!!
Now as you guys may be aware, being a drummer ( I know a guy that hangs around with musicians!!!) dynamics are quite close to my heart. So attempting to re-create that 'live experience' has always being one of my top goals.
Suffice to say the Esoteric X-01 ticks the box in no short order, the dynamic realism that is presented is just plain smile inducing.
Snare thwacks are superbly real, from the articulation, to the skin stop following note body & true decay. Its scarily close to being there.
Sound staging, BIG and encompassing without giving you a 10 foot high guitar solo or Eva Cassidy J in pure 20 foot cinema-scope.
Imaging is deep and starting to layer even at this early point in its youthful stage.
Oh did I mention BASS !!!!!! Arrange these words in any order and you'll get the gist of the X-01's performance in the lower regions. Demolition Ball Slam, the fiscal /tightness of Cjr, the speed of a cheetah coupled with the depth of the marianas trench.
All this from a mere 4 hours on its virgin bores, well that was 3 weeks ago and as they say “that's a long time in politics†J
When we displayed at the show the X-01 was a mere 2 days old!!!!.
Now all you sceptics that say running/bedding in is all psycho-acoustic and mumbo jumbo, could tell the difference between a 350+ hour unit and a brand new one I fell with some confidence.
I've left the player running 24/7, some reports say 200 hours is all that's needed, a good few customers feel 500 and some even citing 800 hours!!!
Not sure it needs that length of time. However the changes that the players Sonics have undergone are anything but subtle!!
The staging has improved markedly, with more width plus the into the room sensation without that 'forced feeling'. The detail and dynamics are now simply the best I've heard of any digital replay system to date (save one, its bigger brother the D01-P01), the tonality of this player has been more rounded and fuller, with beautiful texture & vocals portrayed with such grace and delicacy, it has me reaching for Nora Jones :-0 (just jesting, hell will freeze over before that happens!!!)
The imaging and layering that's going on behind the speakers is stretching back with such sublime realism it really gets me every time I listen to it. Which is both great and bad, as I don't have the time to listen to it with complete entanglement. (great word eh?) Due to the pressures of moving shortly and all that entails.
Also the bass has 'bedded in' as well as the rest of the above, completely nuts are adequate words to use I feel.
So where does this leave the review?.
There is more to come, though I feel the bulk of the players performance is now fully on display.
I just everything this player does and that way it does it, now that doesn't mean that everyone will enjoy it the same way I do.
The X-01 is purely about musical expressiveness and detail retrieval IMO.
Its presentation is on the cool side, and can upset the balance of some systems for sure, making them too cold.
It has a heft & presence to its sound, which some may find not for them. While more than capable of doing beautifully intricate delicacy, with the pipe and slippers bit too. Its not in any way an M/F.
Bad recordings are just that, bad recordings. It does not gloss/smooth out over them in the way the Remiyo 777 does, it's a 'truthful presentation' of what's on the disc.
The X-01 is a superlative music making machine verbatim.
Last note on the Sacd replay side of the beastie.

My dislike of the Sacd format is well documented, I normally find it far too polished, totally lacking involvement & basically yawn inducing!!!
For classical, female vocals & Jazz it's a boon. The richer mid band textures and cleaner vocals suit these genre's very well, but for me lack any musical involvement, cohesiveness or immediacy. Big thoughts I know, yet I've owned some of the 'so called top drawer stuff' Dcs stack full fire wire, Audio Aero Prestige, Sony Sacd 1, heard many more inducing the Meitner Labs EMM Philips transport and dac.
For the first time (to these ears anyway LOL!!!) Sacd sounds like it should, like Cd but better!!!.
The Esoteric X-01 does not convert PCM (Red book 44.1khz) to DSD (Sacd 1 bit), its actually does it ass about face (sacrilege for Sony engineers I reckon) The DSD is up sampled to 88.2khz (twice red book) and then sent thought the dual, dual differential dac chips!!!
I only own 4 Sacd's, so I can't comment too much but it works damn well!!!
To some up with the Esoteric X-01.
Its certainly the best one box player I've heard to date PERIOD and by a very large margin.
It's a damn fine looker, its built like things should be built like.
Sounds Bloody fantastic.
However, its not a bargin purchase, its expensive muchly so, Is it worth it?, In the right system without a doubt. IMO
IT won't suit everybody, it can sound on the cool side & possibly tip the balance of a system too far. Home demo's a sheer must.
I just love the sound this player gives, it's the closest machine that really does recreate the 'Live being there feeling' . Mr. C

 

Good read, nice post Tony.

Shame about the price, though I've seen one advertised for £9k.

So does that mean that the 861 will be going out at a knockdown price?

 

Hi,

Similar sentiments here. Probably due to the fact that it actually has a lot less resolution at high frequencies than CD and uses ton's of noiseshaping on top of that already build into the DAC's.... At least that's my current take. Also, mastering and recording on many SACD's is below par, well below really good CD's.

Oh, BTW, I don't much care for SACD even with classical and Jazz... ;-)

Actually, that is not really "ass about face", this is what happens in the ADC when you produce 96 or 192KHz HiRez audio, except there is less information at high frequencies thrown out in the latter case.

I suspect it sounds as good as it does as the DSD 2 PCM conversion strips out a lot of DSD's noise, so the D2A conversion is much less compromised by high frequency noise.

Ciao T

 

Mike,

no not at all, its a completely different presenation, and won't be for everyone, plus you need some 'serious kit' for it to really shine.
Thorsen,

A lot of the state side tuners are reversing that dsd<>pcm and going back to the 'orginal way of thinking'
Interesting whe you compare the genuine cd's against the scad versions (not the scd layer on the sacd disc), you find the cd's have a lot more intimcy & being there feel, coupled with better involvement factor IMO
The new P30/D30 combo actually reverts to this too.

 

Tony,

two questions if I may.

Firstly, you compare it with other models you have "owned" and yet I cannot remember seeing any of that kit round your place - nor reading reviews of it whilst in your posession. Was this owned by your famously wealthy brother?

Secondly, and we are all taking bets on this - who wrote that review? It sure ain't in traditional WM stile u must addmit.

Finally - so as not to fall out with you mate, I thought the Esoteric destroyed your modded wadia at Bristol and was highly impressed with the sound you guys managed to get in a hotel room. I am sure Coherent Systems are going places and it couldn't happen to a nicer bloke!

 

Hi,

I found that as well.

However, even when playing the CD Layer of an SACD on a heavily modded Shanling T100 CD Player (HDCD Filter, 2 X PCM1704 in parallel, simple valve outputstage - nothing solid state) to the SACD layer playing on the T200 SACD Player (modified to similar principles, but using PCM1738 DAC) the Standard CD Layer via the CD Player almost always sounds better than SACD via the SACD Player.

Comparing then finally a legit CD on the CD Player to a dual layer disk CD Layer shows the legit CD to actually sound better still. Go figger, damned if I know.

Based on our testing with dCS DSD Kit vs others, DSD should be somewhat better than 44.1/16 PCM but already notably worth than 96/24 PCM via top-notch PCM gear (that was in sutdio, recordings via direct feed, including recording and playback).

Ciao T

 

Mike I understand your point going on my past posting contents!!!!, however I can assure 120% I did write the review. It took nearly 4 days, including the reasearch (and spell checker LOL!!!! not sure if the structure is correct though!!!) A change of style is as good as rest.
Please bet away, I'll have £50 on the outcome please.
The equipment I've posted above HAS passed through my hands in the last 24 months or so Some I've bought, others were trade in's.
I really don't feel the need to post about every item I have accquired, as the vast majority don't make the grade, so it would seem pointless to post about them in all honesty.
I also wondered if I could have the key to my place back, as you visit so often you know MY stock better than I do .
The Bristol we did manage some pleasing sounds, again as with a lot of the exhibitors the Sunday was the best day.
Still have a lot of hard work ahead though Mike, and thanks for the comments . Wm

 

I will be interested to compare it with Tensons modified deq2496.

 

Hey Stereo Mic why the agro?

WM interesting review, I know there's not much that you're impressed with. Have you reached the limits of modding the Wadias now? Have Teac beaten them technically?

On the EMM labs front do you think it's the transport that's letting them down? I got the opinion that you though Teacs VRDS (if I remember correctly) system is the only one that you've ever been impressed with.

So other than this and Wadia are there any other dac's and transports that you like? Even though you're not usually a fan, what do you make of Mark Levinsons transports? They seem to offer very low errors.

Later! Tim

 

Tim,

The Esoteric gives a different presenation to the Wadia.
Wadia is still very much in evidence at Coherent Systems and remains very much at fore of all our development work & Servicing. Esoteric for me personally have really hit the mark with this series of players.
Not everyone will prefer the Esoteric or the Wadias' Personal choice is very good thing IMO
The New Range of Wadia's will be Lunched here in the UK In early April, the 581 and 781.
Watch this space for upcomming announcements on this topic SOON

 

How will it compare with the pt de capo?

 

And what are the current contenders for best standalone 2496 dac?

 

Just checking facts Tim - you wouldn't want any old BS appearing on internet forums would you?

 

Just thought I'd bring you up to date with the Esoteric, as it's now fully up to speed & run in. It did take a little longer than I anticipated or bargained for, nearer the 800 hour mark:shock:.
Just when I thought I coaxed the last little drop of performance out of her, she ups and surprises you with something new!
Well you've read the read of this thread so is there any more to add..............
Humm ....................Oh yes!!!. Just a touch more.
Finally after the long haul of breaking in I can report the Esoteric X-01 LE is one serious performer in all areas of musical reply.
Simply put, this is the most naturally sounding player I've heard, with its expressive presentation it just makes glorious music.
Its soundstage has filled out with stronger textures and still more stage depth and width, it encompasses the room with ease, but never leaves you feeling its stretched too far or fleshed out too thin (Far more than when I heard the unit initially)
The detail retrieval & portrayal is just superb, even Paul Jones rhythmic foot strikes on the mic stand can easily be heard on 'Work Song', not even the full Dcs stack has done this before.
The musical flow and natural presentation just carry you away with the performer (even if its the butt hole surfers!!)
So that finishes off the summing up of the Esoteric X-01...............or does it.
Well truth be told NO!
This week I finally got around to playing with the word clock on the X-01.
Have been aware of the benefits of jitter reduction in studio's by linking all the digital equipment together by means of a 'Master Clock' so all the units have one common timing reference.
The Esoteric X-01 & X-03/D70/P03/D03/D01/P01 etc all have a word clock input (as does the Dcs stack) which enables the owner to improve the performance of the player/dac by feeding the digital output into a master clock and have it extract the word bit sync signal, reclock it (+/-1ppm to +/-0.05ppB (yes billion) depending on which clock you choose) and sent it back to the player/transport to control its clock via the master clock simple really !!!
Also the master clock can output various different sample rates; the Esoteric only accepts direct multiples of the red book frequency IE 44.1khz/88.2khz/176.4khz.
They are few up sampler systems that use this method of sample rate conversion but not as a genuine word clock output.
So after making some genuine 75ohm Bnc cables (word clock input side)
I hooked up the Master Word clock unit, engaged the sync lock button, waited for the hyper warp drive to engage & held on tight.
WTF..............................................................................................................................
So you think the X-01 a good player eh???????
You haven't heard nothing yet to you hook up the Word clock :shock::shock::shock:
If you had heard the player stand alone you word be pretty shocked, but with the word clock in circuit it makes the player without the clock sound broken!!!.
Holy Cow Batman, this is just plain mad, can it really make that much difference on an already special player ****************YOU BET*******************
The sound just becomes REAL simple as that, the solidity of the sound is just :shock:.
The genuine realism is just :shock:
Played about with sample rates, the depth/image spacing/bass solidity just slot into place as 'it was meant to be'
Cd's now take on true dimensionality and realism that’s just
Sorry for using the :shock:a lot but its warranted.
This isn't a case of night and day; it’s a case of realism is very good and "bloody Nora that’s sodding great!!"
I've been playing around with the Word clock all weekend, just listening to music, more music and yet more music.
I'm still shocked at the difference it makes; after all I've owned/tried/used up samplers /re clockers before none have had this depth of effect on the sound.
I purchased a studio master clock (not a big Ben either) for this experiment
some of the best money I've ever spent on audio.
If you ever get a chance to hear an Esoteric with a word clock in/out then do so, it really will change your ideas on digital. Wm

 

I am not surprised at all WM. I would expect a word clock to have a big effect. When will you start working your own black magic?

 

Which MC did you use? I've had my eye on the Drawmer M-clock, which I think might go quite nicely with a Tascam CD601mkII. The M-clock also offers SRC functionality, so kills two birds with one stone really.

 

I've already modded the unit to some degree, just building a psu for it as we speak.