[SCAudiophile]

Originally Posted by Charles

Brown bear, very nice system. Mac SACD players truly give you SACD performance. Many very expensive digital rigs do not. They do a better job than this particular CD player but there is a very significant sonic difference between a CD player that will play SACD's and a true SACD player. I have many wonderful SACD's. Three of my very best recordings are SACD's: Camille Saint-Saens The Philadelphia Orchestra ODE 1094-S Berliner Philharmoniker Sir Simon Rattle Beethoven Symphonies 1-9 BPHR 160093 Telarc Beethoven Sympnony NO. 9 Donald Runnicles Atlanta Symphony Orchestra SACD 60603. Folks talk a lot about vinyl but I think there are significantly more excellent SACD's out there than vinyl. I have a whole collection of wonderful SACD's and believe me, a player that can "play" an SACD the way it is meant to be played is sonically superior to an ultra expensive CD player that can play SACD as an afterthought.

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Charles Updated System
Most recent updates: AQ Diamond USB replaces AQ Coffee; Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx replaced by Wilson Audio Specialties XVX Chronosonic
Amps: McIntosh 1.25KW’s (3) set on floor on custom made cultured marble slabs
Preamp and DAC: McIntosh D1100
Sources: McIntosh MCD1100 SACD player, MVP881 BR player, MVP851 DVD player, MR87 tuner, Marantz 510LV Laser Disc player, ASUS laptop USB (JRiver Media Center 23)
Speakers: Wilson Audio Specialties XVX Chronosonic
Sub-woofer: Wilson Audio Specialties Thor’s Hammer (1) horizontal lie and Wilson Watch Controller (abbr: WC)
Cables main system: Audioquest Wel Signature speaker cables and balanced IC (preamp to amps); Wel Signature AES/EBU balanced digital IC for CD playback; Audioquest Diamond optical (1) for tuner, (1) for BR player, and (1) for LD player for total of (3); Diamond USB cable; McIntosh MCT cable for SACD playback; Dragon power cords (5 HC cords and 3 source cords for total of 8); Thunder HC power cord for tuner; cables for DVD player not listed
Cables subwoofer system: Audioquest Redwood speaker cable (1); Wolf balanced subwoofer IC from WC to amp; Wind balanced IC from preamp to WC; Hurricane HC (2) and Dragon HC (1) power cords
Power conditioners: Audioquest Niagara 7000 (1) and Niagara 5000 (3); (4) dedicated 20-amp lines with no. 10 wire straight out of fuse box
Cabinet: Double Custom Woodwork & Design (CWD) solid walnut cabinet on large casters; holds all sources and preamp; also, Niagara 7000; 11 feet minimum distance from speakers
Acoustic Treatments: Room and Echo Tunes
AC: Dedicated to this room only, an ultra-high efficiency and quiet recently installed Ruud split system 3-ton heat pump.
Room (mancave): 40’L x 15.5’W A-frame; max ceiling height 8’ min 5’; wall within wall construction built of 2 x 6’s; built over garage with custom hardwood floor with gym seal with over 40 Lowes stiffened wooden I-beams supporting floor; complete isolation from rest of house

The SACD player you reference from Mac came out after this 14 year old Esoteric (really 15 yrs when you consider when design would been frozen). There was a small change in mastering and cutting SACDs subsequent to 2005 when the X-03 design would have been finalized that caused a need for simple firmware update. Not all SACD vendors followed it either.

That does NOT make the X-03 or the SE version only a CD player with SACD play as an afterthought as you claim in any apparent effort to promote the Mac offering which came out later that you favor and would have by design been able to play both gen1 and gen2 SACDs just like later generation Esoteric players (P-02 and others...) . The P-03U and X-01 all required updates, that is a fact. The number of discs affected was small. DCS, EMMlabs Oppo and many others would have had to in the designs that came later.

Esoteric/others are not omniscient,...in 2004 to 2005 they could not have designed for a change that came some years later. If memory serves, the first SACD i bought that showed the gap between player and latest spec that pointed me towards Esoteric tech support for my P03U transport was round about 2011 to 2012 more or less and was 1 out of about 35 to 40 new SACDs I ordered. The fix took a few minutes to call, get support right away and download with basic skills to upgrade. A bootable firmware CD could also have been mailed out if necessary. Have not had a single issue

FWIW...