[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Matt Lane

Hi everyone. Dan, not looking to give you a big ego, but your reviews are really fantastic

I've started thinking about my current DAC and I guess I am asking pretty specific questions - namely, how does the older K-03 (DAC) compare to something like the YGGY?

https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=44976

Dan, I read your initial review, and then the comparison to the K-01x. My take away is that the YGGY is somewhat comparable in SQ to the flagship Esoteric, and based on the different chip implementation, may in fact be perfectly suited to the majority Redbook stuff in my library (and presumably what I will be able to get from Tidal or similar streaming subscription).

I know you previously had a K-03 in one of your systems. Truthfully, I don't know the real delta between a K-03 and a K-01x - and maybe I am asking you to interpolate what you remember from your K-03... but would be grateful to get a +/- opinion on what a modern DAC like the YGGY can deliver with my N100H vs. continuing to use the DAC from the K-03.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this specific application/question.

Matt.......First things first, the Yggdrasil DAC is a lot more than just somewhat comparable to the Esoteric K-01X DAC. The Yggdrasil DAC's performance paralleled the K-01X more often than not, and in certain ways presented a slightly more holistic presentation with respect to timbrel accuracy. The A/B comparison left little doubt in my mind of the astonishing realistic performance a well designed ladder DAC is capable of delivering.

Having said that, when I purchased the Esoteric K-01X and replaced one of my two K-03's, I had the opportunity to make a direct A/B comparison of the K-03 in the studio system to the new K-01X. I reveled in the performance of the K-03 in both my studio system and my living room system. The level of detail and harmonic richness was a step up for my McIntosh MCD1100 players the K-03's replaced. I was told to expect a noticeable performance improvement with the K-01X over the K-03, but frankly I was not certain I would hear it. That was put to rest quickly once the K-01X was installed in the studio sound system. You may find my Esoteric K-01X Review an interesting read. My reason for pointing all of this out is to say that I am confident the Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC will outperform the Esoteric K-03 with PCM recordings, this said because the Yggdrasil ran nose to nose with the K-01X during my shootout. It is important to remember though, the Esoteric K-03 has DSD capability, plus a state of the art transport, and is certainly not the caboose in any DAC train. It's performance is quite remarkable. Without having the opportunity to make direct A/B comparisons with the K-01X or the Yggdrasil you are still enjoying a premium level of digital to analog conversion performance.

My personal take is you would absolutely love the Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC. For Redbook PCM playback I am confident you will prefer it to the K-03. Yes, it is that good. My suggestion is keep the Esoteric K-03 for DSD playback and use it as a transport to feed the Yggdrasil for PCM playback. Your Aurender N100H will shine with the Yggdrasil, too.