Esoteric K03

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by analog brother

is it a $7k difference though?
i play mainly cd's intertwined with a tad of usb.
i am sorta on a budget, but want it to be a keeper, so don't want to have any regrets
or what-if's later on.

James.......There is no such thing in the audio world as no "what-if's later on."

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by analog brother

is it a $7k difference though?
i play mainly cd's intertwined with a tad of usb.
i am sorta on a budget, but want it to be a keeper, so don't want to have any regrets
or what-if's later on.

Then you want a k -03. It's more budget friendly (well... Than the k-01) and there is no way you'll be disappointed. There's a good reason so many of us are happy owners.

Try to find a k-03 owner that has regrets...

[Portugal]

Originally Posted by MAC10

(...) as good as a music server sounds through the AMR DAC or the DAC in the esoteric (...)

Which one is better as a USB DAC? What differences is sound signature?

[MAC10]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

Then you want a k -03. It's more budget friendly (well... Than the k-01) and there is no way you'll be disappointed. There's a good reason so many of us are happy owners.

Try to find a k-03 owner that has regrets...

+1

[Toccata]

As a person who recently upgraded from a Sony 5400ES to an Esoteric K-03, I can say emphatically say "yes" if you have the money! Sure, the Sony sounds good, but compared to the K-03, it is less detailed and natural sounding. I'm not sure the K-03 is nearly 10X better since it costs nearly 10X as much (can't really quantify differences), but it's a major definite step up.

[Alki]

Originally Posted by Toccata

As a person who recently upgraded from a Sony 5400ES to an Esoteric K-03, I can say emphatically say "yes" if you have the money! Sure, the Sony sounds good, but compared to the K-03, it is less detailed and natural sounding. I'm not sure the K-03 is nearly 10X better since it costs nearly 10X as much (can't really quantify differences), but it's a major definite step up.

The law of diminishing returns is something we live with in this hobby when large amounts of money are spent on upgrades.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

The K-03's sonic signature I would describe as transparent, resolving, neutral and accurate. The K-01/K-03 probably add less coloration to the music than any other Player/DAC on the market. Most other Player/DACs try to warm up or smooth the music through coloration of some sort. The K-01/K-03 don't do this but still manage to sound plenty smooth and sweet. Coloration can sound good on some recordings but can magnify shortcomings on other recordings.

[Car commander]

I think the K-01 is 5 percent or so better than the K-03. The K-03 is so good though I would not stretch my budget to buy a K-01. My K-03 was really good.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by Car commander

I think the K-01 is 5 percent or so better than the K-03. The K-03 is so good though I would not stretch my budget to buy a K-01. My K-03 was really good.

+1

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by Car commander

I think the K-01 is 5 percent or so better than the K-03. The K-03 is so good though I would not stretch my budget to buy a K-01. My K-03 was really good.

The K-01X is at least 6% better than the K-03