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  #111  
Old 01-13-2015, 06:40 PM
Car commander Car commander is offline
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Originally Posted by PlanarSpeakerFan View Post
Hi Jim,

Yes, I would like to do a direct comparison of the K-01 and 540 in my listening room. I had a lengthy listening session at the dealer with the 540 and 501, followed by one at home with the K-01 and 501, and it's my feeling that the K-01 hangs right there with the 540. I think I would only trade the K-01 for a K-01X.

Best,
Ken
The K-01 has been heavily reviewed and some think it is the best single box player. I would not trade mine either. Esoteric's service is great.

It would still be a fun comparison.
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  #112  
Old 01-13-2015, 06:50 PM
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The K-01 has been heavily reviewed and some think it is the best single box player. I would not trade mine either. Esoteric's service is great.

It would still be a fun comparison.
Definitely. And you can't beat the K-01 transport, there is none better.

Ken
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  #113  
Old 01-13-2015, 06:53 PM
Car commander Car commander is offline
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Definitely. And you can't beat the K-01 transport, there is none better.

Ken
I believe the 540 uses an Esoteric drive I think it is a lower grade than the K-01. Someone here probably knows.
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  #114  
Old 01-13-2015, 07:11 PM
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I believe the 540 uses an Esoteric drive I think it is a lower grade than the K-01. Someone here probably knows.
There are some interior photos of the 540 in the 6 Moons review. It looks like the K-07 VOSP transport.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/soulution/4.html

http://www.esoteric-usa.com/Products...ayers/K-07.php

Ken

Last edited by PlanarSpeakerFan; 01-13-2015 at 07:13 PM.
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  #115  
Old 01-13-2015, 07:13 PM
Odyssey Odyssey is offline
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I believe the 540 uses an Esoteric drive I think it is a lower grade than the K-01. Someone here probably knows.
Yes, the Soulution 541 is clearly a step up from the 540. And by some accounts better than Soulutions 745.

The 541 and 746 are the standard bearers of the Soulution line.

They do use the Teac Esoteric drives which have been discontinued for third party use, regrettably.
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  #116  
Old 01-13-2015, 08:10 PM
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Yes, the Soulution 541 is clearly a step up from the 540. And by some accounts better than Soulutions 745.

The 541 and 746 are the standard bearers of the Soulution line.

They do use the Teac Esoteric drives which have been discontinued for third party use, regrettably.
Thanks Le Roy. What are the differences between the 540 & 541 and the 745 & 746? Do the newer models employ SMPS like the preamps and amps or native DSD? Jim and I really like our K-01's. He was one of the people I consulted with when I was deciding to buy it. AA is Esoteric territory, many folks have them here as Ivan is their biggest dealer in the USA.

Ken

Last edited by PlanarSpeakerFan; 01-13-2015 at 08:15 PM.
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  #117  
Old 01-13-2015, 08:54 PM
Odyssey Odyssey is offline
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Originally Posted by PlanarSpeakerFan View Post
Thanks Le Roy. What are the differences between the 540 & 541 and the 745 & 746? Do the newer models employ SMPS like the preamps and amps or native DSD? Jim and I really like our K-01's. He was one of the people I consulted with when I was deciding to buy it. AA is Esoteric territory, many folks have them here as Ivan is their biggest dealer in the USA.

Ken
I have not heard the 540 but I have been told by others that the 541 is a clear improvement to the 540 and the 746 is a clear improvement to the 745. But all of this may be moot as the spinning disk drives are going away for third parties such as Soulution and others that Esoteric makes.

I have the 541 also as a hi rez streaming DAC which the 746 does not have as an option. I have read in a British publication that CD sales are down 26% yr over yr for 2013. Unfortunate.

But perhaps good news for CD and SACD collectors.
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  #118  
Old 01-13-2015, 09:32 PM
cmarin cmarin is offline
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Had an opportunity to demo the new Berkley Reference DAC with the Soulution 711/721/Magico Q7 combo in my home over the last two weeks.

Unfortunately, I was at CES for a part of that time and the DAC was still breaking in, so my results are preliminary. But I can definitely say that the Berkeley Ref DAC (BRD) is a superb piece.

Once it started to open up, all the classic audiophile checklist items were met with a resounding plus. You can read the Robert Hartley review on TAS for a better description of the BRD's performance, but for the price, the BRD offers great performance at an outstanding value.

Sorry to say I had to ship the BRD back the day after I got back from CES, but I did get a chance to listen to the it direct to the 711 (bypassing the 721 pre) for a few hours. With some songs, especially redbook quality, the effect was a dramatic improvement; particularly in bass depth and tonality, midrange clarity and presence, even greater soundstage depth, and a more relaxed/analog type of sound. While with other songs, the effect of going to the amp directly was not as noticeable.

This was contrary to my experience with other DACs, where going through the 721 preamp was definitely the preferred option.

As one would expect, the choice of going direct or not depends on the quality of the DAC vis-a-vis the preamp; as well as the source materials and the quality of the ICs. In the case of the BRD and the 721, both are excellent performers and the choice depends more on the material and the quality of the ICs.

Hope to get a BRD permanently in the not too distant future and get a chance to test under better conditions.
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  #119  
Old 01-13-2015, 09:44 PM
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Originally Posted by cmarin View Post
Had an opportunity to demo the new Berkley Reference DAC with the Soulution 711/721/Magico Q7 combo in my home over the last two weeks.

Unfortunately, I was at CES for a part of that time and the DAC was still breaking in, so my results are preliminary. But I can definitely say that the Berkeley Ref DAC (BRD) is a superb piece.

Once it started to open up, all the classic audiophile checklist items were met with a resounding plus. You can read the Robert Hartley review on TAS for a better description of the BRD's performance, but for the price, the BRD offers great performance at an outstanding value.

Sorry to say I had to ship the BRD back the day after I got back from CES, but I did get a chance to listen to the it direct to the 711 (bypassing the 721 pre) for a few hours. With some songs, especially redbook quality, the effect was a dramatic improvement; particularly in bass depth and tonality, midrange clarity and presence, even greater soundstage depth, and a more relaxed/analog type of sound. While with other songs, the effect of going to the amp directly was not as noticeable.

This was contrary to my experience with other DACs, where going through the 721 preamp was definitely the preferred option.

As one would expect, the choice of going direct or not depends on the quality of the DAC vis-a-vis the preamp; as well as the source materials and the quality of the ICs. In the case of the BRD and the 721, both are excellent performers and the choice depends more on the material and the quality of the ICs.

Hope to get a BRD permanently in the not too distant future and get a chance to test under better conditions.
CMarin,

Thanks for that review of the BRD! I've been reading a lot about it and it certainly is getting rave reviews. I just wish it had an inboard USB connection but I know they have their reasons why it doesn't. The DAC variable linestages keep getting better and better. I remember when they were pretty weak. I think there may eventually come a day when a preamp is totally unnecessary with a DAC.

Best,
Ken
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  #120  
Old 01-14-2015, 06:46 AM
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imprezap2 imprezap2 is offline
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I think the CD drives for the Soulution players are coming from the same company that made the drives for the last Wadia players (381i and S7i). It is an Austrian company named Stream Unlimited.

Tried to find the article again but did not succeed


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