ESOTERIC LAUNCHES AWESOME 2-chassis
AFFORDABLE DIGITAL PLAYER

The Esoteric division of TEAC has leapfrogged its way to the top of the tree in the chain of SACD/CD playback.

We stock models up to the £18,500 P-03 + D-03 transport plus decoder. This player is well in excess of the performance of any other digital source, period. Uniquely it tailors the sound to the way discs are mastered or the musical presentation preferred by the listener. Thus you may opt for filterless PCM, and/ or upsample 2x or 4x. Or straight 44.1kHz. You may link and synch the clock for virtually jitter free sound with a simple BNC cord. Finally, the transport can convert PCM output from a CD to DSD so that the sound really approaches SACD resolution. Counter intuitive but demonstrable.

Product featured this month is the P-05/D-05 at £4,495 and £3,995 respectively. There are many models as Esoteric intend to dominate the market and offer a model for everyone, so how does it compare sonically? The truth is that in build and performance 01/03/ and 05 feature research, components and investment no one else can achieve because no one else has the marketing network or the resources. The new transport and DAC offer a completely new sonic signature: very much an enticing musical presentation, solid but also transparent, realistic but not a mere detail machine. The 32-bit technology is not high-tech for the TEAC marketing team but to achieve organic sound. So far, everyone who hears it is astounded. The 32-bit technology allows for a virtually perfect volume control in the DAC so while we wait for the Ayre K-MX pre-amp ....

One box — one make!! The Esoteric X-03se at £4,995 benefits fully from the neo-VRDS mechanism in a one-box chassis of astounding fit-and-finish and the latest careful voicing by the Esoteric team. So successful is this model that the X-01 had to be fully redesigned and emerged as the amazing £8,996 X-01DS. It offers 5.1 surround sound from SACD which is very impressive.

Esoteric P-05 / D-05 www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/1207/aachapter98.htm

Gryphon Atlantis System

As part of Gryphon's new 'entry level' system - i.e Mikado, Diablo, Atlantis

“With what I heard today from this entry-level Gryphon system, I know I could live happily ever after without thinking about another upgrade”
(Soundstage USA, Munich High End show report).

‘The Diablo sounded just beautiful in my system, regardless of the fact that it costs "only" $14,999. It was also perfect in operation, with some unique features -- such as that wonderful touch-panel faceplate. All of this makes for an easy and hearty recommendation. It may or may not be built by wizards in some far-off land, but the Gryphon Diablo is a real product that any audiophile who seeks magic from his audio system should fully explore.’
Jeff Fritz, Soundstage

Link to the full review:
www.ultraaudio.com/equipment/gryphon_diablo.htm

The Atlantis aims to set a new standard for performance in moderately sized rooms. The hand-crafted Gryphon Atlantis employs specially developed dual 8-inch bass units, meanwhile the ultra-linear triple-magnet system of the dual 5-inch midrange drivers ensures total control of cone motion. For high resolution and excellent dispersion up to 32 kHz, the ceramic high frequency driver is loaded with a proprietary Gryphon wave guide. The time-aligned, front baffle curvature ensures identical arrival time from all drivers at the listening position. A high-precision hand-adjusted 4th order acoustical crossover is battery-biased for constant charge, said to result in audibly improved stability and substantial gains in body, timbral color and image coherence. Gryphon Atlantis offers virtually unlimited finish options with replaceable side panels and the unit weights 85 kg and measures 39 x 118 x 72 (WxHxD in cm).