AudioSalon - scotlands first and foremost hi-fi dealer since 1979

Reviews

"In the not-so-distant past, good digital sound was marked not by the highest resolution but rather by the greatest euphony. In its early days, digital sounded overly crisp and biting, and audiophiles, myself included, looked for alternatives that largely overcame these deficiencies by smoothing over them and some of the music. However, today's digital sound, defined by high-resolution formats as well as good old CD, has matured to such a degree that highly detailed sources like the Esoteric X-01 are at the forefront. The X-01 is a terrific SACD and CD player, one that never presents listeners with anything less than the music in its purest form. At no time did I think the X-01 was glossing over anything, and while bad recordings still sounded bad, the X-01's resolving power gave me a greater idea of why they sounded bad -- such is the nature of the truth.

Based on hearing the DV-50, P-70/D-70, and now the X-01 (and UX-1), I can say with surety that Esoteric is on a serious roll with its digital products. The X-01 is a superior SACD player whose CD playback rivals that of the P-70/D-70 combination, although I am willing to admit that my memory of the P-70/D-70's sonic performance is fleeting. No matter -- hear the Esoteric X-01 if it's in your considerable price range. I've heard no better-sounding multi-format digital source."...Marc Mickelson Soundstage Click here to read full review

Ultra-high-precision turntable system

When an SACD or DVD disc is played, the higher-speed rotation causes increased and unwanted vibrations. These vibrations cause the disc surface to shake, making it difficult for the laser pick-up to read the data accurately. The VRDS turntable is designed to physically correct all vibrations and completely stabilize the disc so adverse effects during high-speed rotation can be minimized. High-speed rotation also necessitates that the spindle shaft be more rigid than in the past. The turntable, which may be considered the heart of the VRDS mechanism, is supported by high-precision, highly rigid mechanical components.

Rigidity and precision are significantly improved by the use of highly precise ball bearings used in the spindle shaft bearing assembly

A pair of precise ball bearings is used in the spindle shaft bearing unit and a pre-load is applied to the bearing inner rings to significantly reduce rattling and shaft shaking during use. This dramatically increases the precision of the bearing unit and greatly improves rotational and positioning accuracy. As a result, the correlation precision between the disc and pickup is improved--a factor which is closely related to transport performance.

Newly designed magnesium turntable

During SACD or DVD playback, the maximum rotation speed is some 4.5 times greater than the rotation speed during conventional CD playback. In order to ensure that the turntable could handle this high-speed rotation, TEAC selected magnesium as the turntable material. Magnesium, with a specific gravity two-thirds that of aluminum, is lightweight and has excellent vibration absorption properties that also helps reduce unwanted disc vibrations during disc rotation. The turntable is made from superior materials that are precision-machined.

Massive bridge unit made from SS400 steel to support the turntable and spindle unit

The precision and rigidity improvements to the turntable and spindle alone will not ensure good results if the bridge supporting them is not also improved. Therefore, TEAC selected 20 mm-thick, SS400 steel for the newly designed support bridge. In addition, the bridge is directly joined to a 5 mm-thick iron base plate. Any vibrations originating from the spindle during rotation are subsequently attenuated by the mass of the bridge-base plate combination. The combined weight of these two pieces alone is over 8 pounds.

Coreless motor with no rotational irregularities TEAC has developed a new, long-life three-phase brushless spindle motor for high-speed rotation. Development of the magnetic circuit, consisting of a neodymium magnet, was completed through numerous tests and scientific validations, including magnetic field analysis. The optimized magnetic circuit minimizes rotation irregularities in the motor and makes it possible to reduce fluctuations in the motor drive current, thereby lessening any effects on audio circuits and other areas. Pickup drive sled/servo unit

TEAC developed an ingenious component structure for driving the pickup lens and a new sled structure to move the pickup unit with an extremely high level of accuracy. This new system ensures that the laser optical axis is always maintained at a constant relationship to the media’s disc pits. This precision ensures the laser is always positioned at the very center of the pit track for optimal reading. These modifications to earlier VRDS mechanisms make it possible to minimize the adverse effects of disc surface shaking and eccentricity at higher rotational speeds.

Pickup structure designed to prevent laser optical axis tilting during lens movement

The pickup in ordinary players is designed so that the lens hangs from a wire. This design is not only low in rigidity, but allows the laser optical axis to tilt away from a vertical orientation as the lens moves. In contrast, the pickup used in the UX-1 has a shaft-sliding structure that prevents the laser optical axis from tilting even when the lens is moved. TEAC has also increased the rigidity of the parts supporting the lens.

Speed feedback-controlled sled transport with superior response and minimal extraneous pickup lens movement

In order to provide a very high-performance pickup capable of smooth, continuous movement, a proprietary Hall element sensing-type three-phase brushless motor is used in the sled transport, and powerful electronic speed feedback circuits control this sled mechanism. This is yet another design feature that improves the precision and accuracy of the data acquisition functions.

Vibration isolation for spindle motor system and sled moving system

The spindle system, which may generate fine vibrations during rotation, is isolated from the sled moving system. Since the sled mechanism requires very delicate control, this isolation from high-frequency vibrations ensures superior reading performance.

High-precision mechanism and new software controlled servo control for superior playability

The precision-machined proprietary mechanism combines with new system software to provide optimal servo control for each type of disc. This equates to superior media playability.

SPECIFICATIONS

General

• System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SACD and CD
• Power supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AC 120 V, 60 Hz
• Power consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 W
• Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 kg (55 lb.)
• External dimensions (W x H x D) . . . . . . . 442 x 153 x 353 mm (17-3/8" x 6" x 13-7/8")

Audio output (Analog Audio)

• Jacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . balanced XLR jacks (2 channel) x 2, RCA jacks (5.1 channel) x 6
• Maximum Output level (1 kHz, full scale) . . . . 2.5 Vrms (RCA), 2.3 Vrms (XLR)
• Nominal Output level (1 kHz, full scale –20dB)
• 250 mVrms (RCA)
• 230 mVrms (XLR)
• Frequency response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Hz - 58 kHz (SACD)
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N) . . . . . . . . . . 112 dB (SACD, 1 kHz)
• Dynamic range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 dB (SACD, 1 kHz)
• Total harmonic distortion . . . . . . . . . . 0.001% (SACD, 1 kHz)
• Audio output (Digital Audio)
• OPTICAL . . . . . . . . . . Optical digital jack x 1, –15 to –21 dBm
• COAXIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RCA jack x 1, 0.5 Vp-p/75 Ω

 

Mark Levinson 326S Baby version of the Ref 32 Pre-amp at a reasonable cost of £6,995. Like most technologies the benefits of the research for the reference products trickle down into more affordable products like the 326s Pre-amp. You get alot of the quality of its bigger brother, providing a jump in the quality available at this price.	Ayre Acoustics C-5xe Universal Disk Player Stereophile Extract: "It ought to be fairly obvious that I found the Ayre C-5xe more than satisfactory. I didn't expect it to disappoint, but I was unprepared for just how much it delighted me. I've heard a lot of impressive audio components over the years, but I've heard very few that afforded me greater musical pleasure or sent me on as many voyages of musical discovery through discs I thought I knew well." - Wes Phillips, July, 2005
Gryphon Diablo The ultimate reference integrated amplifier at £6100. The Gryphon sonic magic in a reasonable sized and georgeous case, you must hear this as it puts most pre power combo's to shame, pure music at its best.	Brinkmann LaGrange turntableThe Brinkmann LaGrange turntable is without a doubt the best source component I have ever had the chance to enjoy over an extended period of time. It represents a level of perfection and emotional connection to music that I have never heard before. - Danny Kaey extract from Positive Feedback
Teac Esoteric DV-50SThe Esoteric DV-50 is the most fun you can have with digital music playback short of the dCS trio reviewed by Michael Fremer in April 2003 (Vol.26 No.4). Given that the dCS gear costs about six times as much as the DV-50, the Esoteric is a screaming bargain, especially considering its hyper-advanced technology, bulletproof build, and exceptional sound. You can even play movies on it. - Stereophile Extract	ProAc D100 The imposing new Response D100 takes on the mantle of flagship model from our legendary Response Four, which has delighted discerning audiophiles for the last twelve years. The D100's produce stunning music, effortlessly. The enhanced sensitivity extracts the tiniest detail from any recording without brightness or exaggeration. Greater bandwidth creates a huge soundstage, drawing in the listener and creating a concert hall experience, where the loudspeakers seem to melt from the scene..