CD / SACD players and transports — Esoteric Grandioso K1X SE

The Grandioso K1X SE is an integrated SACD and CD player from Esoteric, the Japanese high-end brand founded in 1987. Esoteric gives the Grandioso name to the top model in each product category, and the K1X brings two of the company's key developments into one chassis - the VRDS-ATLAS disc transport and the fully discrete Master Sound Discrete DAC. For the SE edition, Esoteric added its newer discrete clock technology and an improved analogue section in the DAC.

Key specs that matter

For CD, frequency response extends from 5 Hz to 30 kHz, noise is 113 dB down and THD plus noise measures 0.0007%. Outputs are provided on XLR and RCA connectors, with an output impedance of 40 ohms balanced and 15 ohms single-ended. Digital inputs include USB, coaxial and optical, PCM is accepted up to 768 kHz and DSD up to 22.5 MHz, and the player decodes MQA-CD discs and MQA files. An external clock input takes Esoteric's Grandioso G-series master clocks. The chassis measures 445 x 162 x 447 mm and weighs 35 kg.

Engineering and use context

In Esoteric's Vibration-free Rigid Disc-clamping System, or VRDS, a large turntable clamps the disc across its surface so that it spins flat without warping, which reduces the correction work of the servo system. The ATLAS version is the heaviest mechanism in VRDS history and sits in the centre of the chassis on a 5 mm steel base plate. The Master Sound Discrete DAC does without integrated converter chips altogether. Each channel is built from 32 separate elements using discrete components selected and tested by Esoteric, in a dual-mono layout derived from the Grandioso D1X monaural DAC. An FPGA-based 64-bit delta-sigma modulator running at 512Fs processes the digital signal and can convert PCM to DSD. The chassis has two decks, with the audio boards on the upper level and the power supply and transformers below, which reduces magnetic leakage and vibration and shortens the supply wiring. Separate toroidal transformers feed the digital and analogue sections. On the SE models the bolted-on pinpoint feet are replaced by feet held in place by the weight of the chassis alone, so the base plate is free of stress, and the top panel is semi-floating and fixed without screws.

Pairing

The XLR and RCA outputs connect straight to a preamplifier or integrated amplifier. A network streamer, computer or TV can use the internal converter through the coaxial, optical or USB sockets.

Alternatives

Within the K series, the Esoteric K-01XD SE is a disc player that likewise combines a VRDS-ATLAS transport with a Master Sound Discrete DAC.