Предусилители — Esoteric Grandioso C1X solo

The Grandioso C1X solo is a line-stage preamplifier from Esoteric that places its whole circuit in a single chassis. The design is organised as five sections - left and right input amplifiers, left and right output amplifiers and a control section - and each is fed by its own power transformer, four toroidal units for the audio circuits and one R-core unit for control.

Key specs that matter

The three balanced XLR inputs double as ES-Link Analog inputs, each with a 50 kOhm impedance, an input sensitivity of 500 mV and an 11.7 V maximum input level. Two RCA inputs present 500 kOhm. Outputs comprise two XLR pairs plus two ES-Link Analog pairs, both at 30 Ohm, with 2 V rated and 17 V maximum output at 1 kHz and 0.003 percent. Esoteric specifies a 1 Hz to 150 kHz response at minus 3 dB via XLR, a signal-to-noise ratio of 120 dB with 2 V input and IHF-A weighting, distortion of 0.00035 percent and gain of plus 12 dB. Power draw is 22 W, and standby is 0.3 W with RS-232C remote control off or 1.0 W with it on. The case measures 445 x 132 x 449 mm including protrusions and weighs 27.5 kg.

Engineering and use context

Esoteric sets level with its Ultra Fidelity Attenuator System, whose core is the in-house UFA-1792 module, which integrates a stepped resistor attenuator into a chip and switches in 0.1 dB steps across 1,120 positions. Amplification uses the proprietary IDM-01 integrated discrete amplifier module. Each channel runs a dual balanced circuit with four attenuators, and all inputs are carried internally in balanced form at low impedance. The output buffer is the Esoteric-HCLD high current line driver, rated for a 180 MHz range and a slew rate of 2,000 V per microsecond, used in parallel on each signal line. Input switching relies on FET elements handling 12 A instantaneous and 3 A constant current rather than mechanical relays. The logic section is shielded behind the front panel, linked by photo-couplers and shut down outside operation. The enclosure uses aluminium blocks, the lid rests on a semi-floating mount while the patented feet combine spike and saucer. Knobs are machined from aluminium and turn on a bearing derived from the VRDS drive mechanisms.

Pairing

ES-Link Analog is a current transmission link that carries roughly 100 times more current than a voltage connection, with about 1 kOhm on the sending side and 0 Ohm on the receiving side, and it is intended for use with compatible Grandioso power amplifiers. A 12 V trigger input, two trigger outputs rated at 100 mA in total and an RS-232C port cover system control, and the supplied RC-1334 remote can also operate Esoteric digital sources.

Alternatives

The Esoteric Grandioso C1X is the two-chassis line-stage preamplifier in the same Grandioso series.