Предусилители — Esoteric N-05XE

The N-05XE is a network DAC preamplifier from Esoteric that combines a Master Sound Discrete DAC G2, the fourth-generation Esoteric Network Engine G4, a dual-mono balanced line stage and headphone output inside a 445 x 131 x 377 mm case weighing 13.6 kg. It is sold for USD 13,000.

Key specs that matter

Analog connections include one XLR input shared with ES-Link Analog at 16 kOhm and one RCA input at 10 kOhm. The XLR output, also usable as ES-Link Analog, has a 40 Ohm output impedance, 5 Vrms rated and 12 Vrms maximum level, while the RCA output runs at 15 Ohm, 2.5 Vrms rated and 6 Vrms maximum. Digital inputs cover one AES/EBU XLR at 110 Ohm, two coaxial at 75 Ohm, two optical and USB in Type-B and Type-C form accepting PCM to 384 kHz and DSD to 22.5 MHz. Over the network the unit handles PCM from 44.1 to 768 kHz and DSD up to 22.5 MHz. The DAC section is rated at 5 Hz to 30 kHz at minus 3 dB, 109 dB of A-weighted noise separation and 0.001 percent distortion, all measured with DSD 2.8 MHz via XLR. The headphone stage delivers 1,200 mW per channel into 32 Ohm through a 4-pin XLR and a 6.3 mm jack and suits loads of 16 to 600 Ohm. Power consumption is 30 W.

Engineering and use context

The G2 DAC works as a multi-level delta-sigma converter run by an FPGA with 16 discrete elements per channel, a redesigned resistor network using MELF resistors and separate processing algorithms for PCM and DSD. The Network Engine G4 has both an RJ45 port and an SFP port for fibre links, and its network circuits run from a linear supply separated from the audio power. Two USB drive ports let the unit act as a music server. Streaming covers TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Spotify, QQ Music and MQA, and it is Roon Ready with a dedicated RAAT mode. The attenuator uses eight independent circuits for left, right, hot and cold, powered separately from other circuits. The Esoteric-HCLD output buffer is rated at 2,000 V per microsecond. Bluetooth 4.2 accepts LDAC, LHDC, aptX HD, aptX, AAC plus SBC and offers multipoint for two devices. The top plate is semi-floating, and the feet use the patented Pinpoint isolation design.

Pairing

The ES-Link Analog input accepts compatible Esoteric sources such as the K-05XD Super Audio CD player and the E-02 phono stage, and the ES-Link digital input connects Esoteric Super Audio CD transports with one XLR cable. A BNC input takes a 10 MHz signal from the G-05 master clock generator. A fixed output mode lets an external preamplifier use it purely as a source or converter, and a pass-through mode makes it usable as the front-speaker line stage behind an AV receiver.

Alternatives

The Esoteric Grandioso C1X solo is a dedicated single-chassis line-stage preamplifier from the same brand.