Стримеры — Esoteric N-01XD SE

The N-01XD SE is a network DAC from Esoteric with a volume-controlled analog output, built in a 445 x 162 x 438 mm chassis weighing 26.3 kg. Its Master Sound Discrete DAC traces back to the circuit designed for the Grandioso D1X SE monoblock converter and uses 32 separate elements per channel, including clock driver, logic circuitry, capacitors and resistors.

Key specs that matter

Network playback via 1000BASE-T Ethernet covers PCM from 44.1 to 384 kHz at up to 32 bit and DSD at 2.8, 5.6, 11.2 and 22.5 MHz, with files in FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MQA, MP3 and AAC as well as DSF and DSDIFF. The digital inputs are an ES-LINK pair, one AES/EBU XLR at 110 Ohm, two coaxial RCA at 75 Ohm, one optical and one USB Type-B, plus two USB drive ports at front and rear. Analog outputs are one XLR pair doubling as ES-Link Analog with 5.0 Vrms at 40 Ohm and one RCA pair with 2.5 Vrms at 15 Ohm. Esoteric quotes a response from 5 Hz to 30 kHz at minus 3 dB, 113 dB for signal-to-noise under IHF-A and distortion of 0.0007 percent at 1 kHz. Power draw is 38 W.

Engineering and use context

Conversion runs through an in-house delta-sigma modulator working at 64 bit and 512Fs, with separate FPGA algorithms for DSD and PCM. For the SE version the analog discrete parts on the DAC board were renewed, the amplifier stage now uses the IDM-01 integrated discrete amplifier module, and filter resistors and capacitors were reselected. The Esoteric-HCLD output buffer reaches a slew rate of 2,000 V per microsecond, and its supply uses EDLC supercapacitors totalling 250,000 uF per channel. Power comes from quad toroidal transformers, and the network module has a linear supply without switching elements. The ES-LINK 5 digital standard carries DSD at the same top rate or PCM up to 768 kHz and 48 bit over two HDMI cables, sending balanced audio data with LR and bit clock signals without modulation. Streaming support includes TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify and Roon Ready operation, controlled from the Esoteric Sound Stream app for iOS and Android, and gapless playback works with all lossless formats.

Pairing

Esoteric Super Audio CD transports connect over ES-LINK 5 using two HDMI cables, one of which is supplied, or over a single XLR cable. Amplifiers can be fed via XLR, RCA or the ES-Link Analog current link, which carries about 100 times the current of voltage transmission. A BNC input locks to a 10 MHz external master clock, and a BNC output supplies a 44.1 or 48 kHz word clock with 0.5 ppm accuracy.

Alternatives

The Esoteric Grandioso N1 is the network streamer in the Grandioso series of the same brand.