Via USB, it supports asynchronous transmission and file playback at high sampling rates of DSDx2 (5.6MHz), DSDx4 (11.2MHz), and 32/384 PCM. Although the only other product that now includes ES-LINK Analog is the Grandioso F1 integrated amplifier, the technology will be implemented in future Esoteric pre- and integrated amplifiers. The FPGA’s* dedicated digital processing algorithm was developed exclusively for the Master Sound Discrete DAC, and has been fully optimized for outstanding playback of both DSD and PCM digital audio data. Esoteric USAIntegra18 Park WayUpper Saddle River, NJ 07458Phone: (201) 818-9200. Very expensive state-of-the-art digital playback systems, such as Esoteric’s Grandioso separates and dCS’s Vivaldi stack, reveal a bit more of the violin’s brilliance and sweetness. The VRDS-NEO transport is supported by four patented pinpoint steel feet (with attached steel cups) that reduce vibrations emanating from the transport. K1 “GRANDIOSO” $35,000.00 Reference SACD/CD player Inputs : USB x 1, RCA x 1, OPT x 1 Word Clock Input: BNC x 1 (1 x word in) Analog outputs: RCA x 2 (L/R) XLR x 2 (L/R) (ES-LINK Analog compatible) The Grandioso K1 sits atop the range of single box SACD/CD players from ESOTERIC. I had just started to remodel my home, including the listening room, so the review had to wait. First used in the Grandioso C1, each EDLC contains Nichicon capacitors with a super high value of 1F (1,000,000uF). This problem needs to be considered by anyone who wants to use the K1 with an audio player that uses KS drivers. Esoteric’s own in-house factory boasts some of the world’s leading board mounting technologies, such as soldering performed in an oxygen-free furnace, which is located in a clean room featuring the same level of cleanliness found in a hospital operating room. Nonetheless, it’s a step back in function and appearance from Esoteric’s previous, backlit remote of leather and aluminum. Esoteric’s impressive VRDS-ATLAS is the quietest and most elegant transport in the history of VRDS. *EDLC (Electric Double-Layer Capacitor):A special type of capacitor boasting an astoundingly high capacity compared to the electrolytic capacitors used in conventional audio equipment. On the rear panel are an AC power inlet, and connectors for inputs, outputs, an external clock (BNC), and signal ground. Clock: The Grandioso K1’s custom clock, a voltage-controlled quartz oscillator (VCXO), is positioned separately from the K1’s other circuits, such as power and ground. Overture, as a provider of the “ultimate” audio/video products, is a select dealer for Esoteric and its Grandioso line. Further, the K1 gorgeously contrasted the vibrant and lustrous tones of the solo viola with the deep resonances of the orchestral violas. Grandioso D1 Tray hollowing has also been minimized for increased rigidity, and special stoppers made from vibration-absorbing elastomer cancel out resonance when the tray is stored. Filters: Like all Grandioso models, the K1 has no user-adjustable FIR or slow-delay filters. On the front panel are the disc tray, the dimmable display, a clock status indicator, an IR remote-control sensor, and buttons for power, tray open/close, menu (to access settings, including a timed-turn off feature), mode (to select disc playback or an external source), and disc playback (stop, play, pause, next, previous). When the DAC chips have converted the ones and aughts into an analog waveform, that waveform is amplified by two MUSES 03 operational amplifiers per channel. The result was that his voice sounded uncommonly realistic and emotionally expressive. The K1’s internal structure is two-storied: the audio boards and clock on top, and under them the power-supply circuits and drive control. . Appearance: Like all Grandioso models, the Grandioso K1 is drop-dead gorgeous, its sculpted faceplate a striking example of contemporary industrial design. Excellent Condition. Grandioso F1 and Grandioso K1 are models that combine ideas of technologies that can be thought of contemporarily, and the know-how of Esoteric's accumulated audio is incorporated all over. Designed many years ago and since then constantly improved, it can read SACDs, CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs, and is used in Esoteric’s other high-end disc spinners, the K-01X, P-02X, and Grandioso P1. For example, with both the Grandioso separates and, later, with the K1, my significant other and I listened to numerous recordings by Diana Krall, including Doing All Right: In Concert (16/44.1 FLAC, IMC Music Limited). Full line dealer for 0ver 25 years. Even so, Esoteric states that the K1’s faceplate and robust housing provide more protection from electrical interference than do their non-Grandioso models. (The chip also appears in Esoteric’s new N-01 network player.) During part of the listening period I experimented with connecting the K1 to Synergistic’s Active Ground Block. 64bit Monaural-block D/A Converter. Many components don’t fully parse the timbres in this work, producing a homogenized miscellany of instruments that are scored to play discrepant orchestral roles. An unprecedented transport mechanism that invites you to the furthest reaches of sound. Even so, with the K1 there was no mistaking solo violin for solo viola, even though the latter was tuned higher. This may have been due to the workings of the human respiratory system -- attacks and decays fluctuate erratically, compared to the more predictable, often even linear sounds of strings and percussion. Our industry experimented with connecting the K1 ’ s voice now frequently changed in quality and intensity K-01Xs SACD and. 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