Esoteric Grandioso K1X

Beskrivning

TWO REVOLUTIONS – INTEGRATED

Esoteric Grandioso K1X contains two revolutions connecting people to music — VRDS-ATLAS and Master Sound Discrete DAC — now come to fruition in an integrated player that carries the name… Grandioso.

VRDS ATLAS

An unprecedented transport mechanism that invites you to the furthest reaches of sound.

VRDS (Vibration-Free Rigid Disc-Clamping System) is Esoteric’s unique CD/Super Audio CD transport technology, which has been specially designed to clamp the disc to a same-diameter turntable in order to eliminate the disc’s rotational vibration, as well as any extraneous vibration emanating from the mechanism itself. It also corrects any warpage of the disc, dramatically improving the accuracy of both the optical pickup and the disc pit layer’s corresponding optical axis, while also minimizing servo current. This all adds up to dramatically reduced disc read error for exceptional audio quality.

Master Sound Discrete DAC

Bringing out all the dynamics and energy of the original master recordings.

Master Sound Discrete DAC Bringing out all the dynamics and energy of music.

Unattainable by integrated chips, our goal was to assemble carefully selected and tested discrete components into a complete circuit that could perfectly reproduce all the dynamics and energy of music. Our top engineering teams put their pride on the line to design and produce a quality of sound that can only be found in the Master Sound Discrete DAC discrete D/A converter.

Luxurious Materials and Powerful Current Output

The K1X’s Master Sound Discrete DAC is the most revolutionary two-channel stereo DAC circuit in Esoteric’s history, and is based on the original circuit developed for the Grandioso D1X monaural D/A converter.

As an extension of the D1X’s design philosophy, a luxurious volume of materials have been invested in the construction of K1X’s Master Sound Discrete DAC. For example, it features 32 separate elements for each channel. Key components such as a clock driver, logic circuit, and capacitors and resistors, are kept independent for each of these 32 elements to ensure the purest output without no loss of musical energy.

Advanced Digital Processing

The K1X’s independently developed Δ∑ modulator supports 64-bit/512Fs and the latest high-end digital formats, including of 22.5MHz DSD and 768kHz PCM signals. 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.
*FPGA: Field-Programmable Gate Array

Advanced Quality Control

With a discrete DAC, where component tolerances are directly linked to arithmetic precision, highly advanced quality control is also required for the manufacture of electronic circuit boards. 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. Technologies cultivated in the production of electronic circuit boards for audio, medical, aerospace, and defense industries support the high production quality of the Master Sound Discrete DAC.

Unique ESOTERIC-HCLD* Output Buffer Circuit with Enhanced Current Transmission

The ESOTERIC-HCLD output buffer amplifier boasts an amazingly high-speed slew rate (response speed) of 2,000V/µs. Current transmission and speed—the most important factors for an analog output circuit—have been pushed to the limits to reproduce the reality of music with a dynamic range that is truly breathtaking.
*HCLD: High Current Line Driver

High-Quality ES-LINK Analog Current Transmission

In addition to its XLR and RCA amplifier line connections, the K1X also features the ES-LINK Analog method of current transmission. Taking full advantage of the HCLD buffer circuit’s powerful current supply makes the K1X less susceptible to the detrimental effects of impedance on the signal route. It also enables a more powerful signal transmission, fully driving connected compatible devices.
Grandioso Custom VCXO* II

A high-accuracy clock circuit is the key to achieving superlative sound quality in digital audio playback. A top-quality clock circuit is truly the heart of any high-end digital player. The K1X now features the superb Grandioso Custom VCXO II clock originally developed for the Grandioso P1X/D1X. This clock was developed with carefully considered modifications made to the earlier model’s internal circuitry and components to more vividly emphasize the K1X’s ultimate audio quality while further boasting remarkably low phase noise and excellent center precision (±0.5ppm).

The K1X can also be connected to the Grandioso G1 Master Clock Generator for playback, with internal circuits synchronized to a 10MHz clock that features the same high precision as an atomic clock, enabling further pursuit of high sound quality.
*VCXO: Voltage Control-type Crystal Oscillator

D/A Converter Functions for External Input, D/D Conversion, MQA Support & USB Input

In addition to its coaxial and optical inputs, the K1X also features a USB type-B port that is compatible with both 22.5MHz DSD and 768kHz/32-bit PCM asynchronous signal transmission, thus enabling it to also be used as a stand-alone D/A converter. Functions are provided for upsampling a PCM digital signal to 2/4/8/16× (max. 768kHz) and converting PCM to DSD. The K1X is also compatible with MQA-CD decode playback and full MQA decoding for playback of various digital inputs including USB.*
*MQA certification is pending as of August, 2019, and support is scheduled to be added via a software update as soon as certification is complete.