[RHMMMM]

Has anyone compared this to a Denafrips Terminator. I have a T2-12th, Lumin U2 and Pathos Inpol and would love to slim down to an integrated unit however the U2 streaming tech supersedes the U1-derived tech in this N-05XD. Moving to this would save me some space and money though…

Or are there any rumors on a replacement for this unit?

 

[tdx]

Has anyone compared this to a Denafrips Terminator. I have a T2-12th, Lumin U2 and Pathos Inpol and would love to slim down to an integrated unit however the U2 streaming tech supersedes the U1-derived tech in this N-05XD. Moving to this would save me some space and money though…

Or are there any rumors on a replacement for this unit?

I have this DAC and even though I haven't compared it to the Termi I've compared it to a Holo May and much preferred this to the May. The streamer part is excellent (just got updated and supports Roon RAAT which makes it sound even better), as is the USB in. For me, having a TOTL DAC, preamp and streamer in one box is a huge convenience. Keep in mind though that adding an external clock (I have a Mutec REF10 120) while not a necessity, will greatly enhance all inputs of the DAC.

I haven't heard anything about a new model coming out but of course it's possible they're working on something new. But given this is the first time they switched to their own in-house DAC module I feel they will take their time updating the DAC...

 

[bfmcosta1]

Hi guys,

I have just started using my Esoteric N05-XD with headphones (used it for 2 years but only as a streamer dac in a stereo speakers setup), and I have a question. I just noticed that, in addition to the volume, I can change the LVL setting of the amp, which according to the user manual, adjusts the Input Gain (from -18dB to +18dB, with a standard/default setting of 0dB). As expected, if I increase the Input Gain, the volume increases. So my question is: when Esoteric rates the maximum output power of the balanced headphone as 1500mW (32Ohm), is this considering an Input Gain of 0dB? Or do I need to increase the Gain, in addition to the Volume, to reach those numbers?

Indeed, if I have the Input Gain at 0dB, I can listen to the HE1000SE (96dB; 36Ohm) relatively easy at a volume of 80 (being 100 the maximum), which surprised me considering the volume at 100 should reach close to the 1500mW. Does this make sense?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Sensoumaru]

Hi guys, I just got the N-05XD and I'm loving this unit! I'd like to post some impressions about this wonderful DAC/AIO here:

Bass - Very fast, tight, and detailed; there's good impact and texture. No bloat

Mids - I don't sense any coloration, they're smooth and the timbre is decent, things don't sound particularly artificial though I do sense an emphasis on the upper midrange at times.

Treble - Nicely extended with good sparkle but it never gets bright, it's always in control no matter how loud you play it.

Dynamics - Both micro and macro are very good in my opinion, I've never heard such precise gradations in volume.
Things don't sound compressed nor overly emphasized, though there's an emphasis on detail it feels natural and there's definitely good slam.

Detail and Texture - Top tier in both, it's at the level of Chord Dave without being bright or sharp, you miss nothing and hear every little thing no matter how quiet it is.

Overall Stage - Excellent layering, seperation, width, depth, openness, and instrument placement; again it reminds me of the Dave. Things are very pin point and it's easy to follow individual instruments.

Speed and Transients - Extremely fast sounding, coupled with the dynamics this is really enjoyable, there's a very good sense of attack.

Decay and Timing - I'd say decay is the weakest part of this DAC, it's like an electrostat in the sense that things don't linger for long due to the speed.
As for timing, it can feel a little bit too fast at times.

Control - I have to write about this as it's really impressive, this DAC always remains composed no matter how loud you play things even in the upper registers. Be it bass or mids or treble, it always remains smooth and in control.

Headphone Amp section:
It drives my Lcd-5 very well and I find no lacking in any areas. I use it at the 0 db gain setting and it can get very loud; with the +18db setting it should be able to drive harder to drive headphones too.

Overall I think this is an excellent DAC/AIO and it would work well if you're looking for a very fast and detailed sound without fatigue/brightness

 

[SolarCetacean]

Hi guys, I just got the N-05XD and I'm loving this unit! I'd like to post some impressions about this wonderful DAC/AIO here:

Bass - Very fast, tight, and detailed; there's good impact and texture. No bloat

Mids - I don't sense any coloration, they're smooth and the timbre is decent, things don't sound particularly artificial though I do sense an emphasis on the upper midrange at times.

Treble - Nicely extended with good sparkle but it never gets bright, it's always in control no matter how loud you play it.

Dynamics - Both micro and macro are very good in my opinion, things don't sound compressed nor overly emphasized, there's an emphasis on detail but it feels quite natural and there's definitely good slam.

Detail and Texture - Top tier in both, it's at the level of Chord Dave without being bright or sharp.

Overall Stage - Excellent layering, seperation, width, depth, openness, and instrument placement; again it reminds me of the Dave. Things are very pin point and it's easy to follow individual instruments.

Speed and Transients - Extremely fast sounding, coupled with the dynamics this is really enjoyable, there's a very good sense of attack.

Decay and Timing - I'd say decay is the weakest part of this DAC, it's like an estat in the sense that things don't linger for long due to the speed. As for timing, it can feel a bit too fast at times.

Control - I have to write about this as it's really impressive, this DAC always remains composed no matter how loud you play things even in the upper registers. Be it bass or mids or treble, it always remains smooth and in control.

Overall I think this is an excellent DAC and it would work well if you're looking for a very fast and detailed sound without fatigue/brightness

Is this in comparison to the DAVE? You didn't mention which DAC you were comparing this to but you did compare it to the DAVE at a few points.

 

[Sensoumaru]

Is this in comparison to the DAVE? You didn't mention which DAC you were comparing this to but you did compare it to the DAVE at a few points.

Hi there, it wasn't a direct comparison to the Dave but I did mention it where I felt they were very similar!