We cannot get enough of this CD player, it has had us reaching for new tracks ever since it arrived in store. There is no denying it comes at a price but there are no diminishing returns here, the sound the Esoteric CD player produces is glorious. The K-01XD SE is worth the investment and then some. 

CD is dead? So we keep hearing but then you put a disc in the Esoteric K-01XDSE and sonic goodness like little else flows from the speakers. Feed in a network transport of your choice to the DAC input and you have the best of all worlds. Want to take it further? Add in a clock and some of the finest digital playback is at your fingertips. We are smitten with what Esoteric is achieving with their CD players – one of the finest sources we have heard in a long time.

Since the first debut of our K-01 and K-03 Super Audio CD Players, Esoteric ’s integrated digital players have captivated listeners with their unrivalled playback of musical sources. They have also gone on to win numerous awards as they have come to be regarded as the gold standard of digital players around the world. This new “XD” edition boasts even more advanced features, combining two innovative technologies originally developed for Esoteric ’s flagship Grandioso K-1X model: VRDS-ATLAS, the superlative Super Audio CD transport mechanism, and Master Sound Discrete DAC, designed completely in-house by ESOTERIC to provide even more enhanced playback from digital musical sources.

The incredible dynamic range and resolution achieved by these two technologies deliver thrilling reproduction of symphonic crescendos while reproducing an expansive spectrum of tones and faithfully rendering the subtle details of music with breath taking depth and vivid realism. This broad versatility enables anyone to confidently enjoy an endless array of musical genres, from silky-smooth arias to pounding rock tunes. Now you too can fully experience a sound brought to life in a new pedigree of components from the name that has captured the hearts of music enthusiasts the world over: ESOTERIC.

VRDS (Vibration-Free Rigid Disc-Clamping System) is a core technology of ESOTERIC’s CD/Super Audio CD transport mechanisms that has been a key point of focus since the brand’s founding. The system firmly clamps the disc onto a turntable of the same diameter, thus eliminating both the rotational vibration of the disc itself and the effects of any extraneous mechanical vibration. Any latent disc warpage is also corrected by the turntable to significantly improve the relative optical axis accuracy of the optical pickup and the disc pit surface, while also minimizing servo current. This all combines to significantly reduce disc read error and further enable staggering sound quality.

Adding VRDS-ATLAS to the K-01 series
The VRDS mechanism has undergone continuous development and improvements for over 30 years. Throughout its long, illustrious history, one prominent highlight has been the debut of the VRDS-ATLAS platform, which offers the pinnacle of perfection and sound quality. The K-01XDse is equipped with VRDS-ATLAS mechanisms that have been specifically customized for each model in order to carry on the full qualities of the VRDS-ATLAS reference mechanism used in our flagship models, the Grandioso P1X and K1X.

New Version of VRDS-ATLAS: ATLAS 01
The K-01XDse’s new ATLAS 01 disk transport features a 20mm-thick SS400 steel bridge that is identical to that used in our high-end Grandioso models. The mechanism boasts ultra-high rigidity and a weighty design to damp out any vibration that could affect sound quality. The transport’s duralumin turntable also has a well-earned reputation for excellent sound quality, and its solid steel bridge is larger than that for the VRDS-NEO, using a one-point spindle bearing design that minimizes friction and rotational noise through its point-contact thrust bearing, which utilizes the same steel ball featured in the high-end models.

Wide, Low Centre-of-Gravity Design
As the quietest and most elegant transport in VRDS history, ESOTERIC’s impressive VRDS-ATLAS epitomizes the company’s resolute focus on mechanical grounding technology in order to more effectively reduce vibration.

Adopting a wide, low-profile design for the entire transport mechanism helped achieve a lower centre-of-gravity, while the relocation of the turntable motor to below the turntable from its previous position above the bridge dramatically shortened the route for grounding vibration and reducing mechanical noise. Tray hollowing has also been minimized for increased rigidity, and special stoppers made from vibration-absorbing elastomer cancel out resonance when the tray is in its closed position.

High-Performance Power Supply – The Key to Sound Quality
The key to the powerful and deeply luxurious sound quality of the K series has always been their high-performance power supplies. The K-01XDSE is equipped with a total of four high-capacity toroidal power transformers that provide more than ample power by dedicating separate transformers to the D/A converter’s Left and Right channels, the transport mechanism, and the digital circuitry.

Chassis Construction and Parts Layout
The VRDS-ATLAS transport mechanism is centrally located within the chassis, where it is fixed to a 5mm-thick steel bottom plate and supported by three proprietary pinpoint feet (patent no. 4075477 and 3778108). This effectively isolates the rotational mechanism from vibration. The internal structure of the chassis features a double deck design, with the audio boards on the upper level and power supply circuits and transformers on the lower level to minimize magnetic flux leakage and vibration, while also shortening the power supply wiring.

Bringing out all the dynamics and energy of music
Our goal was to assemble a carefully chosen selection of rigorously tested discrete components into a complete circuit that could perfectly reproduce all the dynamics and energy of music – something simply unattainable using ordinary integrated chips. Our top engineering teams put their pride on the line to design and produce a quality of sound that can only be found in our Master Sound Discrete DAC discrete D/A converter.

Luxurious Materials for Powerful Electrical Current Output
The Master Sound Discrete DAC was first introduced in the Grandioso D1X as the most innovative DAC in Esoteric history, and its astoundingly realistic sound quality has consistently drawn rave reviews for causing listeners to feel as if they were at an actual live performance. The version featured in the K-01XD uses a simpler circuit configuration that incorporates the very essence of that found in the K1X to carry the 01 series models to new heights. Consisting of 32 elements per channel, each DAC element includes clock drivers, logic circuits, capacitors, resistors, and other component parts, while each group of 32 elements is kept isolated from the main parts. In keeping with D1X design philosophy, these DACs are packed with a luxurious selection of state-of-the-art components to ensure the pure, effortless output of boundless musical energy. Only select, premium-grade high-sound-quality parts are used in the K-01XD, for an uncompromising sound that is one step above.