4 hours ago, AccMagi7s said:

Great info Steve. 👍
Not sure if these would be strong enough for 300kg speakers though? 

 

The Herbies Gliders work a treat and cheap as chips.

  I can move my 200kg speakers with one finger - just gotta make sure your wooden floor is clean b4 moving.

 I am sure your massive speakers would be fine - i use the original gliders that your speaker spike just sits in.

 

 

https://herbiesaudiolab.com/products/cone-spike-decoupling-glider?variant=12645103403063

 

Wilson sell a similar slider base which they sell for US $ 1000 😂

 

https://parts.wilsonaudio.com/wilson-audio-slider-set/

 

So these amps are on the wishlist! 

Christmas in November...the new Esoteric Grandioso D1XSE has finally arrived. It is audiophile eye candy to behold. The first press of the power button, hit play, and it all worked perfectly. Unlike some other brands I have had the misfortune of owning. The Angels are singing, Rejoice! This is the flagship Esoteric streaming system. Grandioso D1XSE mono DAC's, Grandioso C1X pre-amplifier and Grandioso N1T network transport.

 

A big shout out to the team at Reference AV who have always looked after me with my Esoteric and Shunyata ownership. @AccMagi7s give them some hours to bake and we'll get them singing with the M7's.

 

 

Edited November 6, 2025Nov 6 by brodricj

52 minutes ago, brodricj said:

Christmas in November...the new Esoteric Grandioso D1XSE has finally arrived. It is audiophile eye candy to behold. The first press of the power button, hit play, and it all worked perfectly. Unlike some other brands I have had the misfortune of owning. The Angels are singing, Rejoice! This is the flagship Esoteric streaming system. Grandioso D1XSE mono DAC's, Grandioso C1X pre-amplifier and Grandioso N1T network transport.

 

 

Look stunning, and I can't help but drool just looking at them. So, you have two grand PS1 units for each mono DAC?

By the way, Brodric, I recommend removing those foam panels at the rear (back wall). I used to have heaps of them here. They absorb a lot of sound from the sound stage. 

2 minutes ago, AccMagi7s said:

Look stunning, and I can't help but drool just looking at them. So, you have two grand PS1 units for each mono DAC?

No, they are not PS1. The D1XSE-L is sitting on the power supply for the Grandioso CD/SACD transport and D1XSE-R is sitting on the power supply for the Grandioso C1X. PS1 is the optional power supply for K1XSE and N1 which are both players. I'm not using players, I'm using transports.

3 minutes ago, AccMagi7s said:

By the way, Brodric, I recommend removing those foam panels at the rear (back wall). I used to have heaps of them here. They absorb a lot of sound from the sound stage. 

It's a side wall, not a back wall. They are there to break up the unsightliness of the multitude of cables behind the YG racks. Which need some tidying up, but this job can wait.

I upgraded the acoustic panel at the first reflection point on the side wall, repositioning it to perfectly reflect the mirror's imaging of the speakers from the listening seat. I also replaced the absorber with a diffuser, and the results are astonishing—imaging is now incredibly precise and pinpoint-sharp! The clarity and accuracy remind me of electrostatic panel speakers. I'm really thrilled with the outcome, especially after manually repositioning those heavy metal boxes all by myself over the past week.

It's going to be absolutely amazing when your Esoteric gear arrives. I can't wait to experience the sound! 

13 minutes ago, AccMagi7s said:

Look stunning, and I can't help but drool just looking at them....

I pulled the whole shooting match apart and pre-wired it all in anticipation of the new mono-DAC's arriving this week. That is a lot of work, not the least of which each shelf needs to be calibrated to the weight that sits on it. So you need to decide what goes where before you can do that. To my surprise it all worked on the first power up with no wiring errors evident. I'm not sure what the next step of the audiophile evolution is. Probably an Accuphase PS-550 however for the time being the Shunyata Everest has the power distribution adequately covered.

4 minutes ago, AccMagi7s said:

I upgraded the acoustic panel at the first reflection point on the side wall, repositioning it to perfectly reflect the mirror's imaging of the speakers from the listening seat.

In my room because I listen in near field the side wall acoustic treatment is not so critical. The wall behind the speakers, the ceiling and the corners are acoustically important.

20 minutes ago, brodricj said:

I pulled the whole shooting match apart and pre-wired it all in anticipation of the new mono-DAC's arriving this week. That is a lot of work, not the least of which each shelf needs to be calibrated to the weight that sits on it. So you need to decide what goes where before you can do that. To my surprise it all worked on the first power up with no wiring errors evident. I'm not sure what the next step of the audiophile evolution is. Probably an Accuphase PS-550 however for the time being the Shunyata Everest has the power distribution adequately covered.

Why not borrow the PS-530 from Tasso for a home trial? He's more into home theatre these days, and that 2-channel setup doesn't get as much visitation as it did several years ago.

I'm using the Shunyata Sigma v2 NR power cable on the N1T. This is the only source component with a Sigma v2 level power cable. My other Sigma's only connect power distributors to the wall.

 

 

6 minutes ago, AccMagi7s said:

Why not borrow the PS-530 from Tasso for a home trial? He's more into home theatre these days, and that 2-channel setup doesn't get as much visitation as it did several years ago.

I'm convinced from the numbers that my EMI analyzer measured on your Accuphase, which was way better than anything I have seen with any other power component by a long way. The only thing that might knock the Accuphase off its perch is the TELOS but that is way outside my pay grade unfortunately.

Edited November 6, 2025Nov 6 by brodricj

1 minute ago, brodricj said:

I'm convinced from the numbers that my EMI analyzer measured on your Accuphase, which was way better than anything I have seen with any other power component by a long way. The only thing that might knock the Accuphase of its perch is the TELOS but that is way outside my pay grade unfortunately.

I used to have two PSA P10 power plant units here! When this Accuphase PS-1230 was in, those P10S quickly vapourised. They listed for $3.5k here in SNA. That was 10 years ago. I am still in shock to see them on sale at $4.5k these days. 😦

 

AudioConnection visited me during COVID. When Janson returned to Sydney, he started promoting Accuphase, and they did the factory visit in 2023. LoL. 

Accuphase gears are now in Audio Connection. 

 

 

10 minutes ago, AccMagi7s said:

I used to have two PSA P10 power plant units here! When this Accuphase PS-1230 was in, those P10S quickly vapourised.

The output distortion of PS Audio "clean power" power regenerators is about the same or exceeds the input distortion coming from the wall socket. I know this as a fact because I have measured it (from memory >1000mV). Your Accuphase I measured 140mV. A massive difference. The Accuphase is the real deal.

I'm keeping a close eye on the Esoteric Grandioso N1 paired with the PS1, and I'm even thinking about adding the external Esoteric clock module. The pull of this hobby is so strong…….! I need a third job.

15 minutes ago, AccMagi7s said:

I'm keeping a close eye on the Esoteric Grandioso N1 paired with the PS1, and I'm even thinking about adding the external Esoteric clock module. The pull of this hobby is so strong…….! I need a third job.

Esoteric told me that in most hi-end systems the N1 will sound no different to N1T + D1XSE. It really is a great value proposition. I have no doubt that N1 + PS1 + G1X will better an unclocked N1T + D1XSE.

26 minutes ago, AccMagi7s said:

.... I need a third job.

Hahaha, a first job would be nice....I've been living on welfare for so long which severely curtails my hi-fi upgrade options. But I have to find a way to get an Accuphase PS-550. The Everest can't power the whole digital front end, I need at least another two power outlets.

@AccMagi7s I've crunched the numbers (no doubt you have also).

N1T + D1XSE = $110,000 RRP

N1 + PS1 + G1X = $115,000 RRP

I can assure you for an extra $5k that three box clocked combo would outperform the flagship unclocked three box combo. Even if you factor in the cost of the clock cable the meager price difference makes the choice a no brainer.

Edited November 7, 2025Nov 7 by brodricj

26 minutes ago, brodricj said:

@AccMagi7s I've crunched the numbers (no doubt you have also).

N1T + D1XSE = $110,000 RRP

N1 + PS1 + G1X = $115,000 RRP

I can assure you for an extra $5k that three box clocked combo would outperform the flagship unclocked three box combo. Even if you factor in the cost of the clock cable the meager price difference makes the choice a no brainer.

Do they do black Friday 50% RRP? 😁

2 minutes ago, AccMagi7s said:

Do they do black Friday 50% RRP? 😁

Talk to the good Doctor @Plasmod3 he might sharpen his pencil for a good Black Friday deal.

Haha will certainly do my best😁😁👍👍 message and let me know😁😁👍👍

You should hear this thing after only a few hours of break in. Granted $65K is a lot of coin to spend on a DAC but I would put this Esoteric up against any DAC at any price point. In audiophile terms it's a bargain buy compared to the asking price to some of the competition at this end of the performance spectrum.

11 minutes ago, brodricj said:

You should hear this thing after only a few hours of break in. Granted $65K is a lot of coin to spend on a DAC but I would put this Esoteric up against any DAC at any price point. In audiophile terms it's a bargain buy compared to the asking price to some of the competition at this end of the performance spectrum.

 

I'm confident they'll sound fantastic. The Wadax, though, was a bit too mellow and smooth compared to your previously used Esoteric dual mono DAC during our comparison. Sadly, my dream of owning a Wadax was dashed. My Accuphase DC-1000, powered by two ESS Sabre ES09830Pro chips—one for each channe. I see that the Esoteric N1 uses four chips, two per channel, and I believe it will deliver even better, more refined sound. What I really appreciate about the N1 is how it would streamline my digital setup significantly. I'm at a point where fewer components mean everything—less power cables, less space to manage. Until I can hear your new gear in action and compare it to my current system, it's all just guesswork, and that can be costly.

 

@brodricj, give this track a listen! 

It sounds so wide, with a big scale and speed of the bass, so yummy!