Hi-Rez Highway: Re: results....... by Jack Seaton

"i assume that this Esoteric gear was fully broken in."

Do you have any idea how many hours of use it has had?

"the Esoteric gear did have more texture and detail in certain aspects of the music......but not in a musically valuable way. it was more information but it was like seeing the surface of some natural object thru a microscope.....more detail but not a better sense of the reality of that object.....and not coherent in the musical whole. there were times when this 'ultra-detail' did seem to uncover additional musical truth.....but to my ears it was more a musical distraction."

What does this mean? The Esoteric was more airy? Overly airy? Lacked bottom end? (this is what I found with the P70/D70 combo) "Ultra detail" to me means that you can hear minute details never heard before. For example, in a live recording, you might hear a conversation out in the crowd that was missed before (blurred beyond comprehension) and is a natural component of the recording as a whole. Can you better describe?

"in every other way the Meitner combo easily bettered the Esoteric gear. compared to the Meitner.....the Esoteric was lacking dynamic life, it's soundstage was reduced and much less dimentional......the Esoteric's soundstage was less deep and wide.....the width of the Esoteric soundstage was less wraparound."

I've found the same with the P70/D70 combo. It was dynamically restricted, had a very narrow soundstage (both in width and depth), was lacking in dynamics (micro-with its' minute detail, and macro-with itswonderful reproduction of a dynamic passage). The Esoteric also lacked the bottom end weight that I thought it should have, but I've been told that this all improves with suitable break in time. (The units that I'd heard had only 30 hours time on it. I've been told that they require 3 to 4 hundred hours until they open up, which is why I'm questioning the hours of operation/break in issue, if we're going to be fair).

"the Esoteric lacked the smoothness and organic nature of how i imagine correctly recorded live acoustic music to be. the Esoteric lacked the weight and presence the Meitner delivers.....and the Esoteric lacked the drive and flow that is essential to my musical enjoyment."

Okay, so I'm reading this to say that it wasn't tonally correct and lacked the dynamics and minute detail that your Meitner combo has.

"if they can challenge the Meitner more power to them.....but i doubt anyone can compete at this particular time.....certainly the Esoteric is not remotely close."

I agree, but I do feel guilty offering that as fact, given that the info that I have on the lesser Esoteric (2 piece combo) didn't have much time on it and those with actuial first hand experience told me that they do require long break in. (But you have to wonder how much change actually takes place) Please see if you can find out the hours on the units, if you can.

"this was such a one-sided event that it is cetainly possible that the Esoteric was not 'right' or not set-up properly. i don't want to make excuses for it......"

Please do not feel that this is what I'm doing, Mike. My main question is about the hours of operation and your definition of a few terms as seen above. (I'm just not fully understanding what you're trying to convey). I'm not an Esoteric guy, I'm just very curious about the break in time and the "huge" improvement that I've been told about after a long, long break in period.