ESOTERIC - D-03 TWO CHANNEL STEREO D - A CONVERTER

ESOTERIC/D-03 TWO CHANNEL STEREO D/A CONVERTER

The Amazing Esoteric P-03/D-03 Combo gets a Golden Ear Award from Robert Harley at The Absolute Sound!

The Best DAC you'll ever hear? We think so...

Esoteric pulls out the stops with their D-03 Digital to Analog Converter. This 2-channel DAC is so sophisticated, no one but Esoteric could have designed so remarkable a product.  Using technology derived from Esoteric's statement D-01 Monoblock D/A converters, the D-03 is receiving rave reviews all over the world for it's fabulously un-digital sound.

One look inside this 60 pound marvel and Esoteric's commitment to the ultimate reproduction of a digital signal becomes evident.  The D-03 is engineered to protect the signal from vibration and resonance through careful engineering, strategic damping and rigorous material selection.  Built with three separate internal chassis (one for the left channel DAC, one for the right channel DAC and one for the power supply section), everything about the D-03's chassis design is intended to protect and preserve the integrity of signal.

The D-03 can even up-sample up to 8x the original sampling rate for a more detailed experience. Whether you choose to upsample or not, the D-03 will present you with the most natural sonic presentation you’ve ever heard.

However remarkable the specifications for a DAC might be, the real proof is in the listening. The Esoteric D-03 Digital to Analog Converter is one of the world’s finest devices for reproduction of a digital source.

“My true passion lies in audio, and here the P-03/D-03 combination was among the best digital sources for music playback I’ve heard. The Esoteric was characterized by an extremely smooth, sophisticated, and finely textured rendering that conveyed an amazing wealth of subtlety in the music without the sound ever becoming forward or analytical. The Esoteric was utterly devoid of the hardness and glare one often hears in digital playback. For the music lover, the Esoteric pair delivers world-class sound quality from CD, SACD, and DVD-Audio. Indeed, it is among the best digital playback I’ve heard, regardless or price. Moreover, the interior build quality and chassis metalwork are drop-dead gorgeous. These are among the most lavishly designed and executed products I’ve encountered in 17 years of reviewing high-end audio gear!”
- Robert Harley, The Absolute Sound/Perfect Vision, avguide.com

Esoteric D-03 Features:

• User selectable digital audio output features direct stream digital mode “DSD,” (native mode for SACD), PCM native mode, 192 kHz / 24-bit high-sampling PCM signals, and PCM to DSD signal conversion for standard CDs. (Analog Devices AD1955 chipset used in the D-03 for this functionality).

• Right and left analog power transformers, analog power supplies and analog audio circuits are completely independent while using the exact same components and the same layout pattern.

• The analog output units employ discrete circuits with high-voltage power. The power 2 transformers comprise a total of three high-efficiency audio R core transformers: one digital and two analog transformers.

• The analog power supply uses discrete power stability circuits.

• A digital filter OFF function is provided for straight signal transmission

• In addition to S/PDIF, AES, i.LINK and other formats, the D-03 can be connected to CD, Super Audio CD as well as DVD audio devices.

• All input terminals can handle 192 kHz/24-bit input. DSD signals from Super Audio CD are input either via ES-LINK, a proprietary Esoteric format, or i.LINK.

• Two XLR terminals handle Dual AES and ES-LINK format inputs in which case left and right channels are independently transferred.

• CH_SEL selects audio channel when multi-channel signals are input via i.LINK.

D-03 / DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERTER BASE SPECIFICATIONS:

Digital Input Terminals:

Input format . . . . DSD, linear PCM (32kHz-192kHz, 16-24bit)

i.LINK (AUDIO) terminal (6pin) x2

XLR x 2, Input level: more than 5.0Vp-p/110.

(Use 2 terminals for ES-LINK or Dual AES output)

RCA x2, Input level: more than 0.5Vp-p/75.

OPTICAL x1, Input level: –24.0 to –14.5dBm peak

Audio features:

Analog output level . . . . . . . . .. .. ..RCA: 2.2 Vrms/10k. (1 kHz)

XLR: 4.4 Vrms/10k. (1 kHz)

Frequency response . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 2 Hz - 70 kHz, ±3 dB,

2 Hz - 25 kHz, ±0.5 dB

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 dB (JEITA)

Total harmonic distortion . . . . . . . . . . . …. . . . 0.0006% (JEITA)

Word Clock Frequency (input/output)

Jack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ….. . . . . . . .BNC

Input or output level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ….. . . TTL level/75.

Word Clock Frequency:

44.1, 88.2, 176.4, 48, 96, 192, 100 (kHz)

Output precision . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . .. . . . . .. +/- 0.5 ppm

Input frequency range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . ±5 ppm

General:

Power supply: U.S.A./Canada model AC 120 V, 60 Hz

Power consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . 24 W

Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . …. 59.5 lbs.

External dimensions (W x H x D). 17 1/2” x 4 1/4” x 16 9/16”