T.H.E. show 2019 Stereophile

Leif S

Industry Expert
Feb 13, 2015
770
166
180
California
www.vonschweikert.com
https://www.stereophile.com/content...nd-prix-audio-rack-masterbuilt-cabling-and-ac

Von Schweikert Endeavor E-5 MKII Speakers, Grand Prix Audio Rack, MasterBuilt Cabling and AC Management, Esoteric Grandioso Series PIX Transport, D1X Monoblock DAC, N-03T Network Audio Transport, G1 Rubidium Master Clock, C1 Linestage Preamp, Etc.
Jason Victor Serinus | Jun 11, 2019

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I don’t know about you, but I find the design of Esoteric’s Grandioso series enclosures quite attractive. In Long Beach, they also sounded great. Paired with Von Schweikert Endeavor E-5 MKII Speakers ($40,000/pair), an entire SUV full of Grandioso gear (including multiple outboard power supplies) impressed as exceptionally lively, solid, and musical.
I’ve sometimes described the Esoteric sound as dark, but I heard none of that in the company’s new top-of-the-line components. Backgrounds were gratifyingly quiet on Patricia Barber’s “She’s a Lady,” the top was open and illumined, midrange was full and true, and bass was solid. “Love the bass,” I scribbled about music that seemed a perfect complement to the look of Esoteric’s Grandioso components.
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Cue up entirely different fare—the Patricia Barber antithesis, soprano Carolyn Sampson singing Fauré’s “Les Roses d’Ispahan” on her marvelous BIS SACD, Fleurs. The piano’s midrange was beautiful and strong—perhaps a bit too full—and the highs gorgeous. Ladies and Gentlemen, this system was a winner.
Doing the rest of the honors: Esoteric Grandioso Series PIX Transport ($50,000), D1X Monoblock DAC ($50,000), N-03T Network Audio Transport ($11,000), G1 Rubidium Master Clock ($26,000), C1 Linestage Preamp ($38,000), and S1 Power Amplifier ($27,000). Also essential to the system’s success: Grand Prix Monaco Audio Racks and MasterBuilt Cabling and AC Management.
 
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