*NEW* Esoteric Grandioso C1X solo

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brodricj

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The first of the Esoteric Grandioso solo series is on the horizon. Looks like Esoteric is downsizing the 2 box components to a single box option, starting with the C1X solo pre-amp. I've got a hunch the P1X solo will follow later. Maybe also a single box D1X?
It's a great product idea, distill the best out of their Grandioso flagship products into a more modest stack height. A full Grandioso stack (C1X, P1X, G1X, D1X) is 7 boxes tall which is too much of a physical presence for some.
From what I understand production starts in March.

I'm very tempted by this.

"Grandioso C1X solo", "Grandioso S1X", and "K-05XD" will be unveiled at the "Tokyo International Audio Show 2022" | News Details | ESOTERIC:Japan high-end audio manufacturer | エソテリック
 
Yes - I have had a C-02X in my system to demo and the combination sounded great. I am taking the leap of faith the C1X Solo will be similarly voiced.
 
crwilli said:
My order is placed with Mike
Click to expand...

Be careful not to sit on the remote control for the C1X Solo. I sat on the remote for my C1X tonight and it got into some weird operating mode shown on the display, but which said weird operating mode is not mentioned in the manual. The C1X would only output silence despite the volume level on the display showing normal operation. I exhausted all options in the menu tree to no avail. Eventually I gave up and did a factory reset. Which of course meant I then had to reprogram it. Normal operation restored.
 
My C1X Solo arrived and has been playing for about 40 hours. Coming from my DAC/PRE driven system to inserting the C1X Solo is night and day. The improvement in SQ is immediately noticeable. My words fail me but call it drive, force leading to improved dynamics and a huge soundstage.

The C1X Solo is pure Esoteric. It’s beautiful, operates flawlessly and is dead silent. I love the way its volume control operates sensing when you want to move up or down quickly but also allowing micro changes if needed.
 

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crwilli said:
My C1X Solo arrived and has been playing for about 40 hours. Coming from my DAC/PRE driven system to inserting the C1X Solo is night and day. The improvement in SQ is immediately noticeable. My words fail me but call it drive, force leading to improved dynamics and a huge soundstage.

The C1X Solo is pure Esoteric. It’s beautiful, operates flawlessly and is dead silent. I love the way its volume control operates sensing when you want to move up or down quickly but also allowing micro changes if needed.
Click to expand...

That’s GORGEOUS!

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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Congrats! Looks great and happy that it sounds great as well! Happy listening!
 
What about the operation of the input select dial, do you find it stiff? There is no tactile feedback when changing input sources, I'd rather feel a "click" in the dial when it's crossed over to the changed source.
 
Ha, I have not touched it other than to press it in to first turn it on. I will turn it later today and let you know. I only use XLR 1…for now.
 
It has been playing pretty much every hour since Sunday night so it is approaching 100 hours. I haven’t really noticed any significant changes, which is good, it’s still awesome! 😁
 
brodricj said:
What about the operation of the input select dial, do you find it stiff? There is no tactile feedback when changing input sources, I'd rather feel a "click" in the dial when it's crossed over to the changed source.
Click to expand...

I connected my cheap ass TT today and played with it for a while. That requires me to change the input which I did via the left controller on the unit. I found it to turn easily and the display to show the input without issue.
 
Congrats on an awesome preamp! Bet it gets better around 400-500 hours. At least my D-02X DAC did. Enjoy that beautiful Pre!

George
 
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