Just arrived this afternoon:

Esoteric X-03SE SACD/CDP
Chord CPA-3200E Pre-amp
Chord SPM-1200E Power-amp
Focal JMLab Diva Utopia Be
Abbey Road Balanced Interconnects
Ortofon SPK-3100 Silver Speaker Cables

Alas, what wonderful & glorious sound! A great deal of time and effort has gone into auditioning. Various brands were auditioned, including Meridian, dCS, Naim, ProAc, B&W, Classe, Mimetism, Mark Levinson, Sonus Faber, Magnepan, Burmester, Aerial acoustics, etc... Through all this auditioning, I have learned a lot about hifi audio and I'm extremely pleased that I finally managed to decide on a system configuration. I thought that the system chosen were the best value for money out of all the other configurations I tried. It is still too early to say much about the system, but the sound is already full, detailed and very transparent despite being only out of the box for three hours. The bass is very nice indeed thanks to the two 8" woofers: extends well and very detailed. What is still missing (essential things) from the system is a proper platform or rack to put the components. What other things can be improved? Lots. The speaker cables were included with the system, but they are not the best around. Although they sound wonderful, I have tried this system with higher end speaker cables (around USD$3000) and the improvement is very clear. Also, power conditioning and aftermarket power cables can be added to this setup to lower the noise floor even further. The X-03SE also offers the option of using an external clock sync (G-0s) and DAC (eg D-03), which can be used as a half upgrade to the Esoteric P range (say the P-03). Would anyone recommend adding a subwoofer to this set-up? I have a massive 15" organ subwoofer that can be connected.

For the time being, here is a picture:

"proper stereo" you say? And Brigitte Bardot was an acceptably attractive woman.

I'm sure that set up sounds fabulous.
This is nearly off-topic and maybe even a disappointing remark for you to reply to but I like that TV stand/rack. It's style is similar to what I was going to get as I'm moving to a new home and I'm sick of the sight of traditional racks. They're good if you're a gear exhibitionist but who's looking? Who are you trying to impress? I'm going to hide away as many of my boxes as I can, with isolation under each component....maybe. Stealth Audio! Heard but not seen.

A sub or room treatment? Which is more important now? I gave up on finding a sub fast enough for my speakers without spending a few thousand. Finance doesn't look like a hurdle for you though. Acceptable looking, affordable room treatment is now the problem for me.

Yeah I guess those Chords do need to get up off the floor onto something.

Congratulations. Awesome.
Didn't the sheer amount of brands and components you can choose from drive you crazy? And then I'm not even counting all different combinations you can make....
I used to have JMlab speakers a while (30 years) ago. I remember they sounded wonderfully easy, detailed and transparent.
Hope you have a great time listening to your new setup!

Thanks people.

I like the TV stand too, but it's not really for hifi components. I don't think the shelves are solid enough. I'm probably going to get a hifi rack and not a granite slab because hifi racks are neater, but not necessarily nicer looking. I prefer to have everything laid on the ground as there's also the visual aspect too. IMO, the components + speakers are really quite nice to look at as well!

It's interesting that you talk about room treatment. My living room (where the stereo is) is 20'+ L x 17'+ W x 12' tall and when the setup people first came in, they commented on how a high ceiling is good for soundstage, but might be susceptible to echoing or hall effect. Luckily, I have a lot of "fabric" around the room (fabric sofas, large carpet and curtain) so the acoustics are actually excellent. There is no echoing and the sound is well controlled. The bass is also not overly powerful. There's not much else I can do to the room itself.

I too, was hard pushed to find the "perfect" combination. I had to go to multiple dealers to audition the equipment, so there was no way I could test all the combinations. I tested what they had available there and didn't really risk purchasing components from multiple sources and end up with a system that has no synergy. Some of the options were immediately rulled out. For example, I was put off by Meridian's line of digital speakers because I didn't want to "locked-in". Meridian's amps were OK, but nothing special. Magnepans were too bulky, didn't have a good enough bass response and power handling capability for my music tastes (which include a lot of large symphonic works). B&W's 803D was actually a complete disappointment. I expected it to be very good, but in the end, all I got was bloated bass. Maybe it was the room. dCS P8i sounded slightly harsh and unmusical compaired to the other CD players I tried, but it has to be said that they bring every single detail to the surface and that is probably their selling point. It also upsamples to DSD if I recall correctly. There are other examples too. In the end, the Esoteric/Chord/JMLab system struck me as the most balanced sounding and the most capable for the price. The soundstaging is amazing. Norah Jone's voice sounds so transparent and real. Jazz at the Pawnshop sounded like it was live! I just sat through the whole of Saint Saen Symphony No.3 'Organ' and boy was it a breathtaking experience. No headphone can ever reproduce the vast soundstage and power of the organ. If the Diva Utopia Be are already so good, I just can't fathom how the Alto or Nova Utopia Be sound like...

I think I need to get new speaker cables as the next upgrade if I can persuade my dad to by some. I only just realised recently how much impact speaker cables make on a hifi system. Can anyone recommend me some good speaker cables that won't break the bank?

EDIT: Kees, I like your sig. What you say is very true. High end audio actually sounds better than most live concerts! What you don't get though (obviously) is to see the performers' emotions when they're playing.

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http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/diycables.html
I am using my own version of these. They're good. No kidding. But you don't have to believe me, you can try for yourself. It costs next to nothing.

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Thanks. I guess that is one of the main selling points for concerts on DVD.

Btw. 30 years ago my JMlabs (barely larger than bookshelf speakers, hexagonal design, really nice) blew the floorstanding B&W DM1000 completely out of the water. I think B&W is good, but not THAT good. A bit overrated.

Few more photos 'cus I know you guys love photos! I love taking pictures too with my point and shoot digital!

JMLab's proprietary beryllium tweeter:


Chord's solid aluminum remote. It's darn heavy!


Chord poweramp. 350W per channel. Drives the Divas with great ease.


Diva Utopia Be. Wonderfully balanced, rich, dynamic sound. $$$, but worth every penny.

Wow! Congrats! I'm sure it sounds as good as it looks!

Very nice system, hope you enjoy the heck out of it.

Thanks again for all the positive feedback.

Anyone got ideas about power conditioning? I've been told to look at Shunyata and PSAudio, but I'm very confused with all the different products and what each one does that the other doesn't. What does everyone use for their power conditioning?

Awsome system!! your "proper stereo" is amazing

oh..do be careful with your beryllium tweeter, beryllium is posinous and long term exposure can cause lung cancer and other respetory illinesses, such as acute/chronic beryllium deisease, around 10% of the populatoin is alergic to beryllium thought you mite like to know

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I am not alergic to beryllium, so in order to protect you and your family send them to me.

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Maybe you don't need conditioning? I wish there was someway to measure what the noise level was as each of us have different amounts. Check with an electrician what the cost of a dedicated isolated circuit is and compare that to what an expensive box of outlets cost. I'd take the Nordost Thor.


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I'm sure it's only harmful prior to processing.

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[size=xx-small]If in a concert I hear al intruments separated, I suggest they fire the conductor.

In a concert hall I hear no instrument separation, serious lack of detail and in most seats a rather poor soundstage. I can’t even hear the musicians shuffle their feet or turn their pages. The acoustics of the hall add colour to the sound of the orchestra. I guess an orchestra just can’t compete with high-end audio equipment…..[/size]

That is a cool sig. My interpretation of it is that hifi often misses the point by putting emphasis on things of superficial importance.

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I'll manage thank you very much. You'll be second on my list to receive the Diva's should anything happen. Do make sure you're not in that 10% though! mrarroyo is first on the list already. Anyone else?

Eyeteeth, thanks for your input on power conditioning. I think it is a little difficult to install a completely seperate circuit for power atm. A power filter and conditioner may be the easiest thing to install, but might cost $$$. I'll see about that. I don't find anything bugging me at the moment and if even if there is, it may simply be because of the new components.

A great ensemble there Milkpowder...I have JM labs also, very revealing, and holographic imaging! Im sure you have great synergy with the esoteric and the diva's.

As for powerconditioning, I'd do a home demo of a shunyata hydra before committing. I recently had the Hyrda 6 at home, and whilst it made a subtle difference to the noise floor in my system it wasnt substantial enough to warrant the price. I'd personaly address this last after room acoustic treatments, cables etc.

I'd invest my money in some room tuning devices, maybee bass traps for the rear corners, and some wall panels for the first reflection points. I'd then invest in Quality speaker cables and power cables.

Also check out the solid tech: Radius and rack of silence equipment racks...very nice.

BTW the berylium isnt dangerous unless the tweeter is punctured.

Very nice system...

Just let your system live in for a few months. Then go for the other stuff like bass traps or power conditioners.

I made a mistake with purchasing bass traps without properly assessing my system. I though my mid bass was bloated and the traps seem to help a bit. Later that problem went away and I determine the problem was that my source wasn't fully burned in (I modded it with those notorious Blackgates which supposedly take a long time to burn in )

To be fair I did take home those bass traps and trial home use for nearly a month and it did seem to help. But too bad those caps took a long time to burn in. My room is also quite damp too.