Esoteric is well known to most, if not all, of us into hi-fi. For years now, it represents Teac’s hi-end branch and Teac accounts for the Japanese “mothership” in the sound industry, hosting, among others, Tascam, one of the most prominent and acclaimed Companies of the pro audio industry. Expectedly, each of their products must reflect the Company’s expertise and know-how, both of which are supposed to summit up on Esoteric gear, the spearhead of their sonic and engineering achievements.

During the recent years, I was fortunate to host a few of Esoteric’s devices that would consistently leave me the best of impressions, only varying in proportion to each device’s status within the Company’s product range, i.e. the higher-end they were, the deeper insight and enjoyment they offered. The SA-50 proved to be no exception, but let’s explore the unit before elaborating on that.

If you haven’t unpacked an Esoteric before, you are most likely to be surprised by the number of carton boxes (three) you actually have to open for the device to meet the eye, in its soft fabric sleeve, tightly nested inside foam padding material. The Japanese have been meticulous so as to preserve the device during transportation from the factory to the end-user, who will most likely be positively predisposed by that fact alone. Besides the device, the package includes a sturdy multifunctional remote control, a power cord, the owner’s manual and three adhesive pads with velvet surface, one for each of the device’s feet.

Removing the sleeve to exposes a robust, imposing, yet not showy player, weighing more or less 18 kilos. Its front plate is made of thick anodized aluminum, whereas its fascia hosts the disc drawer in the center, just above the LCD screen. On the left of the screen are sited the power and mode buttons, while on its right are the control (open/close, play, pause, stop, skip) buttons. The rest of the housing (sides and top) is also made of -thinner- anodized aluminum and the whole construction rests on three metal feet, consisting of a spike and plate. These two elements are machined so as to provide adequate mechanical grounding and isolation, while remaining firmly coupled to each other. The back plate hosts all of the device’s connectivity posts. Starting from the left, there are three digital inputs (USB, coaxial and optical), two digital outputs (coaxial and optical), the analogue RCA and XLR stereo pairs, a WordSync (BNC) input which can be connected to an external WordClock, the IEC power cord socket and an earth post. The last one does not serve the purpose of earthing the SA-50 but an external device via the SA-50, in case this proves to be beneficial to the overall sound quality.

The LCD screen brightness is adjustable, whereas selectable are the on-screen time indication (remaining, elapsed etc.), the active input (when used as a DAC), the up-conversion level (2x, 4x), the DSD signal processing and the type of digital filtering. In addition, all inputs/outputs can be disabled and the output level attenuator can be bypassed.
 

Article was published on: 2009-11-26

In Depth >>

On the inside of the device, it is the center-mounted VOSP (Vertically-aligned Optical Stability Platform) reading mechanism that attracts attention, right upon removing the cover. It is a lower-end version of the one found in the P-01 and P-03 models. Its main design characteristic is that it keeps the laser pickup head and the read media surface area constantly aligned, thus eliminating the need for error correction by a servo-controlled positioning circuit. The power supply section looks more than adequate – its transformer could well be found in an integrated amp. All circuitry components are comprised in two boards, whereas cabling of any kind is pretty close to non-existent. The chassis is braced, front to back, with two metal bars, on which the VOSP mechanism is mounted. According to Esoteric, the chassis is implemented in the manner of combating all shock or vibration during the device’s operation; the order and sturdiness of such a severe construction as the SA-50 leave no doubt that their claim is valid and that its owner is in for years of trouble free mechanical operation and maximum sonic performance.

Article was published on: 2009-11-26

Listening >>

The main part of this review was conducted on factory settings for the up-conversion and digital filter. The reason is that, besides the noticeable differences between various settings, the factory defaults would consistently give the most homogenous and tire-free result, given my listening setup and preferences of course. That aside, each setting proved to be equally interesting sonically, which is why the manufacturer cared to include all of them in the first place. It is up to the owner to run in and get acquainted with the SA-50, in order to settle with (as in fine-tune) their preferred configuration.

Right from the start, the SA-50 having well run-in, I felt most acquainted to it, due to my aforementioned… Esoteric past. Its physical appearance and sound was clearly bearing the Company’s stamp. And since the physical aspects have already been discussed, let’s focus on the sound... The latter can be roughly described as unembellished and accurate, rush and fatigue-free, yet essentially revealing.

Unembellished, as in the tracks “Spagna Contrapunto” from “La Spagna” (BIS) and “Jupiter” from Holst’s “Planets”, the imminent danger of fattening the lower end passages was driven to extinction by the SA50’s more than adequate control, which not only preserved the particularity of the “Spagna” recording, but also allowed a full scale depicting of the orchestra’s actual size and inner detail during the “Jupiter” track.

Accurate, meaning faithful to the essence of a musical performance, as in «Maze» with Marie Boine and Liu Sola as well as in Dowland’s «In darknesse let mee dwell», female vocals were as delightful and powerful as ever, without any tendency towards the peaky “razor cuts”, that often contaminate them, and with absolutely no side-effect to the evolvement of the surrounding dynamic transients. Essential, as in the tracks “Misa Criolla”, performed by the great Jose Carreras, and “I come and stand” by The Mortal Coil, a massive build-up of emotional charge emerged in total integrity, eager to move the listener…

In Ioannis Papadakis’ “Inner Trance” as well as in Stereo Nova’s “Odysseia” the complex structure of the rhythm section was easily rendered, completely unexaggerated, and so were dynamic transients. As for Kraftwerk’s “Radio activity”, it advanced a step further, reminding me of their live in Athens in 2005, which was perhaps the “highest-end” sounding concert I’ve ever attended.

The explosive sonic and emotional adventure in Mogwai’s “Summer”, the feeling of sadness and agony in Novak’s “Rapunzel” and the despair close to psychological and mental instability in System Of A Dawn’s “Chop-Suey!”, they all were presented fatigue and saturation free but at, any rate, far from syrupy, thus prolonging this listening session. Each track would bear its own identity, without the slightest tendency towards homogenization of their inherently similar characteristics.

In Stravinsky’s “Danses des Adolescentes” -from the “Rite of Spring”- as well as in Mahler’s 10th, at the Finale, the SA-50 demonstrated its revelatory abilities, while projecting a clear three-dimensional image of each orchestral ensemble, where even the slightest hints of each recording, which were never heard before, were easily noticeable and making sense…

Article was published on: 2009-11-26

Conclusion >>

The SA-50 deservingly has the Esoteric logo on it. It stands for all the values that the Company holds on to, for all these years, whereas compared to its higher-end siblings it doesn’t lag far behind! It also features all these “bonus” functions that make it appealing and versatile, so as to suit its owner’s ambition. Whoever decides to live with it will probably have found a companion for life -dare I say-, endowed with integrity, justice, wisdom and decency. Its only prerequisite is that the host-system is comprised of equally gifted gear, in order for the SA-50 to perform its best, for your enjoyment.
 

Vagelis Markoulis

vm@abouthifi.com

Article was published on: 2009-11-26