Esoteric APL NWO SRA

My audio dream system is the result of more than 25 years of research, listening and passion. In a market where a vast number of components is offered, my choice, in general, has been oriented towards outstanding products designed by audio specialists and they have been universally recognized as reference components.

This audio passion has required lot of time and money and now time has come to go on to another matter. A new baby arrived, a new house in construction and the growth of my business let me few time to listen to music. I hope that this audio dream cd player will find a new home with anowner who will get as much joy and pleasure I’ve had using it.

(((In mint condition))), no scratch, no ding, have minimal use and have been used in a smoke free environment. These ones have been checked and certified like new before shipping. Original box and wooden crate included.

The unit is in as new condition and recognized the best digital unit on the planet with built-in preamp and remote.
Thanks for looking.

- 1) APL ESOTERIC X-01 NWO 3.0 GO (CD/SACD player with 32bit, and tube stage, built-in preamp with remote) AKM DACs installed 20 per channel. Digital input. Output XLR only, Ask $12,900 A value of $32,000. This component is newly equipped with a matched pair of top quality output tubes (JJecc99).

You can get the latest update NWO'' MASTER'' an additional cost of only $5000, directly with Alex from APL Hi-Fi, including a full 1 year warranty

The retail price for the NWO MASTER is $35,000
you will save 50%

- 2) ONE SRA. The SRA (Silent Running Audio) Ohio-Class XL Black table, especially made for Tenor 150hp or Ultimate 175s. Ask $1,000 A value of $2,000.
Add 3% for PayPal fee

APL REVIEWS :

NWO-3.0-GO

One Woman's Opinion of SOTA RedBook CD Playback

Background:

Over the last 3 years we have been looking to replace our digital source. In the course of this effort we demo'd the following equipment in our system at home: Audio Aero Prestige and Classic, Nagra CDP, Wadia 581i, Audio Research CD7, AMR CD-77, EAR Acute, Pathos Endorphin, Esoteric X-01, T+A D10, Dodson 218 Palladium DAC with Esoteric UX-1 Limited. Other players that were auditioned in showrooms but were not considered further. The outcome of these demo's was twofold: most either delivered in detail, dynamics and impact but fell short in musicality or provided musicality at the expense of detail and full-range frequency response/bass control. Those players that were never considered beyond the showroom tried too hard to clean off their "digital edge" and as a result sacrificed any sense of excitement or magic.

In the final analysis of all of these players the fiscal outlay did not warrant the compromise required, so they were passed over in the hope that something better was just over the horizon (and since new models are always pending it almost always is). Meanwhile we continued to upgrade our system in all other aspects. The failed quest for digital led to a brief investigation of vinyl playback, the SME 20 with upgraded tone arm and Koetsu cartridge were under serious consideration but ultimately did not seem like the optimal choice. After careful consideration and some reliable personal references, we opted to purchase an APL HiFi NWO-3.0-GO as our source. Below is my summary of its performance in our system.

Enter the NWO-3.0-GO...

Other System Equipment:

The system consists of a Krell FPB-700cx amplifier, Wilson Watt Puppy 8 speakers, Reflection Audio OM-1 Quantum Pre-Amp with DC -12 external Battery Power supply, Silversmith Audio Silver Speaker Cables and Palladium or Silver balanced interconnects, Grand Prix Audio Monaco Modular Rack, Power Cords are APL HiFi on the NWO source and fixed PC on the Krell (PC shootout details later). Note: after the initial break in period the NWO was connected directly to the amplifier using the Palladium Balanced cables, thus eliminating the pre-amp from the equipment chain.

220 Hours Summary:

The first impression I had of the sound characteristics of the NWO-3.0 was that it was very detailed and presented very large soundstage, seemed tight and controlled, sounded linear and had a "realistic" or "natural" character to voices and instruments. This was a couple of hours out of the shipping box, and would be high praise for most digital players. About 220+ hours later I can say that listening to this player can be a very dramatic experience. The only other experienced I have had that is like listening to complex music played on the NWO is tasting a fine German Eiswein from a top-notch producer. The music with this player can have such density, depth and complexity that it is truly astonishing. The almost overwhelming complexity is provided through the immense detail, soundstaging and dynamics. As I say, almost overwhelming, but really just thrilling. The level of detail is best recognized on well-recorded CDs. What most top-notch players would deliver as micro-detail and dynamics becomes "sub-nano" detail with the NWO-3.0. On Patricia Barber's "Fortnight in France Live" the microphone is evident; the distance she is from the microphone at different points during the tracks is evident, as is the activity of the microphone during applause/spoken recording where there is not music. The impact of the level of detail can really be recognized if a good quality live recording is played A/B on another player followed by the NWO-3.0. Then the difference in level of detail is simply startling.

With the NWO-3.0 the noise level is so low that quiet passages take on new interest due to the level of detail that can be detected, but the most engaging aspect of the quiet is the way dramatic passages truly burst from the silent background. The title track from Elton John's "Madman Across the Water" illustrates this very well. Looking to more ethereal tracks on that disc or other music (David Benoit, Dangerous Beauty, Fleetwood Mac's Landslide and Songbird are some examples) is where the most unique quality of this player shines, that is the way that the lighter notes in the music are so ethereal, extended and dispersed in space that they seem filigreed across the structure of the weightier notes in the music. This is notable across the frequency spectrum, not just in the highs. The first recognition of this is the "WOW" moment where it is impossible to walk away from this player. This quality above all else becomes so addictive, and is unique to this player. It is this elusive quality that gives music from this player its immense beauty and sense of presence and contributes to its lifelike quality.

The NWO excels beyond other players I have heard (though not head to head), both digital and vinyl, in all the usual areas where audio superlatives are typically applied. The high and low frequency extension is amazing; the bass depth and control are greater than some of those that are famous for their bass. The authority, impact, slam and bass dynamics are unmatched by any player I have evaluated. The best example I know of to illustrate the dynamics and control is the challenging tracks from Jeff Beck's "Who Else", especially the track Space for the Papa. Space for the Papa has very challenging music for players to control and resolve and most tubed players simply don't have the speed and control and the complex passages become smeared. The NWO-3.0 has the speed and detail to work through these tracks better than any other player I have heard and could even take more. The other tracks on this CD are mastered by the NWO as well.

Make no mistake, this player is ruthlessly accurate, it tells the story of all that is near it or fed into it. Well recorded studio recordings sound like studio recordings, and live tracks sound live. Mediocre recordings sound OK, bad recordings can be difficult to listen to. Change a power cord or outlet and you will know it. There is sweetness when there should be, and clarity when the highs are not so sweet. Generally speaking the highs are so pure they have a crystalline etched quality, but again it feels like it is only when they should be crystalline. The transient decays are extended, vocals sound "organic" without being heavy or the slightest bit bloated.

In summary, it is the delicacy and refinement that the NWO-3.0 brings forth simultaneously with power and control that are the most amazing aspects of this player and are unique and beyond the capacity of anything else in musical playback today, including analog. The air, space, detail, decay and three dimensional character that are extracted from any fairly well-recorded Redbook CD are beyond compare, and as indicated the refinement extends across the frequency spectrum into the bass region as well. Like a fine Eiswein, if you haven't experienced it, it is very hard to convey the experience in words. I hope I have done it justice.

By K.M.