Esoteric

Grandioso K1X SACD Player

Introduced 2019$42,000 MSRP

The Esoteric Grandioso K1X is a flagship single-chassis Super Audio CD/CD player that integrates the transport mechanism from the Grandioso P1X and the D/A conversion technology of the Grandioso D1X monaural converter into one unit, effectively combining "two revolutions" of Esoteric engineering. It uses the newly developed VRDS-ATLAS transport mechanism paired with Esoteric's proprietary Master Sound Discrete (MSD) DAC — built from 32 discrete elements per channel rather than a commercial DAC chip — supporting DSD up to 22.5MHz, PCM up to 768kHz/32-bit, and full MQA decoding.

MSRP

$42,000

Used market · Good

$24,450

-42% vs MSRP

as of Sep 1, 2026

Sell or trade this Add to my system

MSRP to used market

From $42,000 at launch to $24,450 today.

Specifications

Weight: 35kg (77 1/4 lb)
Dimensions: 445mm x 162mm x 447mm (17 5/8" x 6 1/2" x 17 5/8"), including protrusions
Launch price: £36,200 in the UK; ¥2,800,000 (excl. tax) in Japan
Analog outputs: 1 pair XLR (40Ω, max 5Vrms); 1 pair RCA (15Ω, max 2.5Vrms)
DAC architecture: Esoteric Master Sound Discrete (MSD) DAC — a fully discrete two-channel stereo circuit derived from the Grandioso D1X, using 32 separate discrete elements per channel with independent clock driver, logic, capacitors and resistors per element; independently developed ΔΣ modulator supporting 64-bit/512Fs; not built around a commercial DAC chip
Dimensions w x h x d: 445mm x 162mm x 447mm (17 5/8" x 6 1/2" x 17 5/8"), including protrusions
S n ratio distortion: 113dB S/N ratio; 0.0007% THD at 1kHz (SACD, XLR output, 0dB)
Digital inputs outputs: Digital inputs: 1x coaxial (75Ω), 1x optical, 1x USB-B (USB 2.0, async, up to 22.5MHz DSD/768kHz PCM); Digital outputs: 1x XLR, 1x RCA; Clock input: 1x BNC (10MHz ±10ppm)
Disc formats supported: Super Audio CD (SACD), CD, CD-R, CD-RW
Max digital resolution: Up to 22.5MHz DSD and 768kHz/32-bit PCM; PCM-to-DSD conversion; MQA-CD decode and full MQA decoding via USB