APL NWO2.5 ?

Hi Dracule1,

I posted the following on another Audiogon thread on 9/3/06:

The APL NWO-2.5 for USA is $21K and for Europe it's $22K. As I understand it, the price difference is due to the higher cost of the European version of the Esoteric unit.

Best Regards,
John

I am unable to locate reviews of any NWO models other than anecdotal remarks by a few internet posters. Can someone direct me to a bona fide review?

With $10K in mods on top of the Esoteric mule, APL is at an unprecedented price-point for a modder. It seems like what we are seeing here is evolution beyond the modder's art to a branded, productized solution, albeit one with dual branding. Don't know what APL's marketing plan is for this unit. Word of mouth? Travel to CA for Audition? It's quite an evolution in the hi-end that the world's best player could also be the world's best kept secret. A unit that preportedly "crushes" all other uber-hi-end units certainly deserves broader coverage. Or has our industry become so fragmented that stealth marketing by internet forum is both necessary & sufficient as a promotional tool for SOTA equipment?

Thanks John. The price is very high but not as stratospheric as the full Zanden setup.

Optarchie: What makes your opinion worth more than others? I tested and found the NWO-2 superior to the Meridian 808. You came to another conclusion? So what else is new? We have different opinions and setups.

Hi Dgarretson,

With $10K in mods on top of the Esoteric mule, APL is at an unprecedented price-point for a modder. It seems like what we are seeing here is evolution beyond the modder's art to a branded, productized solution, albeit one with dual branding.

The NWO-2.5 is Alex Peychev's cost-no-object design. Technically, this is not a "mod" of the Esoteric UX-1 (or X-01) because all audio elements get replaced by proprietary elements as I have noted in my post above. To design the best possible digital source, Alex decided that he needed to start with the best available transport. Since Esoteric does not licence their top-of-the-line VRDS-NEO transport (They do licence their smaller/lighter VRDS.), the only way to get this transport is to use an X-01 or UX-1 as a mule. Some may call his decision fanaticism or obsession. After following Alex's work and enjoying his previous creation (the APL 3910), I call it the ultimate devotion to perfection. But even with this extra cost, Alex was able to achieve the state-of-the-art at far below the cost of many of the top-tier players. I saw a post somewhere by Alex that said Esoteric/Teac supports his effort 100%.

Don't know what APL's marketing plan is for this unit. Word of mouth? Travel to CA for Audition? It's quite an evolution in the hi-end that the world's best player could also be the world's best kept secret.

At present, there does not appear to be a marketing plan. It's all word of mouth. As I read and heard the comments about the NWO-2.5 from a variety of sources (Audio Asylum, Audiogon, APL Forum, private communications), it was clear to me that most of the superlatives attributed to the NWO-2.5 went beyond what I have read about other top-tier players. They were groping for a new language to describe the NWO. And these were comments by audiophiles who owned several top-tier players and state-of-the-art vinyl systems. That inspired me to order the 2.5 and check it out for myself. I'll post my impressions when I get it. In the meantime, I agree with you that there should be broader coverage. I'm trying to do my part by sharing the information that I came up with during my research. But my real test will be in tasting the pudding. Stay tuned.

Best Regards,
John