Esoteric F-05 Integrated - any opinions?

Hi greginnh,

Nice to hear that the Esoteric is settling in and meeting your expectations of 'sound quality'.

I was going to give the E470 a listen (having bought the Tuner) but the local sales dealer for Accuphase, on a normal basis does not keep it in stock (usually has the E2__ or E3__ ) and another sales dealer keeps the Esoteric line. However there is a better chance of getting the F-05 into stock from that dealer than having the other dealer getting the E-470 in for a listen; so it looks more positive of having to give the Esoteric an audition...... (both dealers are in opposite directions to where I live...40+ minutes in city traffic for the Esoteric; with 60+ odd minutes including 20 minutes on the expressway for the Accuphase)!  

Oddly enough though, the Accuphase dealer stocks Proac and Tannoy speakers, while the Esoteric dealer stocks Harbeth (.... and never the twain shall meet!). 

So you think 120 watts is enough to cover 'all contingencies'? Having an few extra watts under the belt/reserve has always been in the back of my mind. It's a pity the Esoteric is not a 180/200 watt into 8 ohms for extra 'head room'!....  (I may not really need it but it would be nice to have).    

Hello greginnh,

Just to ask further on why you got the Esoteric F-05.....

You said you purchased the F-05 to replace the Accuphase E-470 and I was wondering what made you change? Did you do a direct comparison between the two? You also mentioned in your earlier response about some of the virtues/sonic qualities you noticed ... has this continued to evolve and settle down (I presume you've put a few more hours onto the F-05 since our last exchange? Can you elaborate further on the sonic differences you experienced between the two brands ie is one warmer/cleaner (read overly clean/too clean bordering on hi-fi sounding rather than musical sounding) than the other? 

Having read your initial impression plus the review from 'Positive-feedback', it has 'tickled' my interest again in Intergrated amps again and dealers unfortunately from my end I will never be able to do a side by side comparison ... (different dealers with different brands of speakers).