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Condition sounds clean and complete, which helps at US$180, but against your recent comparable set that sits above the US$127 median and well over the US$110 25th percentile. It’s not a bargain on the numbers alone, though it is still below the US$342 75th percentile, so I’d call it fair-to-strong rather than cheap or ambitious.
What keeps it interesting is the value proposition: this is a well-liked ESS-based DAC platform with the ES9068AS, and the E50 is typically appreciated for its transparent, low-fatigue sound, solid digital input flexibility, and balanced XLR plus RCA output options. The included iFi iPower is a nice practical extra, since a good supply can be part of getting the best out of this kind of DAC; if the unit is truly tidy and works correctly, it’s a sensible buy for someone wanting a compact, versatile desktop converter.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
ESS is best known as ESS Technology, a U.S. semiconductor company founded by Forrest Mozer in 1983 as Electronic Speech Systems. It began in California and grew from speech and multimedia chips into a specialist in audio conversion silicon, with its later identity strongly tied to digital audio technology rather than finished consumer hi-fi products.
The company’s core focus is audio DACs and ADCs—especially the SABRE family—used by manufacturers in audio, mobile, automotive, and professional equipment. In hi-fi terms, ESS is not primarily a maker of amplifiers, speakers, turntables, or headphones; instead, it supplies the conversion chips that sit inside many third-party components.
In the market, ESS has a technical, high-performance, component-supplier reputation rather than a consumer brand identity. Among informed audiophiles it is often associated with high-end and upper-mid-tier digital playback, while also being somewhat niche because its name usually appears inside other brands’ products rather than on the front panel. It is a respected engineering brand, but not a vintage collector name in the usual sense.
See all ESS listings on RADAR.
