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Digital Drive: REVIEW: Audio Aero Capitole CD Player MKII CD Player/Recorder by smart845

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REVIEW: Audio Aero Capitole CD Player MKII CD Player/Recorder

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Model: Capitole CD Player MKII
Category: CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price: £3500
Description: Re-sampling CD Player
Manufacturer URL: Audio Aero
Manufacturer URL: Audio Aero

Review by smart845 ( A ) on June 19, 2002 at 09:58:32
IP Address: 195.92.67.74
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for the Capitole CD Player MKII


Audio Aero Capitole MKII CD Player Part Two

After three weeks (500 hours) of use and almost 60 hours of listening to the Capitole MKII, I believe I can identify some of this player’s strengths and what some might perceive as weaknesses. As usual all opinions are my own humble thoughts and apply to this player’s performance in my system and in my listening room. YMMV.

Straight from the box the Capitole MKII is immediately transparent and reveals detail like no other player I have had or listened to, not a huge range I admit. These details are crucial to the music and as they are what informs the listener about the recording venue, makes us believe we are there. The presentation is ‘close up’; you are at the stage edge not five rows back. Some may not like this and it may be the system combination used rather than a unique aspect of the player. I run the Capitole MKII direct via Kimber Select 1030 into 845 single ended monoblock amps from Unison research. I did try via the matching Mystery One preamp but soundstage was reduced and details masked plus it is easy to overload the preamp input as the Capitole MKII outputs 5 volt max and sounds poor below 2 volts. What strikes you most is the way the details make voices natural with all the breathing and vocal inflections present though the midrange initially is prominent due to the bass lacking in depth and power. The highs are not only faultless they are amazing in their definition. Brush work on cymbals or drum skins; percussion noises, bells, whistles and natural noises like finger clicks all sound remarkably real and present. What’s more is the air around a performer or instrument and the ambience recovery. All this makes music real and lifelike with a naturalness and 3D quality not just a presence increase in the way 845 valves recreate space but a different kind of presence and realness. I find this difficult to explain not having heard music this way before except in real life. For a great test go listen to your local busker, here in London there are lots , ranging from guitarists to violin to string quartets by the Tate Modern, all unamplified and real and hear how close the Capitole MKII recreates the air around the performers.

As mentioned earlier, the bass is lacking until break in approaches when it snaps into focus and drops down. This gives music that all-important PRAT and drives the music along. I was beginning to worry that timing was it’s downfall but again this player amazes me. To quote examples as is usual practice take Oscar Peterson, You look Good To Me from We get Requests (Japanese mini LP version). The bowed double bass of Ray Brown introduces the track and you can tell it’s real. Not overpowering but utterly natural and when Ray changes to plucking the image height amazes, a recreation of a double bass in your room. Oscar’s piano a little to the left of centre appears followed by Ed’s drums not only to the left of the speakers but with front to back presence. The precise ability of the Capitole MKII to arrange a trio not only in space and time but also with correct instrument weight, presence and size is uncanny and again unlike anything I have heard before. I won’t go on too much just try to get to listen to this player in your own system. Use discs with transient speed and natural reverberant instruments. The Boy Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn from Alison Krauss’ New Favourite or any live recording such as The Rat Pack, Live at The Sands will reveal what I’ve tried to explain.

I did mention weaknesses didn’t I? Well as has been discussed in previous threads there are a couple of operational quirks and one to affect the sound quality. During playback of live recordings there is a microsecond pause between tracks. I don’t really know why but to me it is very annoying. Some may not consider this a problem but it interrupts your belief of being at the performance and so lessens my enjoyment. There is a second weakness, for want of a better word, though this relates to the Capitole’s unique sound. In my listening room I had to move the loudspeakers a further 18” into the room and a further 24” apart (now 10ft apart and 5 degree of toe in) to achieve a correct balance and to open up the soundstage to its’ maximum. I have a very live room, a drawback of minimalist loft living here in the UK, and the sound of the Capitole’s transparency and reality just loaded the room differently so I had to work to get the best. You may want to experiment too with speaker placement and not rely on previous assumptions and placements. The effort on my part was well worth it.

The Audio Aero Capitole MKII is certainly a different breed of CD Player and as such, requires, in my opinion, a different listening perspective. It is not, again in my opinion, a plug and play unit, requiring the same attention to set- up as a turntable but the rewards are there, as any vinyl addict will confirm


Product Weakness: Bass slam, Operational quirks, not a plug and play CD Player.
Product Strengths: Detail, Ambience recovery, naturalness


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Unison Research Smart 845 SE Monoblocks
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None Used
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Audio Aero Capitole MKII
Speakers: Impulse Lali
Cables/Interconnects: Kimber Select and Kimber Monocle XL
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Lots
Room Size (LxWxH): 20ft x 18ft x 20ft
Room Comments/Treatments: Very Little, too lively
Time Period/Length of Audition: 3 Weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): RATA Power Accessories
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Audio Aero Capitole CD Player MKII CD Player/Recorder - smart845 09:58:32 06/19/02 ( 5)