A. A. Capitole owners - what's the next step??


Hello to anyone who has owned or auditioned the Capitole MK II or III player. I have owned a MKII for a couple of years now, and have always been very impressed with the sound, but now have the upgrade itch.

I want to make sure my next player is AT LEAST as good as my Capitole (obviously, would prefer an improvement in some or all areas!).

What suggestions can you give me? BTW - I prefer to stay with something that has it's own volume control, like the Capitole, and only have standard "redbook" CD's.

Thanks to any & all.
denf
Hey guys! Thanks for all the responses. First, I made a bit of an error in my post - but first let me explain how, so you 'all don't think I'm a COMPLETE idiot (just a partial one maybe...)

My Capitole is a MKI, not the MKII. Where I got confused was there was an original , 1st version, that came out some years back (4-5?), that was just called "the Capitole", (if memory serves, it did not have any oversampling). Then the next iteration (the one I own) the "24/192" came out, so you can perhaps see what my thinking was when I initially thought mine was a "MKII"... (I have been out of the digital loop, so to speak, ever since I aquired my Capitole).

Now that I've actually looked at some ads for it, I see not one, not two, but what looks like three (?!) different versions, with some "SE"'s thrown in to further confuse me! Anyway, don't misunderstand, I am NOT displeased with my Capitole's sound -- far from it, it's just that I'm a bit concerned about keeping anything with moving parts (and frequent use!) much past 3-4 yrs.

So i guess my bigger question now (with the help from all of your great feedback), is; Do I go with a Cap. MKII, or is their something else out there, in the same $$ ballpark to also consider? - OR - do some of the mods as suggested & keep it for a while longer? Is the MKII a significant upgrade over my version?

My system BTW: in a bit of a "stasis" situation currently, as I am also shopping for new speakers, but the rest is a Pass 250.5 amp, PS Audio P300, dedicated room (w/dedicated AC) Analysis Plus Solo Crystal and Acoustic Zen wiring. Have been a pretty big M.L. speaker fan for years, so am looking in that general direction, but am also considering the Gallo Ref. 3's.

Thanks again everybody for your tolerence, patience and advice!
"bit of an error?" Just a little. My immediate repsonse is to go for the MKII, of course. But--Looking for new speakers? Am I missing something? What do you have now? Don't be afraid to tell us. Even if they are AR 4xs. ML fan?
The only competition is the EMM. From the above responses, AA has the best, die-hard fans. A few of them moved on to this machine and they love it. I have not heard it, but it's very existance is a bit...awkward.

I am not sure i really want to try it, as I do love My AA Capitole Mark II so much.......
Warrenh "ML" - Martin-Logan.. ;>)
Yep, have to agree with you, why tempt fate? I'll probably go with what I know is great and slide up to the MKII.

BTW -- Whitwind, do you know what value the caps are for the MKI by chance? (I know it's probably on the originals, but my Capitole is "tucked" in my rack pretty snug).
I always thought that ML was the manufacturer? What is the particular model of your ML? I'm confused. You're talking in vagaries....