Help: My newly upgraded AA Capitole gives no sound


I recently got back my capitole CD player after a Signature Edition upgrade in AA factory France. It has a serious problem: NO SOUND. Everything else seems to be working perfectly: disc reading, display, control buttons, remote etc.

On three or four occasions I managed to get the sound whilst continuously interchanging the channels on the remote (SPDIF/COAX/T&T etc.) or through the buttons on the player itself but whenever the player is stopped (e.g to change disc or to shut down), the player refuses to produce any sound on resumption of play even though the disc is spinning and the display clearly indicating that it is playing (i.e. pressing play button).

When it does decide to play, it plays flawlessly with wonderful sound until the end of the disc. When it is playing (with sound coming out of the speakers) and REPEAT MODE pressed, it plays on and on for days until stopped. But as soon as stopped, the problem comes back.

Same problem when an external transport is used via digital input.

Checked the internal cables, they are all properly seated. The Circuit Board is in good condition and no visible signs of any damage.

Two-way communication with AA France is almost non-existent and terribly frustrating. Am stuck with a new upgraded player costing over $10,000.

Has anybody come across such problems with their Capitole or Prestige? Can you help in identifying possible causes? Could it be a software/chip problem incompatibility with the new transport (installed FOC by AA factory within the upgrade. The Chip version is 5.6.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Many thanks.

lall
Donaudio, Pubul157
Am not surprised at AA's quick response to your query. A distributor in the US means sales AND income generation. Who does not want that? Try sending them a mail about my problem and what they have done to satisfy thus unhappy customer.

In my case, I sent my AA Capitole to them in July 2009. We are in March 2010 i.e. 9 mnths without being able to listen to it.
It came back to me from the factory in Feb 2010 as a non-working player but AA has yet to send me a correspondence about what could possibly has gone wrong or how to fix it despite repeated e-mails/calls from me.

A new distributor in the US may work for a short while, but what happens when that distributor decides to pack up leave. History is witness and even distributors have blamed AA's lack of customer service/response etc.. Read Audiogon threads and it could not be clearer.

What AA needs is a 180 degree paradigm shift in customer service in such a competitive environment:

(1) understanding customer needs
(2) responding/solving their problems expeditiously
(3) be accessible and always respond positively to their queries/solicitude
(4) error is human, so admit you faults but at the same time undertake to improve the service
(5) never come up in public to cover your faults with lies and stories, and refrain from putting the blame on your customers who form the very basis of your company and livinghood.

ABC of any marketing course... Need I say more?
I suspect 98% of AA buyers in the US visit Audiogon daily. I'm sticking with my Meitner for now. Of course, a U.S. presence is no guarantee in itself, with Audible Illusions which had a first-rate preamplfier and a great price, but simply never managed to handle repair and turnaround well, at least that was true years ago, they may have improved that side of the business - they would have had to or I don't think they would have stayed in business. Say what you will, if you have a problem with Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, Pass Labs, VAC - you get the drift, you will be taken care of if you have a problem. Support is just as important (more so?) than the out-of-the box performance. Nothing more frustrating than a 50lb anchor where your audio equipment use to be.
Lall, sorry to hear about the problems you’ve had. I know that when I read about problems with a product that I own it makes me cringe a bit. To me there’s nothing worse than the thought of having a $5,000 + audio anchor, other than I guess actually having one. I suspect that a great many AA owners do read Audiogon on a regular basis. I know one of the things that pointed me in the direction of AA when I first bought my Prima before moving up to the Capitole was the good press on Audiogon.

Considering the press that AA has been getting more recently and AA’s response on this thread, I doubt that any of AA’s products will be on my short list anytime in the near future.
Jaffeassc
I appreciate your support. I really love the sound of the Capitole and IMHO it has the sonic virtues to be the reference front end of any audiophile system. It's a real pity that some people has not considered it important to devote time understanding customer expectation. Will keep updating as things progress.