Comparison of Tube Output CD Players

Howard, thank you for your insightful comments on the Audio Aero players! You have really laid a lot of information out, in concise, understandable, clear and descriptive terms. Regardless of whether or not you can talk "audiospeak", you have done a heck of a job here.

I've always been interested in the Prima, but have only heard the Capitole. Along with just a very few other players, I have yet to hear digital sound any better than this.

Thanks Trelja, for the comments.

I agree with your assessment of the Capitole, and I absolutely love the sound of the Prima. I think that what often gets confused for 'natural' and 'accurate' is really the music being pushed forward by the component, and the space and air in the studio being compressed. Many people like this sound, but in my experience, the laid back, pocket playing of the musicians is only reproduced accurately when it is 'digitalized' as such. And the Audio Aero players do just that.
All the best,
Howard

Boa2;
Can you explain how the Prima was used without a pre-amp ? I have contacted the importer about this and was told that it could not be done !

Saki70,

No I can't, as I have not used it that way. This was how it was explained to me by another Prima owner who also had the Capitole. If it cannot be used in that capacity--that is, without a preamp--I apologize for his and/or my misinformation. From my personal experience, I can only describe the differences that I heard between the players, as I enumerated above.

Hi all,
The first generation of the Prima CD did have a volume control so you could connect it directly to your power amp. However the subsequent and latest version of it (which is I guess a MKII version but they don't use this nomenclature to account for successive versions) does not have a volume control. Nor does it have analogue inputs like its bigger brother the Capitole.

By the way, the dealer I bought my Prima CD from says that the Prima gives you about 80-90% of the Capitole's performance (although I wouldn't know how you can quantify something intangible like sound timbre etc.).

The other option you might consider is getting a first generation (MKI?) Capitole but be warned that there was some software related issues but it still sounds marvelous and has a volume control so you could get away without using a preamp is need be.

Hope this helps.
Kevinzoe