The Muse Thalia Nine I believe would compare favorably to the Audio Aero Capitole which I am sure is a very strong contender for a single box solution.
It seems it might be wise to choose a player that you can not only live with but be sure to get a decent return on in case of a future desire to upgrade; aquireing a unit that is ready for future fomat decoding may also be a consideration. The Muse is fully modular, offers dual differential DAC's, is fully balanced and includes seperate circuitry for cd and video playback. This unit was built with the capability of decoding any future format that comes along.
Personally, I have not used the Thalia Nine for anything other than redbook cd playback which is all I intend on using it for, at least for now. Former Muse Products have achieved Stereophile Class A+ lists for quite some time. The new Muse MAP digital products exceed the performance of previous Muse digital products and retain the musicality that Muse is known for. You should hear the highs on this player, they are a sonic treat - extended and non-fatigueing. Overall, the Thalia Nine is wonderful on every type of music I have played through it, the detail this player extracts from a silver disk is impressive to say the least.
For the final decision in selecting your digital gear, listen first to it at your home, in your system with your cables, ect.... Then narrow down the choices, I think you would be more content after careful personal evaluation than you would making a choice solely on the grounds of any audiophiles suggestion written in a forum on the vast World Wide Web.
-Chris
It seems it might be wise to choose a player that you can not only live with but be sure to get a decent return on in case of a future desire to upgrade; aquireing a unit that is ready for future fomat decoding may also be a consideration. The Muse is fully modular, offers dual differential DAC's, is fully balanced and includes seperate circuitry for cd and video playback. This unit was built with the capability of decoding any future format that comes along.
Personally, I have not used the Thalia Nine for anything other than redbook cd playback which is all I intend on using it for, at least for now. Former Muse Products have achieved Stereophile Class A+ lists for quite some time. The new Muse MAP digital products exceed the performance of previous Muse digital products and retain the musicality that Muse is known for. You should hear the highs on this player, they are a sonic treat - extended and non-fatigueing. Overall, the Thalia Nine is wonderful on every type of music I have played through it, the detail this player extracts from a silver disk is impressive to say the least.
For the final decision in selecting your digital gear, listen first to it at your home, in your system with your cables, ect.... Then narrow down the choices, I think you would be more content after careful personal evaluation than you would making a choice solely on the grounds of any audiophiles suggestion written in a forum on the vast World Wide Web.
-Chris