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Opinions: ML 390S, Esoteric D70, Opus21, Capitole?

I'm looking to buy either a CD player with volume control or a DAC with volume control, and a couple of digital inputs. To get the most mileage out of my dough I'll buy used and likely "older" units, but then I also hear about how much digital has improved in "recent years". Been doing a fair amount of reading and would like your opinions to help narrow my search a bit more:

1. Esoteric D70. $2500. Would initially feed it from my CD player and later buy the P70. Had rave reviews back in 2004. Digital volume control. Very dependable, I hear.

2. Levinson 390S. $3500. Analog volume control. One less power cord and IC. Read comments of it having issues with reliability, though. Very good reviews in '04.

3. Opus 21. $3500. Very good reviews a few years back. Users seem to love it.

4. Audio Aero Capitole II SE. $3500. Users love it. Again one less PC and IC. Dependable?
5. McIntosh MDA1000. $4500. People at the Mac forum rave about it. Seems it would fit nicely with my Mac amp MC275. I don't know that Mac makes first class front ends, though, so I'm wondering how it might compare to the above.

6. Theta Gen.VIII. $5000. We are getting too expensive for me, but...Fantastic reviews once upon a time.

7. McIntosh MCD500. $5000. Again, maybe too expensive and a lot of good talk about it at the Mac forum, but the guys there might have a skewed perception. Recent launch and almost no talk about it here on Audiogon. Is it better than the players above from around 2002-04?

Sorry for the long post. Rest of system is Rotel CD player and pre amp (both going away ASAP), a MC275, B&W 804s, and Rel Storm III. SACD would be nice to have, but not needed.
I live overseas now. Auditioning is not posible and buying and selling is complicated, so I need to try and make a safe bet.

Thank you for withstanding this long post!
lewinskih01
elberoth2's avatar
elberoth2
1,223 posts
 
I have to disagree with Arbuckle. I have had my Capitole for over two years, sold it to a friend who still has it. No problems whatsoever. I also know several other ppl that use Capitole, and they also have no problems with the player. Capitole is build around Philips CD-Pro2M transport, which is considered as one of the most reliable transports available on the market today.

I also found its soundstaging abilities to be far superior than that of the Opus. I have had close to $100.000 invested in my system at the time (Lamm M1.2 Reference monos, Avalon Eidolon Vision speakers etc) so I would say I have a platform to compare both players.
arbuckle
89 posts
 
Elberoth, disagree till your heart's content. I am glad there are people like you for me to have sold my Capitole to.

I said the build quality was weak for its price point. Nothing like the Esoteric gear whatsoever, but similarly priced. I never referenced reliability, just said its build quality was very poor for its price. Such as a sliding top door that was not perfectly square (no, unit was not damaged or anything like that). Just poor workmanship.

Seriously though, I thought the Capitole was soft, dull and lifeless. My system was not $100k but was ample enough to do a A/B comparison, which I did, with others. To each is own.
lewinskih01 OP
906 posts
 
Thanks guys again. I guess your back and forth just portraits how personal these things are. I don't expect anybody else to make the decission for me, but I'm just looking for input from more knowledgeable people - just like you are doing.

It seems no one is willing to post re the D70, Theta, or McIntosh units. Would you please provide your impressions of [any of] these, even if you haven't heard them? I'm new to the hobby and I don't know what the common wisdom was 5 or 7 years ago when these were current units. Otherwise I'm left just with reviews...which is even less ideal.

Thanks!
elberoth2's avatar
elberoth2
1,223 posts
 
Arbuckle - I'm sorry, I misunderstood your comment. Thought you were talking about reliability, not build quality as such.

Having said that, I still think that it has nothing to be ashamed of. Sure, it doesn't have such a nice case as Esoteric (nothing has, maybe with the exception of Accuphase, another japaneese company) but than is is no better or worse than dosens of US made and EU made components in the same price range. I just sold my $9000 Audio Research CD-7, which is a very respectable player, and its cosmetics wasn't any better.

And it is surely much better build than Opus, with its noisy, DVD transport !
cruz123
586 posts
 
And it is surely much better build than Opus, with its noisy, DVD transport!

The Opus actally uses a CD-ROM drive, as opposed to a DVD drive. While the transport seems a bit lightweight in its stock form, it functions very well and is very quick in accessing tracks. Also, its cheap to repair if needed, which may not be true of the Capitole based on a current thread regarding the repair of a Prima transport. I have an Opus modded by GNSC, which includes extensive damping of the transport that makes it whisper quiet.

Lewinskih01, Resolution Audio offers a 30 day in home trial of the Opus. Perhaps you can get your hands on a Capitole (or one of your other options) and conduct a comparison.
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