Audio aero capitole mk2 need help repairing


Dear: friends,

I have owned this great mk2 cdp for years, recently problem starts to appears, it switches off by itself and turns back on again while playing, and this switching on and off wont stop untill i have to power down the unit and let it rest for a few seconds before turning the power on again. However, this happens in sequence like after a few minute again while playing. It keeps on switching on and off by itself while playing.

I really love this aero, one of the best, most intimate, detail and warm digital player, and it is hard for me to find a replacement, so i would kindly seek help on similar problem and resolution to repair this...

Pls help...thanks alot and I would appreciate any advice....
jonathan_pp
Repairing another one just this week for a gentleman in Florida :-) so yes folks are still using them


Good Listening


Peter
I own my Audio Aero Capitol since new (2004? can't remember exactly). It is a silver unit, there is no mkii marking but it does have the built-in pre-amp. Till this day I am always amazed by its natural and relaxed sound and see no real reason to change.

Which brings me to the question how to keep the unit operational for another decade? I have bought some JAN 6021W tubes and contemplate ordering a CD Pro 2 drive from Enco.

However, it has now developed a problem which has recently gotten worse. It does not unmute when turning on. Usually it can be overcome by toggling power or switching inputs.

I have opened the unit and discovered that the power supply appears weak? The tube supply which is 40 volt at turn on, drops to 18.5 volt when the transport spins up. Also, I find it strange that the balanced line drivers in the output section operate on 13.6 volt as I would have expected the more common 15 volt for such circuits.

I read on this forum that the unit is sensitive to AC power quality and since I am using a balanced power source (Equi-Tech), I have inserted a 1:1 isolation transformer thinking that it may like an unbalanced power source better. This also raises the AC voltage a bit to 130 volt and it did do better for a while but slowly its getting harder again to turn the unit on (unmuted).

Does anyone have some additional thoughts as to what I may try to remedy this muting issue?

Thanks,
Simon

TY -Simon (mguzzi)

keep me posted on your repair situation.  Happy Listening!
Much Thanks! Peter- pbnaudio

it is good to read that critical parts and service is alive and well for Audio Aero.

Happy Listening!