AudioMeca vs. AudioAero vs. Electrocompaniet

BWhite: Why have you decided to buy another Mephisto vs. the new AA Capitole? Just curious and I respect your opinion on these units.

Also, if you had a Capitole, would you run it directly or use a Classe CP-60 preamp, which I own. thanks

Gerryn - I preferred the Mephisto to the old Capitole and the appearance of the new Capitole doesn't excite me - neither does the price tag!! Yikes!

Actually I saw a new Capitole (MkII) being sold on Audiogon today for 5500.

I am not terribly familiar with the Classe' CP-60 preamp. So take my suggestion with a grain of salt... kay? In a case where I had a solid state preamp, I would run the Capitole directly to the amplifier.

With the Capitole, you are speaking about one of the finest CD players in the world. So when you go to connect it to a preamp, you must also ask yourself, "Is this preamp one of the finest in the world?" If not, I would be affraid of using the pre simply because it could strip away some of the Capitole magic. Of course you have to try it both ways to see which you prefer. Less magic may be a good thing! :)

Make sense?

I have a VERY resolving preamp and in my system, the Capitole sounded better with it vs. its own volume control.

WOW... I put the Keops on a Shunyata Hydra today along with a Shunyata King Cobra power cord. The Keops really blossomed into a much better sounding unit. Like the Mephisto, the soundstage is now thicker BETWEEN the speakers. Layering and depth is there and the sound took on a much more involving character. I am quite impressed with this player.

I retrospect, I feel as if yesterday and the day before I had been listening to the surface of the music. Just hearing the notes - music without emotion. Much the same as any normal "good" CD player - but with the power conditioner and cord on the Keops, it brings me into the music much deeper than before. It takes on a character that is entirely different than normal $3000 players, sheds a great deal of the brightness and begins to sound more grown up and confident.

Of course these are expensive upgrades but they force me to entertain the thought of just how effective a few modifications to a unit like the Keops might be. For instance if someone can modify a Sony DVD player to sound good, the Keops or even the Prima could sound remarkable in the right hands - for a minimal investment. Very interesting thought.

Bwhite..Does it make a difference if the Mephisto is grounded or not, when it is connectted directly to the AC mains. Should the grounding wire section in the power cord be ignored or not. Have you tried both ways, I mean grounding and ungrounding, and which is the best solution. I'm asking cause in some equipments grounding can cause humming in certain cases and it can reduce the sonic quality of some electronic systems.

Farhad, Grounding is an interesting subject. While manufacturers are required to have their components built to specifications which allow for grounding, grounding itself in not necessary with every component. The one component in your system which SHOULD be grounded is the preamp. Every component connects directly to the preamp via interconnect cables so...in essence, every component is truly grounded as long as one is. Make sense?

I have dedicated lines in my house with a dedicated ground for audio. The Mephisto sounds the same with and without the ground and I notice no additional hum or noise.