I had the Audiomeca Enkianthus which is the top-of-the-line outboard DAC which corresponds and is identical to their top-of-the-line Mephisto II CD player. I found this DAC to be, at the same time, both smooth and extremely detailed, a rare combination. The extreme highs were extremely extended. It is also exceptionally airy. Midrange was quite liquid. However, it had neither the dynamics nor the bass weight nor the bass extension that I was looking for. I have heard that the Audio Aero could be quite similar. Although everyone raves about its analog qualities, a dealer told me its bass is nearly non-existent. For my taste, no matter how analog it sounds, I am not willing to sacrifice bass weight, bass extension or outstanding dynamics. I heard the top-of-the line YBA player last may at the New York High Fi Show and that had good bass weight, extension and dynamics and, IMO, is worth an audition. My audition was too brief for me to represent it as one of the best players overall, but I didn't hear anything missing. It is not a soft, delicate sound like the Audiomeca or the reputed sound of the Audio Aero.
A friend of mine uses a Micromega T-Drive with a Forte (Model 50?) DAC in his Audible Illusions 3, Pass Aleph 4, Vandersteen 3 system. That transport/DAC combination is outstanding in every way. It has dynamics, bass extension, detail and extended treble. It is not the smooth upsampled sound which seems to have taken hold today, but it doesn't give up anything to those players, IMO.
Among the current French players, I would give special attention to the top-of-the-line YBA before jumping on the Audio Aero bandwagon.
