WC,
No, after I bought my little Bryston 2.5B SST2, I tried the bigger 4B SST2, but it was inferior in clarity than mine. I didn't feel like trying the heavier upper models. Reviews suggested the heavier models had more euphonic sound, for which I didn't care to lay out money and likely be disappointed. Even though I could have returned them, I was beginning to wear out my welcome at those online retailers.
More important, you raise important points about whether you need to spend lots more money on better supporting components with the top notch Mephisto. Certainly, the expensive Nordost Odin/Valhalla loom would make more difference with the Mephisto than with a mediocre amp. That mediocre amp could be cheap or expensive. I may recall you said this with a Pass amp (or another brand) sounding good with any cabling. The fact is that a euphonic amp like Pass or Dag or Luxman will always sound that way whether you use Nordost, Cardas or cheap Kimber, Audioquest. Sure, there will be differences, but the euphonic quality will still be there. But the revealing Mephisto deserves to be supported with equally revealing cables, etc. My friend made interconnects with his secret twisting and soldering technique that was at least as good as the Nordost Frey 2 IC I have, so excellent performers are not necessarily expensive.
If you revisit the DCS direct, without an added preamp, after the Mephisto is fully developed, you may be surprised that this direct/pure route will deliver more detail/transparency than when adding the flavor of your chosen preamp. You may be breaking away from your flavorings, and moving to appreciate the pure sound of the Mephisto. Of course, this will save the big money of a fine preamp, as well as offer superior clarity and the like. A win win.
With high performance cars, more money buys more performance for the moving parts. At least I respect the car industry for engineering, although I disdain spending money for mere cosmetics that don't relate to aerodynamic performance. I disdain much of the high end audio industry, especially for products where cosmetics is a big part of the expense. However, it is possible to get top audio performance for modest money, whereas it is probably impossible to get top level car performance for modest money.
Even the Mephisto is much cheaper than the Relentless, which someone said underperforms the M. Who cares about the better looks of the Relentless, unless the owner wants to impress his fellow high class friends, instead of sitting down by himself and appreciating the music itself. By its nature, great music is an inner experience which transcends the social BS of impressing people with cosmetics. I would probably regard the Mephisto as a thing of inner beauty as I call it delightfully ugly.
No, after I bought my little Bryston 2.5B SST2, I tried the bigger 4B SST2, but it was inferior in clarity than mine. I didn't feel like trying the heavier upper models. Reviews suggested the heavier models had more euphonic sound, for which I didn't care to lay out money and likely be disappointed. Even though I could have returned them, I was beginning to wear out my welcome at those online retailers.
More important, you raise important points about whether you need to spend lots more money on better supporting components with the top notch Mephisto. Certainly, the expensive Nordost Odin/Valhalla loom would make more difference with the Mephisto than with a mediocre amp. That mediocre amp could be cheap or expensive. I may recall you said this with a Pass amp (or another brand) sounding good with any cabling. The fact is that a euphonic amp like Pass or Dag or Luxman will always sound that way whether you use Nordost, Cardas or cheap Kimber, Audioquest. Sure, there will be differences, but the euphonic quality will still be there. But the revealing Mephisto deserves to be supported with equally revealing cables, etc. My friend made interconnects with his secret twisting and soldering technique that was at least as good as the Nordost Frey 2 IC I have, so excellent performers are not necessarily expensive.
If you revisit the DCS direct, without an added preamp, after the Mephisto is fully developed, you may be surprised that this direct/pure route will deliver more detail/transparency than when adding the flavor of your chosen preamp. You may be breaking away from your flavorings, and moving to appreciate the pure sound of the Mephisto. Of course, this will save the big money of a fine preamp, as well as offer superior clarity and the like. A win win.
With high performance cars, more money buys more performance for the moving parts. At least I respect the car industry for engineering, although I disdain spending money for mere cosmetics that don't relate to aerodynamic performance. I disdain much of the high end audio industry, especially for products where cosmetics is a big part of the expense. However, it is possible to get top audio performance for modest money, whereas it is probably impossible to get top level car performance for modest money.
Even the Mephisto is much cheaper than the Relentless, which someone said underperforms the M. Who cares about the better looks of the Relentless, unless the owner wants to impress his fellow high class friends, instead of sitting down by himself and appreciating the music itself. By its nature, great music is an inner experience which transcends the social BS of impressing people with cosmetics. I would probably regard the Mephisto as a thing of inner beauty as I call it delightfully ugly.