AudioMeca vs. AudioAero vs. Electrocompaniet

Hi Fahad, I still do swear by the Mephisto. Not only is it a fantastic SOUNDING player, it is also a beautiful piece of art to display in your home.

I had to sell because of taxes. Plus I spent a few dollars on a pair of LAMM monoblocks at about that time. Something had to go - and I decided to sell the Mephisto in the hopes that I could buy another down the road some day. I figured I could get by with my Sony DVP-9000ES for a while.

Upon removing the Mephisto from my system and connecting the Sony DVP-9000ES I didn't immediately notice a difference. But when I sat down and listened - there was something missing. The involvement was GONE! I tried to sit and experience the music like I had in the past and it was impossible. no emotion, no feeling.. just cold notes being thrown at me by the system that moved me only days before.

So... I decided to try the Keops in a hopes that at least the same family character, feeling and emotion remains in this less expensive unit. It should be at my place on Sunday - I will give a brief review once I've listened for a while.

The down side of the Mephisto is the faint "high pitched digital noise" that it can make if you shut off the power supply frequently. The noise usually goes away in most systems after two hours (up to a day in some cases). The best solution for this and what works for most people is to just leave the Mephisto on all the time. Shutting off the unit discharges something and the faint high pitch sound comes back for a while. This sound is usually filtered out at the preamp but it was audible in my system only with the volume control turned ALL THE WAY DOWN. When I turned the volume up just a hair, the sound went away. Strange!

Piere Lurne' is aware of the problem and has a fix for this. It is a new board which can be installed by Audiomeca or the distributor.

Over time, a Mephisto can track slower. Piere recommends cleaning the lens to resolve this problem.

The DB9 Power cord which carries unrectified DC current from the power supply to the CD Player (where it is rectified) is lame looking - cheap and similar to the monitor cable on your computer. Piere does have a few aftermarket DB9 cables and I think plans to introduce a better cable soon. I tried everything I could find that would fit and nothing seemed to sound better or worse.

The Mephisto can sound "lazy" to some people who are more accustomed to CD players which emphasize the top and bottom vs. everything in between. The Mephisto on its own picks out everything in the middle and makes it sound spectacular.
It is interesting but as a result of this, you will find enjoyment in listening at much lower volume levels than usual because at these levels the dynamics aren't possible anyway - and the Mephisto will deliver more inner detail than you've ever heard.

Now... this is important!! The Mephisto can be dramatically altered with the right power cord. If you like ADDED DYNAMICS, try an NBS Statement power cord. It will make the Mephisto sound much more like the Electrocompaniet or AudioAero units in the dynamics department without loosing its inner delicacy or sounding electronic. Amazing.

If you like a more polite sound. Try a Shunyata King Cobra V1. It will add a bit of color which further emphasizes the analogesque qualities of the Mephisto. Soothing - deep and involving!

Hope this helps

bwhite: i read with interest your statement that "Upon removing the Mephisto from my system and connecting the Sony DVP-9000ES I didn't immediately notice a difference." given the mephisto's first tier credentials (and price), i would expect the differences between that player and the 9000 to be immediately apparent on redbook cds. further, the typical reviews of the mephisto praise its delicacy and inner-detail, in contrast to the typically opposite complaints about the sony, which point to its dry digital sound (i own one too btw). shouldn't these players should be night and day?

my faith in the digital high-end is at stake here so please elaborate on your comments. :)

S2K_dude - When I stated, "Upon removing the Mephisto from my system and connecting the Sony DVP-9000ES I didn't immediately notice a difference." Was based on the fact that I was standing in the front of my room, between the speakers. It didn't take any longer than walking away from my rack to the sofa to realize that I needed to buy another Mephisto.

Mr.Bwhite should have a review page here on audiogon. Very open clear and honest opinions. Very unlike the "professional" reviewers. They are just like restaurant crictics they HAVE TO SAY mostly good to keep their jobs. Bwhite brings us a better understanding of these legendary digital units that most of us have not heard much less will ever own. But if I had the bucks its from Bwhites comparison review of three excellent products that i would make the best choice for me.

Thanks Tweekerman that was very nice of you! I just try to call it like I hear it. The thread got a little side tracked with all the high(er) end discussion and I apologize for that.

I will provide a "review" on this tread of the Keops when I get it. My friend has a Mephisto so I'll compare the Keops to it.

I know in your post you asked for a CDP with good bottom end extension. But have you tried an aftermarket power cord on your Orchestra? if so, which one? Also - what interconnects and speaker cables are you using? And of course, what speakers?.