AudioMeca vs. AudioAero vs. Electrocompaniet

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?.

Bwhite you have made some nice comments about the three players, and believe me no one has put the words better than you to describe the players with every single detail.
But, I have one thing in mind which is very important to me. I love musical, hologram, involving, life like and analog sounding presentaion. From what you mentioned I have the feeling that the Mephisto will suit my taste. But, I'm also a person who can not live without bass, I'm talking about natural extended deep bass not overblown boomy kind of bass. I hope you know what I mean. Since, you have been very helpful with your comments, from what I have understood is that the Mephisto lacks the ability for producing punchy bass that delivers straight to the heart not the mind. Could you please verify this matter, thank you..

Farhad, the Mephisto doesn't exactly "lack" bass - it's output does seems softer than the Audio Aero when using similar interconnects and power cords.

Changing the interconnects around produces more or less bass perceived bass on each of these units.

For instance, I found for both of these players, I liked to use Audio Note Kondo KSL between the CD and Preamp. For the Mephisto, I liked a pair of NBS Statement between the preamp and amp... This gave fantastic dynamics - superior detail and created a certain silence between notes. Strong and accurate bass.

Using the same interconnects on the Audio Aero gave me too much resolution - it was less comfortable to listen to. And seemed a bit "harsh" - Acoustic bass was bigger sounding but not quite accurate. So I swapped out the NBS Statement for a Stealth PGS. The PGS smoothed out some of the detail and added a softer quality to the music, taking some of the edge off - bass was diminished ever so slightly by seeming a bit less overpowering and so were the overall dynamics. As a result the soundstage tightened and became more focused. I felt that the PGS was a better match for the Audio Aero than the NBS was. But may not be the perfect IC for this combo. It would take more time to decide.

So far, I am totally undecided whether or not a CD player is the upgrade to make if you seek increased bass. While we all want all the frequencies I have found that most every high end CD player out there will help a system to produce its optimal level of bass only when the right associated interconnects and power cords are used.

Neglecting that will result in limited performance of your CD player - regardless of which one you choose.

As audiophiles we want it all - we want WEIGHT in our music and Transparency... We want Macrodynamics and Microdynamics... we want speed we want pace and timing, we want inner-detail and outer extension. It is very difficult to get everything - which makes this hobby such a challenge. Live music is capable of producing everything but very few high end systems are.

This is why tweaking with the right interconnects and powercords is mandatory at this level of audio-perfection. It takes time and patience but ultimately pays off in results.

Does this make sense?

Maybe I can explain more... If the Mephisto were to be connected to a Krell preamp and Krell amplifier, I doubt anyone would complain about bass output. The Krell's would do their share of compensation.

If we connect the Audio Aero to the same Krell's... the bass output might be more extended.

But... is it realistic? Doubtful.

Now remove the Krells and insert a Conrad Johnson Preamp and a low wattage Jadis amplifier. You will loose bass extension... In this case, the Mephisto would be too soft in the bass but so would the Audio Aero - even though it would be a bit better than the Mephisto.

Is this realistic? Doubtful.

The key to sonic perfection is more about system synergy - the sum of the whole - than any single component by itself. If we look at a system composed entirely of the highest rated components, it could very easily be "over the top" and quite unlistenable - just as easily as it could be simply not enough.

Without knowing your system I can only presume that you are concerned that if you should happen to buy a Mephisto the bass would simply vanish or not be enough to satisfy your tastes. This is not necessarily true. If your system is well matched (amp has enough power to drive your speakers - and a REALLY GOOD preamp) you will have good bass. IF your system is not well matched or perhaps you have a situation where the amp can barely drive the speakers, then the Mephisto will not add any bass - it won't remove bass either.

Does this make sense???

Because of this thread, I've learned more about these three great players than in any magazine or online review I've ever read. Good job AudiogoNers!