AudioMeca vs. AudioAero vs. Electrocompaniet

Gary - Piere Lurne' has (on limited supply) replacements for the DB9 - RS232 (computer cord) power cord which runs from the power supply to the transport. I have no idea if they are better or not because I have never used one. A friend of mine is currently trying to purchase one.

My concern with the digital cable is that I presume it could affect the sound & character of the combined units tremendously, depending upon which of the (several hundred available) digital cable you select. I'd guess that the character of a stand alone Mephisto II Player would be easier to predict.

Mephisto vs. Keops

I received an Audiomeca Keops today which I purchased to use while I save money for another Mephisto. I recently had to sell my Mephisto to pay taxes and even up on some outstanding purchases I made.

While I have only spent 30 minutes with the Keops I must say it is a very nice solution for people who seek a high grade CD player in the $1200 --> $1500 (used) price range.

Upon receipt, I took the player to a friends house - who has a Mephisto II - to compare. While much of the "family sound" of the Mephisto is a component of the Keops, I feel it lacks the scale and dimension of the Mephisto. The Mephisto does a much better job of weaving the sonic fabric without leaving holes - whereas the Keops seems to leave a few places which need to be patched.... Can a good power cord or the right interconnects patch the holes completely? I do not know but experience tells me the right ones will certainly help to fine tune this great little player.

Compared to the finest CD players, the Mephisto is tops at layering the soundstage in a way that is more involving and realistic that it seems unfair to compare the Keops to the Mephisto in that category. Side by side & against the Mephisto, the Keops is certainly not a contender for the worlds greatest redbook CD player.

The Mephisto does an amazing job of extending/expanding the soundstage BETWEEN the speakers - adding depth and dimension, layers of texture, clearly defined images and the Keops doesn't quite close the gap - the space between the speakers is still full of lovely music but it's not thick, weighty or as dimensional.

Making the comparison a bit more fair -
The Keops does create a much more involving space when compared to the Sony DVP-9000ES. The texture and tonal qualities of the Keops are much more organic, real and touchable than those produced by the Sony. I don't know what DAC is used in the Keops but I was surprised to discover that it had detail equal to that of the Sony but without the edge.

This comparison was made between the Mephisto and Keops using NO aftermarket power cords on each and a run of Audio Note Kondo KSL interconnects - same goes for the Sony vs. Keops.

Not a bad 30 minutes. I look forward to listening more this evening.

Bryans comments on the keops are very thoughtful as always. It would not be surpising that audiomeca gear would tend to have a similar sound, manufacturers often tend towards this. I would certainly echo bryans comments about the soundstage of the mephisto. One point I might add is that it like any component is system dependent. I had a friend borrow my unit while I was away and he put it into an avant garde duo/joule system and thought it did not handle female vocals well. He is a huge music lover and I don't doubt his impressions. It may have been the lack of isolation - but this to me is one of my favorite sounds - and I thought the mephisto in my system excellent in this respect. Being canadian I have had a fair opportunity to listen to holly cole live and the mephisto in my system does a superb job of reproducing her voice. I have ordered the special power cable from m. lurne and will let people know of my impressions when I get it.

Gary

interesting comments Bwhite...i find the Keops very satisfying and i share all your impressions about the unit...my Keops ($1700 brand new in box) replaced the Meridian 506.20 and i'm quite happy with it...you're right when you mention adding a better power cord...i changed the stock cord and it made a big difference...the Keops is the most analog sounding player below $2k...it matches perfectly with my Innersound system...

Iasi - thanks. The Keops is very satisfying. I got to spend the evening with it last night and it is sounding quite good. Since the Keops is a temporary replacement for my Mephisto - I put it up for sale. Because hopefully by the time it sells, I will have enough cash to re-buy a Mephisto.

Given that my tastes for high end audio have become insatiable - I find that living without the Mephisto in my system had been very difficult. The Keops is a warm and friendly reminder of the more expensive player - and a glimpse of what lies ahead. As I expected, the Keops is the best companion I could ever hope for while I am without the much more expensive Mephisto.

It is a very good player.