AudioMeca vs. AudioAero vs. Electrocompaniet

Snook? Are you saying that you are using the $18,000 (hifi farm sells for 11,250) CD Transformer?? Or did you put the lower end version in your system?

Okay... Guess I'll chime in here. I've owned all three. And they are all fantastic players whichever player you ultimately choose, you cannot go wrong.

The Electrocompaniet is similar to the Audio Aero and the Audio Aero is similar to the Mephisto but the Electrocompaniet and Mephisto are quite different. Does that make sense?

With the EMC-1, I felt a rush of energy and vibrance in my system that I had never experienced before. There were details in the music that I'd never heard - sometimes I'd wonder if the details I was hearing were even on the CD!! But ultimately the EMC-1 sounds a bit more electronic than the next two players. Of the three players, the EMC-1 is the least emotional and hence doesn't have the passion of the AA or AM. This is not to say it has no emotion - it just has a bit less than the other players. The EMC-1 has a bigger soundstage than the others.

The Audio Aero sounds similar to the EMC-1 in that it has comparable dynamics and punch but sounds a bit less electronic or mechanical and a wee bit more seductive. None of the detail is missing it just presents itself differently. The sound stage presented by the AA wasn't quite as big as the EMC-1. The AA makes things a little more intimate and defines the players in a more realistic way.

The Audiomeca Mephisto takes the seduction presented by the Audio Aero to another level but in doing this seems to loose some of the dynamics and punch. The Mephisto takes an additional step toward sounding less electronic. The Mephisto has an incomparable delicacy and 3D sound stage.

The three players all have their issues too...

On the EMC-1, sometimes the buttons on the face plate will stick when you manually flip through the tracks by depressing the button. In order to fix, you will have to remove the faceplate.

On the Audio Aero, sometimes it forgets if its door is closed or open. The unit actually sounds better with the door open but when you put in a new CD, you will have to close the door and then re-open to get it to initialize.

The Mephisto II can be slower to track and initialize a disk than the other players. Also, it produces a high pitched digital noise which can be heard through some systems - but only when there is no volume. Once the volume is turned up, the noise goes away... weird! The noise is usually filtered out at the preamp on most systems. There is a fix however - but requires a new board.

Ultimately I cannot recommend one of these players above the other. It is more about your listening preference than anything else. They're all great. Some people listen at different levels than others and the level you listen at will dictate your preference.

To me, there is a difference between violinists. Some have soul and emotion...others do not. CD players are the same way.

Oh.. yes.. By the way.. I had to sell my Mephiso. :( I am not happy about it but taxes came due and I had just purchased a pair of LAMM M1.1's at the time - so I needed cash. Unfortunately I did not find the digital answer or break the tie.

I have however purchased an Audiomeca Keops to keep me going until I can afford a new player. I am wondering how it compares to the other players... as it costs a lot less.

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

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.

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?.

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???

Hi Farhad - When I first purchased the Mephisto, I had an Elecrocompaniet EC4.5 preamp which has a "balanced/unbalanced" switch. The switch allowed a user to go between the two inputs on the preamp very easily. At that time, I was moving to a new preamp made by Supratek which doesn't have balanced inputs. I was concerned because all my previous systems were balanced only. I didn't like or trust RCA - single ended cables. Whether it be because the XLRs fit better, looked cooler or were just different, I don't know, I just always used balanced.

To make the comparison, I installed two runs of Nordost Quattro Fil. One was balanced and the other was single ended. To make a long story short, I heard no difference in sonic character between the two interconnects. Using balanced cables produces a 6db increase in gain but...that was really all the difference I could hear.

Balanced cables are VERY good for LONG runs as they have better rejection of RFI but I don't think they sound better or worse as a general rule of thumb.

RCA cables are annoying. They either fit too tight or don't fit tight enough. XLR's are very convenient. In all honesty, I would prefer to use XLR simply because it connects better but I wouldn't expect it to make my system sound better unless I had a cable run that was longer than 3 or 4 meters (which I do not).

Now that I use all RCA cables, I can honestly say it that to me, the performance of RCA is just as good as balanced.

Top Ten Players? This is tough because my system changed so much between listenings that it's hard to say what the exact order should be.

Clearly the three best players are listed below - but under that the order is a little more jumbled based entirely on my system at the time of auditioning. For many of those players listed, I didn't spend the COUNTLESS hours testing interconnects and power cords to tune/tweak to my tastes.

- Lin CD12

- Audio Aero Capitole & Audio Meca Mephisto (tie)

!-- This is where the order starts to get a bit funky ---!

- Accuphase DP75v
- Wadia 860 and 861
- Electrocompaniet EMC-1 Mk II
- Marantz SA-1
- Cary 306/200
- Electrocompaniet EMC-1 Mk I
- Meridian 508.24
- Resolution Audio CD55

Fahad74, For the characteristics you speak of - the NBS Statement power cord is the best I have listened to. If you really want the HiFi Nirvana - the NBS Statement plugged into a Shunyata Hydra should do the trick. This will ad a degree of musicality that the NBS lacks (to some extent) and Shunyata is so good at.

I wouldn't use the Shunyata Hydra on any other component however - just the digital

Gajgmusic I agree with you about isolation and its importance however I am curious why you would buy a Mephisto II CD player AND a Enkianthus DAC. The Mephisto II and the Enkianthus share the same DAC.

Ah.... you're right! Gajgmusic - I am curious to know why you choose that solution over the stand alone player? I have talked to people before who were sold the Transport/DAC solution vs. the stand alone player. I wonder what the advantages (if any) there is to such a setup - especially since it is more expensive.

Honestly I am not sure how great the Mephisto is as a stand alone transport. While the combo of the Mephisto/Enkianthus should be at least equal to the Mephisto player - with the addition of a digital cable that could make a significant alteration to character - good or bad - I have always believed that its strengths were a direct result, more or less of the internal DAC. This could potentially lead to a more indepth conversation... couldn't it?

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.

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.

Farhad - I really like Electraglide power cords. My favorite place for them however is on amplifiers. The manufacturer doesn't recommend them on CD players unless its the P/T Glide. The FatMan K 2000 is amazing! And for solid state lovers, the Original Fat Boy (first version with three tubes inside the mesh & copper plug) is fantastic! Of course with all power cords, you should do what sounds good to you.

Hi Snook - I have only read about the "CD Transformers" I have no idea what's inside those things or what they're doing to the signal. Folks who have used them seem to really like how they "transform" digital components into something more enjoyable.

What's odd to me is they do it in the analog realm.

How much better does it make the sound?

Gerryn - I preferred the Mephisto to the old Capitole and the appearance of the new Capitole doesn't excite me - neither does the price tag!! Yikes!

Actually I saw a new Capitole (MkII) being sold on Audiogon today for 5500.

I am not terribly familiar with the Classe' CP-60 preamp. So take my suggestion with a grain of salt... kay? In a case where I had a solid state preamp, I would run the Capitole directly to the amplifier.

With the Capitole, you are speaking about one of the finest CD players in the world. So when you go to connect it to a preamp, you must also ask yourself, "Is this preamp one of the finest in the world?" If not, I would be affraid of using the pre simply because it could strip away some of the Capitole magic. Of course you have to try it both ways to see which you prefer. Less magic may be a good thing! :)

Make sense?

I have a VERY resolving preamp and in my system, the Capitole sounded better with it vs. its own volume control.

WOW... I put the Keops on a Shunyata Hydra today along with a Shunyata King Cobra power cord. The Keops really blossomed into a much better sounding unit. Like the Mephisto, the soundstage is now thicker BETWEEN the speakers. Layering and depth is there and the sound took on a much more involving character. I am quite impressed with this player.

I retrospect, I feel as if yesterday and the day before I had been listening to the surface of the music. Just hearing the notes - music without emotion. Much the same as any normal "good" CD player - but with the power conditioner and cord on the Keops, it brings me into the music much deeper than before. It takes on a character that is entirely different than normal $3000 players, sheds a great deal of the brightness and begins to sound more grown up and confident.

Of course these are expensive upgrades but they force me to entertain the thought of just how effective a few modifications to a unit like the Keops might be. For instance if someone can modify a Sony DVD player to sound good, the Keops or even the Prima could sound remarkable in the right hands - for a minimal investment. Very interesting thought.

Farhad, Grounding is an interesting subject. While manufacturers are required to have their components built to specifications which allow for grounding, grounding itself in not necessary with every component. The one component in your system which SHOULD be grounded is the preamp. Every component connects directly to the preamp via interconnect cables so...in essence, every component is truly grounded as long as one is. Make sense?

I have dedicated lines in my house with a dedicated ground for audio. The Mephisto sounds the same with and without the ground and I notice no additional hum or noise.

Farhad - I understand. But most people who look at a CD player which sells used for around $4,000 wouldn't think twice about using the stock power cord on the unit. NBS Statement power cords sell for around 500.

In my system, I used the Mephisto for a LONG time without an aftermarket power cord. In some ways, stock power cords are pretty decent in the sense that they do not color the sound. Of course aftermarket designs are very good at adding dynamics and various "effects" but the true test of a component is how it performs without the effects. While I have never heard any digital component sound better with a stock cord vs. a carefully selected aftermarket design - I must say the Mephisto is the least likely of ALL PLAYERS MENTIONED ABOVE to react harshly to a stock power cord. For example, the Electrocompaniet EMC-1 sounds lousy (to me) without an aftermarket power cord and can produce too much digital hash and noise which some perceive as "detail" until its gone. The Mephisto seems to produce the least hash and digital artifact of all the players I've ever tested and is by far the easiest to listen to.

Does this answer your question?

The Accuphase is an effortless player - it is quieter than the Mephisto between tracks - dead quiet - but then again, so is my 100 Toshiba DVD player (not as quiet as the Accuphase however). Noticing that the Mephisto isn't quiet between tracks leads me to wonder why. I have no idea. As quiet as it is, it is very fast and produces a big, forward sound and dynamic swings making the Mephiso seem slow and relaxed. As The Accuphase moves through a dynamic sweep, it layers the soundstage well and can peak with sweet highs that kiss the air in the room tenderly and then evapoate into nothingness. Not bright and not etched. This was my favorite part of the Accuphase performance. I'm not sure if I described it well or not. But... I often felt that with the Accuphase, the midrange sounded a little off - maybe sterile or electronic but not metalic.. I don't know... just not organic... which lead me to think that when the highs were reached in a complex passage that the Accuphase would go over the top and produce a bright sound -this never happened and always amazed with its tender attention to my ears. Make sense?

As great as the Accuphase is, I doubt that anyone would ever mistake it for an analog turntable. In the right context, a Mephisto could be.

Farhad, my goal with digital was for it to sound more like music. Real music. Good analog recordings on good equipment produce the finest sound I have heard. The Mephisto is simply the MOST analog like CD player of the bunch. The Accuphase is spectacular and I put it just slightly behind the Audio Aero and the Mephisto in a line-up of which player is best. Whenever you get to this level of componentry most of the equipment that occupies the top shelf is spectacular. Various system configurations, interconnects and the like can quite easily make or break a good player at these levels. Therefore it simply becomes more an issue of personal preference and the occasional perceived difference that dictate which is better.

Why I chose the Mephisto over the Accuphase was simply the fact that it produced a more life like sound un my system - it wasn't "in your face" like some of the other players and it wasn't greater than life either - like some of the other players.

For example, some people like to buy CD players because they have "more bass". Well... one must ask his/her self if that extra bass puts the music over the top. Is it still realistic? There are people who like exaggerated bass and there are people who have systems which need the emphasis.

My goal was to produce a system which was neither too much or too little of anything - just the right amount. I don't want a soundstage bigger than the performance and I don't want blurry players. I want the real deal. With my system, I must say the Mephisto comes the closest to producing the realistic performance of any CD player I have heard, however I have spent countless hours and a few bucks tweaking my system's interconnects, and power cords to accomodate the short falls of my system (including the Mephisto) to acheive what I think might be close - it's not really possible but... it is fun trying.

I guess I would say that which CD player is best all depends on you. In some system contexts, I presume a 2nd tier CD player could completely wipe out any of my favorites if it was paired with the right interconnects and power cords. System synergy has more to do with the results you acheive than the individual component. It takes time and energy to produce a system with good synergy and of course it helps to start off with a component we identify as being "the best".

Hey Thanks Tweekerman!! Guess what?? Well, I sold my Audiomeca Keops. I thought it would take a long time to sell but - as it turns out it didn't. The person who purchased it is certainly enjoying a fantastic player.

Anyhow, what I wanted to tell you all is that I am now using a Sony Playstation 2 as my CD player!! Oh.. Man!!

When is Pay Day??

Heads up to those of you looking at the "lower end" Audio Aero, Audiomeca, Electrocompaniet and other CD players...

Just yesterday I received my second interim CD player (temporary - as I attempt to save up for another Mephisto). I purchased a Sony XA777ES from OADE Brothers for $2,000.

Right out of the box, the Sony really surprised me in that it has a very pleasing signature. I expected it to have the typical dry, detailed, bright and mechanical presentation so many other mass market CD players have but - this one does not. It has a softer sound but at the same time is extended and detailed - interesting character. This character is comperable to the Mephisto in many ways and actually, the Sony sounds more like the Mephisto than the Keops does. The Sony's dynamics are greater than the Mephisto and slightly less than the Audio Aero Capitole. The Sony has an ease about it that is feels very accurate in terms of pace - but is slower than you would expect from mass market gear.

I put the 1 hour old Sony in a test A/B with a friends Mephisto. The Mephisto has a magical quality that is clearly better than the Sony but - I tell you, Sony did an amazing job with this XA777ES player - it is right up there with some of the top players and a real contender.

I doubt that simple break in of the Sony would make it 100% at the Mephisto level but given that there are numerous modifications (including a tube output) for the Sony available it makes me wonder if the Sony has the potential of becomming the better player. A characteristic of the Mephisto I find enjoyable is its "relaxing" feeling - soothing and delicious to listen to. The Sony is not soothing compared to the Mephisto - but if the modifications plus a little break in, power cords, etc. are available then the Sony could very easily slide right in there at the top of the list.

Yep.. I read Lorne's review. It is very good. I don't know however if Lorne got to hear his XA777ES with/without the mods. He had Richard Kern of Audiomods perform the modifications

I emailed Dan Wright of Modwright regarding the effects of his mods which range in price from $600 --> $2600. This is what Dan told me I could expect from a modified unit vs. a non-modified unit.

The parts upgrade will lower the noise floor, improve detail and bass response.

The Superclock will greatly improve dynamics and resolution. It simply makes the music sound more live.

The Bybee filters provide similar improvements to the parts upgrade, but take things much further in terms of a dark background and improving air and spaciousness.

The tubed output stage simply sets the unit apart from
other players. It replaces the final op-amp based output stage with an elegant tubed output stage built with 1% precision metal film resistors and Auricap coupling caps. The tube power supply is completely outboard, with DC heaters, a custom Electraprint transformer, hand-made to our specifications. It adds a 3-dimensional quality to the sound, with incredible frequency range, allowing for a touch of tube warmth accompanied with airy highs and no lack of resolution or detail.

The unit with all upgrades was found to perform on the same level as the $6k-$7k Audio Aero Capital 192K upsampling CD player on regular CD's. On SACD, it completely bettered the Audio Aero in every way.

I just read Lorne's Review and it appears that he did get a chance to listen to his XA777ES before and after the mods. While I have only spent a few hours with the Sony XA777ES, I would have to agree with his thoughts on the pre-modification character of this unit. My interconnects are Audio Note Kondo KSL (new AN-Vz replacement) and NBS Statement so the unit would not be quite as "warm" or rolled off in my system as in his system with Cardas and Stealth PGS - but I do know what he means.

Hi Sutts - with the AA Capitole.

Number one source cable (in popularity) right now is the Dave Elrod's EPS-2. I haven't been able to get my hands on one yet but from what I have read about these, they are outstanding. You might ask around - do a post on the subject & look for comparisons. You've got a great CDP and it deserves a great power cord.

Otherwise, you might try the Shunyata King Cobra V2 if you are using tube amps/preamp. Try the V1 if you're using solid state.

NBS Statement will certainly liven up the place. Its also a fantastic sounding power cord - but polar opposite of the Shunyata.