Elrod Statement Gold PC compared to old Statement


I wholeheartedly agree with comments made on Audiogon that bestow many superlatives on the new Elrod Statement Gold PCs. I love how they transformed and elevated my system. They are phenomenal.

I have auditioned 2 Golds for the past 5 weeks and would like to share my observations based on an extensive comparison between fully burnt-in Statement Golds and the regular (old) Elrod Statement power cords.

All comparisons were done in my current primary system consisting of Maxx2, Boulder 2060 amp, APL Hi-Fi NWO-3.0SE CD player connected directly to the amp, Pure Power 2000 AC re-generator, Kubala-Sosna Elation interconnects and speaker cables, all Elrod Statement PCs, Critical Mass Systems Platinum* QXK and Grand Master platforms, dedicated AC lines, and dedicated Rives level 2 listening room which was featured (along with 2 other Rives rooms) in the October 2008 issue of Home Entertainment.

First, I must confess that I really liked the old Statement PCs. The more I added, the happier I became. There was a cumulative effect in the sonic enhancement. I ended up with 7 Statements in my previous primary system (Jadis JA80 driving Watt/Puppies, Conrad-Johnson Premier 350 driving the Wilson WHOW sub woofer, Sound Application RLS and Reference Linestage AC conditioners, Grand Master platforms, Kubala-Sosna Emotion ICs and SCs).

My current primary system requires only 3 power cords. As with my experience with the old Statements, there is a wonderful cumulative effect. Adding the second Gold to the system enhanced the sonics even more. I'll cut to the chase: I purchased the 2 Statement Gold PCs that I was auditioning and ordered a third one to complete my PC upgrade. This was a no-brainer!

The improvements over the old Statements are huge!! The Golds outperformed them in every parameter that came to mind: The bass is tighter, more controlled, more impactful and better defined. The highs are more open, cleaner, purer, and more sparkling. The decays are stronger, perceptibly longer, and are more transparent. There is greater resolution with more nuance and delicacy. Better macro and micro dynamics. Transients are faster and cleaner, with better defined peaks....more real. Images are more focused, more solid and stable. Separation between instruments is improved, the space between instruments is much cleaner/quieter, and there is more dynamic interaction between instruments. The clarity and transparency in the depth dimension of the sound stage creates a greater 3-D effect. More importantly, there is a greater organic wholeness to the sonic presentation that integrates the instruments into a coherent whole and reproduces the space of the recording venue. Overall, the presentation is smoother, more relaxed, natural, more real and involving.

Congratulations to David Elrod, the man behind this remarkable advancement in power cord design. A true gentleman and a creative and effective designer in high-end audio.

In all these tests, everything except the power cords remained the same. So, how can a power cord, which does not carry the audio signal, affect the resolution of so many sonic qualities in such a profound way? Among other things, the Gold PC lowers the noise floor level significantly....even lower than the already low noise floor in the old Statement. That allows the resolving capacity inherent in the CD player, amp, speakers, and signal carrying cables to be uncovered and perceived more easily. This is not unlike with video signals where the reduction of "snow" and other video noise can improve a whole range of visual parameters.

This outstanding low noise floor for the Statement Gold was evident throughout my audition. Initially, I compared the Gold with the Old on one component at a time. To minimize unsuspecting variables that may result from cable changes, I used the A/B/A testing pattern: I started with 3 Olds in the system, observed the sonic changes when the amp PC was changed to a Gold, then confirmed my observations by going back to 3 Olds. I repeated this process for the CD player and the AC re-generator. In each of these sessions, the more expensive Gold outperformed the old Statement. In my system, to my ears/brain/heart, it was not even close. At more than twice the cost, that should be expected. However, at its price point, the old Statement is a superb PC.

To test the cumulative effect, I also auditioned the Golds on 2 components at a time: CD/amp, CD/re-generator, amp/re-generator. I wanted to see/hear if the sonic benefit is worth the added cost. In my system, the resounding answer is Yes!

Additional details about my testing protocol: For short term tests, after each cable change the system was played for about 30 minutes (to re-stabilize it) before critical listening. When a test cable was removed from my primary system, it was installed in my second system (in another room) in order to keep it "warmed-up" for the next test. Finally, the results of my short term tests were verified by long term listening.

I used 15 CD test tracks....all well-recorded to minimize recording and mastering anomalies. I'll now convey the results with 6 of those tracks to flesh out a few of my comments about the Gold with greater sonic specificity and give a taste of its sonic bliss.

Take for example, the first 2 minutes of track #1 on the CD titled "Master of Chinese Percussion" (LIM K2HD 033). When the drum is struck, I feel the powerful impact of the waveform hitting my chest; and I hear the mallet contact the drum membrane, the response of the membrane, the resulting musical waveform, the resonance of the drum's body, and the changes in the tautness of the membrane depending on how close to its boundary the drum was struck. All are distinct events, unfolding sequentially in real time...in a split second!....Startling realism in the time domain. With lessor PCs, these elements may not be so easily or clearly distinguished; and possibly be merged into one homogeneous "boom".

Listen to the high frequency notes on the first 2 minutes of track #11 on Fim Super Sound II (FIM XR24 067). With the Golds in the system, each and every one of these strikes on the triangles and xylophones is crystal clear with fast and cleanly defined transients. The decays are so transparent that you can hear the interaction between the decays of different notes as they create a symphony with their ethereal harmonic textures....Sublime realism in the frequency domain. With lessor PCs, some of those strikes are smeared enough to make you wince or cringe; and some of those decays may be weak and smeared enough to obscure that exquisite symphony.

The 3 orchestral test tracks I rely on the most are track #1 on each of the following 3 CDs: Holt's The Planets/ Zubin Mehta (JVCXR 0228-2), "This is K2 HD Sound" (FIM K2 HD 078), Fim Super Sound (FIM XR24 066). With the Golds, orchestral presentation is reproduced with exemplary resolution, focus, clarity, separation of instruments, and coherence to die for. Instruments float.....liberated in space. You feel the action of the air they propel. You experience the sonic waveform from even the "minor" instruments at the back of the sound stage. You not only hear the air around the instruments but also the air around the entire orchestra....One organic whole....pulsating with life. Yes....There is a sonic Nirvana!
puremusic
Very nice review! Was there any marginal difference between the components benefits from the Golds, i.e. did the CD benefit more or did the amp benefit more etc. or was there no dicernible differences? Also have you tried the gear without the re-generator?
Perrew, The Elrod Statement Gold made a significant across the board difference in each component and even a bigger difference when 2 Golds were used. That is why I'm going with an all Gold system.

In my system, there were some differences between components. Bass impact and definition were enhanced more when the Gold was on the Boulder amp than when it was on the other 2 components. Transient speed was improved more with the Gold on the Pure Power 2000 re-generator. And the combination of the Gold on the amp and the re-generator was dynamite; the combination improved dynamics further and brought more life to the system than when the Gold was on only one of these components. But such variations are probably system dependent.

Yes, I did compare the sonics between going directly to the wall and going through the re-generator. No comparison. Pure Power wins hands down. Read Brent Rainwater's comments about Pure Power on their website. I know he is a dealer (rainwateraudio.com) for Pure Power and I normally ignore such a high endorsement; but I found his comments to be right on.

Best Regards,
John
Nice write-up. Sounds like my experiences with the Elrod Silver Statemenet power cord though probably to a slightly lesser degree. Plus I am only using one cord to the amp.
Great write-up here. When I read about your APL player and the Pure Power device, I thought you were another A'gon member that I have had much correspondence. I own an APL 3910 player with all the bells and whistles and discovered some magic last year with tube changes here. And I passed this info onto two APL 3.0 owners. Alex was weary of these tubes but later notified them that it was ok. And then I discovered another tube that was even more incredible. And the one 3.0 owner just loved this too. If you're interested, send me a note offline and I can share some of this with you. A pair of $50 tubes here might approach what you just achieved with these new power cords.
John
Bostonbean, I only heard the Gold and the old Statement, not the Silver. Have you compared the Silver with the Gold or the old version? The only person (besides the designer/manufacturer) that I know who has compared all three versions is Brent. He says the Silver is a big step up from the old Statement, and the Gold is a big step up from the Silver. That indirectly supports my conclusion that the Statement Gold is a HUGE improvement over the old Statement. Others have used more colorful language than mine. One Audiogon member, on another thread, said he was "totally blown away" with the Gold (relative to his previous PC).

Enjoy,
John
Thank for your answer, I must commend you for the extensive testing with all the different combinations. Have I understood correctly that you have the NWO connected to the Pure Power as well? I had the old Statement but was not so happy with them, my impression was that the smoothed the sound a bit much for my taste, is this something you feel is better with the new ones?
Perrew, Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, the NWO is connected to the Pure Power. I tested both the amp, and the CD player. Each, by a long shot, was best when connected to the Pure Power.

In my system, the old Statement did not smooth over the sound. Quite the opposite, it was resolving enough to produce harmonic richness in the frequency domain and liquidity and speed in the time domain. It achieved the desirable kind of smoothness by resolving the details instead of homogenizing them. But the Gold takes that to a much higher level as you can see from my descriptions in the review.

Enjoy,
John
No I have not compared the Elrod Silver Statement to any other Elrod pc's. The Elrod Silver Statement pc to my Spectron MKII amp to my Elrod Silver Signature speaker cables seems to produce excellent synergy. I will probably get the Gold pc cables for my upstream equipment if I decide to do any further power cord upgrades.

A lot of discussion is rightfully dedicated to David Elrod's excellent power cables but let me tell you, his speaker cables will also blow you away.
I must commend you for the extensive testing with all the different combinations.
Testing all those combinations was very useful for making an informed buying decision. Since I have been happy with the old Statements, I wanted to know if the improvement was significant enough to do the upgrade. And, given the high cost of the Golds, can I get away with only one. I was so stunned with the big improvement brought about by the second Gold, it was game over for me. Also, because the 2 Golds were great on every combination of 2 components, I concluded that a 3rd Gold will advance my system another step or two. That decision was made easier by my experience of the cumulative effect with the old Statements.
Hi Puremusic,I changed out all my power cords to gold statements (7 of them)and am about half way through the break-in process but I wholeheartly agree with your findings,these cords are absolute magic.
system
Avalon Isis
Cat jl3s sig
Cat legend
Walker black diamond
Koetsu coralstone
Transparent Opus
Robert
Well, I must join strapper211 and Puremusic in their praises. I have a couple of Gold Statement power cords, a Gold Signature speaker cable and mathing 2' jumpers and since two days ago, Gold Statement Interconnects.

In my power cord review (A-goN, Review section) I mentioned that I have had old EPS Statement and it cannot be compared with new one.I did not give any details because I felt is not needed (e.g. its like describe competition between top Buick and Ferrari - different classes).

Thank you
Simon
Robert (Strapper211), Once your 7 Golds break-in, I hope you'll give us your sonic observations in your highly resolving system. I'm looking forward to receiving my last Gold that will complete my PC upgrade.
Enjoy,
John
I would like to hear a bit more about the performance of the new Elrod Statement Silver power cord. Maybe some comparisons to other cords in its price range.
Hi John and fellow members,you think when 1 breaks in there is a change try 7 breaking in.These cords are getting deeper and wider and more powerful as time goes on,also they are so detailed and transparent and let you see far into the recording,much more than I thought was possible.Its never been so pleasurable listening to my system.I have to try his interconnects and speaker cables and see if they bring the same magic,Transparent opus vs Elrod gold,should be interesting.If I had to bet at this point I think The Elrods might be the new champ,but we will wait till I can get them both together.But for now the Gold power cords are the new champ in audio,that I am certain.
Robert
An Update: My system requires only 3 power cords. At the time of my review of the Elrod Statement Golds, I had only two Golds. I left them on the Boulder 2060 amplifier and the APL Hi-Fi NWO-3.0SE CD player, with the old Elrod Statement on the Pure Power 2000 re-generator. In the review, I noted that adding the second Gold made a significant sonic improvement over what one Gold offered. Recently, I received the third Gold which I installed on the re-generator. Since my system was already sounding fabulous, I was not expecting an additional major improvement. However....

When I sat down for a critical listen with just 45 minutes of burn-in time, I was stunned with amazement. Out-of-the-box, the third Gold made at least as big of an improvement as the first two Golds COMBINED. The third Gold further improved all the sonic parameters discussed in the review: better dynamics and greater realism; faster and cleaner transients; greater clarity and articulation; purer tone and better 3-D effect; better ambiance; etc.

What would account for such a huge enhancement? The first thought that came to mind was: The third Gold went on the re-generator which feeds both the amplifier and the CD player. Therefore, it improved both components at once. Whereas, the first 2 Golds each were linked to only one component. On second thought, I don't think that accounts for the entire improvement because of the results of the various combinations I tested during the review process. I had tried re-generator/Gold plus amplifier/Gold plus CD player/old Statement, as well as re-generator/Gold plus amplifier/old Statement plus CD player/Gold. To the best of my recollection, neither combination gave me anything near what I am getting now. Another factor that would help explain the huge addition by the third Gold could be better synergy between the three Golds. Perhaps, Robert (Strapper211) can comment on his experience of adding additional Golds to his system.
Hi Puremusic and fellow members,I started with 3 Golds and added 3 more and finally a 7th one because the effect of his cords are cumalative,you get more of what the first one did.As david explains it his cord works best when the gold feeds a gold through a conditioner,his cords have a tremendous synergy together.I learned that when I was using a vd geneis to the walker motor controller and a gold from the conrtoller to the motor,when I replaced the vd with a gold the change was staggering.My recommendation is if you start with 1 put it from the wall to your conditioner,if you have no conditioner wall to pre-amp,wall to cd,wall to turntable,wall to amps,wall to tuner,in that order.Amazing product.
Robert
".. Out-of-the-box, the third Gold made at least as big of an improvement as the first two Golds COMBINED"

In a few weeks I also will receive my 3d Gold Statement and I will report here my observation.

In general, I agree that the effect of David Elrod's power cord and speaker cables are cumulitive. However, his Gold Statement interconnect add somethat different quality to the sound - "analog", liquid... Brrrr...
Hi Strapper211 and Simontju, I've been dealing with a project deadline, so I'm a little late in responding to your posts. Thanks for sharing your experience with the cumulative effect of adding more Gold Statements. Strapper211, you mention the enhanced effect when a Gold feeds a Gold. I totally agree with you. During the review process, when I was testing the two Golds in different configurations, I also observed that when a Gold fed a Gold the sonics were muchly improved over the option when the 2 Golds were on the amp and CD player (and the old Statement was on the re-generator).
John
Hi,I just put a silver statement on my pioneer plasma and has the same effect as on audio,it makes the picture more colorful,detailed,3d and tubelike.Davids cords are just amazing.

Robert
Hi,did anybody compare a Silver Statement to Shunyata's new CX King Cobra or Anaconda.
I would love to try a Gold Statement but, unfortunely to much money.
REVIEW UPDATE: As noted before, out-of-the-box, the third Elrod Statement Gold power cord made a huge sonic improvement in my system. Now, after almost 400 hours of burn-in on the third Gold, I had another critical listening session, and the results are staggering. All the parameters I raved about in my review of the first two Golds have reached a new level of sonic excellence. There is now a phenomenal clarity, transparency and cleanliness that is evident in the rich and pure harmonic texture, in the life-like transients, delicate decays, natural sounding ambiance, crystal clear imaging, and a glorious frequency spectrum, especially the highs. My oh my....The airy highs take my breath away. An already silent background is now even more silent which resulted in an apparent increase of resolution of subtle details. The third Gold also enhanced the overall refinement and delicacy, realism and dynamics, naturalness and coherence. And the 3-D imaging is simply stunning. Congratulations to David Elrod for his superb creation!
After reading the comments above, talking to Simon at MCV Consulting along with input from David Elrod I have pulled the trigger and ordered 3 Gold Statment power cords. These cords will go to my BAT REX and BAT CD player. Currently I have the Elrod Silver Statement power cord to my Spectron MKII amp along with Elrod Silver Signature speaker cables (absolutely wonderful synergy which is one of the reasons I went with all Gold Statement power cords to the BAT equipment). After I receive the cables and a proper break-in I will do a full review of how they affect my system overall. Note: I do have a full review posted for the Silver Signature speaker cables.
Bostonbean, Congratulations on your decision to buy 3 Gold Statements for your BAT REX and BAT CD player. Based on my experience with excellent synergy outcome with my 3 Golds, I think you are in for a delectable sonic treat. I look forward to your review. By the way, that was an excellent review of the Elrod Silver Signature speaker cables.
Puremusic, Thank you. It will be awhile before you see the review. Mr. Elrod's cables seem to have become very popular and there is a backlog so I will have to wait a little while. Fine with me, I can easily wait for quality.

Regarding the Elrod's speaker cables I really had a "Wow" experience with them. Yes, Elrod's power cords deserve all the raves that they get, but people should really check out the speaker cables too.
Today, I got my 3d Gold Statement PC and here is my first impressions.

Most prominent - TRANPERENCY, TRANCPERENCE, TRANCPERENCY. And not only veil is gone (or became much less annoying) but like someone cleaned dust from the instruments so I can hear (see!) more colors, richer colors. I can...see more body in instruments and I can...feel more bass, tighter bass.All more real, more realistic, particularly my instrument - piano. UNBELIEVABLE !!!!

I will report in a few hundred hours effect of break-in but meanwhile - Thank you David !!!!!!!

Simon
Simon, Congratulations on getting your third Gold Statement PC. Your first impressions coincide with mine. The break-in process will unfold many more delightful sonic surprises. Keep us posted.

John
I now have put a gold and a silver statement power cord on my Pioneer Plasma and the results on video are as outstanding as they are on audio.After 35 years in Audio and trying pretty much everthing that was touted as being the best,After a discussion between myself and David,I have decided to become the exclusive New Jersey dealer for Elrod power systems under the name saocables because I believe that Davids products are so superior in performance that they speak for themselves and are far ahead of the competition they should be tried by every serious audiophile.This is the first time I have felt this way about a product,my website is in the process of being set up.I can be contacted at strapper211@aol.com or 908-868-0135/I now own 7 gold statements power cords and 1 silver statement and am in the process of getting a set of interconnects.
Robert Bovasso
Robert, Based on my own experience, I agree with you about the superiority of the Elrod Gold Statement PC. Your commitment to your new venture is further endorsement of that superiority. Good luck!
John
Thank You John and Metralla,I really believe in Davids Elrods new Cable line and am making a total commitment to them.I never experienced a cable that makes such a profound difference on audio and video.

Robert

Strapper, I know I would very much like to hear your impressions of the Elrod ic's.
Received 3 Elrod Gold Statement power cords on Tuesday. I plugged them into my BAT REX power and control units along with my BAT VK-D5SE cd player. From those components I plugged the power cords straight into my wall outlets. These cords are in addition to the Elrod Silver Statement pc to my Spectron amp and Elrod Silver Signatures speaker cables to my Gallo 3.1's (Elrod's speaker cables don't get talked about much but they can upgrade a system as good as the Elrod power cords).

After 2 days just a couple of quick observations. 1. The mids are the most noticeable improvement. I am being totally immersed in musical information which is well defined and easy to hear. 2. The highs are more natural. When listening to Ray Lamontagne there is a song where a flute comes in when I just about wet myself it sounded so beatiful. 3. The bass is interesting. It is not as dominating as it previously was but sounds better and again, more natural. With less domination the rest of the music sounds better.

I will write something more extensive after about 30 days.
Hi Bostonbean,you haven't heard nothing yet.The Gold statements are just settling in,give them a couple of hundred hours and you will hear things that you didn't think a audio system was cable of.David Elrod has hit a grand slam with his new line of cables,once you put them in your system they don't come out.Just incredible.

Robert
Bostonbean, I can relate to your predicament upon your initial audition of the Gold Statements: "I just about wet myself it sounded so beatiful." You're in for even a greater treat as they break-in. I agree with Robert that "you haven't heard nothing yet". Perhaps, David Elrod should include a box of Depends with every Gold Statement sold.
You bet! Hopefully I will be able to upgrade some Elrod Silvers to Gold later this year.
Purmusic,
I just read this entire post and am very interested in the Elrod Gold power cords AND the PurePower regenerator.
We integrated our stereo and home theater systems, and currently use a Sound Application RLS in our stereo portion of our system. Our system includes a Meridian 800 & 861v6, Oppo 93, Pass XA30.5, 3 Pass X-250.5, Watt Puppy 7, Watch II (center), Cub II (sides), Watch II (rears), Snell Sub 1800, and MIT Oracle (main and center) and Magnum (sides, rear and sub) cables.
All our front end components and our main XA-30.5 amplifier plug into our Sound Application RLS, and we have been very pleased with it, in spite of its age.
We are considering upgrading our XA-30.5, at the moment - to a pair of XA-200.5 amplifiers.
Did you find the PurePower sonically better then the Sound Application RLS?
While everyone's system and conditions vary, these forms are extremely helpful - as I no longer have the time or desire to try a multitude of components.
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.
Kindest regards,
Hi Tjassoc,
I have Pure Power "conditioners," as well as Statement Golds. They are both *amazing* products. As amazing as the Pure Power is (and it really is), the Statement Golds are probably even "better." (apples and oranges a little bit, however) If you can afford both, I think you will be delighted!
Using both the PurePower 1050 and Statement Silver PC (power amp) in my system with very good results.
Puremusic,

For those who have a transport and DAC I suggest trying their Elrod PC on the transport. They might get better results vs. having it on the DAC. This was my case.
IMO if used wisely Elrod gold can still fit in somewhere with most high end system.
I have heard very few cords outperform Elrod gold. Considering synergy i still think these cords at least hold their own even with todays standards. I still like using them on amplification especially with a superior wall-conditioner cord.
How is everyone else going with Elrod?