Shunyata Anaconda Alpha or Elrod Statement?

Leonx,

First of all, I am prejudiced. I have been using Purist Audio cables for 20 years and it's absolutely my favorite.

I might be able to loan you a Purist power cable in the near future. I just swapped out four to the new Aqueous Anniversary and (if you can wait for a couple of months) there is a new Purist power cable coming and I will be moving to these. I may have as many as ten AC cables available all at once.

If we communicate and find each other trustworthy, you could borrow one of the earlier versions for audition and determine if it's right for you.

OK, I'll vote and take the criticism that will likely follow.

In my opinion, the Elrod is the far superior product of the two. I've had both of those cables in my system on Aesthetix preamp and my cheap digital and the Elrod had less coloration, more linear top to bottom with fewer tonal balance errors. Signal to noise (apparent blackness) was near identical.

My biggest objection to the Shunyata was the midrange.

Actually Krelldog gave the better answer, your the one that has to live with this decision long term.

Yes the ends may be changed. As for concerns about fluid, the newest Purist Audio cables are filled with Contego, not fluid.

Anyway, the fluid or Contego stops a few inches from the termination point with a flexible section. The seal is not broken when the plugs are swapped in either design.

I imagine almost any cable from any audiophile builder could be special ordered with plugs of your choice. Common example is approved male terminations for Japan or Europe.

I have changed male plugs on several brands of cables, including Purist, from 120V to 240V and back again. If your interested in a specific brand (as opposed to voltage-design), again, it is likely any builder would accommodate you for cost of material when assembling your order.