Elrod Statement Gold
nirodha -- Sat, 05/15/2010 - 13:17
Hi,
David Elrod has a strong following on audiogon concerning his new line of cables. Especially the Elrod Statement Golds are much appreciated. It seems that reviewers shiver when they have to review cables. And if they do review them, the cables are always from big companies like MIT of Transparant. Time for a change? Hope you'll give the Elrod line a chance.
Wim
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I heard a few Elrod power cords in my fairly high end and very revealing, yet very musical, electrostat systems (Logans, Soundlabs), and I was a bit disappointed. I found that the Elrod cords had very "screechy" highs. It was kind of like someone dragging their nails on the chalk boards. (To be fair, I found the same effect with Synergistic and a few other brands.) No such issues with Transparent and Shunyata cords.
I am a failry young guy, so I am not sure if these cords are designed for older guys who can't quite hear the highs, or if they are designed for very toobey systems that have trouble reproducing the highs. As always, listen for yourself, of course, but it's hard to beat Shunyata at the power cord game.
Which power cords did you try? Latest generation? Never heard the words "screechy" highs in same sentence with Elrod.
I don't remember which ones they were, but they were not cheap! Because I have very transparent electrostats in a pretty high end system, I hear virtually everything in the chain. I have heard many cables in my system, and I hear this "screechiness" with various brands except with Transparent and Shunyata.
Also, I was not not using tube amps, and my best guess is that Elrods may work better with tubes. The "screechiness" may be there because some of the tube amps can't quite create the highs (lack extension), so the designers have to compensate. Another example is Transparent overdoing the bass to compensate for poor room acoustics due to a lack of room treatments.
Do you know which amps Mr. Elrod has in his system to voice his cords?
Sorry, no idea about Mr. Elrod's amps. You make an interesting comment when you say that your electrostats let you hear everything in the chain. This can mean two things: the Elrod cables have an aggressive high or Transparant and Shunyata filter out an aggressive element in your chain (which the Elrods don't).
I cannot comment on the Elrod cables because we don't have a dealer in Holland. I have contacted David Elrod because of raving reviews on Audiogon. He is a gentleman and I can order the cables for a more than fair price. Would be nice to read a serious review in a leading magazine though. Still, this might all be useless because if the Euro continues its fall against the dollar....Thank you for your input!
Don't let my experiences discourage you. We all have different systems and different tastes. Also, we hear/ perceive sound differently.
If you don't want the pressure of dealing with Elrod directly, you may want to try the Elrod cables from their cable library and return them without feeling like you have to buy them.
Going to take a risk and order the Statement Gold power cord. Will leave feedback on audiogon. Cheers.