[AC1]

Ok, I am sure everybody who is interested in power cords know about these two cords by now. But very little information is found in a comparison on these.
The Nites being highly toughted here and the Elrod touted as the best cord on AA (was until the signature version of the Elrods came out). So how does the Nite stack up?
Note1: I am using my MG Head with Telefunken 12ax7 rib plate and Ei El84s with no NF. I do not have my Headmaster since it is getting Carlo modded. I also do not have on hand the Cardas/600 since the Cardas went back to be replaced by one with a new plug one. So I am using the AT A1000s.
Also if you did not know, I did not like the A1000s with the Headmaster in any way; the MG Head actually does much better with them (and is quite good), very suprising, but a subject for another topic.
Note2:This comparison is only on my Metronome transport since the EPS2 is designed for low current...some say it works on pre-amps, but I found it to constrain the dynamics with the MG Head. (both cords were used before so they should be well broken in). On the MG Head was a Monza 2.2 PC to keep that consistent which is quite good with a very open/dynamic sound with headphone amps, though not quite as refined as the other two cords.

Alright, I must say it is a rather close call to say who is better. But there are a few main differences that will really come down to preference/system.
The Nite has more high freq information, giving it more ambient detail, a bit more extension up top and better overall seperation of instruments and soundstage but through the A1000s it was fairly close.
What the Elrod has is a sound with an awsome "body" throughout the frequencys, it creates a fullness from every type of instrument that makes it very present, solid. Some cords might have a solid midrange but thin highs or some such combination which can make ceratain things sound bloated due to the discrepency. The Elrod sounds the most complete. In a way, it makes it more "musical" since the swing of the notes become more obvious because of the solid definition of the notes. When I compared it to my old Ensemble Megafluxes, the Ensembles projected instruments like it was a flat wall, the Elrod has more "3d" sound.
The Nites do not have a very full mid to low-mid range compared the Elrods (and really is where the Elrod shines), which of course can be good for certain systems, but does have a very good full bass. The Nite might go a tiny bit deeper but the solid feel of the Elrods gives it more apparent impact.
I will have to try it with more gear when it comes back, but this comparison was very revealing and I hope is an interest and helpful to someone else. As always it will be system/preference dependent to which one is better.

Question: The Nite I have is an older version with the round plug, has anyone noticed a difference with the newer Nites (triangle shaped plug)? I know some people here have both versions.

 

[Vertigo-1]

Thanks for the comparison! Very intriguing, I noticed a guy recently dumping Nites on Audiogon for some Elrod PCs. What's a general ballpark figure on what your Elrods run for?

I've still been considering a Nite myself, but really have no idea what I should be pursuing. A general direction I want to currently try to steer my system towards is an open, airy, wide spacious sound in the upper midrange to treble combined with a firm harmonic foundation for the mids to lower bass for vocals and violin/cello/pianos. So far I've only managed to get jerked between these two extremes...if I could find one cable, IC and or PC or combo that did both, I'd be soooo in heaven.

 

[DarkAngel]

AC
I have some VD Nites using round and newer triangle style connectors, but never took the time to extensively compare the two. I do use the newer one on my CDP just in case it is slightly better. These are great AC cords but...............

I think Nites & Elrods are a bit of overkill for headphone only set-ups, their effects are much more dramatic in a full stereo system
which project large room filling soundstage, here their cost can be better justified. It is a bit crazy to have AC cord that costs as much as most Headphone/Amp set-ups.

I think if Vert is "itching" to go to next level a better and more "balanced" use of budget is to get used VD Reference AC cord plus good used power conditioner:
PS Audio P300
BP JR Ultra (new 4 outlet model)
Audio Magic Stealth
Blue Circle Ring
etc etc

That said, VD Nite AC and Elrod AC are near the top if money is no object.

 

[dhwilkin]

This is one of those comparisons that I wish there were more of, since high-end power cable comparisons are so scarce. Vert, the Elrod cables (signature versions) run between $1000-1500... they ain't cheap, and you rarely find them used on Audiogon. The Nite cable is supposed to cost $1500, but I often see them going for half that, if not less, on Audiogon. The one cable that I also want to see compared to the previous two is the TG Audio SLVR, which is "only" $500, but is supposed to be a bargain at that price.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkAngel I think Nites & Elrods are a bit of overkill for headphone only set-ups, their effects are much more dramatic in a full stereo system which project large room filling soundstage, here their cost can be better justified. It is a bit crazy to have AC cord that costs as much as most Headphone/Amp set-ups.

I'm not sure that this is always the case. I've noticed more dramatic improvement with the Nites in my headphone setup. OTOH, my speaker setup has been moving towards multichannel home theater, and I don't think the components perform at the level my two-channel setup did, even if it was twenty years old. Still, Nites at the Sony 9000ES and Outlaw 950 are good, but not as dramatic as the Nites on the CD53 and HP4.

I agree completely with the crazy part. Then again, IMO sanity is highly overrated

 

[markl]

Quote:

What the Elrod has is a sound with an awsome "body" throughout the frequencys, it creates a fullness from every type of instrument that makes it very present, solid. Some cords might have a solid midrange but thin highs or some such combination which can make ceratain things sound bloated due to the discrepency. The Elrod sounds the most complete. In a way, it makes it more "musical" since the swing of the notes become more obvious because of the solid definition of the notes.

Wow, haven't heard the Elrod, but that's exactly how I'd describe the VD cables vs. other cables. The VD cables to me are the antithesis of "thin" sounding. Interesting that you think the Elrods have even *more* body.

mark

 

[AC1]

Quote:

Originally posted by Vertigo-1 Thanks for the comparison! Very intriguing, I noticed a guy recently dumping Nites on Audiogon for some Elrod PCs. What's a general ballpark figure on what your Elrods run for?

The person I got the Elrod from had both as well and very much preferred the Elrod, and saying only the Anaconda was better (though a signature Elrod should be up there as well).

Hm, usually I would say mixing these two cables would be a good idea since each ones strenght is in such different places. But price and versatility will have to go with the Nites, since they can be used on anything, while the Elrod has different models for high current and low current(ie source) so yu cannot swap the same cord to compare.
I do not find these cords really lacking in a certain area, they just have different strengths. Sounds like the kind of sound you are looking for, you could go all Nite. It might also be good to give an Elrod to the amp to solidify/add weight to the Stax's sound and use a Nite on the source to still have a wide, airy presentation, which could be an excellent combination but I have very limited experience with electrostats so it's just a pure guess.

I think that high end cords still can make a good amount of difference (though different effects compared to a speaker setup), maybe not justifiable to how much headphone equipment costs compared to the cords. The power cord thing has always bothered me the most... One cord was always very good in one thing but lacked another. With these two cords, what is lacking has dwindled to such a smaller level that it does not become so obvious.

 

[AC1]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl Wow, haven't heard the Elrod, but that's exactly how I'd describe the VD cables vs. other cables. The VD cables to me are the antithesis of "thin" sounding. Interesting that you think the Elrods have even *more* body.

Yes, I would not consider the VD's thin either... But just compared to the Elrod, it is not as solid and a bit lighter weight sounding... Though there are tradeoffs, the well solid/defined nature, makes the Elrod sound smooth, but not quite as fast as the Nites. It was never comparing them that I thought the Nites made the Elrod sound slow, the Elrod is still very robust compared to other cords, just not quite as fast as the Nites.

 

[Calanctus]

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkAngel AC I think if Vert is "itching" to go to next level a better and more "balanced" use of budget is to get used VD Reference AC cord plus good used power conditioner: PS Audio P300 BP JR Ultra (new 4 outlet model) Audio Magic Stealth Blue Circle Ring etc etc

FWIW in my system the Stealth made a bigger difference than any cords I've tried so far (I have a VD Signature on the source, a couple of VD References on preamp and amp, plus a Cardas Golden Ref on the headphone amp and a PS Audio Lab on the subwoofer). Biggest diff with the Stealth: much less HF noise, thus clearer and less fatiguing sound. I haven't tried the other AC conditioners DA mentions; maybe some of them are even better.

 

[AC1]

Quote:

Originally posted by Calanctus FWIW in my system the Stealth made a bigger difference than any cords I've tried so far (I have a VD Signature on the source, a couple of VD References on preamp and amp, plus a Cardas Golden Ref on the headphone amp and a PS Audio Lab on the subwoofer). Biggest diff with the Stealth: much less HF noise, thus clearer and less fatiguing sound. I haven't tried the other AC conditioners DA mentions; maybe some of them are even better.

Ah, that's what I was hoping to hear (or maybe not really)... But a power conditioner does affect every/most component though, so the difference should be dramatic. Getting a stealth or any other high end power conditioner is more like getting the conditioner plus another (going to be expensive) power cord... Arrrgh.

 

[Calanctus]

I should perhaps clarify that I added the Stealth AFTER I had replaced all the stock cords in my system with addons of various kinds (some VD, some other ones).

And yes, you're right, buying the conditioner means buying ANOTHER cord--or two (mine takes two)--to feed it properly.