Tvad & others-
I have 2 Epiphany X cords, an Anaconda Alpha and an Ultra Khan SII Rev on their way from Sanctuary of Sound this week. This silly-expensive 'kit' of cords was part of a trade-in deal for a bunch of other cables and components, so don't assume I am stinking rich (or just plain crazy!).
Anyway, the 'deployment' plan is this:
BPT 3.5 Sig line conditioner - Epiphany X
Esoteric DV-50 player - Ultra Khan SII Rev
VAC Renaissance preamp - Anaconda Alpha
Sim Audio W-5 LE amp - Epiphany X
Talon Raven C speakers - Jena Labs Valkyre spkr cables
In strategizing with Stewart @ SOS and subsequent conversations with Caelin Gabriel of Shunyata (they are next-door neighbors, and good friends), my question was this:
"What source cord and preamp cord would be good companions/contrast to the 2 Epiphany X's on the PLC and amp? Is TOO much of a good thing just too much?"
Stewart agreed, and did some experimentation for me with what he had in stock, then he consulted Caelin. Some things I already knew were confirmed - Shunyata really had no intention for the Anaconda Vx to function on anything other then digital devices. Analog is 'Alpha Land'...but, if a Vx works there in individual cases, then there is certainly no reason to change it. This has been the consistent recommendation that Grant & Caelin at Shunyata have made, especially without knowing a system's characteristics intimately or having gone thru very specific experimentation.
The surprise for me was Caelin's suggestion to use an Anaconda ALPHA on my tube preamp, rather then concentrating on the CD player with a Vx cable. Caelin indicated that in some recent trials with an assortment of cables in their labs, the Anaconda Alpha has proven itself to be unexpectedly beneficial when used on tube preamps.
In my case - I am hoping this will provide a great contrast to the 2 Epiphany X's. My only issue will be the fact that some of my PC's are deliberately very short, and one is a 20Amp'er, so moving them around to experiment on different components will be impossible.
We'll see....