Quote:
Originally Posted by Masterlu
You are gaining about 15~20% with the Sigma.
Even the Alpha USB is an improvement over the Platinum Starlight 7.
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If you are looking for a numeric assessment of the Sigma when compared with the Alpha, you might be hard pressed to find someone more informed than Ivan, with a multiplicity of systems, a multiplicity of rooms, a huge throughput of equipment and, almost certainly, a high level of listening capability.
And, in that context, I cannot argue with a 15%-20% rating since, to me, that signifies something which is non-trivial but emanates from the same design family.
I use the Alpha USB and chose not to try the Sigma USB simply on the basis that I did not want to pay £2k for the Sigma (the Alpha in the UK is £1k) and had I sampled it I would have almost certainly bought it.
My approach on cables and related accessories probably differs a lot from that of most audio enthusiasts. I start from the point that I am a cable sceptic, and this is reinforced by the rather silly approach adopted by many manufacturers either through their marketing or demonstrations or non-rigorous approach to measurement and listening and the derivation of correlations therefrom.
For me this eliminates most manufacturers and, here in the UK, I have used only Audio Synthesis cables and Deltec/DPA cables, the former manufacturer now having disappeared and the latter having ceased trading and emerged with the same brand name but a different team.
Luckily I came across Shunyata via a USA magazine and article at a point where the UK distribution was pretty well invisible (it is different now) and at a point where other mains units I had tried had as many negatives as positives - and this resulted in my buying the Triton and Typhon and experiencing the fantastic performance, build quality and customer service which is too often a rarity elsewhere.
That is how the cable issue works for me!
So If you can comfortably afford the Sigma, go for it. Caelin would not have produced it and at double the Alpha price had he any doubt about its validity, IMO. If you feel uncertain just go for the Alpha in the knowledge that you will be getting an outstanding product (though clearly in each case dependent on reaching a sensible resolving quality in your core system).