Best ALPHA HC for pre-amp (McIntosh C1100)

[lschoonaert]

Hi Grant,

I'm a bit unsure of what to PC to get for my McIntosh C1100 pre-amp. According to a Shunyata sales rep, the Alpha HC is better than the Analog, no matter what. But as I understood the HC is for Power Amps (I use them on my MC2301's) or Hydra.

My dealer says get the Alpha Analog.

Could you tell me which is best and why, what's the difference?

PS. I used a dedicated circuit for My Hydra/triton which is connected with an Alpha HC. My Pre-amp goes into the Hydra. MC2301 are connected with Alpha HC's to each their own dedicated circuit.

Many Thanks,
Luk

[GrantS]

Hi Luk,


I always lean to the Alpha HC for best performance with a pre-amp or amp, or DAC. Gauge matters for almost every component that is pulling peak-current and the Alpha HC has that added gauge + a slightly more complex filter module than the Analogue or Digital model. The price difference is worth it in my opinion for a pre-amp.

I am a very conservative person when it comes down to spending extra $ but we have a lot of accumulated feedback that proves the HC has the top value for analog or amp components. :-)

If you were to consider a power cord for a digital-signal output device--- NAS, Transport, Hard Drive, that is different. Wire size doesn't really matter--filtering does, so the Venom or Alpha Digital make sense there.

Anything Analogue, even line level gear like a DAC, go big in terms of the wire size and power cord quality. You will hear the difference and in a high-end system, spending on better power is worth the money.


Best regards,

Grant

[lschoonaert]

Thanks for explaining Grant

[lschoonaert]

So interesting, got my Alpha HC and hooked it up to my McIntosh C1100 pre-amp, and I swear to God I hear more punch and bass... Is that possible? Or am I just hearing it in my head?

[Chad.Wagner]

I compared a friend's Alpha Analog and HC cables to my Alpha Digital and I definitely heard differences. After hearing each cable I was able to pick out which one was plugged in as he randomly changed them on my system.

I preferred the HC and found more punch on the lower frequencies and a wider sound stage.

I had not been a believer in cables, but now have purchased Alpha HC and Sigma HC cables. Hopefully I will get more in the future.