Ok done my comparsion..........the chord wins, no question!!!!
The Clearer Audio Alpha is good. It brings out the extra bass, and treble detail.
But compare it to the Chord and the midrange is not there. Instead (with my system, anyway) the midrange turn into high notes, and with female vocals it can make the sound a bit 'shrill'. It's not as noticebale with poor recordings (Pink Floyd), or male vocals (The Script).
Put the Chord onto the system (cd player), and the female voices move into the midrange of the sound, therefore creating a more 'mature' sound, I guess is the best way to describe it. The bass extention and treble detail is still there, but the sound is just 'nicer to the ear' (well mine and my wife's anyway!)
Now, how about the Ruaa Andrews Powercord 320i and superclamp, or the Chord Powerchord (more expensive mains cable in the Chord range)?