Rick, of Virtual D, moved on to produce Hi Fidelity cables, which do not share the snake like thickness of the VD products. Sadly, they do share the uber-prices of VD's upper end models. I agree that the VD cables are still very competitive, I still have a few Davids which see regular use, so you might try those severe bends to see how you get on. I used to start at the plug end and work out a shape that would get the connection sort of straight on by the time it met the wall or component. And don't be afraid to use books or strings to help hold it all up, LOL.