Another power cable thread

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Comments

  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,042
    ^^^^If those devices are anything like PS Audio's and Quietline filters (I have several of both) then don't waste your money.
  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,471
    marvda1 wrote: »
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Yeah, I have seen that as well. I'd say they are settling in nicely, I'm definitely not unhappy with their performance or searching for different power cables.

    One thing that made a bigger difference than I expected it would was this bad boy: https://shunyata.com/products/power-distributors/venom-line-power-distributors/venom-defender/

    venom-defender-us-2-1800x1200-1200x800.jpg

    In some ways, this made a bigger noticeable impact than the power cables which I was adding in incrementally. I would wholeheartedly recommend this product for anyone to try in their own system. The difference was obvious.

    I did "break it in" by leaving it plugged in for a week or two in another room. Even so, after I plugged it into my stereo system, I noticed it took some time to "settle down". Along with it's performance change, it actually made the system sound a little fatiguing at first. But that went away after being plugged into the PS8's outlet for a few days and I was left with only the performance benefits.

    It lowered the noise floor and made everything very expansive sounding. It just seemed like it let more of the musical information through and raised the overall performance of the system and everything plugged into it. It's hard to describe, but it's one of those things where once you hear it you immediately know it. Like I said though it did require some run-in time, so while it does let you know what it brings straight away, you'll want to leave it plugged into your system undisturbed for a few days before passing judgement.

    At $225 it's not exactly cheap to just drop one in, but it's also not prohibitively expensive either, especially if you consider the performance benefits.

    has anyone compared the filters to non-audiophile (read much less expensive) filters?
    https://www.amazon.com/Graham-Stetzer-2-Stezer-Filters/dp/B01M7M7ZO4/ref=sr_1_10?crid=2NTAJA698Y0FV&dchild=1&keywords=greenwave+emi+filter&qid=1609439206&sprefix=greenwave+emi+filters,aps,224&sr=8-10

    Seems to me the lack of a ground connection would reduce it's effectiveness.
  • audioluvr
    audioluvr Posts: 5,420
    Not really. The neutral eventually goes to the ground
    Gustard X26 Pro DAC
    Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
    B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
    Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
    Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
    Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)


    There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus
  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,471
    But that's all the way back at the main panel. How much noise is being picked up between there and the gear?
  • audioluvr
    audioluvr Posts: 5,420
    Or absorbed by other components.
    Gustard X26 Pro DAC
    Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
    B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
    Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
    Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
    Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)


    There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    I'd like to absorb your component, if you know what I mean.
  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,471
    Still pretty early on the west coast. Thought you gave up the sauce anyway! :p
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    lol! 3.5 years and counting...
  • audioluvr
    audioluvr Posts: 5,420
    No serious. When I was testing out Dave's line noise meter I noticed that some components when added to a line actually lowered the noise. Don't ask me how or why...
    Gustard X26 Pro DAC
    Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
    B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
    Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
    Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
    Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)


    There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus
  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 4,981
    Clipdat wrote: »
    lol! 3.5 years and counting...

    Have the PC's reached maximum break in yet. lol!
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
  • NotaSuv
    NotaSuv Posts: 3,811
    Picked up a very nice power cable from Marvin at a fantastic price......I am not really one to use all those audio terms but I will say it made a difference for sure....increase in clarity of the music was a major improvement, a very nice noticeable difference. The cables was the from 6 sons cable model is the windigo
    Thank you Marvin
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    edited January 2021
    Where did you put it? On your source?
  • NotaSuv
    NotaSuv Posts: 3,811
    to my parasound int........going to try it on cdp as well after a few days...see if there is a difference between the 2
  • marvda1
    marvda1 Posts: 4,862
    oh this hobby, just got in a new power cable today and to start it made a big improvement on my dac and then a big improvement on my integrated amp. now i need another and it ain't cheap. :'(
    Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
    Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
    Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
    Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
    Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
    Speaker Cables: Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
    Interconnects: Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
    Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
    Puritan PSM156
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    Welcome to the club. Power is the foundation for a system. The better the foundation then the better the system.
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 4,981
    Yes indeed a PC can make a very noticeable difference.

    With my recent purchase of the Border Patrol SE-i DAC I added the Anticables Level 3 PC & man oh man did it ever shake things up.

    The bass took on a new life of it's own. Tight, taught, dynamic & ever so punchy. I was actually very surprised with what I heard.

    The overall presentation is larger in soundstage scope & flat out more dynamic across the board. No complaints here... money well spent.

    Paul does recommend outfitting the source first with his PC's & after what I am experiencing who am I to argue.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    edited January 2021
    I put another Shunyata Delta NR V2 power cable into the system, on my Benchmark LA4 preamp. Previously I was just using a generic 18ga power cord on it and still getting exceptional, shockingly good performance from it.

    So, I didn't have terribly high expectations, but I wanted to put an upgraded cable on it anyway so I would have Delta NR V2 cables on all of my "nice" components.

    First impression was an increase in air and space. Images were clearly defined, and I could "see" the soundstage more easily on well-recorded music. Nice spatial queues!

    In terms of frequency response, it seemed like there was increased shimmer or brilliance in the highs. I wasn't expecting that and it wasn't exactly welcome. Perhaps it's a side effect of the cable being brand new and needing more time on it. Wouldn't be surprised since I've seen fellow enthusiasts quote 100+ hour break in times on these power cords.

    I will listen again tomorrow and see if the high frequency information has calmed down at all, but I'm not overly concerned about it. The additional air and space would be worth it alone, as nothing sounded "point source" whatsoever.

    Along with the improvements from my AQ Yukon XLR cables, I believe this is very likely the best my system has ever sounded.
    Post edited by Clipdat on
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    Thanks for the updates. Shunyata I feel makes a very good power cord.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • Jetmaker737
    Jetmaker737 Posts: 1,000
    This is a great thread. I just acquired a Niagara 1200 this week with a NRG-Z3 to connect it to the wall. I'm thinking maybe that wasn't a good choice and thinking to get a HC PC for that purpose. Was looking at AQ Monsoon or Thunder. Thunder would be a much bigger investment and after reading this thread I'm wondering if I should just grab some Shunyata Venom PCs. AQ recommends their own cords (of course) with the 1200 due to somehow they work together. Any thoughts on going with Shunyatas with the Niagara 1200?
    SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|Sonus Faber Cremona Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    edited February 2021
    I had the standard Shunyata Venom14 on my AQ Niagara 1200 and it was a great match.

    However if you can spring for it, I would recommend this one instead: https://www.musicdirect.com/cables/shunyata-venom-hc-v2-power-cable

    venom-hc-v2-body-1800x1200.jpg
  • Jetmaker737
    Jetmaker737 Posts: 1,000
    Thanks. I've got a couple of the Venom HC v2's coming, for wall to 1200 and 1200 to integrated. And 2 Venom V14's for sources. Wish I had an IEC on my RtR deck.
    SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|Sonus Faber Cremona Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    Very nice, looking forward to hearing what you think of them!
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    @Jetmaker737 Any listening impressions yet?
  • Jetmaker737
    Jetmaker737 Posts: 1,000
    Hi @Clipdat. I'm really enjoying this combo of the AQ Niagara 1200 and these Shunyata cords. My first listen I was like holy cr@p! My cords were Pangea AC-14s and a PS Audio AC-3 (to my amp). I had a AQ NRG-Z3 to the wall. Now, before the AQ 1200 I had a Belkin power strip and I changed to the AQ and the Shunyata cords within a week of each other. So kind of an uncontrolled experiment. And right now I'm too lazy to AB it all. But I'm totally happy. Not a detailed review for sure but it's Friday evening, on my 2nd glass of wine, just listened to some Earth, Wind and Fire and now grooving with some LCD Soundsystem. :)
    SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|Sonus Faber Cremona Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    In the past year, I have been doing a little experiment on power cords in my system. I haven't had a stock cord in my systems for many years. I was using Wireworld electra, magic power digital, Cardas quadlink, Cullen, audioquest nrg ... heck i cannot remember the audioquest nrg number i was using over the years and there has been more that just slips my mind right now.


    Because of Bud and Drew, I started looking in Shunyata a little while ago. I started with a used cheap Diamondback. I put it on my dac. It made a difference over the signal digital and the Cardas I was flipping between. Broader, smoother, more presence in the midrange. I then took the same cable and put it on my T+A intigrated. Same thing happened, the sound got wider, more presence in the midrange, this got me wondering how much more I would get out of the newer lines since the Diamondback was a bit older.

    Enter the Zitron Viper and Cobra.
    The Zitron Viper is very flexible and easy to work with. I swapped out the diamondback for the Viper on the dac. The difference was a slight improvement. It was not as big as a difference as going from the wireworld electra or quadlink to the diamondback but, there was a slight improvement. The Cobra is quite a bit thicker than the others and like Bud said, the weight can be a small issue but once I got it to sit the way I wanted, onto the T+A it went. Another improvement over what I was using and a noticeable difference over the viper BUT, the noticed improvement was only in the intigrated position. I did try moving the cobra to the dac and tried it on my Innuos zen mk3. I had a very hard time telling the difference between the cobra and viper on the dac or zen. If there was a difference, it was so slight that I had a hard time telling the 2 apart but, on the amp, there was quite a bit of difference. So the cobra went back on the intigrated side, viper on the dac and diamondback on the zen mk3. I think i might still look around for another viper for the zen or try one of the newer series I am not positive what way to go just yet but, Shunyata i feel makes a darn good power cord.
    This also makes me want to try their digital cables like the Alpha USB. I need to start saving my pennies for this one.

    Side note, i know the wireworld electra is not their upper line so it might not have been a fair fight. I still love the wireworld eclipse silver speaker cables I am running with no desire to change them.


    Thank you Drew for this power cord thread. It gave me the final push to try Shunyata.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    The Shunyata Zitron Cobra is what replaced the Wireworld Electra on my rig.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    erniejade wrote: »
    The Shunyata Zitron Cobra is what replaced the Wireworld Electra on my rig.

    So that's what you've been doing with your stimulus coin. :D
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    tonyb wrote: »
    erniejade wrote: »
    The Shunyata Zitron Cobra is what replaced the Wireworld Electra on my rig.

    So that's what you've been doing with your stimulus coin. :D

    Unfortunately that money is going right back to them IF i get any since I owe on taxes again.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.