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Tag Archives: power cord

World News

RSX Technologies Prime

Posted on by Jason Kennedy

Brands come and go in this industry and nowhere more so than in the tempting world of cable. From the outside, nothing looks easier than starting a cable brand, buying some wire of the reel, putting fancy plugs on and marketing the bejeezus out of it until it sells. With plenty of well-established companies in the market, dealers are – perhaps understandably – reluctant to stock dozens of cable brands.

One of those cable companies is XLO, which Roger Skoff started in 1991. XLO’s distinctive green and lavender-coloured cables were very well-regarded, and in 2003 Skoff sold the brand to a Canadian company and left the industry. His absence lasted longer than most, but last year, he returned with a new brand called RSX technologies.

Maximum neutrality

RSX Technologies reasoning for why its cables are the best is that they aim for maximum neutrality. The company accepts that a cable should do nothing more than transmitting the signal from one device to another without adding or detracting from it along the way. In short, the wire shouldn’t change anything, which is admirable but hardly ground-breaking. RSX states that capacitance and inductance are affected by geometry but doesn’t go into any detail about the geometry it employs in its power cables. Skoff says that they use braided, bi-metallic shielding. Also, the dielectrics used always include fluoropolymer materials (PTFE variants), at least for the primary wires, with other low dielectric constant, high dump-rate but less exotic materials employed in other internal applications. The Max series uses more fluoropolymers and less other materials. Meanwhile, the Beyond Series dielectrics are entirely fluoropolymer-based, using multiple Teflon-variant materials throughout and no other dielectric materials at all. The Prime is a 13+ AWG cable. The MAX is 11+ AWG (the lower the AWG gauge, the more metal there is in the wire). And the Beyond is a 9+ AWG, cable. This last contains about 2.5x times the metal of the Prime, which, itself, has about 25% more copper than ordinary power cords.

The Prime power cords are RSX’s entry-level model and consist of a reasonably flexible 11mm diameter cable terminated in high-quality Furutech style plugs with gold plated, high purity copper connectors at both ends. The conductors concealed within are described as ultra-pure, ultra-long-crystal ‘Laboratory Grade’ copper, while the dielectric is air and ‘advanced’ fluoropolymer. You can get Prime power cords in six (1.8m) and four-foot (1.2m) lengths, and I tested these on several components.

Juice up

First up was a Métronome Le DAC, which usually gets its juice from a length of rather more modestly priced Isotek Premier (£150/1.5m), so I had high expectations; I was not disappointed. Pretty well, everything improved from the power, texture and shape of a kick drum to the sense of air and spaciousness in the presentation; both attack and decay were better defined. RSX Prime increased the intensity of a drum and trumpet break to the point of air drumming, something I try my best to resist. Moving on to an AURALiC ARIES G2.1 streamer, things got tighter and a little drier; notes stopping and starting with more enthusiasm and with higher levels of detail from the quieter elements in the mix. Tautness, tempo and information all seemed to be improved, and these helped to solidify the imaging on better recordings, allowing instruments to stand in the room. This is due to care taken with the cable’s capacitive discharge effect, which means low-level details are easier to appreciate. Those details combine to create a strong sense of presence.

RSX Prime power cord

Moving onto vinyl, I started with a Rega Aria phono stage where there was a marked increase in contrast that allowed voices to stand out and the deliberate distortions of electric guitar to become more apparent on an older recording. Encouraged by this, I added another RSX Prime lead to the power supply for the Rega P10 turntable and put on Terry Callier’s Candy Man [The Best of Terry Callier on Cadet, Charly]. Once again, I went from the Isotek Premier to RSX Prime; this time, there was a dramatic increase in fine detail resolution, especially in the voice on this simple track. Yet, the tune’s rhythmic aspect also became more sophisticated, thanks to an overall increase in clarity. Touraj Moghaddam of Vertere thinks that the power cable to the turntable power supply is the most important in any vinyl replay system, and this result confirmed as much, with bells on. It even seemed to increase dynamic range on what does not at first appear to be a very sophisticated recording, which, however, is the joy of vinyl; it’s always got more to give.

Inspiration

The result inspired me to try the RSX with a Tom Evans Groove SRX phono stage. Once again, things got better; this time, the timing became tighter and perkier, now there was a spring in Jaco Pastorius’ step on Joni Mitchell’s ‘Drycleaner from Des Moines’ [Mingus, Asylum]. Here, the whole band sounding as though it had woken up but without the addition of forwardness or glare. The next step was to try Prime on my Moor Amps Angel 6 power amplifier, and I don’t know why I left this till last as it’s the most power-hungry component in the system but hey, sue me. I’m glad I did because although the effect was less immediate, it soon became clear that the RSX cable transformed the power amp’s depth and physicality of imaging almost to the extent that it sounded flat with the regular power cable. I tried several other power cables to see if they could match it in this respect. Still, while some got close, even the more expensive alternatives couldn’t compete with the RSX when it came to the three-dimensional sound presentation.

All that remains to be said is that anyone with a revealing system should give these cables a try. The price is not excessive by high-end power cable standards, and the result, in many cases, equalled a component upgrade.

PRICE AND CONTACT DETAILS

  • Type: Power cable with 13A and IEC connections
  • Price: 6ft £1,275, 4ft £950

Manufacturer: RSX Technologies

Homepage: https://rsxtech.com

Product: https://rsxtech.com/rsx-ac-power-cords/

Where to buy: https://rsxtech.com/international-distributors/

UK Distributor: Wollaton Audio

Tel: +44(0) 115 958 4404

URL: wollatonaudio.com

Back to Reviews

The post RSX Technologies Prime appeared first on Hi-Fi+.

World News

The Truth Hz: Ultra-High-End Power Cords

Posted on by Mark Henninger

When cost is no object, you can spend as much on a high-end audio power cord as you can on, say, a new Tesla Model 3. What else can you get for the price of a super premium audiophile power cable?

The post The Truth Hz: Ultra-High-End Power Cords first appeared on HomeTheaterReview and is written by Mark Henninger

World News

Shunyata Research Everest 8000 AC Power Conditioner and Omega XC Power Cord

Posted on by Robert Harley

As a long-time user of various Shunyata Research AC power conditioners and power cords, I’ve been fascinated to discover how the company’s products have evolved with each new generation. In performance there’s been unmistakable forward progress, with lower noise and an attendant increase in clarity, resolution, and soundstaging. But Shunyata’s new flagship Everest 8000 power conditioner breaks this trend; rather than offering an incremental improvement, the Everest 8000 represents a significant leap in sound quality—one that redefines what’s possible in AC power conditioning.           I think it’s no coincidence that the Everest benefits from some of the technologies Shunyata founder and designer Calin Gabriel developed for his AC power conditioners used in medical laboratories. A few years ago, a cardiologist who spent much of his time battling residual noise while looking at extremely low-level electrical signals in heart patients made a surprising discovery. The cardiologist, an audiophile who happened to use a Shunyata power conditioner in his home-audio system, speculated that if the Shunyata conditioner lowered the noise floor in his music system, it might confer similar benefits in his medical lab.

After plugging his lab equipment into the Shunyata conditioner, he was surprised and delighted to discover that the AC conditioner allowed him to more clearly see the heart’s low-level electrical signals. He contacted Shunyata to share his experience, which eventually led Shunyata to start a whole new company, Clear Image Scientific, to design and manufacture AC power-conditioning devices for cardiac labs. The new company has grown exponentially, leading Gabriel to research and develop advanced new techniques to isolate, to an unprecedented degree, sensitive medical equipment from AC line noise. Some of those techniques have now been deployed in Shunyata’s AC conditioners for audio. How Clear Image Scientific sells its products says much about their efficacy; the company demonstrates the gear in a hospital for cardiologists, who can see for themselves the effect of reducing noise on the AC powerline.

Turning back to audio, the Everest is a vertical tower with a sloping front panel that narrows toward the top in a kind of truncated-pyramid shape (as seen from the front). This vertical form factor means the Everest sits on the floor next to your equipment rack rather than taking up shelf space. A blue LED, which is mercifully faint, indicates when the Everest is powered on. The rear panel holds eight AC outlets, each supported by Shunyata’s excellent cable-cradle system, which secures the AC cord to the power conditioner. An IEC C19 AC jack (20 ampere) accepts the AC cord that connects the Everest to your wall socket. The Everest isn’t supplied with this C19 cord; you need to provide your own. Because this cord essentially supplies your entire audio system, you’ll want to use a good one. Shunyata sent me its new Omega XC for this application, which costs nearly as much as the Everest ($8000 vs. $7000). An electromagnetic breaker switch turns the Everest on and off, but this switch is not a master power switch for your system. Rather, it is an over-current protection device. 

The Everest features Shunyata’s Ground-Plane Noise-Reduction (GP-NR) system, which consists of four grounding posts on the rear of the unit. The idea is that you run a wire from each of your components to the Everest’s grounding posts so that all your equipment is grounded to the same electrical potential. Although most components (preamps, DACs, servers, etc.) lack a grounding post, you can connect the ground wire to a chassis screw and achieve the same effect. Shunyata offers grounding cables made from flexible stranded wire that’s easy to work with. Ground posts are common on professional and telecommunications gear for good reason: If some of your components’ grounds are at a different electrical potential (voltage) than other components, and those components are connected through interconnects, a small amount of electrical current will flow along the ground path provided by the interconnect. We hear this current flow as noise and hum. Preventing these noise-inducing “ground loops” is why I specified that each run of 10AWG to the five dedicated AC lines to my listening room be of the same length. With identical-length runs, the ground potential will be the same in each line. It’s common in professional gear for every component in a metal rack to be grounded with a braided wire to the rack.

 

The Everest’s technology is based on that of the Hydra Triton and Typhon conditioners, but with some new twists in technologies, construction, and materials. Before describing the Everest’s design, we should review the goal of a power conditioner. In addition to distributing power to multiple components, an AC conditioner should block noise on the AC line from getting into your audio components. Most people think that this is a conditioner’s primary function. But a conditioner’s most important job is preventing noise from traveling from one component to another. Think of a digital component, filled with chips that switch high-speed digital signals on and off. This switching creates noise that gets on the component’s ground plane. The AC cords in your system are the conduits for that noise, conducting it from one component to all your other components, degrading performance. A good conditioner blocks and dissipates this noise, isolating the components from each other.

Each of the Everest’s eight outlets features Shunyata’s CCI (Component-to-Component Interface) filters—a series of multi-stage filters that removes noise. Noise is further reduced by Shunyata’s patented NIC (Noise Isolation Chamber), a device that contains a ferroelectric material that absorbs high-frequency noise. The NIC was originally developed for the Hydra Triton. A different type of noise filter, called “CMode,” reportedly reduces common-mode noise.

Another technology from the Triton/Typhon products is QR/BB, a circuit that delivers additional instantaneous current for brief transients, reducing dynamic compression. Unlike many conditioners that diminish the ability to deliver high-current pulses, QR/BB is claimed to increase impulse-current delivery via a circuit that lowers the inductive reactance. The Everest’s QR/BB device is three times the size of that in the Denali, Shunyata’s previous flagship conditioner. This feature is useful when power amplifiers or integrated amplifiers get their power through the Everest. Unlike a preamp or a DAC that draws a small amount of current continuously, a power amplifier pulls current from the wall in very short bursts (at the tops and bottoms of the 60Hz AC sinewave). If the conditioner restricts these instantaneous current surges, the amplifier will be starved for power, compromising musical dynamics. In designing the Everest, Shunyata relied on its proprietary test instrument, called the Dynamic Transient Current Delivery (DTCD) analyzer, to measure instantaneous current flow through low-impedance conductors and contacts.

The outlets are Shunyata’s CopperCONN, with contacts and conductors made from thick pieces of solid high-purity oxygen-free copper. They also provide better grip on the blades of an AC cord plugged into them than conventional AC outlets. I installed these outlets in each of the five dedicated AC lines that run to my listening room when I built the room. The Everest’s internal wiring is Shunyata’s ArNi conductors, made from certified OFE C10100 copper, and fashioned into hollow tubes to reduce skin effect. The conductors are treated with Shunyata’s KPIP (Kinetic Phase-Inversion Process), which reportedly eliminates the need for break-in, and improves the sound. Many of the components are cryogenically treated in Shunyata’s own cryo lab. Finally, the chassis and internal structures are treated with vibration-damping panels, and the outlets are physically de-coupled from the chassis for further vibration isolation.

I know that’s a mouthful of alphabet soup, but illustrates that the Everest is packed with technologies that Shunyata has developed over the past 25 years, many of them patented.

The Omega XC power cord features Shunyata’s VTX-Ag conductors that are made from an outer tube of purified copper surrounding a silver conductor. The cord has CopperCONN connectors encased in a carbon-fiber housing at both ends. Once assembled, the Omega XC is treated with the KIPP processing described earlier. Note that the step-up power cord, the Omega QR, incorporates noise-reduction technologies within the cable. Nonetheless, Shunyata recommends the Omega XC with the Everest. Both Omega Series cords are available in a range of carbon-fiber colors.

I replaced the Hydra Triton and Typhon combination that I’d been using for a few years with the Everest to power my front-end equipment. My equipment racks are at the back of the room behind the listening seat, and the power amplifiers are at the other end between the speakers. The power amps were plugged straight into the wall sockets.

When I’ve upgraded Shunyata’s conditioners in the past, I’ve usually heard an incremental improvement in dynamics, soundstaging, and the rendering of instrumental timbres. But the Everest/Omega XC combination realized, by far, the most significant improvement in my system. The change in sound quality was more of a step function than an incremental advance. It’s worth noting that my current system is extremely revealing of every change, good or bad.

Swapping in the Everest and Omega XC brought out the best in my system, heightening those qualities I value. The most immediate improvement was in the way the soundstage expanded in all dimensions, particularly in depth. Interestingly, the entire stage became slightly less forward and immediate, like moving from Row C to Row M. But at the same time, the spatial presentation became more three-dimensional, with instruments toward the back of the stage sounding much farther away. The apparent distance between instruments in the front and back of the orchestra expanded. A few minutes into The Rite of Spring (Eiji Oue, Minnesota, Reference Recordings, MQA at 176.4kHz) a contrabassoon plays a short, virtually unaccompanied passage. The Everest presented the instrument as way back in the orchestra, with very fine resolution of the reflections and reverberation that supply the brain with distance cues. Despite the slightly less immediate spatial perspective, the sense of vividness and tangibility increased.

But that’s not what make the Everest/Omega XC so compelling. Rather, it was the way this new conditioner resolved the air and space between instruments, giving the sound a greater dimensionality that was closer to what one hears from live music. I could hear a more tangible sense of the cushion of air around each instrument, particularly on dynamic passages. The feeling of sound expanding from the instrument was more realistic. This impression was heightened by the tighter focus of the image itself, along with the greater delineation between the image and the air around it. This may sound like an esoteric analysis of a not-that-important perception, but this more realistic portrayal of instrumental images, the immediate space around them, and the greater space of the hall went a long way toward making me forget I was listening to a recreation of music. It was just more organic and lifelike. In addition, the finer spatial resolution and more vivid presentation of individual instruments made it easier to follow each instrument’s musical line within the whole. The track “The Cowboys Overture” from John Williams at The Movies (176.4/24 downloaded from Reference Recordings) took on much more sonic and musical clarity, with each instrument, section, and musical line more clearly resolved.

I’ve noticed that my colleague Andrew Quint mentions in his reviews a track that I also happen to like, and also use in evaluating equipment. “Back Row Politics” from Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band Act Your Age features three virtuoso trumpet players trading off extended, high-energy solos. After adding the Everest to my system, the trumpets had less glare, along with more richness, warmth, and body.

Finally, I heard an increase in dynamic impact, particularly in the bass. This is one of my system’s strong suits, but the Everest took transient fidelity and visceral impact to another level of realism.

The Everest 8000 AC conditioner and Omega XC power cord are, in my view, the best components to come out of Shunyata Research, a company with a long history of developing great products. The Everest allowed the outstanding components in my system to perform at their highest level by providing them with an ultra-quiet and clean power source. The Everest 8000 and Omega XC have become essential parts of my reference system.

Specs & Pricing

Everest 8000
Type: Eight-outlet AC conditioner
Maximum continuous current: 30A (US version)
Maximum continuous current per outlet: 15A (US version)
Isolation zones: Six
Noise suppression: Input to output (100kHz–30MHz): >50dB reduction; zone-to-zone (100kHz–30MHz): >60dB reduction
Over-current protection: Hydraulic electromagnetic breaker
Wiring: 8 -gauge ArNi® VTX™ Buss system; 10 gauge ArNi® VTX™ wiring
Dimensions: 8″ x 20.75″ x 14.75″
Weight: 34 lbs.
Price: $8000

Omega XC Power Cord
Technology: VTX-Ag conductors
Price: $7000

SHUNYATA RESEARCH
26273 Twelve Trees Lane, Ste D
Poulsbo, WA 98370
(360) 598-9935
shunyata.com

Associated Equipment
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Chronosonic XVX, Wilson Subsonic subwoofers (x2), Wilson ActivXO crossover
Analog source: Basis Audio A.J. Conti Transcendence turntable with SuperArm 12.5 tonearm; Air Tight Opus cartridge; Moon 810LP phonostage; DS Audio ST-50 stylus cleaner
Digital source: Aurender W20SE and Wadax Atlantis servers, Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference Series 3 and Wadax Reference DACs; Berkeley Alpha USB USB-to-AES/EBU converter; Shunyata Sigma USB cable; AudioQuest Wild Digital AES/EBU cable
Amplification: Constellation Altair 2 preamplifier; Constellation Hercules 2 monoblock power amplifiers, Constellation Centaur 2 stereo (driving subwoofers)
AC Power: Five dedicated 20A lines terminated with Shunyata AC outlets
Support: Critical Mass Systems Olympus equipment racks and Olympus amplifier stands; CenterStage2 isolation
Cables: Shunyata Sigma interconnects; AudioQuest WEL Signature interconnects; AudioQuest Dragon Zero and Dragon Bass loudspeaker cables
Acoustics: Acoustic Geometry Pro Room Pack 12
Room: Purpose-built; Acoustic Sciences Corporation Iso-Wall System
LP cleaning: Klaudio KD-CLN-LP200, Levin Design record brush

The post Shunyata Research Everest 8000 AC Power Conditioner and Omega XC Power Cord appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

World News

Shunyata Research Sigma NR v2 Power Cord

Posted on by Stephen Scharf

The Sigma NR v2 power cord sits at the top of Shunyata Research’s new Reference Series of noise-reducing (NR) power cords, which also includes the new Alpha and Delta NRv2 models. These new offerings were developed using the same designs and technologies found in the top-of-the-line Shunyata Omega QR power cord.

Product Information and Design
The new Noise-Reduction Version 2 (designated here as “NR v2”) are distinguished from the original “v1” series of NR power cords introduced in April, 2017, by a new design and new features. Notably, the NR v2 series introduces a conductor geometry and construction designated “VTX-Ag.” This design comprises an inner conductor of pure silver with a concentric outer conductor of high-purity OFE copper. The materials and geometry are said to combine the transient speed and definition of silver with the warmth, power, and body of copper.

The Sigma NR v2 power cord also utilizes a refinement of Shunyata’s patented noise-reduction (NR) technology, which provides ~12dB of “in-line” noise reduction. This multi-element, wide-bandwidth noise-reduction technology was developed by Shunyata Research’s medical division, Clear Image Scientific, to improve the performance of medical imaging systems in cardiology and neurosurgery. The noise-reduction filter is built into the component-end plug.

The NR v2’s build has also been refined and improved to provide superior audio quality over first-generation NR power cords. For instance, each power cord is treated with Shunyata’s innovative and proprietary Kinetic Phase Inversion Process (KPIP) for a minimum of four days. The KPIP process significantly reduces burn-in time, as well as improving sonics. Most notably, I’ve found that KPIP-treated power cords provide a relaxed and lifelike presentation from the get-go, eliminating the hassles and uneven performance often associated with burning-in new power cords.

On the outside, the Sigma NR v2 is an all-new design, with a black TechFlex jacket terminated with plugs of genuine black carbon-fiber and metallic trim rings. The overall appearance is very attractive, crisp, and modern, and exudes quality. The new design also utilizes Shunyata’s proprietary CopperCONN connectors, which maximize current delivery. The CopperCONN plugs are flash-plated with nickel to ensure contact integrity and provide durability. Not only are the genuine carbon-fiber plugs very sexy looking, they are also functional, as they attenuate and damp micro-vibrations that can impact maximal sound quality. Even though the Sigma NR v2 is a 6AWG cord, it is very flexible and supple, which makes routing and connecting it easy.

sigma nrv2 plug

Setup and Configuration
For this review, I used Sigma NR v2s to power my Conrad-Johnson LP-70S amplifier, CT-5 preamp, and Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC. All components were powered by connecting the Sigma NR v2s to my Shunyata Denali 6000/S v2 power distributor, which was connected to the AC wall receptacle with the new Shunyata Sigma XC power cord. The Sigma XC is the same-specification power cord as the NR v2, absent the noise-reduction filter, and specifically designed for delivering maximal current to power distributors. The Denali v2 is a key player when used in conjunction with the Sigma NR v2, as I’ll explain. My digital front-end networking components: Mac Mini music server, UpTone Audio EtherREGEN, and SOtM SMS-200 UltaNeo network bridge were powered using Shunyata Venom V14D digital power cords, specifically designed for this class of device.

Listening Impressions
Prior to installing the Sigma NR v2 power cords, I was using a mix of Shunyata Venom NR-V10, NR-V12, and Delta NR v1 power cords. After installing the Sigma NR v2 in the system and letting them settle for a day or so, I gave them a listen. It was a veritable revelation.

Let me provide some context: From the first Shunyata Diamondback and Venom 3 power cords I purchased in 2009 and 2010, respectively, my experiences with Shunyata power cords have been positive. Over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that the power cords and power distributor are the most important parts in a high-end audio system. You don’t build a superb house on a weak foundation; you build it on the best foundation, for sound (no pun intended) engineering reasons. The power distribution of a high-end audio system is no different.

Successive generations of Shunyata’s power cords have resulted in an increased reduction in noise, hash, and grunge, and a concomitant increase in resolution, transparency, bass articulation, and definition. I’ve heard some really good power cords over the years, but the new Sigma NR v2 breaks fresh ground in audio reproduction, and most notably, does so in different ways than I’ve experienced to date.

Listening to the Sigma NR v2 cord it quickly became apparent that standard audio-review terminology didn’t apply. Rather, I came to the conclusion that using the Sigma NR v2 in conjunction with the Denali V2 power distributor required a new vocabulary as well as a new perspective, because the intrinsic quality of the musical presentation was different in a fundamental way. The most accurate way to convey this change is to adopt the language used to describe fine musical instruments, e.g. how a Stradivarius sounds compared to a Guarnerius violin, or how a Bösendorfer sounds compared to a Steinway grand.

This power cord brings an accuracy of timbre and harmony, a musical veracity, that I’ve simply not experienced before. Yes, it’s got all the audiophile virtues I’ve described in my previous experiences with Shunyata power cables. But those attributes really don’t speak to what the Sigma NR v2 is about.

While it sounds amazing on all types of music, the qualities of the Sigma NR v2, particularly when used in conjunction with the Denali V2 power distributor, are most fully evident on classical symphonic pieces. The power cords and the distributor work in harmony to provide a class of resolution, timbral definition, transparency, vocal and instrumental accuracy, hall spaciousness and ambience that I have not experienced before. All of this is heard against a background so quiet that the experience is like sitting with the musicians, rather than sitting with the audience. On Joaquín Rodrigo’s Fantasia para un gentilhombre with Pepe Romero and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields [Philips 438-016-2], Romero’s guitar is so fully and clearly articulated that you can hear his clear ringing tone, the spruce-and-cedar character of his guitar, and the nuances of his virtuosic technique perfectly articulated, even against the backdrop, complexity, and power of the full orchestra going flat-out behind him during very dynamic passages. Moreover, there is so much precision you can “zero-in” on every single instrument in the orchestra in the beautiful acoustics of Watford Town Hall in the UK. Normally, during these passages like these, the subtle, intricate musical details of a classical guitar can get lost against the background of an entire symphony playing en masse. With the Sigma NR v2, you can hear and pinpoint each individual musician or instrumental voice within the full orchestra.

In studio recordings, the gestalt is one of actually being in the studio during recording rather than listening to playback of the recording session. On recordings such as Kenny Burrell’s “Saturday Night Blues” on the seminal hard-bop album Midnight Blue, or Melody Gardot’s “Your Heart is Black as Night” from My One and Only Thrill, I can hear the secondary reflections and, most incredibly, the decay of these secondary reflections splay off the opposite wall in the recording studio. “Tibet” on I Ching’s Of the Marsh and Moon [Chesky Records] is a sophisticated mix of Chinese instruments with complex tonal structures. With lesser power cords, this tapestry of sounds can easily become somewhat congested, but with the Sigma NRv2 every instrument is reproduced with extremely finely resolved detail, timbral texture, and harmonic accuracy.

A friend recently asked me, because of the silver in the VTX-Ag conductor, whether its signature was on the analytical side of the equation or the “warmer and richer” side that some legacy Shunyata power cords, e.g. the “CX Series,” were known for. It occurred to me that I had never considered this question because the Sigma NR is so neutral. And by this I do not mean what “neutral” has come to mean to some audiophiles, which is slightly on the lean, spare, or cool side, rather than the warmer, more romantic side. I mean truly neutral: The Sigma NR v2 imposes virtually no coloration or shading of its own on the music.

Maximizing the Performance of Denali and QR/BB
The traditional experience of listening to live or reproduced music is one of the listener sitting back from the musicians performing in a hall or concert stage. Not so with the Sigma NR v2 and Denali v2. Rather, the soundstage and imaging is so three-dimensional and holographic it’s as if you being surrounded and enveloped within the music. Moreover, each musician and instrument is focused, palpable, and fully fleshed out. Upon reflection, it occurred to me that the Sigma NR v2 was letting me fully hear the impact and functionality of the QR/BB device in the Denali 6000/S v2 power distributor. A good analogy would be putting a larger throttle body in the fuel injector of a high-performance motor. Providing more instantaneous current (what Shunyata refers to as Dynamic Transient Current Delivery or DTCD) enables the full performances of the motor, or in this case, the QR/BB device in the Denali v2. This device, used in the Shunyata Tyhpon QR and Denali power distributors, fundamentally changes the presentation in a way that the audiophile terminology we’ve used for the last 40 years no longer adequately describes. Put quite simply, one has to experience it to get it.

Conclusion
I could go on, but the most important way I can sum up what the Sigma NRv2 power cord does (particularly when it is used with a Denali v2) is to say that it sounds as if you are in the room with the musicians as they create the music in the moment.

With the Sigma NR v2, my traditional perspectives on what a stereo system can reproduce has shifted away from a language that describes gear to a language and sensibility that describes music. Remarkable, truly remarkable.

Specs & Pricing

Conductors: 06 VTX-Ag
Connectors: CopperCONN
Headshell: Carbon-fiber
Noise reduction: >12dB @ 1MHz
IEC connector: C19 20A, C15 15A
Lengths: 1.25m or 1.75m (standard length is 1.75m)
Price: $3500

Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Schiit Gungnir Gen 5 USB Multibit DAC, SOtM SMS-200 UltraNeo network bridge, Mac Mini Roon Core Server, Sonore OpticalModule fiber media converter, UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Ethernet switch, UpTone Audio LPS-1.2 power supplies
Analog source: Michell Gyro SE turntable, SME V tonearm, Koetsu Urushi Vermilion cartridge, Bob’s Devices Cinemag step-up transformer, Uni-Pro protractor
Phonostage: E.A.R. 324
Preamplifier: Conrad-Johnson CT-5
Power amplifier: Conrad-Johnson LP70S
Loudspeakers: Harbeth 40th Anniversary 30.2, Dynaudio Contour S3.4 with Esotar 2 tweeters, REL R-305 sub
Cables: Shunyata Research Sigma NR V2 power cable (preamplifier, amplifier, and DAC) V14D Digital (digital networking components, Delta and Venom interconnects, Sigma Ethernet & Alpha USB digital cables, Delta V2 VTX-Ag speaker cables
A/C Power: Shunyata Research Denali 6000/S V2 and SR-Z1 wall outlet

The post Shunyata Research Sigma NR v2 Power Cord appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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