Grant,
You spoke with me a couple of weeks ago concerning the peculiar break-in characteristics of the COBRA interconnects. Just letting you know that I had a chance to listen this weekend since talking. It wasn’t so much of a more-this-and-that thing as much as it was a reflexive response. I sat leaning forward anticipating the audiophile thrill ride and when the music started playing I just leaned back into the sofa and experienced it. The music just flowed with a naturalness that made me forget all the usual expectations one is accustomed to looking for when trying new gear. Yes, the clarity was remarkable as well. Drums sound more insistent and present. Horns, especially trumpet, now had more body and “horn”. Rather than wincing and running for the volume on loud passages, those horns had a buttery warmth that somehow escaped me previously. Piano is always such a difficult instrument to get just right. While there is such wide variability to miking and production from one recording to the next, you just know it when you got it right. I swear, I could almost hear the felt on the hammers striking the strings. And what is even more remarkable is that I am hearing this from a $250 Emotiva XDA-1 DAC/preamp! I sure don’t feel the need to go out shopping as soon as I thought looking for a “better DAC” right now.
I look forward to seeing what a set of ΞTRON® speaker cables could do. Thanks for the ride…
Jon
Remember when I waxed so poetic after I installed my PYTHON ΞTRON® IC’s and SC’s? Well, I’ve run out of adjectives for this new XLR digital cable. Holy Moley. Slap me silly and call me Susan. I really don’t know what to say. A friend of mine who owns one has been crazy about it, but I was still skeptical that it could be *this* good. Ok, I’ll try to convey what I hear after about 100 hours.
The PYTHON digital cable has converted my digital transport and dac into a world-class analog rig. This is the most natural, realistic, organic sound I’ve ever heard from a digital device. The timbre is true, the pacing is musical and the soundstage is three-dimensional. Good Redbook recordings sound like 24/96 masters and some high resolution recordings can sound truly live. DAC’s now have the equivalent of a top-of-the-line Dynavector arm and stylus.
These impressions were made AFTER I upgraded my Perfect Wave DAC to the the new MKII digital board, which is world-class, btw. This cable kills my custom made Harmonic Tech HDMI cable into the DAC’s I2S input…which theoreitcally should not be possible. The I2S connection has been preferred by every reviewer of this DAC. Two other PWD owners who have bought the PYTHON concur with me as to it’s revoultionary sound, so I KNOW it’s not in my head.
If people knew how good this PYTHON sounds, they’d think twice about spending big bucks on a USB cable. Are you guys gonna try one of those?
Please tell Caelin how much I appreciate his work. He hit this one way out into the bay.
Any company, manufacturer, etc.etc. is only as good…as viable…as secure in its’ standing…as the quality of the “customer service” provided to its’ customers.
Shunyata’s products are among the very best available…
I was a bit skeptical as I waited for my new PYTHON signal cables. I’ve tried a number of high end cables and, while they have all had a very distinct impact on my system, I would not judge any as equal to a component or speaker upgrade. So, I was completely unprepared for what I have experienced over the last week. I’ve replaced speakers, preamps, DACs, transports and power cords. All of these changes helped but none of them have so transformed my listening experience as these Powersnake cables.
If I were reading this, I would be skeptical of such a bold statement. Let me clarify; the PYTHON interconnects and speaker cables have brought me closer to the essence of the recorded music than I ever thought possible. Guitars sound more like guitars; the pace, rhythm and timing are just right; the soundstage is now a three-dimensional space in and out of which performers move as never before; I am constantly pulled back into the music by instruments I’ve never noticed in recordings or qualities in the performance that I had never appreciated. This is true of every single recording I have played since hooking up the cables.
For the first time in my many years of listening, my system sounds like MUSIC. I couldn’t ask for more.
I just wanted to thank you for a truly eye opening experience with the Shunyata AURORA interconnects and speaker cables.
I had just upgraded my DAC from a Stello DA220 MK II to the Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC. This change produced some effects that seemed paradoxical and unexpected. Compared to the Stello the Alpha DAC is much more analog like while simultaneously retaining the deep level of resolution I have come to enjoy through the Stello. Strangely the result this had on sound of my current set up was a softer less focused picture with an overall decrease is dynamics and immediacy.
First I replaced my reference level VH Audio Symmetry silver interconnects with the AURORA interconnects. This change produced a larger sound stage with greater immediacy and dynamic contrasts. I was not prepared for what was to happen next. When I replaced my Cardas Golden Reference speaker cables with the Shunyata AURORA speaker cables, there was a giant leap forward in all aspects of the sound. The sound took on an effortless hugely open expansiveness which was larger than I had ever heard on my system previously. The background was relieved of what I can only describe as a layer of grain that I had not really noticed until it was gone. This lack of grain allowed me to see deeper into the mix as never before. The system also gained a level of top to bottom phase coherence which revealed shimmering ethereal highs as well as subterranean lows in both the macro and micro domains. The tonal balance was also a significant beneficiary of the incredible phase coherence of the AURORA cables. Gone were any hints of phase induced harshness or listener fatigue. The soundstage also benefitted through greater structural integrity and palpability. There was an obvious synergistic benefit to using the AURORA Speaker cable in conjunction with the AURORA interconnects.
In order to sort out what changes I was hearing were attributable to the AURORAs and which were related to switch to the Berkeley Audio I put the Stello DAC back in. The Berkeley Audio’s contribution was immediately announced by the relative lack of harmonic richness and warmth. The sound also lost the fatigue free quality at higher listening levels. The AURORAs can be ruthlessly revealing of lesser quality components. These observations should be viewed within the context of component compatibility and synergy.
In fairness to the Stello and my other reference cables, I must say that I have used these products for the last 3 years with great musical satisfaction. They have endowed my system with all of the most sought after qualities that make listening to music enjoyable. This is no small achievement when listening to Avantgarde Trios which expose the smallest flaws in downstream components. This to me simply points to the importance of the synergy that various cables can provide to different combinations of components.
This experience has demonstrated to me what kinds of colorations and modulations my reference cables were imbuing on my system as a whole. Inserting the Shunyata AURORA Cables offered a clear window from which to better judge the essential qualities and shortcomings of the downstream components.
It may be of interest to note that on my system with either DAC or cables I preferred the sound with the Audiopax Model 5 preamp in place versus listening to the Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC playing straight into the amplifiers. The direct feed produced a sound that was very accurate but to my ears not as musical as when played through the preamp. The Preamp added more harmonic texture and sense of communion between the instruments that was otherwise missing. These attributes help me to immerse myself in the music and not be distracted by what I perceive to be artifacts of the HIFI reproduction process.
Associated Equipment:
Avantgarde Trios: (Main Speakers)
Avantgarde Basshorns: (Sub-Woofers)
Audiopax Model 88 MK II Mono blocks: (Amplifiers)
Audiopax Model 5: (Pre-Amplifier)
Stello DA220 MK II (DAC)
Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC (DAC)
Qsonix 100 (Music Server)
I have sent my Shunyata ARIES S (bought second hand) for repair to you. The former owner had done some bad soldering. The repair was done under warranty (yes, for a long discontinued product). And it was returned to me in a bright new Shunyata box with the best care (sealed and cushioned).
The repair (resoldering the XLR-contacts) was excellent done and the communication (with Cassandra) through Email was spot on and pleasant.
Thank you all, for the great aftersale service.
Greatings from Holland, Land of Amsterdam, wooden shoes, tullips and a very satisfied owner of an ARIES S.
Rene K.
Holland
Thanks for the ride…
I’ve run out of adjectives for this new XLR digital cable. Holy Moley.
Grant,
Remember when I waxed so poetic after I installed my PYTHON ΞTRON® IC’s and SC’s? Well, I’ve run out of adjectives for this new XLR digital cable. Holy Moley. Slap me silly and call me Susan. I really don’t know what to say. A friend of mine who owns one has been crazy about it, but I was still skeptical that it could be *this* good. Ok, I’ll try to convey what I hear after about 100 hours.
The PYTHON digital cable has converted my digital transport and dac into a world-class analog rig. This is the most natural, realistic, organic sound I’ve ever heard from a digital device. The timbre is true, the pacing is musical and the soundstage is three-dimensional. Good Redbook recordings sound like 24/96 masters and some high resolution recordings can sound truly live. DAC’s now have the equivalent of a top-of-the-line Dynavector arm and stylus.
These impressions were made AFTER I upgraded my Perfect Wave DAC to the the new MKII digital board, which is world-class, btw. This cable kills my custom made Harmonic Tech HDMI cable into the DAC’s I2S input…which theoreitcally should not be possible. The I2S connection has been preferred by every reviewer of this DAC. Two other PWD owners who have bought the PYTHON concur with me as to it’s revoultionary sound, so I KNOW it’s not in my head.
If people knew how good this PYTHON sounds, they’d think twice about spending big bucks on a USB cable. Are you guys gonna try one of those?
Please tell Caelin how much I appreciate his work. He hit this one way out into the bay.
Vance
Shunyata’s customer service is without peer
Hello Richard!!
Thanks you for your help and consideration.
Any company, manufacturer, etc.etc. is only as good…as viable…as secure in its’ standing…as the quality of the “customer service” provided to its’ customers.
Shunyata’s products are among the very best available…
Shunyata’s customer service is without peer.
Best!
Thom
Have brought me closer to the essence of the recorded music
Grant,
I was a bit skeptical as I waited for my new PYTHON signal cables. I’ve tried a number of high end cables and, while they have all had a very distinct impact on my system, I would not judge any as equal to a component or speaker upgrade. So, I was completely unprepared for what I have experienced over the last week. I’ve replaced speakers, preamps, DACs, transports and power cords. All of these changes helped but none of them have so transformed my listening experience as these Powersnake cables.
If I were reading this, I would be skeptical of such a bold statement. Let me clarify; the PYTHON interconnects and speaker cables have brought me closer to the essence of the recorded music than I ever thought possible. Guitars sound more like guitars; the pace, rhythm and timing are just right; the soundstage is now a three-dimensional space in and out of which performers move as never before; I am constantly pulled back into the music by instruments I’ve never noticed in recordings or qualities in the performance that I had never appreciated. This is true of every single recording I have played since hooking up the cables.
For the first time in my many years of listening, my system sounds like MUSIC. I couldn’t ask for more.
Vance H.
St. Louis, MO
There was an obvious synergistic benefit to using the AURORA…
I just wanted to thank you for a truly eye opening experience with the Shunyata AURORA interconnects and speaker cables.
I had just upgraded my DAC from a Stello DA220 MK II to the Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC. This change produced some effects that seemed paradoxical and unexpected. Compared to the Stello the Alpha DAC is much more analog like while simultaneously retaining the deep level of resolution I have come to enjoy through the Stello. Strangely the result this had on sound of my current set up was a softer less focused picture with an overall decrease is dynamics and immediacy.
First I replaced my reference level VH Audio Symmetry silver interconnects with the AURORA interconnects. This change produced a larger sound stage with greater immediacy and dynamic contrasts. I was not prepared for what was to happen next. When I replaced my Cardas Golden Reference speaker cables with the Shunyata AURORA speaker cables, there was a giant leap forward in all aspects of the sound. The sound took on an effortless hugely open expansiveness which was larger than I had ever heard on my system previously. The background was relieved of what I can only describe as a layer of grain that I had not really noticed until it was gone. This lack of grain allowed me to see deeper into the mix as never before. The system also gained a level of top to bottom phase coherence which revealed shimmering ethereal highs as well as subterranean lows in both the macro and micro domains. The tonal balance was also a significant beneficiary of the incredible phase coherence of the AURORA cables. Gone were any hints of phase induced harshness or listener fatigue. The soundstage also benefitted through greater structural integrity and palpability. There was an obvious synergistic benefit to using the AURORA Speaker cable in conjunction with the AURORA interconnects.
In order to sort out what changes I was hearing were attributable to the AURORAs and which were related to switch to the Berkeley Audio I put the Stello DAC back in. The Berkeley Audio’s contribution was immediately announced by the relative lack of harmonic richness and warmth. The sound also lost the fatigue free quality at higher listening levels. The AURORAs can be ruthlessly revealing of lesser quality components. These observations should be viewed within the context of component compatibility and synergy.
In fairness to the Stello and my other reference cables, I must say that I have used these products for the last 3 years with great musical satisfaction. They have endowed my system with all of the most sought after qualities that make listening to music enjoyable. This is no small achievement when listening to Avantgarde Trios which expose the smallest flaws in downstream components. This to me simply points to the importance of the synergy that various cables can provide to different combinations of components.
This experience has demonstrated to me what kinds of colorations and modulations my reference cables were imbuing on my system as a whole. Inserting the Shunyata AURORA Cables offered a clear window from which to better judge the essential qualities and shortcomings of the downstream components.
It may be of interest to note that on my system with either DAC or cables I preferred the sound with the Audiopax Model 5 preamp in place versus listening to the Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC playing straight into the amplifiers. The direct feed produced a sound that was very accurate but to my ears not as musical as when played through the preamp. The Preamp added more harmonic texture and sense of communion between the instruments that was otherwise missing. These attributes help me to immerse myself in the music and not be distracted by what I perceive to be artifacts of the HIFI reproduction process.
Associated Equipment:
Avantgarde Trios: (Main Speakers)
Avantgarde Basshorns: (Sub-Woofers)
Audiopax Model 88 MK II Mono blocks: (Amplifiers)
Audiopax Model 5: (Pre-Amplifier)
Stello DA220 MK II (DAC)
Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC (DAC)
Qsonix 100 (Music Server)
Joshua J. Wright
Great aftersale service
A big THANK YOU to all the people at Shunyata!
I have sent my Shunyata ARIES S (bought second hand) for repair to you. The former owner had done some bad soldering. The repair was done under warranty (yes, for a long discontinued product). And it was returned to me in a bright new Shunyata box with the best care (sealed and cushioned).
The repair (resoldering the XLR-contacts) was excellent done and the communication (with Cassandra) through Email was spot on and pleasant.
Thank you all, for the great aftersale service.
Greatings from Holland, Land of Amsterdam, wooden shoes, tullips and a very satisfied owner of an ARIES S.
Rene K.
Holland