Greetings to Caelin and Richard,
My name is Thomas Cicatelli, but my “Stage Name” is Tommie Chick. First, let me say to Caelin that I wish I could speak to you to personally say “thanks” for what you and your research team have done for me. I am a musician within a three piece band who writes, sings and plays the guitar. My bass player and drummer complete my band. We play Blues standards and originals of mine. I have been playing guitar for 45 years and have settled on a tone that I consider to be the “Holy Grail”.
With the help of your many hours of toil and sweat and assistance from Mark at Music Direct I was able to be put in contact with Richard at Shunyata. Let me explain what is happening. I play guitar as an extension of my voice and I am very cognizant of the fact that the tone I achieve on my instrument is also an expression of myself. Through many years and hundreds of hours, I have strained at this search for my tone. As a result, my equipment has gone through several changes over the years. But, during the summer of 2011, my search led me in a new direction.
In the beginning I made a decision to change all my equipment. I sold all my guitars, amps and effects. The only thing I kept the same were my custom made Van den haul cables, picks and strings. I decided on a Heritage H150 as my main guitar and an amp made in Italy as my only go to instrument. Both the guitar and the amp had things change on them before they were ready. But I noticed a problem when playing my tube amp that was plugged into a Furman Power Factor Pro. I spoke to Mark at Music Direct and I started to think about what needed to be changed.
After reading the information on your website, I started to understand what was wrong with my sound. It was then that I spoke to Richard. At first I told him that I wanted to speak to Caelin. Let me say that I know now why that was not going to take place. I made the decision to purchase the COPPERHEAD power cable and here is what has happened to my sound and guitartone:
A MAJOR MIRACLE HAS TAKEN PLACE!
In an even more dramatic way then when I switched guitar cords. The COPPERHEAD is the best piece of equipment I have. My tone is phenomenal. I am able to say because of three things: 1. My Bass player, a friend for 40 years, told me after our 2 hours of rehearsing that my tone was the best he had ever heard. 2. My recording engineer and fellow musician(guitar,harp and violin are his instruments) looked at everything I was using and could not believe the sound, sustain and harmonics I was able to achieve. 3. My WIFE! she said that my sound was very pleasant and a lot more musical then before. Here is what the COPPERHEAD has done for my sound/tone: I can take the black 10ft. power cable and make a dog leash out of it. I am positve that it changed my tone dramatically because I a/b both cables and the COPPERHEAD destroyed the other one totally. My amp after more than 2 hours of use was NOT even the least bit warm. It was cool to my touch.
This means that the tubes will last longer because they will not have to be pushed harder. Internal components like filter caps etc. will not have to be changed as quickly. Lastly, the speaker will sound better as it ages because it does not have to be over worked all the time.
My guitar sound was now MUCH better. Chords were full, single notes were clear as a bell, my sustain was more pronounced, string harmonics and tube overtones and gain was smooth. My effects worked better and changes to the controls made a big difference. By this I mean it did not matter if I changed the controls on the amp, the guitar or my overdrive effect. All of these changes were heard and made an impact on my sound. Well, this is my review of what the Shunyata Research COPPERHEAD power cable did for me. I am a big fan and an endorser of this great piece of equipment.
Now, when I leave, I take: my guitar, my amp, my overdrive pedal, my cables, picks and last but really first, I make sure that my amp has the COPPERHEAD attached.
Tommie Chick, aka Thomas Cicatelli
My name is Tom and I am a user of Shunyata Products. I use the SR-Z1 hi-end outlet and the COPPERHEAD power cable. Here is the result of my many years of trying to achieve the best possible tone that I can from my musicial equipment. As a guitarist, my main concern is noise from my tube amp and good and bad tone variations from this amp when plugging in to play through it from day to day. In the past, some days things sound status-quo and then other days there are noises and other tones that make playing, practicing and recording very difficult for me.
Then I discovered the power cable and the outlet made by the tech guys at Shunyata Research. From the first time I plugged the amp into the outlet using the COPPERHEAD there was a direct improvement to the sound of my equipment.
First, my amp was quiet. After playing for a few hours I noticed that the amp remained cool to my touch.
Second, my tone was phenomenal sounding. Every note was true and rich. There was no extra distortion coming through the amp. No unwanted noise of any type, just pure true tone. When I added over-drive from the amp or one of my pedals, I was able to achieve pure overtones and richer harmonics than I ever had before this time.
Third, when I did some rehearsing and sound testing at my friends studio, he could not believe how this new set up recorded. I am now able to just set my guitar, amp and any pedal the way I want. This will save me a lot of time by not having to set controls each time. If I want a certain sound, all that I have to do is set all the controls. The next time, if I want the same sound, I just set the controls the same as before.
Now I am no longer just killing studio time trying to get that sound I got yesterday. Now when I am playing, all I have to do is concentrate on the music without any worrying about the tone. I now have complete confidence in my sound, the tone and how other peoples ears will hear what I am playing. Finally, the two guys that record me had nothing but the highest praise for the SR-Z1 outlet and the COPPERHEAD power cable. My friend Tim has a spot on his second floor that I love to record from. He told me that after he heard my set up, he would have no trouble recording me either playing quiet or over the top. Tim said it will be easy now and there will be no restrictions recording my sound. He went so far as to say that the Shunyata gear has made it easy and less complicated to record my sound at its best.
Another friend John did some recording in his studio of me. He said that my new equipment made the sound that was coming from my amp better. The tone, the sound of the over-tones, the harmonic structure of the notes and the purity and transparency coming from the speaker resulted in a great recording sound that will playback well on CD time after time.
I hope that this can fully explain my deep and sincere gratitude to Richard and all the people at Shunyata Research. I, and my tone, are forever in your debt.
Tommie Chick, aka Thomas Cicatelli
Around the beginning of 2011, the new Shunyata VENOM-3 entered the market, and given my experiences with the DIAMONDBACK PLATINUM, and given the VENOM-3’s incredible price, I was quite interested to try one out, and ordered one for use on my phono stage. Again, I was simply astonished at the improvement and performance that this “entry-level” power cord brings to the customer. For the price, I simply could not believe the level of performance. While both cords exhibited the same set of improvements described in Part 1, what was really intriguing that the VENOM-3 imparted a different quality to the the musical presentation than the DIAMONDBACK PLATINUM. Where the DIAMONDBACK PLATINUM was crisp, clean, and neutral, the VENOM-3 was rich, slightly warm, layered, and textured. I absolutely LOVED it, and it stayed as the power cord for my phono stage, as it’s qualities blended beautifully with an analogue turntable source. I recently bought a used power cord from a friend from another manufacturer, figuring one can never have enough good power cords around. This particular cord is made by a justifiably well-respected manufacturer who makes fine products, and sells new for about $500. I recently did a comparison between this $500 cord and the VENOM-3 when my audio friend was over. We started the demo with the $500 cord, and then put in the VENOM-3. My friend immediately commented, “Wow! The VENOM-3 is more transparent and WAY better than the first cord. I don’t even want to listen to that other cord anymore.” We were both in agreement, and what was really astonishing was that, on the whole, the VENOM-3 absolutely slaughtered this $500 power cord. My friend has been so impressed with the VENOM-3 that just last week he installed four Shunyata VENOM-3 throughout his system and to say he is very, very pleased with the improvements it has brought to his system would be an understatement. Or, as he put it, “I cannot overstate the improvements the VENOM-3’s have made to my system.
In my experience, the VENOM-3 represents an absolutely astonishing level of performance for it’s price, and has to be one of the best value propositions in all of audio. It clearly deserved the awards it won from the professional magazines in 2011, and in my opinion, was one of the outstanding audio products of 2011. It outperforms aftermarket power cords costing 4-5 times as much, and one has to move up to the Shunyata BLACK MAMBA CX/HC CX level of premium cords to actually obtain a notable improvement in performance. I’ll be commenting on my experiences with the BLACK MAMBA CX, HC, CX and HYDRA series of power distributors in Part 3 of my “Journey with Shunyata”. Stay tuned.
You probably already know how good your products are, but just in case…
I just put a TAIPAN HELIX ALPHA power cord onto my CJ CT-5 preamp and wow. It replaced a Custom Power Company Eleven which I always figured was ok. I already had a 20 amp TAIPAN HELIX ALPHA and HYDRA 8 as well as HYDRA 2 with a Shunyata COPPERHEAD for my CJ Premier 12’s. Linn LP12 / Ekos/Lingo/Akiva cartridge. Naim UnitiServe / Enightened Audio DSP-7000 (I know – ancient). Meadowlark Blue Heron speakers.
The TAIPAN on the CT-5 has been remarkable. These things are hard to describe, so I’ll do my best: The music is suddenly much more palpable. The soundstage had always been behind the speakers and now it’s at the plane of the speakers. Everything is clearer making all the instruments sound better. Records that were always a bit dull sounding on my system suddenly sound alive (eg… Allman’s Eat a Peach). No negatives to top end, bass or rhythm/ pacing.
It’s hard to believe that a power cord could make such a difference in a system, but it has. Best upgrade ever!
Thanks for taking the time to talk the other day. As I mentioned in my conversation, I currently own the Shunyata ZR-1 and the SIDEWINDER VTX power cable (on the Oppo) and both have made a tremendous difference to the sound quality of my system (Pioneer SVX54, Oppo BDP83se, B&W 805, JL Audio Phantom, Cardas Neutral reference interconnects and speaker wire). The key, as you had pointed out with the power cable (and I have tried out 2 other lower models from Shunyata), is the burn-in time. This has made a huge difference.
I would recommend the Shunyata line to anyone wanting a great deal. A small investment in Shunyata can bring you a enormous difference in sound quality clarity, enhanced sound stage and more true to life experience without busting the bank. In these tough economic times its great to see an American company put out quality product.
My cables (ANACONDA speaker cables, COBRA XLR IC’s, 4 COBRA power cords) have been in my all Gamut system about a month. Time is very scarce these past weeks and no letup in sight but I feel I owe you a quick report after all your valuable assistance. I’ll expand on this later.
The stereo is transformed. Everyone who has heard it is as dumbstruck as I am over the improvement. All my system issues prior to purchase of the Shunyata cables gradually resolved as the cables burned in. Lack of bass, being overly bright, distortion, lack of dynamics, uneven frequency response, uninspiring timing, difficulty with speaker placement — all gone.
Acknowledging I have not heard dozens of other high end systems but have heard at least a few very high end systems, I personally have never heard a better sounding stereo when CD is the source.
My only complaint is that the cables did not fix the skip in my CD player or make my girlfriend any easier to comprehend.
Remember me? I always like to keep you guys informed of my opinion of your products. I just received today from Music Direct the above named [BLACK MAMBA] Power Cord. I’m using it from my Magnum Dynalab FM tuner to the TALOS. Right out of the box…BEAUTIFUL. I’ve never heard my FM sound so great…I listen to a local classical music station and you would think I have a CD playing. Your company is the king of power conditioning which is why I have your power cords throughout my entire system. Kindly pass this E-mail on to Grant as I’m sure he would appreciate my comments.
Hi. I recently purchased your VENOM-3 Power Cord (15amp) and love it. I’ll be darned, a power cord really does make a difference. Maybe it’s all in my head, but if so, I like the way you hypnotized me!
I have recently upgraded all of the power cables in my audio system from your Shunyata ANACONDA ALPHA HELIX to your KING COBRA CX. After an extensive “break in” of several weeks, I can emphatically state that the new KING COBRA CX’s are unequivocally better sounding. They have turned a nightly routine into a nightly EVENT! In addition to an unimaginably quieter and blacker background, they have brought forth a whole new layer of new found resolution of spatial and dynamic realism that must be heard to be believed! There are literally vistas of new and musically relevant information on each and every recording that I have played. Sometimes this new found resolution is outright startling!
I have been a music lover for most of my life and an audiophile for thirty five years. I have refined my tastes for what sounds best to my tastes, and have long since exited the “preamp of the month club”, with the purchase of my current electronics (All Mark Levinson Reference) about a decade ago. I purchased that equipment, because I liked how it sounded, I liked how it looks, and I liked the interfacing of the components. I still love what I have and nothing has convinced, nor persuaded me to change my electronics. Most “high end” audio electronics are built to military standards and with proper care will perform for decades. Your KING COBRA CX power cables along with my two V-RAY II’s have allowed my equipment to perform at a much higher level than ever before. It sounds like the already overbuilt power supplies of my electronics were just rebuilt and tripled in their size and at the same time the circuit boards designed to pass more information! I now hear resolution down to the room noise and musicians breathing, instrumental overtones sound more of a piece and simply more “real”, voices more “human”, and dynamics much more alive and vibrant — truly amazing!
These KING COBRA CX cables are expensive, no doubt and for the same money I could have traded in or sold my Levinson electronics and purchased new equipment, but I chose not to do that, as again, I had left the electronics merry-go-round some years ago. I firmly believe that the purity and the amount of power that audio electronics have, the better that they will perform. While I have top notch signal cable, I think that if the electronics are not performing at their fullest potential, then the signal that they are transferring from component to component will be seriously compromised. Power is as key as a properly designed listening room, if one wants to achieve state of the art sound reproduction.
The overall “sonic picture” that I have currently achieved (pun intended!) must not only be heard to be believed, but also warps time, as when I leave the sound room for the evening what seemed like minutes was hours!
Thank you for designing and manufacturing your amazing products! I look forward to continuing the journey with you as you develop even better sounding power products in the future!
I just wanted to thank you for your patient listening and excellent advice on selecting power cords for my system. I ended up buying HYDRA V-RAY and two ANACONDA’s, one for the amp and the other for HYDRA. Now I have the entire power distribution system from Shunyata with good combination of shielded and CX cables based on your feedback. The audio video experience has changed so dramatically that I have no words except WOW. We were planning to buy a new TV but now we feel there is no need.
Thanks again and convey my appreciation to your production team — they are the best.
You might recall that several weeks ago I sent you two SIDEWINDER CX’s to be converted to BLACK MAMBA’s. Since that time they have come in and have been in my system. I just wanted to drop you a line to thank you for this service and to say that these BLACK MAMBA’s are simply glorious. I appreciate yours and your company’s attention to customer service and your staff (Cassandra) was just wonderful and extremely professional.
I finally have about 110 hrs on the cords. Clearly I haven’t been able to listen as much as I would like. The sound did get a little worse by about 24 hrs and then gradually improved. Then, around 85 hrs the sound really opened up. It was so much more resolved and airy but also with better bass definition. The rhythm seems just unstoppable. All the little timing cues are now more apparent. What’s more, a significant grainy veil has been lifted that I didn’t even know was there. It initially sounded a little soft, but then I realized this was lack of grain and harshness in the high frequencies. I definitely wasn’t expecting that much change after so many hours. Now I think the sound isn’t changing so much, but who knows? It could break in more I suppose.
Next, I’m going to plug the Vandersteen subs into the HYDRA 4 to see if that makes a difference.
Having owned and used a Shunyata VENOM power cord and then used Acrolink 4023 PC’s for the last year I’m convinced that power cords make a big difference in sound over stock cords. I don’t understand why or how but that does not matter. When I received the TAIPAN’s I cooked them on a cable cooker for several hours before listening. After hooking them up, what I noticed was a big improvement in the sound stage. I could hear better placement of instruments, studio room size/acoustics, placement of vocals, and that feeling that you are right there in front of BB King, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and Clearance Brown. Truly, a remarkable experience.
I have done evaluations on tubes, prototype interconnects and PC’s for Ron at Cryoset and auditioned many other brands of cables. It normally takes a lot to impress me but I’m very impressed with the Helix technology and quality of these cables. I’m glad the price was such that I could justify the risk of buying a product that I had not auditioned.
So you know, I’ve had the DARK FIELD’s in my system for five days now. Three under the PYTHON, three under the TAIPAN, the rest separating/lifting the interconnect (Alpha-Core Sapphire) and the speaker cable (Alphacore Boa).
There is no question they make a difference and that it’s positive aross the board. More separation betwen voices and instruments, a broader, deeper soundstage, improved timbres, I could go on. Listening more holistically, the speakers basically vanish even better than before, and it’s just much easier to forget it’s a stereo I’m listening to.
All in all, clear improvements that are worth the price.
Just before I plug my ANACONDA, I was auditionning the Acoustic Zen Tsunami feeding my Simaudio Moon P 8. So I replaced that cable with my ANACONDA. The difference was truly great. Next, I tried the Tsunami with my Moon W 8. The sound was not very good. My wife complained about the hight frequency. The sound was harsh and the singer was short on his legs. She asked me to plug the Tsunami directly to the HYDRA MODEL-6. Just before I did that, it was plugged in the wall’s outlet (VENOM Silver outlet). The differences were instantaneous. The singer was now taller. The harmonics amazing! The same cable with a totally new sound’s signature.
I recently borrowed some power cords from Chad at Alternative Audio. I had the DIAMONDBACK, COPPERHEAD, TAIPAN, and PYTHON for home evaluation. I could not believe the difference that the PYTHON’s made while being attached to my Bluenote Stibbert and Edge G3 with a Copperhead to my Anthony Gallo SA. It made music sound like music and humiliated my existing 3 Crystal Standard power cords. My question for you now is what is the best place to start with Shunyata speaker cables and interconnects?
Take the entire book of known terms people use to try to describe the changes to their system and those words would not be enough to describe the improvements I have witnessed with the simple upgrades. Really that is how I feel because there is so much that has changed and all for the much much better I must say. I am supremely pleased with what these power cords and speaker cables have done for me and I look forward to several more ANACONDA’s finding a home in my simple system. Thank you to all at Shunyata Research for making such great products!
After a strong recomendation from a local dealer, I took the leap of faith and invested in your product. I was impressed with the TAIPAN VX / ALPHA and HYDRA MODEL-2 combination. It wasn’t till I added the TAIPAN HELIX to the mix, did I realize the full potential of this upgrade. The improvement in the micro dynamics was the first change noted. My sound stage grew ten feet. Sonically, theres a kind of “enrobing” effect, I’ve had many different power conditioners over the years, as well as upgraded power cords. With Shunyata, I’ve gone from “thinking” I hear a difference, to knowing it to be fact.
A major miracle has taken place!
I, and my tone, are forever in your debt
Hi Richard,
My name is Tom and I am a user of Shunyata Products. I use the SR-Z1 hi-end outlet and the COPPERHEAD power cable. Here is the result of my many years of trying to achieve the best possible tone that I can from my musicial equipment. As a guitarist, my main concern is noise from my tube amp and good and bad tone variations from this amp when plugging in to play through it from day to day. In the past, some days things sound status-quo and then other days there are noises and other tones that make playing, practicing and recording very difficult for me.
Then I discovered the power cable and the outlet made by the tech guys at Shunyata Research. From the first time I plugged the amp into the outlet using the COPPERHEAD there was a direct improvement to the sound of my equipment.
First, my amp was quiet. After playing for a few hours I noticed that the amp remained cool to my touch.
Second, my tone was phenomenal sounding. Every note was true and rich. There was no extra distortion coming through the amp. No unwanted noise of any type, just pure true tone. When I added over-drive from the amp or one of my pedals, I was able to achieve pure overtones and richer harmonics than I ever had before this time.
Third, when I did some rehearsing and sound testing at my friends studio, he could not believe how this new set up recorded. I am now able to just set my guitar, amp and any pedal the way I want. This will save me a lot of time by not having to set controls each time. If I want a certain sound, all that I have to do is set all the controls. The next time, if I want the same sound, I just set the controls the same as before.
Now I am no longer just killing studio time trying to get that sound I got yesterday. Now when I am playing, all I have to do is concentrate on the music without any worrying about the tone. I now have complete confidence in my sound, the tone and how other peoples ears will hear what I am playing. Finally, the two guys that record me had nothing but the highest praise for the SR-Z1 outlet and the COPPERHEAD power cable. My friend Tim has a spot on his second floor that I love to record from. He told me that after he heard my set up, he would have no trouble recording me either playing quiet or over the top. Tim said it will be easy now and there will be no restrictions recording my sound. He went so far as to say that the Shunyata gear has made it easy and less complicated to record my sound at its best.
Another friend John did some recording in his studio of me. He said that my new equipment made the sound that was coming from my amp better. The tone, the sound of the over-tones, the harmonic structure of the notes and the purity and transparency coming from the speaker resulted in a great recording sound that will playback well on CD time after time.
I hope that this can fully explain my deep and sincere gratitude to Richard and all the people at Shunyata Research. I, and my tone, are forever in your debt.
Tommie Chick, aka Thomas Cicatelli
Simply astonished at the improvement and performance
My Journey with Shunyata, Part 2
Around the beginning of 2011, the new Shunyata VENOM-3 entered the market, and given my experiences with the DIAMONDBACK PLATINUM, and given the VENOM-3’s incredible price, I was quite interested to try one out, and ordered one for use on my phono stage. Again, I was simply astonished at the improvement and performance that this “entry-level” power cord brings to the customer. For the price, I simply could not believe the level of performance. While both cords exhibited the same set of improvements described in Part 1, what was really intriguing that the VENOM-3 imparted a different quality to the the musical presentation than the DIAMONDBACK PLATINUM. Where the DIAMONDBACK PLATINUM was crisp, clean, and neutral, the VENOM-3 was rich, slightly warm, layered, and textured. I absolutely LOVED it, and it stayed as the power cord for my phono stage, as it’s qualities blended beautifully with an analogue turntable source. I recently bought a used power cord from a friend from another manufacturer, figuring one can never have enough good power cords around. This particular cord is made by a justifiably well-respected manufacturer who makes fine products, and sells new for about $500. I recently did a comparison between this $500 cord and the VENOM-3 when my audio friend was over. We started the demo with the $500 cord, and then put in the VENOM-3. My friend immediately commented, “Wow! The VENOM-3 is more transparent and WAY better than the first cord. I don’t even want to listen to that other cord anymore.” We were both in agreement, and what was really astonishing was that, on the whole, the VENOM-3 absolutely slaughtered this $500 power cord. My friend has been so impressed with the VENOM-3 that just last week he installed four Shunyata VENOM-3 throughout his system and to say he is very, very pleased with the improvements it has brought to his system would be an understatement. Or, as he put it, “I cannot overstate the improvements the VENOM-3’s have made to my system.
In my experience, the VENOM-3 represents an absolutely astonishing level of performance for it’s price, and has to be one of the best value propositions in all of audio. It clearly deserved the awards it won from the professional magazines in 2011, and in my opinion, was one of the outstanding audio products of 2011. It outperforms aftermarket power cords costing 4-5 times as much, and one has to move up to the Shunyata BLACK MAMBA CX/HC CX level of premium cords to actually obtain a notable improvement in performance. I’ll be commenting on my experiences with the BLACK MAMBA CX, HC, CX and HYDRA series of power distributors in Part 3 of my “Journey with Shunyata”. Stay tuned.
Stephen Scharf
Everything is clearer making all the instruments sound better
Hello,
You probably already know how good your products are, but just in case…
I just put a TAIPAN HELIX ALPHA power cord onto my CJ CT-5 preamp and wow. It replaced a Custom Power Company Eleven which I always figured was ok. I already had a 20 amp TAIPAN HELIX ALPHA and HYDRA 8 as well as HYDRA 2 with a Shunyata COPPERHEAD for my CJ Premier 12’s. Linn LP12 / Ekos/Lingo/Akiva cartridge. Naim UnitiServe / Enightened Audio DSP-7000 (I know – ancient). Meadowlark Blue Heron speakers.
The TAIPAN on the CT-5 has been remarkable. These things are hard to describe, so I’ll do my best: The music is suddenly much more palpable. The soundstage had always been behind the speakers and now it’s at the plane of the speakers. Everything is clearer making all the instruments sound better. Records that were always a bit dull sounding on my system suddenly sound alive (eg… Allman’s Eat a Peach). No negatives to top end, bass or rhythm/ pacing.
It’s hard to believe that a power cord could make such a difference in a system, but it has. Best upgrade ever!
Thanks for reading.
David S.
A tremendous difference to the sound quality
Richard,
Thanks for taking the time to talk the other day. As I mentioned in my conversation, I currently own the Shunyata ZR-1 and the SIDEWINDER VTX power cable (on the Oppo) and both have made a tremendous difference to the sound quality of my system (Pioneer SVX54, Oppo BDP83se, B&W 805, JL Audio Phantom, Cardas Neutral reference interconnects and speaker wire). The key, as you had pointed out with the power cable (and I have tried out 2 other lower models from Shunyata), is the burn-in time. This has made a huge difference.
I would recommend the Shunyata line to anyone wanting a great deal. A small investment in Shunyata can bring you a enormous difference in sound quality clarity, enhanced sound stage and more true to life experience without busting the bank. In these tough economic times its great to see an American company put out quality product.
Anonymous
The stereo is transformed
Hello Grant,
My cables (ANACONDA speaker cables, COBRA XLR IC’s, 4 COBRA power cords) have been in my all Gamut system about a month. Time is very scarce these past weeks and no letup in sight but I feel I owe you a quick report after all your valuable assistance. I’ll expand on this later.
The stereo is transformed. Everyone who has heard it is as dumbstruck as I am over the improvement. All my system issues prior to purchase of the Shunyata cables gradually resolved as the cables burned in. Lack of bass, being overly bright, distortion, lack of dynamics, uneven frequency response, uninspiring timing, difficulty with speaker placement — all gone.
Acknowledging I have not heard dozens of other high end systems but have heard at least a few very high end systems, I personally have never heard a better sounding stereo when CD is the source.
My only complaint is that the cables did not fix the skip in my CD player or make my girlfriend any easier to comprehend.
Louis G.
Right out of the box….BEAUTIFUL
Hello Richard,
Remember me? I always like to keep you guys informed of my opinion of your products. I just received today from Music Direct the above named [BLACK MAMBA] Power Cord. I’m using it from my Magnum Dynalab FM tuner to the TALOS. Right out of the box…BEAUTIFUL. I’ve never heard my FM sound so great…I listen to a local classical music station and you would think I have a CD playing. Your company is the king of power conditioning which is why I have your power cords throughout my entire system. Kindly pass this E-mail on to Grant as I’m sure he would appreciate my comments.
Ken
A power cord really does make a difference
Hi. I recently purchased your VENOM-3 Power Cord (15amp) and love it. I’ll be darned, a power cord really does make a difference. Maybe it’s all in my head, but if so, I like the way you hypnotized me!
Sam C.
Truly amazing!
Dear Caelin and Grant,
I have recently upgraded all of the power cables in my audio system from your Shunyata ANACONDA ALPHA HELIX to your KING COBRA CX. After an extensive “break in” of several weeks, I can emphatically state that the new KING COBRA CX’s are unequivocally better sounding. They have turned a nightly routine into a nightly EVENT! In addition to an unimaginably quieter and blacker background, they have brought forth a whole new layer of new found resolution of spatial and dynamic realism that must be heard to be believed! There are literally vistas of new and musically relevant information on each and every recording that I have played. Sometimes this new found resolution is outright startling!
I have been a music lover for most of my life and an audiophile for thirty five years. I have refined my tastes for what sounds best to my tastes, and have long since exited the “preamp of the month club”, with the purchase of my current electronics (All Mark Levinson Reference) about a decade ago. I purchased that equipment, because I liked how it sounded, I liked how it looks, and I liked the interfacing of the components. I still love what I have and nothing has convinced, nor persuaded me to change my electronics. Most “high end” audio electronics are built to military standards and with proper care will perform for decades. Your KING COBRA CX power cables along with my two V-RAY II’s have allowed my equipment to perform at a much higher level than ever before. It sounds like the already overbuilt power supplies of my electronics were just rebuilt and tripled in their size and at the same time the circuit boards designed to pass more information! I now hear resolution down to the room noise and musicians breathing, instrumental overtones sound more of a piece and simply more “real”, voices more “human”, and dynamics much more alive and vibrant — truly amazing!
These KING COBRA CX cables are expensive, no doubt and for the same money I could have traded in or sold my Levinson electronics and purchased new equipment, but I chose not to do that, as again, I had left the electronics merry-go-round some years ago. I firmly believe that the purity and the amount of power that audio electronics have, the better that they will perform. While I have top notch signal cable, I think that if the electronics are not performing at their fullest potential, then the signal that they are transferring from component to component will be seriously compromised. Power is as key as a properly designed listening room, if one wants to achieve state of the art sound reproduction.
The overall “sonic picture” that I have currently achieved (pun intended!) must not only be heard to be believed, but also warps time, as when I leave the sound room for the evening what seemed like minutes was hours!
Thank you for designing and manufacturing your amazing products! I look forward to continuing the journey with you as you develop even better sounding power products in the future!
RAC
Excellent advice on selecting power cords
Grant,
I just wanted to thank you for your patient listening and excellent advice on selecting power cords for my system. I ended up buying HYDRA V-RAY and two ANACONDA’s, one for the amp and the other for HYDRA. Now I have the entire power distribution system from Shunyata with good combination of shielded and CX cables based on your feedback. The audio video experience has changed so dramatically that I have no words except WOW. We were planning to buy a new TV but now we feel there is no need.
Thanks again and convey my appreciation to your production team — they are the best.
Akbar A.
Los Angeles, CA
These BLACK MAMBA’s are simply glorious
Grant,
You might recall that several weeks ago I sent you two SIDEWINDER CX’s to be converted to BLACK MAMBA’s. Since that time they have come in and have been in my system. I just wanted to drop you a line to thank you for this service and to say that these BLACK MAMBA’s are simply glorious. I appreciate yours and your company’s attention to customer service and your staff (Cassandra) was just wonderful and extremely professional.
George H.
Thank you for the PYTHON CX
Shunyata,
Your newest products have been amazing in my system. Thank you for the PYTHON CX.
Matt B.
The rhythm seems just unstoppable
Hi Grant,
I finally have about 110 hrs on the cords. Clearly I haven’t been able to listen as much as I would like. The sound did get a little worse by about 24 hrs and then gradually improved. Then, around 85 hrs the sound really opened up. It was so much more resolved and airy but also with better bass definition. The rhythm seems just unstoppable. All the little timing cues are now more apparent. What’s more, a significant grainy veil has been lifted that I didn’t even know was there. It initially sounded a little soft, but then I realized this was lack of grain and harshness in the high frequencies. I definitely wasn’t expecting that much change after so many hours. Now I think the sound isn’t changing so much, but who knows? It could break in more I suppose.
Next, I’m going to plug the Vandersteen subs into the HYDRA 4 to see if that makes a difference.
Jim D.
Truly, a remarkable experience
To Whom It May Concern:
Having owned and used a Shunyata VENOM power cord and then used Acrolink 4023 PC’s for the last year I’m convinced that power cords make a big difference in sound over stock cords. I don’t understand why or how but that does not matter. When I received the TAIPAN’s I cooked them on a cable cooker for several hours before listening. After hooking them up, what I noticed was a big improvement in the sound stage. I could hear better placement of instruments, studio room size/acoustics, placement of vocals, and that feeling that you are right there in front of BB King, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and Clearance Brown. Truly, a remarkable experience.
I have done evaluations on tubes, prototype interconnects and PC’s for Ron at Cryoset and auditioned many other brands of cables. It normally takes a lot to impress me but I’m very impressed with the Helix technology and quality of these cables. I’m glad the price was such that I could justify the risk of buying a product that I had not auditioned.
John T.
Clear improvements that are worth the price
So you know, I’ve had the DARK FIELD’s in my system for five days now. Three under the PYTHON, three under the TAIPAN, the rest separating/lifting the interconnect (Alpha-Core Sapphire) and the speaker cable (Alphacore Boa).
There is no question they make a difference and that it’s positive aross the board. More separation betwen voices and instruments, a broader, deeper soundstage, improved timbres, I could go on. Listening more holistically, the speakers basically vanish even better than before, and it’s just much easier to forget it’s a stereo I’m listening to.
All in all, clear improvements that are worth the price.
Matthew K.
Great product!
Unbelievable… how a $99.00 power cord can improve a system’s sound so much!
Bob O.
The harmonics amazing!
Just before I plug my ANACONDA, I was auditionning the Acoustic Zen Tsunami feeding my Simaudio Moon P 8. So I replaced that cable with my ANACONDA. The difference was truly great. Next, I tried the Tsunami with my Moon W 8. The sound was not very good. My wife complained about the hight frequency. The sound was harsh and the singer was short on his legs. She asked me to plug the Tsunami directly to the HYDRA MODEL-6. Just before I did that, it was plugged in the wall’s outlet (VENOM Silver outlet). The differences were instantaneous. The singer was now taller. The harmonics amazing! The same cable with a totally new sound’s signature.
Michel V.
It made music sound like music
Hi Grant,
I recently borrowed some power cords from Chad at Alternative Audio. I had the DIAMONDBACK, COPPERHEAD, TAIPAN, and PYTHON for home evaluation. I could not believe the difference that the PYTHON’s made while being attached to my Bluenote Stibbert and Edge G3 with a Copperhead to my Anthony Gallo SA. It made music sound like music and humiliated my existing 3 Crystal Standard power cords. My question for you now is what is the best place to start with Shunyata speaker cables and interconnects?
Vern
Supremely pleased
Take the entire book of known terms people use to try to describe the changes to their system and those words would not be enough to describe the improvements I have witnessed with the simple upgrades. Really that is how I feel because there is so much that has changed and all for the much much better I must say. I am supremely pleased with what these power cords and speaker cables have done for me and I look forward to several more ANACONDA’s finding a home in my simple system. Thank you to all at Shunyata Research for making such great products!
Marcel (Pete) St. Pierre
C.E.T.
I was impressed
After a strong recomendation from a local dealer, I took the leap of faith and invested in your product. I was impressed with the TAIPAN VX / ALPHA and HYDRA MODEL-2 combination. It wasn’t till I added the TAIPAN HELIX to the mix, did I realize the full potential of this upgrade. The improvement in the micro dynamics was the first change noted. My sound stage grew ten feet. Sonically, theres a kind of “enrobing” effect, I’ve had many different power conditioners over the years, as well as upgraded power cords. With Shunyata, I’ve gone from “thinking” I hear a difference, to knowing it to be fact.
Peter C.
Jersey City, NJ