Shunyata Zi-Tron Cobra (new not King Cobra) (Video Inside) - Page 4

Any thoughts on Vinnie's Black Lightning for things like DACs/streamers ?  

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/redwine13/1.html

There is a little voice telling me that this would work with the Topping TP-60, but I guess there is only one way to find out. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter 

Any thoughts on Vinnie's Black Lightning for things like DACs/streamers ?  

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/redwine13/1.html

 

There is a little voice telling me that this would work with the Topping TP-60, but I guess there is only one way to find out. 

It's A LOT more expensive than a linear PSU from Hynes, and I really wonder how much better it is, especially given the hassle of recharging, and the fact that the batteries will eventually wear out.

Point taken, Dave. but when I see folks using 12V marine batteries in their living rooms, I dont think this is such a bad idea. Agree re cost, but for the nth degree folk out there ....

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter 

Point taken, Dave. but when I see folks using 12V marine batteries in their living rooms, I dont think this is such a bad idea. Agree re cost, but for the nth degree folk out there ....

I should add that the impressions in the 6moons review mirror pretty much exactly impressions I saw of a comparison between a Hynes LPS and a battery supply made by B-P-T powering an Empirical Off-Ramp 3. The short, short version: the wallwart is a bit crap, the battery supply is a bit more lush and tubelike, the LPS has more detail, but the differences were fairly minor. 

How effective the LPS will be depends of course on the incoming AC. You can put a nice line conditioner in front of it, and some good power cords, but that erases any price advantage for the LPS, it would actually be much more expensive if you don't already own any of that stuff.

There is definitely appeal in going completely off the grid and it wouldn't be that hard to do. Partner some high efficiency speakers like Tektons with a RWA Signature 30 and a battery powered Bel Canto CD-2 and you're done.

Dave, I seem to recall that you were lukewarm on the Evo, but M2Tech have a cheaper battery-powered PSU for those who feel a little more enthusiastic about their products:

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter 

Dave, I seem to recall that you were lukewarm on the Evo, but M2Tech have a cheaper battery-powered PSU for those who feel a little more enthusiastic about their products:

I just don't think its worth $500, or even more with their battery supply. M2Tech's products all seem to under perform vs. their competitors at every level, whether we're talking Hiface, EVO, Young, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

 Just a tangent thought on DaveBSC's comments concerning the M2Tech - cynical I may be but I fail to think of any

 product, audio or not - coming out of Italy at a very competitive price point (pasta aside ) that somehow

 can level or compete with other alternatives from the US, Asia and Europe.

 

 'Made In Italy' is expensive, more so it seems than rival German and French products. No idea why that

 seems to be.

For what it's worth, I've heard very very good things about Rosso Fiorentino speakers, but I have no personal experience with them. Their flagship Siena is about $24K, which is pretty much inline with comparable speakers from other parts of the world based on similar twin cabinet designs (Von Schweikert, etc). Italian electronics though, they generally are not known to be on the same level as top brands from Switzerland, Japan, Germany, or the US.

Cant say I have any particular love for the Unico range from Unison Research (funky styling choices that just dont strike a chord with me personally), but they seem to get favourable reviews. Just cant see how gear at this price range can compete with the avalanche of competition coming out of China atm.

http://en.unisonresearch.com/686-2/

They certainly seem to have a heritage - not sure how well that translates to the sonics, but its there nonetheless:

http://en.unisonresearch.com/chi-siamo/

did you get the cobra yet?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

 Just a small update past the 80-90+ hour mark - this Cobra is really something. They say the small things are sometimes what count the most.

 

 This being true for this unit - in the last few weeks it has spent time being plugged into all sorts of gear ranging from the Luxman P1-u to

 the Ray Samuels Dark Star - each time, particularly in the case of the Dark Star it has had a fairly profound effect on the overall sound.

 

 Harshness and a tendency to sound cold and analytical on the DS just melted away. At the same time, I can report that not all gear

 appears to respond the same. The Ray Samuels Raptor and new Burson Soloist did benefit somewhat with the same symptoms but

 not as much as let's say my very own V200 or the Dark Star as mentioned above.

 

 All up I cannot discount the prospect of picking up a second unit somewhere down the track when my finances are looking a

 little healthier :)

Nice. Some power supplies are better at rejecting AC noise than others, and some just respond better to different cord designs. Unfortunately trial and error is the only way to find out.