[dcguy73]

Speaking of Shunyata, I picked up their Sigma V2 NR power cable to power my digital equipment chain, and it has been just incredible in reducing noise in my system. I have my headphone amp set -10db lower to listen to music as a result of the change. Everything comes through more clearly. Blacker background, check, better transients, check, better bass, check. It is ridiculously priced for a single power cable, but as this is the high-end cable thread, I feel no shame in posting about it here.

I have crappy power in my circa-1950s condo building, so every step I’ve taken to improve the power supply to my equipment has made the sound noticeably better.

 

[Roasty]

Speaking of Shunyata, I picked up their Sigma V2 NR power cable to power my digital equipment chain, and it has been just incredible in reducing noise in my system. I have my headphone amp set -10db lower to listen to music as a result of the change. Blacker background, check, better transients, check, better bass, check. It is ridiculously priced for a single power cable, but as this is the high-end cable thread, I feel no shame in posting about it here.

I have crappy power in my circa-1950s condo building, so every step I’ve taken to improve the power supply to my equipment has made the sound noticeably better.

that cord looks the business! are you using it with just the headphone amp or with the dac/source as well?

 

[dcguy73]

that cord looks the business! are you using it with just the headphone amp or with the dac/source as well?

My system is powered like this:

Digital sources/DAC (via Cardas Clear Beyond XL)—> iFi PowerStation (via Shunyata V2 NR) —> PS Audio P12 Power Plant
Headphone amp (via Cardas Clear Beyond XL) —> PS Audio P12 Power Plant
PS Audio P12 Power Plant (via Cardas Clear Beyond) —> Audioquest NRG Edison Wall Outlet

Originally, I had the P12 connected to the wall via the Shunyata V2 NR and my digital and analog equipment both going through the P12, but the digital equipment benefits more with additional filtering, while the tube amp sounds better with less. The PowerStation and Shunyata power cable do the bulk of the filtering, and the P12 acts as sine wave generator and surge protector. The Cardas cables do some filtering (but not as aggressively as the Shunyata cable) and add a touch of warmth to the overall sound.

If I had the funds to do it all over again, I’d try going all Shunyata with the power conditioner, power cables, and wall outlet, but I have no idea if that would eliminate the warmth I get from the Cardas cables, which my system really needs.

 

[RobertSM]

Speaking of Shunyata, I picked up their Sigma V2 NR power cable to power my digital equipment chain, and it has been just incredible in reducing noise in my system. I have my headphone amp set -10db lower to listen to music as a result of the change. Everything comes through more clearly. Blacker background, check, better transients, check, better bass, check. It is ridiculously priced for a single power cable, but as this is the high-end cable thread, I feel no shame in posting about it here.

I have crappy power in my circa-1950s condo building, so every step I’ve taken to improve the power supply to my equipment has made the sound noticeably better.

Agreed! The Shunyata NR line is just something special. I know the Sigma V2 NR must be even better as it's further up on the NR category scale.

Even my humble Venom NR has really surprised me. Excellent power cable line from Shunyata!

 

[ThanatosVI]

Agreed! The Shunyata NR line is just something special. I know the Sigma V2 NR must be even better as it's further up on the NR category scale.

Even my humble Venom NR has really surprised me. Excellent power cable line from Shunyata!

Shunyata is certainly nice but the pricing is crazy. Their cables cost more than most summit fi components.

 

[RobertSM]

Shunyata is certainly nice but the pricing is crazy. Their cables cost more than most summit fi components.

Agreed. I'm very happy with the entry level and just one level above the entry level in their portfolio.

The new Hydra Delta D6 was a replacement and upgraded for a old model Hydra 4. Shunyata has continued to innovate and has allowed proven technology to trickle down into the mid level and entry level products.

That said to each their own. I think the TOTL gear for Shunyata is truly cutting edge. And if one wants to add that into the system then by all means.

 

[dougms3]

This may not be considered high end but I recently bought an ifi supanova cable.

It is feeding my Furutech etp80 plc and replaced a Furutech 314ag power cable. This plc has no surge protection and I was a bit concerned because of the storms in my area in the past couple weeks and the supanova offered a perfect solution with built in surge protection.

It probably needs some burn in time but right off the bat it sounds very good. The biggest improvement is the increase in soundstage, it is surprisingly huge. The space feels massive.

The noise cancellation seems to work really well, I usually listen for hiss on my audio-gd master 19 amp to determine noise reduction. With the 314ag cable, hiss becomes audible at about 73 on the volume knob, with the supanova it is dead silent at 73 and hiss becomes audible at about 85.

 

[dcguy73]

This may not be considered high end but I recently bought an ifi supanova cable.

It is feeding my Furutech etp80 plc and replaced a Furutech 314ag power cable. This plc has no surge protection and I was a bit concerned because of the storms in my area in the past couple weeks and the supanova offered a perfect solution with built in surge protection.

It probably needs some burn in time but right off the bat it sounds very good. The biggest improvement is the increase in soundstage, it is surprisingly huge. The space feels massive.

The noise cancellation seems to work really well, I usually listen for hiss on my audio-gd master 19 amp to determine noise reduction. With the 314ag cable, hiss becomes audible at about 73 on the volume knob, with the supanova it is dead silent at 73 and hiss becomes audible at about 85.

The SupaNova active power cables are a good deal for the price, especially when you take into account they also provide built-in surge protection. (I don’t get why so few higher-end cable manufacturers build surge protection into their cables or power strips. Isn’t it important to protect audio equipment in addition to improving the sound?)

Originally, I used two SupaNovas with my iFi Pro iCan and Pro iDSD to give the iFi products a very black background in combination with the iFi iPower Elite power supplies. When I upgraded my system components, I found the SupaNovas did not work well in any configuration with my PS Audio P12 power plant, as active power conditioning does not play well with PS Audio’s power regeneration/noise reduction tech. They added a sharp digital edge to the sound in that combination.

I got the same sharp edge to the sound when using a SupaNova cable to power iFi’s PowerStation/Pangea Audio’s power strip in combination with SupaNova cables to power other equipment connected to the PowerStation/power strip. When using one SupaNova to power the PowerStation/power strip and passive cables to power connected equipment, the edge wasn’t present. Flipping that scenario was also a success, when I powered the PowerStation/power strip with a passive power cable while powering the connected equipment with SupaNova cables.

I moved the SupaNovas and other iFi equipment to my office system (in their original configuration) for a while. After I downsized my office system, I gifted the SupaNovas to my spouse for him to use in his computer audio setup. He likes a clean and very detailed sound. He uses two SupaNovas connected directly to the wall to power his RME ADI-2 Pro and Matrix Element H USB Audio Card. In combination with his Sennheiser HD800S headphones, I find the overall effect to be too clinical for my tastes, but he wants maximum detail and minimum coloration. To each their own, but that’s not for me.

I have since picked up two additional SupaNova cables, one to power/surge protect my living room setup and one to power/surge protect my computer audio setup. They’re very useful in alleviating noise from audio systems, but I advise care in where you use them and how you stack them if you get more than one.

 

[dougms3]

The SupaNova active power cables are a good deal for the price, especially when you take into account they also provide built-in surge protection. (I don’t get why so few higher-end cable manufacturers build surge protection into their cables or power strips. Isn’t it important to protect audio equipment in addition to improving the sound?)

Originally, I used two SupaNovas with my iFi Pro iCan and Pro iDSD to give the iFi products a very black background in combination with the iFi iPower Elite power supplies. When I upgraded my system components, I found the SupaNovas did not work well in any configuration with my PS Audio P12 power plant, as active power conditioning does not play well with PS Audio’s power regeneration/noise reduction tech. They added a sharp digital edge to the sound in that combination.

I got the same sharp edge to the sound when using a SupaNova cable to power iFi’s PowerStation/Pangea Audio’s power strip in combination with SupaNova cables to power other equipment connected to the PowerStation/power strip. When using one SupaNova to power the PowerStation/power strip and passive cables to power connected equipment, the edge wasn’t present. Flipping that scenario was also a success, when I powered the PowerStation/power strip with a passive power cable while powering the connected equipment with SupaNova cables.

I moved the SupaNovas and other iFi equipment to my office system (in their original configuration) for a while. After I downsized my office system, I gifted the SupaNovas to my spouse for him to use in his computer audio setup. He likes a clean and very detailed sound. He uses two SupaNovas connected directly to the wall to power his RME ADI-2 Pro and Matrix Element H USB Audio Card. In combination with his Sennheiser HD800S headphones, I find the overall effect to be too clinical for my tastes, but he wants maximum detail and minimum coloration. To each their own, but that’s not for me.

I have since picked up two additional SupaNova cables, one to power/surge protect my living room setup and one to power/surge protect my computer audio setup. They’re very useful in alleviating noise from audio systems, but I advise care in where you use them and how you stack them if you get more than one.

Totally agree that the supanova is an excellent value.

I find that the supanova is pretty neutral, doesn't seem to color the sound at all, I'm a little bit disappointed that it is not warm like the Furutech 314ag cable. As its currently connected to my Furutech etp80 plc to make use of the surge protection, I can't move it anywhere else in the chain. I'll probably have to do some cable swapping at the dac and amp to get the warmer sound I'm looking for.

I also have had a similar experience with the sharp edge to the sound, it seems to happen when theres too much noise reduction. Along with a reduction in bass, it becomes cold and clinical, its more resolving but it has no life or musicality. Its kind of like when you turn the sharpness level on the TV too high and its too detailed. I'm sure theres some people that may prefer that though.

When I had the JPS labs digital ac-x on my audio-gd amp it was exactly that, max detail min coloration, not for me either

 

[simorag]

anyone getting the Sablon Evo usb?

It is just arrived here, together with the 2020 Ethernet

I am putting them into my system one at the time to try understanding what they do. I have started with the Ethernet, which replaced a Supra CAT8.

Running through some of my Qobuz reference albums (examples below), and the increase of resolution is obvious from cold. Mark mentions 250 h for full burn in, so I expect some up and downs...

 

[Roasty]

It is just arrived here, together with the 2020 Ethernet

nice! Very interested to hear what u think of the Evo. I have the 2020 and am keen to add the Evo to the chain. I had the Sablon ethernet a while back; am waiting to see if Mark manages to come up with something new.

 

[alvin sawdust]

Z:axis audio in the UK have an excellent line of cables. Got chatting with Paul on this forum about various things audio and became curious about his usb cable offerings. He sent me the Infinity usb to try at my leisure and even though I was very happy with my FTA Callisto I just couldn't resist the offer. Cut to the chase and the Callisto never went back in, the Infinity showing greater dynamics, detail and enveloping soundstage.
I have felt previously that silver cables weren't for me but Infinity changed my opinion. Z:axis also have a higher level usb at a much higher price but I like to think the Infinity hits that sweet spot in the diminishing returns scale. All the same I would love to try the Reference at some point.
Hope this doesn't come across as a shill post, just very happy with the product and think it deserves more exposure.

 

[hikaru12]

Does anyone have a good suggestion on a good pair of balanced interconnects? I've had the AQ Sky and Earth and they were great. I've also had the lower end Colorados which were really nice and warm but felt a little much depending on the pairing. I'm looking for something that has bass heft but also improves microdetail. Higher end silver does tend to have these qualities but not sure where I should look. High Fidelity Reveals seem like a nice bargain on cool technology (based off on magnets in their cables).

 

[Roasty]

I just got back my Bibacord aes/ebu cable from the dealer. it got "sent back" to Bibacord for an upgrade to v2.0. they say upgrade, but they gave me a brand new cable (my old one is still with the dealer lol). Apparently the new cord has some change in geometry and double the conductors, but I don't know the specifics, nor would I understand them.

just plugged it into my su-6 and to the Rockna Wavelight. fresh out of the box, it is a super warm sounding cable with a tonne of low end and almost rolled off, really smooth sounding highs. it sounds syrupy thick and tbh I am really hoping it will open up after some running in.

off memory, it has a denser warmer tone than my old cord. extends really low down; I've not heard bass go as low with my Solitaire-P. I say really dense tonality again, and probably the polar opposite of say a Mola Tambaqui off ethernet or mTT2, Dave/mDave, or May + sincM hqp.

If the bass stays the same (perhaps a bit tighter) and the top end opens up, I'd be extremely happy.

 

[Roasty]

Does anyone have a good suggestion on a good pair of balanced interconnects? I've had the AQ Sky and Earth and they were great. I've also had the lower end Colorados which were really nice and warm but felt a little much depending on the pairing. I'm looking for something that has bass heft but also improves microdetail. Higher end silver does tend to have these qualities but not sure where I should look. High Fidelity Reveals seem like a nice bargain on cool technology (based off on magnets in their cables).

Sorry late reply, but have u considered the silver xlr cables from audiosensibility?