Most of us can’t wait to get 2020 well and truly out of the way, but one of the few positive things that has come out of the year has been our having more time to evaluate new products both from existing and new suppliers/manufacturers.
At the start of the year, and before Covid took hold, we had a gentleman book an audition to listen to 2 different Accuphase power amplifiers using his own valve pre-amp. The chap brought in his own mains cables, interconnects and speaker cables to use for his demonstration.
The cables were Shunyata, a company of whom we had heard but never had the chance to evaluate.
He was so glowing about the brand, especially the mains leads, that later that week I contacted Guillaume (Shunyata UK) to ask for a couple of leads to evaluate for a few days. He was very accommodating but told us that he would only send the new ‘entry level’ Venom II saying that this latest version of the cable was now extremely close in performance to the Delta, the next lead up in the range.
A day or two later we received a couple of the new Venoms, together with their ‘entry level’ 6 way mains distribution block the Venom UK 6 with 6.
For many years we have recommended and sold mains leads and distribution block from ‘MusicWorks’, a no-nonsense product that that just works so much better than all others that we have tried.
I’d like to say here that ‘most’ of the ‘special mains leads and blocks’ that we have tried have always added some of their own character, usually in some detrimental way. They could sound different…but definitely not better. Musicworks was one of the very few products that just ‘got out of the way’ but let one hear more of what was actually going on with the music.
No Black Magic whatsoever, just subjective improvements.
So this is where we are coming from when evaluation these new Shunyata Mains cables.
We used the Venom V10 NR in one of our demo rooms plugged into the Musicworks Reflex Gen 3 block, replacing the Musicworks Revive (which is just a smidge more expensive).
The difference was small, so we went backwards and forwards changing from one to the other several times.
If there was any real difference between the Venom II and the Revive it was that the music appeared to have a little more ‘blackness’ around the individual instruments.
Blackness or ‘Space’!
It’s difficult to describe but it was definitely there. Just that added touch of greater realism.
A small, but important, improvement never the less!
Using the Venom II at home in my own system, exchanging it for my Revive, the differences were even harder to spot. Maybe this is because I have anything but a standard mains set-up in my home for the HiFi system.
All I can say with confidence was that after listening to the Venom for about 2 weeks at home and reverting back to my revive lead into my Reflex Gen 3 it felt as if something was missing. Nothing to do with detail or dynamics or speed, it was just lacking somehow, enough to induce me to buy one for my own use.
Believe me, these differences were small but have been borne out by one of our customer’s experiences in his own home system some time later.
A few weeks later Guillaume phoned to say that the New Delta II had arrived and did we want to give it a try.
When the new Delta arrived I decided to take it straight home that evening and give it a try.
Well, I was gobsmacked.
The overall improvement to the sound was so very real…..not just a ‘small step’ but a big leap.
No wonder Guillaume had wanted me to wait for the MkIIs.
Instruments now had real space around them, and the soundstage went further back. There was NO change to the tonal balance, no softening of the sound or the dynamics.
Recordings seemed Soooooooo much quieter, and not in level. Just much less noise…..that I’d never actually realised was there!
After to listening to a fair amount of music I changed back to the Venon II. No, as good as the Venom is, it was not in the same ballpark as the Delta II.
It is now firmly ensconced in my system.
HOW????
I have since talked at length with Guillaume on this and have read much of the design criteria by the designer of the cables Caelin Gabriel. Very interesting, but no design or specifications written down tell us what performance that design will have in the real world.
I’m not one for specifications, partly because I’m not an electronics engineer, but I am interested in how that product performs in the real world,,,and not on paper.
I believe that Caelin has stated that all his designs and subsequent products have the sole purpose of eliminating ‘noise’.
With my experience so far with Shunyata products, I can only say that he seems to be achieving that goal in an exemplary manner.
Now, bring on the Delta Hydra power block!!!
Why not try one of the amazing Shunyata cables at home in your own system! Contact us for details.