Shunyata Diamondback vs. Other Shunyata PCs

Mb9061,

Let me put it this way:

The Shunyata Diamondback was about 50% better than than the Venom for 2.5x the money.

The Taipan was about 15% better than the Diamondback for 2.5x the money.

This of course was what I found listening with a budget CD player - a better player probably would have presented a starker difference between the Taipan and the Diamondback.

But this equation of diminishing returns is fairly common in hi fi as the quality of the gear climbs higher. And the relationship between cash and "quality" can be complicated by subtle differences in set up, speaker positioning, room acoustics, the listener's mood at the time, etc. A different piece of equipment may sound different, but not necessarily better, depending on the observer and the circumstances.

With that said, if I had the money I would have bought the Taipan cord instead of the Diamondback - and for that matter the Moon Supernova CDP it was originally attached to in the dealer's show room. 15% better is, after all, 15% better...

Very true about diminishing returns. Boils down to an addictive hobby to some (a very expensive addiction, once one clear's their head and realizes the money they spent...).

Knownothing, I have found after trials with about 15 different power cords over the past 2 years that you really have to give a cord plenty of time to sit without moving or touching it to settle into your system before making a final judgement. The sound of a system will change several times during the settling in period as the cord stabilizes after being moved around. (the power cord should of course be fully broken in) Settling in can take as much as several days to a week or more. Until a power cord completely settles in you don't really know what the final sound of the system will be. Switching out power cables in a relatively short period of time (hours or minutes) and making judgements abouth their performance, will not yield completely accurate impressions. This has been my experience and is my opinion. By the way, I owned 3 Diamondbacks a few years ago.

Good post Foster_9

Foster_9,

This is helpful information which sounds reasonable. Assuming this is true, the differences in these cords were clear enough for me to think the two more expensive cords were a lot better than the least expensive cord, even with a relatively short time with them. While I have accepted for a while that power cords can make a big difference, I am a relative newbie to applying this power management business in practice. I am enjoying the new cord at home now but withholding final judgment on how well it works in my system until it has been in and playing for over a month.

The thing that surprised me most about this power cord demo was how much difference it made in the performance of my CD player, and how well it performed as part of a higher end system when fed by one of these better cords. While I have been enjoying this player, I really thought the reviews were over the top, especially the one in Hi-Fi News a few years ago which compared the Cambridge 640C to much more expensive players and noted it was just a little bit shy in terms of overall performance. I thought, "yeah right"... Well, right.