Mating power cords with APL 3910

Tvad,
Thanks for the links. From my first quick read, the UPC-200 is more promising than the Ultimate High Current Outlet. However, the PS comparison tool does not yet list the UPC-200. So, I was not able to get a quick comparison with the Hydra 4. I need to do some research.

Also, I'm waiting for Grant from Shunyata to respond to my email regarding my questions about the nature of filtration and duplex/outlet isolation within the different Hydra units. Since I have multiple dedicated lines, I would like to isolated the high-current amps from the low-current APL. And, if its is not too costly to isolate the right channel from the left to reduce cross-channel talk and contamination.
John

Tvad,
You are not preaching to the wrong crowd! Note how many times I explicitly stated or implied in my posts that I am looking for an economic solution. If I was not interested in your suggested value-per-dollar alternatives I would not have wasted my time checking your links and reading the reviews (where available) for those alternatives. In my response to your previous post, I stated that I found the UPC-200 to be more interesting to me than the Ultimate Outlet precisely for the reason you point out in your last post. Namely, the two zones in the UPC-200 are isolated, which means that I could achieve my major goals with two UPC units on two dedicated AC lines. One to isolate the right channel from the left one for my Jadis mono amps. And on the other UPC unit, I could isolate the high-current Krell from the low-current APL. Based on Grant's comments about Hydra 2 and Mr. Perry's observations, it appears that Hydra 2 is more optimal for amps than the Hydra 4. At this point, it appears to me that Hydra 2 will not be able to isolate my APL from my Krell. Consequenty, I will need 3 or 4 Hydras to accomplish my major goals. And for each additional power conditioner, there is another power cord. Grant's clarification about the level of isolation and filtration in the Hydra units, will help determine the number of Hydras I will need. I also need to know more about UPC's balun type filter. The UPC-200 is new and I was unaware of its existence until you brought it to my attention. I am grateful to you for that. At this stage, the Hydras and the UPC-200 are the frontrunners for my power conditioners.

As with the power conditioners, I do not have a set price point in mind for the power cords. However, there is a bigger picture to my upgrade journey. Namely, I will need to upgrade the power cords for the three amps as well. Since I will not have a preamp in my sytem, logic dictates that I put the best PC on the APL. Based on the characterists of PCs described in this thread as well as several others, I would place Virtual Dynamics Night 2 (which I heard), Elrod EPS sig 2, and the Xindak gold as the front runners on my short list to audition first on the APL unit. The remainder of the short list consists of Wolf Carbon Source, Mini Khan Plus, Foundation Research, Shunyata, and VH AirSine. In view of the fact that I will need a total of 6 or 7 power cords, all the value-per-dollar alternatives are still viable candidates for an economic solution.
John

I am using both the Ps audio uo high current version and the hydra2 in my system. I am running the power amplifier (ML331) through the Hydra2 and the cd-player-preamp ML 39 through the UO. Accoring to my experiences, the UO is shifting upward the soundprint of the system. The combination Ps audio Lab cable (original) and the UO proved to be the right combination to return to a more equally balanced soundprint ( or how I was accustomed to).

First, to answer Sean's question about wiring and voltage drop in the Hydras. The Hydra 8's outlets are all wired individually and run from each outlet to the internal chassis that has the Copper buss system and FeSi 1002 compounds within, so with the 8, the point is moot.

The Hydra models 4 and 6 duplex outlets are connected consecutively with 2" silver/rhodium plated buss straps--as pictured on our web-site. The measured Voltage drop across a 2" 9 gauge silver plated buss strap is so small that it is irrelevant to operation and could not possibly create a voltage sag that would harm or otherwise alter the performance of electronics that are connected. There will always be a common point at which current converges no matter the wiring or buss arrangement, so pointing to this as evidence of inexpensive construction quality is far off the mark. Running wiring from the individual outlets in the 4 and 6 would actually be *less expensive* than designing and manufacturing the silver/rhodium buss straps. Caelin made that design choice to improve the units performance, not to cheapen manufacturing. We did have measurements posted in our technology section that show the outlet-outlet isolation in the 8 but Caelin wanted to update that and re-post with more complete test results. Caelin will be re-posting a recently completed set of measurements representing the circuit isolation of all the Hydras. In the mean-time, the fluke 43 power analysis results can be seen via our SoundStage Hydra 8 review-link:http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/shunyata_hydra_8.htm

To answer the other questions regarding Hydras, the most relevant difference between the units performance in Audio/studio applications is not the number of filter elements used, necessarily, but the difference in the units buss architecture. The Model 8 uses all copper wiring and a massive (7lbs) Copper buss, milled from solid ingots of CDA 101 copper. It also has the patented compounds surrounding the buss structure. The Hydras 6 and 4 are more minimalist in design (purposefully) and use the more direct-connection-silver buss (minimal contact impedance, minimalist AC path) construction. These differences mean that the Hydra 8 will have a more robust tonal presentation, it will sound more rich, full-bodied, but slightly slower(subjectively speaking) than the more immediate, forward presentation of the 6 and 4 models. The Hydra 2 splits the difference tonally because it has no buss and only has the 9 gauge copper wiring running from IEC to outlet. The Hydra 8 is definitely our reference, and that is the product I generally recommend when working with studios, but the smaller units might actually be preferred in predominantly tube or all analog systems--it depends on one's preference. Sony Music New York preferred the models 6 and 4 because to they seemed more "Transparent" with mastering equipment, while other studios such as Astoria and Rick Rubin preferred the 8 and the 2's because they had more weight and richness...

When working with 2-3 dedicated lines, it is best to try model 2's for amps on separate lines whenever possible, and then choose the Hydra to evaluate that best suits the number of components that make up the rest of the system. If cost is no object, then an 8 is our reference, but the 4 and 6 might be worth trying if you only have 2-3 other components.

I hope this helps answer some of your questions.

Regards,

Grant