Shunyata Hydra

I have the Hydra 6 and Pythons in my system.
When I have the Python only in my CD player and Preamplifier, the back ground noise drops and music flows better. When I have the Hydra 6 with the Pythons, bass is more controlled and deeper and sound stage is wider.
My friend has experienced similar improvements in his system. If it does not work out for you after breaking in, you are lucky that you don't need to spend extra money.

Uh oh---here comes the controversy. I used to have an all Mac system C1000 peamp and Mc 2102 amp with Watt puppy 7s. Added a Hydra and 2 Anaconda pcs and could detect no audible difference other than a slight increase in gain. I kept the Shunyata products in the bullpen because I felt I could not get enough $ back on the used market to justify losing the potential of beneficial use with a future system. Lived very happily with that system for a few years until the Mac 2301s came out. I new I could use the power and the mono configuration and intended to purchase them. But I decided to listen to as many possible systems as I could before I made the purchase. I listened to my system with the 2301s. Then I did the rounds at many dealers with set of music with which I was very familiar listening to high end systems from other manufacturers including the likes of Audio Research, VTL, Mark Levinson, Spectral, MBL, Zanden, VAC, BAT, Pathos, Ayre and countless others. It was then that I realized that, compared to all of the above, McIntosh's signature sound is smooth, rounded and quite musical, but not very transparent, especially throughout the midrange and lower treble regions. I suspect the use of autoformers may have something to do with it, but I am not an engineer so I am just guessing.
Having used the same Shunyata products I kept in the bullpen and newer generation Shunyata products in 2 other systems owned by my audiophile friends and in my current ARC rig, I can easily hear the difference with and without each Shunyata product that I have used. The differences for me are more than subtle, but not "new component" or night and day type changes. But they are there and are worth the price of admission in the above instances.
Another factor attesting to the scrim that Mac puts over the musical presentation is that I could never hear any difference in loading my Dynavector XV1-s at 50 ohms or 1,000 ohms on my C1000. I thought that my ears were perhaps not sensitive enough But I can hear each change from 50 ohms, to 100, to 500 to 1,000 to 47k ohms on my Ref Phono 2.
Then again, with the Mac, I did hear very clearly changes that new speakers or new source wrought and that fooled me into thinking that the Mac was in some way revealing.
I bet the Mac and perhaps the Cardas Golden Cross IC are the main reasons why the poster cannot hear the difference that others can hear from Shunyata.
OK---I'll step away now.

Ahhh, a post after my own heart. The reason you can't hear any difference from the power conditioner, I am guessing, is you are one of the lucky few to have a stable and consistant power supply. What most good conditioners do, is give you a stablely consistant supply, which in my experience the power grid does not. My home in Texas is in one of those massive "Master Planned" communities, that was hopelessly under wired for transmission. The occurance of power surges and variance in flow is really astounding. I have lost 2 very expensive Thermador ovens to powewr surges. We moved to non-electronic version after the last failure.

In that environment, adding a power conditioner made a HUGE improvement to sound. In fact I tried many, and found that putting in a PS Audio Soloist (wall outlet/conditioner) and then an APC S20 conditioner with battery back up was my best solution. Wow, what a difference.

I tried a Shunyata Hydra, and it did make a difference in that set up, once again due to the power grid conditions. I just liked something else better.

As far as power cords, I'm on record here many times as saying expensive/exotic cords of any kind are snake oil. Once you upgrade to a certain level, (arbitrary to be sure but I use Kimber Hero Connects, and Signal Cable power cords) above stock you should spend the money on equipment.

Power cords for $500+ ??? Really? I worked in the power industry for years building power plants, and I remember asking the system design engineers what they thought. They laughed heartily at the claims of better sound through the power cord. The question they had was always the same; doesn't the power just get to the transformer? Now that can effect the sound, but once it's powered, that's it. Just electrons.

Good luck, it sounds like you already have a very rare, and good power flow in your system.