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Is a Hydra the real deal? How do you know?

yeah, I know it sounds wierd. A friend of mine recently suggested one of the pieces in his system is a Hydra conditioner. . .and a valued item.

I'm not disagreeing with his information.... my question is this... "As the Shunyata Hydra's need to have a cable specially made to fit/operate the conditioner, and most folks choose to use one made by shunyata, how do you know if it's the conditioner or the power cord doing the job?

I spent some time recently asessing various power cords. Right off I saw the need to buy some adapters for the cords to decrease the wear and tear on my gear, and speed up the process (run in time of the cords). I put the cords + adapters onto some other gear in a secondary system... things changed sonically almost immediately... as it would have with use on my main system. No other items in the mix. Just the adapter, power cord, and the unit (s).

I'm wondering how one can determine the advantage of the hydra's if no cord - even a cheap one - comes supplied with the units? Apart from the ability to plug in more items than a single adapter gives... it just seems like a lot of money to spend for a multi outlet center..... if of course I was told wrong about the Hydras not being supplied with cords.... I apologize profusely. But a dealer told me Shunyata does not provide a cord with their conditioners.... it must be purchased separately. I guess he's correct as I see many questions about which cord for Hydras for either this or that applicaton... and that different Hydras' have different sonic attributes... Well how do you know if right off the bat you gotta add a Shunyata cord to it... Oh, by the way... I own a Shunyata Python VX, and I do dig it. ...just curious about adding a Hydra elsewhere in the system for one or two other pieces that are not 'conditioned'..

Thank you very much for your time.
blindjim
mdhoover
695 posts
 
Thanks guys. (Grant, I also left a message on your company's answering machine.) I THINK I understand what you're recommending:

It sounds like the monoblock amps should be plugged into the dedicated line, and probably nothing else. However, the limiting factor is the number of available outlets.

So, now there are even more questions:
Would it be okay to plug the Rel Storm 3 sub bass unit and the preamplifier into that dedicated line along with the two monoblocks, or would that screw up the isolation? If the preamp and the Rel were plugged into that same line with the monoblocks, then at least all four of its outlets would be being used.

Then there'd be two wall outlets remaining, one on either side of the entertainment center. Neither of these would be from the dedicated line. Would it be okay to plug the Hydra into one and the Powervar into the other? {The reason I was trying to ditch the Powervar is because it appears to be transmitting transformer hum through the system.} Thanks.

-Bill

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warrenh's avatar
warrenh
2,299 posts
 
The Hydra 2 is good. I personally am not into good. The Audio Magic Mini Digital is hands down the best conditioner for a cdp, that I have ever heard. I have a Hydra 2, so I have been able to compare both. I'm waiting for delivery for my brand spanking new AM Mini Digital for my new cdp. That, a dedicated outlet, two great cords to hook this whole baby up= electric nirvana. Now, if you are not happy with your sound: look to the source...
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warrenh's avatar
warrenh
2,299 posts
 
AM has been dramatic in my system. No, I haven't heard the AM with my Exemplar so I'll let you know when I know. The detail of the Exemplar should only get better/refined, not worse. I have never heard of any Audio Magic Digital having a deleterious effect on the front end. Never! Maybe no effect? When I get my Exemplar, next week, I'll spend a good couple of weeks getting to know it and how it does with my rig and tunes. By then, Jerry (Mr Silver himself, of Audio Magic fame) will have fully broken in my new Digital. I'll know when I hook it up to my rig what goodies it will bear. If it only improves things 10%? That's good enough for me. You know what 10% of a million bucks is? Nothing to sneeze at. I've never found anything less than wonderful experiences with Audio Magic. I, too, have heard amazing things about Sound Application. I am in a new geography, now, so the electric here, may not be as busy as it was in Point Lookout. We shall see.
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