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Arrived today!
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Christmas came early!!!
Looks tempting... interesting to hear your impressions especially against those highly appreciated AQ Thunderbirds, since they are in a similar price range.
Happy listening!!
First reaction: holy F!
- big soundstage
- detail, detail and oh yeah, more detail.
- bass!!!!!
- depth!!!!
- as big of an improvement the V1 to V2 power cords are, the IC’s and speaker cables are an even bigger improvement. By a lot.
Breaking in on:
Magico A5’s
Pass X260.8
Pass XP22
MSB DAC
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How flexible is it?
Very!! The Alpha V2 Speaker cables are much much heavier and thicker than V1.Quote:
Originally Posted by strojo
The IC’s and speaker cables are gigantic step up over v1. A quantum leap. The Alpha V2’s leap frog the Sigma V1’s and then some.
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I shared in some of the excitement today as my new Delta v2 speaker cables also arrived. I know that most of the Shunyata products don't require a significant burn-in period because of their KPIP technology -- however, I'm wondering from those in the know, can I still expect the sound to change as I use the cables more and more? Perhaps it won't take hundreds of hours like other products, but I'm still curious if can expect to hear a change ... ?
Thanks!
Yes. Definitely. It will just get better as the cable settles...Quote:
Originally Posted by tino27
Fantastic. Thanks for posting, Mike.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike
If you would be so kind please post updated impressions as the cables settle over the next week or so, my guess is there's more goodness to come.
is the Alpha V2 comparable to Sigma V1 ?
In terms of size, yes. In terms of sound? No. Alpha v2 is FAR better. Still scratching my head on this one. The IC’s and SPC’s are a quantum leap forward.Quote:
Originally Posted by Devg
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike
Thanks a bunch Mike. I have been meaning to try Shunyata in my system for sometime now and was looking for a starting point. Your answer gives a fair insight.
I don't drool often. But now I am.
Agreed....Alpha V2 power cords that I have and tested easily beat Sigma V1 in every single category. Sigma V2 are even more impressive...Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike
Hi SCAudiophile,
can you give some rough estimates regarding the additional benefits of the Sigma v2 vs the Alpha v2s?
Like if the Alpha v2 are say 50% better than the Sigma v1, then the Sigma v2 add another xx%.
Well, any details are appreciated, since I‘m considering either Alpha or Sigma v2. Is the Sigma so that you couldn’t go back to Alphas after hearing them or „just“ a couple of notches up?! Thanks a lot!!
I can't speak regarding the the new Alpha and Sigma IC's or SPs because I haven't heard them, but I have heard the new Alpha and Sigma PC and Ethernet cables extensively, and I'm personally of the view that one can't "quantify", or more importantly, distinguish with respect to percentages that Alpha V2 is "50% better" than Sigma V1 or Sigma V2 "XX%" better than Alpha V2. This is because, with these "2nd generation" cables, at least with respect to the new PCs, we've moved away from traditional audiophile lexicon we've used for years to what I personally find requires a lexicon describing fine musical instruments or musical performances. So, for me at least, blanket generalizations like, "50% more transparent!" or "30% more bass!" don't apply. This is because we have to move away traditional terms that audiophiles have used for decades describing "like" to a new language describing "kind". Using language like, "sounds 50% more like a Guadanigni cello!"...doesn't really work. Rather, one has an experience that lets one become more fully engaged and musically involved with Cecil Aronowitz of The Academy playing his Guadanigni very beautifully. You stop listening to "gear" and become engaged with the musical experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by MusicLover
Moreover, with respect to the lovely musical qualities these cables provide, their performance is so good across the board, from Delta to Alpha to Sigma, that I am personally of the view that rather than going "all in" with say, Sigma throughout the system, one should arrange to audition some of the different levels and listen to what works best for your system and for your room. For example, I had a full loom of Sigma NR PCs in for evaluation when I wrote my review of the Sigma NR v2 PC for TAS, but for my system, personally, I've found that Sigma XC on Everest, Sigma NRv2 on the power amp, and...Alpha NRv2 for the preamp gave me a presentation, that for my room and the space I have in the room, gave me the most engaging musical experience. The Alpha V2 PCs have a beautiful, layered, and ariculated qualities in my system that I really love. I also had the Omega XC in for photography and listened to it, while it is amazing and staggering in its performance level, it was just...too much for my room. It was like driving a Porsche 919 Evo Hybrid racing car on my local twisty back roads. It's amazing and recording beating at the Nurburgring....but I don't live at the Nurburgring. If you've got a big, tall room with big speakers and big amps, you should definitely consider the Omega XC, But, my room is more like a small, nice twisty road on the backside of the Napa Valley, where a Porsche GT3 provides a more enjoyable experience.
Also, I'm confident that, as a Shunyata dealer, Mike could have gone with "all-Sigma" for his rooom and the system in this thread, but after conferring with Caelin, it was recommended that the Alpha level was the best match for the room, system, and components. And I really think that's how one should think about this new range of products.
So my personal guidance is to work with your dealer to audition the new cables at the different levels, ideally in your home, and decide based on actual listening. You may well find that, for example, the new Alpha SPs or ICs are so good, that you can save thousands over the cost of Sigma by going with them, and put the remaing funds towards a nice vacation with your family, etc.
Would welcome Mike and Mark thoughts here...
Hi Puma,
thank you very much indeed for that in depth answer and your thoughts on the topic.
Your are very right that you can‘t put on percentage numbers. What I was trying to find out is whether there is a clear distinct difference in any system (if that even exists) that one wouldn’t wanna try eg Sigma speaker cables because than there would be no going back. I remember back when Mike talked about audition the AQ Dragon Power and speaker cables where he said they are clearly better than the lower range products.
What you describe is indeed very welcome news and I will definitely try myself and my own system. When I auditioned the Alpha USB and then ordering the Sigma USB (admittedly there where several month before my Sigma arrived) and although the Sigma is stunning it didn’t make me think the Alpha was an inferior product. The Sigma was maybe a bit more detailed and refined, whereas the Alpha had that gravitas and organic feel that made for a stunning cable itself.
Really looking forward to some nice upgrades. I could imaging getting a Sigma XC for my Everest and move the AQ Hurricane to my REL sub and then add a set of Alpha ICs and speaker cables to make a really lovely upgrade throughout the whole system and save some decent money... and who knows what Caelin has up his sleeves in 2-3 three years time.
Again, thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts!!
You know, I think that is a really good way to think about it. It's important to remember that the cables and PCs, components, speakers and...the room are all part of a system, and these various factors in the system interact with one another. I like your terms "gravitas and organic feel" for your Alpha USB; I feel that way about the Alpha PCs, too. They work beautifully with my stereo and room as part of the system.Quote:
Originally Posted by MusicLover
Exactly. Saving some money by getting the Alpha v2 SPs and putting those funds towards a Sigma XC for use with your Everest would be the way I would prioritize using those funds. The most important PC in your system is the one powering the power distributor.Quote:
Originally Posted by MusicLover
Speaking of Everest, how are you getting on with yours?
Yeah, so not sure if that’s the case but if the Alphas in general are a bit more earthy and the Sigmas a tad more refined a good balance between these two classes of cables seems the way to go.
Also I still have my Rega Osiris Integrated which is a lovely amp for driving my B&W 802 Diamond (prior series - the more beautiful one ;)). But I found that already with my AQ Hurricanes the system started to get on the bright side when adding the AQ Diamond (which the Sigma USB tamed quite a bit). My dealer said that Rega tends to sound there amps more on the speedy, fast, „in your face“ way. So it‘s maybe not the wisest to go totally nuts on cables before I haven‘t upgraded to a decent set of monos like the Bryston 28b3 or Moon 860v2 (maybe Mike has a good recommendation). With the Everest (+Sigma XC) and Alpha v2 down the line I feel in a good position to select the proper amp without tilting the system in one particular way.
Regarding Everest: We old-school Europeans always have to wait a little longer, but Caelin and my dealer said the shipment will arrive in the next weeks. I‘m also proud to have „only“ gone for the Everest upgrade for now and saving the Sigma XC for maybe Christmas so to have my presents spread over a longer time and more of those lovely upgrade moments.
Can you tease me a bit about the upcoming Everest experience (up from Denali v2) - you are a seasoned Everest user as far as I can tell?
A sensible suggestion. But it just doesn't work like that in some markets. Meaning. You can't get to audition a cable unless you buy it first. And then the dealer orders it. And a few weeks later you take delivery of it. No returns unless faulty.Quote:
Originally Posted by Puma Cat
The review by Vance Hiner in The Audio Beat is outstanding, my frend Vance does an excellent job describing what Everest brings to his system.Quote:
Originally Posted by MusicLover
Shunyata Research Everest 8000 Power Conditioner - The Audio Beat - www.TheAudioBeat.com
So, I will just go with what Vance said.
And just add this: IMHO, the single most significant addition to my system in a decade.
Any updates in the loom settling in?
I came in the store yesterday morning and my employee had been listening to the full Alpha V2 loom in Room 1. He looks up at me and says, “this Shunyata loom is really good.”Quote:
Originally Posted by Solecky
My takeaway is that the power cords + IC’s + speaker cables is not 1 + 1 +1 = 3, but rather 1 + 1 + 1 = 10.
cool math!
did you try sigma2 already and can compare?
This is not surprising at all. This is because the PCs + IC + SPs interact as a system. From a systems engineering perspective, each cable class is a control factor and the System "responses" can be characterized by a transfer function. It is not at all uncommon for control factors to 1) exert more "leverage" (the magnitude or degree of the functional response) on in the transfer function than a factor of 1, and it is also not uncommon for the interaction of two or more factors to exert more than a factor of 1 influence on the transfer function. In fact, some of the factors or interactions can have a quadratic term in the transfer function, which means the influence is the square of 1 or more of the factors or their interactions.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike
Interactions in engineering, physics and chemistry are common. In physics, momentum, p, is the result of the interaction of the object's mass, m, and its velocity, v.
Hence the famous equation any physics student learns, p=mv
A famous example of a transfer function with a quadratic term is E=mc^2. In this transfer function, mass and speed light interact, but the interaction is actually the result of the square of the speed of light. Which makes the total energy of the system considerably larger.
Many systems are not a 1+1+1 thing, by any means. It all comes down to the control factors, the interaction of the control factors, and whether those control factors, or their interactions, exert a linear or higher-order influence on the system response.
"...when I wrote my review of the Sigma NR v2 PC for TAS..." – did you mean the original (v1) Sigma NR, or have you indeed written a review of the Sigma NR v2 PC which will be appearing in a future issue of TAS? I just checked, & the only Sigma NR review I can find is from issue 284 in 2018...Quote:
Originally Posted by Puma Cat
As a side note, in the Fall 2020 "Speakers & Cables" issue, the Sigma NR is shown as having VTX-Ag conductors, but references the issue 284 review, which, of course did not then include the silver conductors...
No, I wrote a review of the Sigma NR v2 PC. The review will publish in the December 2020 issue in conjunction with a review of the new Everest PD by Robert Harley.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crumhorn
Cool! :congrats:
Anyone here tried the Alpha v2 BNC clock cables? How do they compare with Sigma v1 BNC?
Hi,
Just received a clock V2, there does not look to have any direction arrows.
Are all the signal cables non directional as the 2 modules are exactly at the same position unlike the V1?
The CMode module is at the destination end.Quote:
Originally Posted by justubes
Thanks, but for the Sgma, there is one at both ends, equidistance from the bnc.Quote:
Originally Posted by CGabriel
The one with the serial number in the lower part, correct?
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Check on the Cmode module itself, it may indicate the direction of installation. For example, the directionality of the new Alpha V2 IC is indicated on the TAP module with a set of arrows.Quote:
Originally Posted by justubes
Some do not, the pair of 1st run Sigma V2 Clock50 I have do not. That was later remedied I am told. The destination end CMode module has a serial number stamped into the housing on the lower portion. Caelin will confirm.Quote:
Originally Posted by Puma Cat
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Ahh... Thanks Mark!
I managed to find it or rather spot the serial number.
I kind of prefering it the wrong way round....
You can hear a difference when you swap it around the other way?
Yes , i do. For most cables i have heard, one direction sounds clearer/concise, more upfront/direct and details more energy which can seem to emphasize the higher octaves.
Other way sounds slightly less of the above and overall tad more diffused/warmer/relaxed.
And do these findings typically agree with the direction arrow?
Mine does not have arrows, so i have the luxury of using it any direction without losing sleep as if i was drivng on the wrong side of the road:)
Received my Alpha clock V2 75Ohm yesterday for use between 10MHz OCXO and Etherregen. Clarity, beauty, smoothness and power. It is absolutely awesome! Those internet packets have never sounded so crystal clear before. :D
PS. Arrows were present on the CMode module.
Which cable did this replace?Quote:
Originally Posted by Crion
I’m not 100% on spec, a blue Meridian/Neutrik coax/RCA S/PDIF lead, RCA-BNC adaptors.
Also from my side a small contribution to this topic. My very first post at all. Hope it is not gonna be boring…
I compared the Alpha v2 NR power cord to the Sigma v1 NR power cord. After I upgraded my Triton v3 to the Everest 8000 including the Sigma v2 XC PC and Sigma v2 NR PC into the upgrade, I had the Sigma v1 NR PC basically leftover.
But before I come to the point, a short excursion to the Alpha v1 NR PC. Some time ago, when the Alpha v1 NR PC hit the market, I bought three of them to feed my dCS Vivaldi Stack (DAC/Upsampler/Clock). I was satisfied but then I read about some Ching Cheng power cords in an audiophile forum and I bought a couple of them just out of curiosity and because they were cheap. To my own surprise, I was not able to hear a relevant difference between the Ching Chengs and the Alpha v1’s. After switching back and forth between the power cords for some time, I decided that there was no point in keeping the Alpha v1’s. So I sold them and I was using the Ching Chengs since then. Until two weeks ago, when I plugged the Sigma v1 NR PC into my Vivaldi DAC, replacing the Ching Cheng. And again. The Sigma v1 NR PC brought on the DAC a surprisingly small and frankly disappointing improvement over the Ching Cheng – a five Euro power cord. A bit better resolution in the upper end. Textures in the mid band were also slightly better. That’s it. The difference was for sure not what one would expect given the price difference. From my perspective.
And here comes the Alpha v2 NR PC into play. Reading all the positive opinions about the Alpha v2 generation in this thread, I decided to go for one. It replaced the Sigma v1 NR PC on my Vivaldi DAC. In my environment, the Alpha v2 sounds better by some margin. And it is not just a matter of taste. All the gray shade is gone. Much more color and resolution from midband to the upper end with better textures and better transient speed. I could not hear much of a difference in the lower end, however. But that’s just the technical view of things. Much more important, for me, is the Alpha v2’s capability to connect emotionally to the music. Here its individual capabilities are blended so well together and lock in with each other so palpable (a puzzle comes into my mind or a good meal which consists of many ingredients) that the result in the end is more than the sum of its ingredients. The Sigma v1 NR PC sounds in comparison dull, whereas the Alpha v2 NR PC brings all the same, fine ingredients to the music like the Sigma v2 NR PC. Not its power delivery capabilities, of course. But on a DAC, I doubt the Sigma v2 NR PC will bring a relevant improvement. In particular not in the field of emotional connection. Btw, I made identical experiences with both power cords on my Antipodes K40 music server.
So what to buy? A used Sigma v1 NR PC or a new Alpha v2 NR PC. On a low power and constant current draw equipment, I would go for sure for the Alpha v2. On high-current equipment, Sigma’s power delivery capabilities may predominate its weaknesses. This may be a question of taste and system dependence.
Normally, I recommend always to skip a generation in-between upgrades. But not this time. As for the power cords, the v2 generation is a must for v1 owners. Shunyata made a fantastic job here. I wonder already, how they are going to manage a similar step forward with the v3 generation. Or shall we skip the v3?
You challenged yourself, Caelin.
BTW, a big thank you all the members for your valuable opinions on Alpha v2 in this thread.
Excellent first post, D_C! Nice to have you on board.