Ascending to even greater heights

bernardl said:
Thank you very much Caelin, this answers my questions.

I didn’t know you had 4 grades of grounding cables. If I may ask, why would you need such high end offerings for a simple grounding application?

Cheers,
Bernard
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You know, when we started making power cords 20 years ago, many experts, engineers and other know it alls said it was all BS. That power cords couldn't possibly make a difference and then they would launch into some theoretical reasoning as to why they were obviously correct. Asking them to actually "try it" then talk about what they heard was beneath their dignity. Now I know you are not one of those guys but I preface this answer with this statement because they are out there - lurking. ;)

Even though the practice of grounding components goes back decades in the military and telecommunications industry as a safety measure, there are significant sonic benefits in an audio system. In our power cords, we pay special attention to the ground wire in the cord because we have found that it can very profoundly affect sonic performance.

So the simple answer to why we have different levels of grounding cables is that there are audible differences. Very similar to the differences between power cables. The only advice I can offer beyond that is to try it and prove or disprove it for yourself.
 
CGabriel said:
..The only advice I can offer beyond that is to try it and prove or disprove it for yourself.
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And there-in is another theory. Unfortunately that theory does not apply in some markets. Once ordered, it's paid for and it becomes yours.
 
brodricj said:
And there-in is another theory. Unfortunately that theory does not apply in some markets. Once ordered, it's paid for and it becomes yours.
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Trying equipment or getting a demo is not a theory, it is a decision to exercise before buying something. I do understand that getting a demo or evaluation of exotic equipment is not always easy or practical. But when possible it is very important.

Testing different sizes and types of grounding cables can be done quite easily. Just go to your Home Depot store and get some different types to test. This is enough to satisfy anyone’s curiosity as to whether ground cables “sound” different when used in a grounding system. After that, getting more exotic cables such as ours of course depends upon having access to a good dealer or distributor. This is why it is important to develop a good relationship with a dealer.

Too many customers in today’s internet economy use a dealers time and expertise and then go online to save 5-10%. Dealers obviously don’t like this because they feel used and taken advantage of. I know many dealers that have said they are happy to loan equipment to potential customers if they know they are trust worthy. So when you buy and sell products based solely on reviews or forum recommendations you will actually end up paying far more than if you had the help and expertise of a good dealer. In other words, the extra margin you pay with a dealer is often a bargain in the end.

Some people that I know who live in remote areas and have no easy access to a good dealer will organize an audio expedition to a nearby city for the sole purpose of trying various products that they are interested in.

Look I know it’s not easy. These are not commodity products that are mass produced. By creative and when you find a good source for products, support them so that they are there for you the next time you are interested in something.
 
Caelin,

This has been one of the best threads I’ve come across, especially the latter part!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
CGabriel said:
Trying equipment or getting a demo is not a theory, it is a decision to exercise before buying something. I do understand that getting a demo or evaluation of exotic equipment is not always easy or practical. But when possible it is very important.

Testing different sizes and types of grounding cables can be done quite easily. Just go to your Home Depot store and get some different types to test. This is enough to satisfy anyone’s curiosity as to whether ground cables “sound” different when used in a grounding system. After that, getting more exotic cables such as ours of course depends upon having access to a good dealer or distributor. This is why it is important to develop a good relationship with a dealer.

Too many customers in today’s internet economy use a dealers time and expertise and then go online to save 5-10%. Dealers obviously don’t like this because they feel used and taken advantage of. I know many dealers that have said they are happy to loan equipment to potential customers if they know they are trust worthy. So when you buy and sell products based solely on reviews or forum recommendations you will actually end up paying far more than if you had the help and expertise of a good dealer. In other words, the extra margin you pay with a dealer is often a bargain in the end.

Some people that I know who live in remote areas and have no easy access to a good dealer will organize an audio expedition to a nearby city for the sole purpose of trying various products that they are interested in.

Look I know it’s not easy. These are not commodity products that are mass produced. By creative and when you find a good source for products, support them so that they are there for you the next time you are interested in something.
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Well said. Without good dealers, I wouldn't have the system, and thus, the enjoyment I have today. If I take up a dealer's time and decide to buy the product, I make it a point to make the purchase from that dealer as I wouldn't have the comfort level with that product without that demo (for example, I always thought the M400s were insanely priced until my dealer let me demo them for two days using my music in his system regarding which I was very familiar - after the audition the price seemed "reasonable" even without any real discount off of list). But I also do my homework and don't waste dealer time unless I am actually ready to buy - it's a two way street and the client also needs to be reasonable. Where the dealer is out of town, we turn it into a vacation so everyone's happy.
 
Bar81 said:
..Without good dealers, I wouldn't have the system, and thus, the enjoyment I have today..
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My experience is the opposite (in the dealer demo context). I've never seen anything demo'd at an audio dealer that tempted me to buy it. And dealers spruiking stuff with utter BS drivel. I do have a dealer on the other side of the country (a seven day return drive away) who I find to be excellent. Never having stepped in his store I place all my significant orders with him. Maybe close to $200K worth of orders with that one dealer. He doesn't need a store to sell me stuff.
 
My Everest and Omega XC are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I’ll compare them with my Denali 6000/S v2 + Typhon QR + Sigma v1 in my stereo system which power my front end components and preamp.


I ordered a Sigma v2 umbilical cord to go between my my Denali + Typhon QR which I will eventually try with the Everest/Omega combo directly from the wall outlet sans Typhon.

The Sigma v2 umbilical arrived yesterday, but unfortunately it was damaged and also had the wrong termination at one end, so it is going to be exchanged by Shunyata by another with the correct termination.


I’m curious to see if the Typhon + Sigma v2 umbilical with the Everest will bring down the performance in comparison to the Everest with the Omega directly into its dedicated 20 amp AC line.


I was really hoping to try the Sigma v2 umbilical with my Denali + Typhon to get an impression of what it does in my present configuration before the Everest arrives, but that is not meant to be for now until it is replaced. In the meantime, I will let the Everest + Omega break-in to compare it with my Denali + Sigma v1 and Sigma v1 umbilical between my Denali + Typhon.
 
My whole audio system is powered by a balanced isolation transformer. Is Everest compatible with balanced power?
 
Hi Caelin, just for fun, because it is not giving us clues of "that" new that prepares for those who already have a Denali
:rolleyes:
 
So excited to ascend into the Everest club. Having had the Denali 6000s V2 I was absolutely shocked what pulling it out of the system did - musicality collapsed to the point that even adding some Nordost Valhalla2 SC did not bring it back "the magic" back to where it was with the Denali. Seriously jonesing to hear the richness of real music again until the Everest shows up. Fantastic work, Mr. Gabriel!

Quick question - what percentage of of the Everest will I be hearing with the Sigma EF 20A umbilical vs some of the new recommended ones like Omega XC and Sigma XC?
 
Crion said:
RLF, was there a choice between a Sigma V2 XC or Omega XC umbilical?
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No, I was told by my dealer that the Sigma v2 is the top model in the umbilical application with no option for an Omega upgrade.
 
I’m really looking forward to getting the Everest into my system. I believe it’s leaving the factory today for its journey across the pond, hopefully I should have it in a week or so.
 
Tremayne said:
I’m really looking forward to getting the Everest into my system. I believe it’s leaving the factory today for its journey across the pond, hopefully I should have it in a week or so.
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I expect you will be very happy. I'm not sure why there hasn't been more talk about the Everest, but Caelin wasn't overselling it when he said it is the culmination of his work to date. I was using a Triton v3 for my front end components and when switching out to the Everest it was clear within the first few notes that the Everest is a clear advance over his earlier work (this coming from a skeptic expecting to be disappointed given the hype - I had decided before trying the Everest that if the improvement over the Triton v3 was only 10-15% then I would stick with the Triton v3). Strangely, there isn't really any break in with the Everest; it pretty much sounds perfect from the moment you plug it in and your equipment warms up (I am using my existing VH Audio Trans PC so if you are also using a new PC there will be a break in period for that cable but in that case you're really hearing Everest plus PC so it's not an apples to apples comparison versus whatever power conditioner you are currently using).
 
I picked up a demo Everest from my local dealer today. The box had never been opened and I basically just inserted it where my Denali had been. The dealer didn’t have the newer PC’s so I just used the Alpha HÇ I had been using. To be truthful I was not expecting a significant improvement over the Denali since no power amps were involved just my pre-amp and my dCS units. Immediately I knew something was different. The sound “seemed” more expansive and possibly with greater weight. This was with no break-in at all.

Color me surprised. More to come.
 
My Everest arrived this morning, it’s been in the system for a few hours and already it’s obvious that this a very significant upgrade.
It replaced a Denali and I’m using the Denali’s Sigma EF to the wall.
I really like the silver faceplate, it matches my system very nicely, which the Denali never did.

937ED855-3BBF-4F59-92B9-C725EEEA80EA.jpeg
 
still-one said:
I picked up a demo Everest from my local dealer today. The box had never been opened and I basically just inserted it where my Denali had been. The dealer didn’t have the newer PC’s so I just used the Alpha HÇ I had been using. To be truthful I was not expecting a significant improvement over the Denali since no power amps were involved just my pre-amp and my dCS units. Immediately I knew something was different. The sound “seemed” more expansive and possibly with greater weight. This was with no break-in at all.

Color me surprised. More to come.
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What stood out to me in comparison to the Triton v3: (1) vastly decreased noise floor, (2) highs are no longer rolled off (it wasn't major with the Triton but it was there) and (3) increased speed (which allows instruments to sound more natural).
 
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