sigma2 full loom

[u-sound]

have the offer to trade in my full loom odin cables plus the hms conditioner (all 10 years old)
against full loom sigma2 + everest plus omega ethernet.
well i have to add a 10 year old audi a8 12 zylinder, 100000km, in bad condition.

would you do it?
with all that noise reduction from sigma, could that lead cummulatively in overly "damped" sound?

 

[Elberoth]

I would definately not do any trade before listening in your system. At this level it is a must.

Listen for yourself and go from there.

 

[u-sound]

you are absolutely right.
it isnt easy to loan a broken-in full loom sigma2 currently.
the reason of trade is stupid in any case. i want black cables, matching the black amp and speakers.
when i bought odin, i had an all silver system. they sounded superb, the best part was that i never had to think about cables for last 10 years.
well, now, putting another system together, everything has to be new from 2020, black matters!
that said, just sold the odins on the phone, and sold the whole nagra rig as well. car will be sold tonight.
funny, it was a hot day and as soon as my phonecall was finished a thunderstorm was beginning.
odin is angry!!!
odin - Google Search

 

[Puma Cat]

Adam is correct.

If you can audition a full loom of Alpha V2 and Sigma V2 in your own system, you should do that. From the info I've been able to gather, Alpha V2 surpasses Sigma v1 by a ways. You may find that, depending on your system and room size, a full Sigma loom may be awesome or...it may be..too much. The performance envelope of this new ranges of cables is very large. When I had the Omega XC PC in for photography, I auditioned it with my Everest, and its performance envelope is absolutey amazing. But it was also too much horsepower for my small listening space. In my space, it was like driving a 1500+ HP Bugatti Chiron on a tight twisty road. I simply do not need that much horsepower, and in my space, its...too much. Sigma XC is a better match.

Same applies to other cables on other components. I listen in a small space, and while the Sigma PCs are amazing, in my specific listening space, Alpha NR v2 on my preamp and DAC was a better match for my system in my room.

BTW, the most important part of your system is...your room. Folks forget about this all the time. And, the components, including the cables function as a system and they interact with your room. You may find that a lower level cable, e.g. Alpha, and yes, even Delta (which outperforms the previous Alpha level cables) and/or mixing and matching, may be the best setup for your room as part of the overall system.

This is why Caelin and Shunyata Research offer a range of products with range of performance and functionality over a range of price points. They can be mixed and matched so you can get everything just right with your components and your speakers in your room. Don't forget about the room. Think of it as what it actually is, a system, and not just one thing, a loom of cables.

You may well find that can create a superb and very engaging system and also save quite a bit of money by going with Alpha, or a mix of Alpha or Sigma, or as I've mentioned, Delta.

As I write this, I've using an Alpha PC on my preamp, Delta NR v2 PC on my DAC, and Delta SPs on my Harbeths and listening to Yeol Eum Son and The Academy playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, and...it's wonderful. What I'm not doing is sitting here listening to gear and thinking, "Man! If only had Sigma* on the pre..." :

Rather, what I'm thinking is what a delightful pianist Yeol Eum Son is...

So, give full consideration 1 or 2 levels down and/or mixing and matching. You don't always need a 10,000 HP nitro Funny Car to go from Point A to Point B, and I would say, in some cases, you don't want to.

You can use the money you saved for taking a nice vacation with your family, or when its safe, going to musical concerts again, etc.

Have fun and keep us in the loop with what you do and what you find out. Cheers.

* - I did have Sigma NR v2 PC on the pre for the review I wrote for TAS. It's...amazing. And....I returned it to Shunyata after the review period. I found in my system and room, Alpha NR v2 was a better match on the pre as had the just right qualities that created the most engaging and immersive experience for my system and room.

 

[u-sound]

outstanding post, very interesting, thx you!
when you say too much, do you mean it was overly resoluted? or too much energy?
never really thought about interactivity between room and cables.

i am really not swimming in cash at the moment, so i picked up your thoughts.
going alpha2 now, lol. with 1 sigma pc and ethernet probably omega.
start to think thats all more than good enough.
sure, no question, testing is the only way. then again i doubt i will do that.
again, thx for all thouse inputs.

 

[Puma Cat]

outstanding post, very interesting, thx you!
when you say too much, do you mean it was overly resoluted? or too much energy?

Yeah, I guess "energy" is one way to describe it. The most accurate analogy I can provide are various types of sports racing cars and how much horsepower they make. Back in the 70s, Porsche ran the famous 917K at LeMans, a very fast, open track where all the horsepower the 917 made could be used effectively. But for the Targa Florio race in Sicily, which was held on very tight and twisty public roads, they didn't race the big 917, they raced the Porsche 908, a superb sports racing car with just the right mix of horsepower and handling. The big 917 was just TOO MUCH for the Targa, the lithe and light 908 was just right.

And so it is with the various models of Shunyata power cables; this is why I recommended auditioning across the range and determining what is just right for your room and system.

I never really thought about interactivity between room and cables.

The room is critical. That's where all the acostic energy produced by the system is occuring.

It's a system, all of the factors (cables, PD, components, speakers AND the room) can and usually do, interact.

Cheers mate, and have fun! I haven't heard the new ICs or SPs, but my guess is you're in for a treat.

 

[justubes]

Yeah, I guess "energy" is one way to describe it. The most accurate analogy I can provide are various types of sports racing cars and how much horsepower they make. Back in the 70s, Porsche ran the famous 917K at LeMans, a very fast, open track where all the horsepower the 917 made could be used effectively. But for the Targa Florio race in Sicily, which was held on very tight and twisty public roads, they didn't race the big 917, they raced the Porsche 908, a superb sports racing car with just the right mix of horsepower and handling. The big 917 was just TOO MUCH for the Targa, the lithe and light 908 was just right.

And so it is with the various models of Shunyata power cables; this is why I recommended auditioning across the range and determining what is just right for your room and system.



The room is critical. That's where all the acostic energy produced by the system is occuring.

It's a system, all of the factors (cables, PD, components, speakers AND the room) can and usually do, interact.

Cheers mate, and have fun! I haven't heard the new ICs or SPs, but my guess is you're in for a treat.

There is nothing really said of how the Sigma or Alpha V2 sounds in comparision to the V1.

Totally different which may require a rework to find the best synergy.

From what i can gather, the main differentiator is "Energy".

I use a few Sigmas V1 for clock duties just before the release of the V2.

In my case, adding another Sigma clock into the mix lead to a even more natural, slightly towards warmism vocal and more solid and realistic definition of instruments and sounds.

I however started to find a less exciting sound, calmer but slow which i associate with skewing towards a lack of drive which was the main and only concern i had which did not make the cut.

I will get to test the V2 and if the exact concerns have been addressed whilst retain that last small 1% more natural vocals and timbres, it would be that finishing touch i am looking for.

This is however not targeted at any flaws, but to a certain type of presentation. I always get this tradeoff of less openess and dynamics in place or better timbre and a more natural presentation, more earthy and organic tones coming through.

I have never tried the Alpha but will guess that it will be less refined and organic presentation than the Sigma, but may more energetic and fun to listen.

Hope to hear more on how the V2s are getting on in various systems.

 

[Puma Cat]

There is nothing really said of how the Sigma or Alpha V2 sounds in comparision to the V1.

That is because I have not heard the v1 versions of Sigma and Alpha PCs, and I don't make fact-based posts about products I have not heard. I endeavor to make my posts about product and product performance from first-hand experience both accurate (i.e., representative of the truth) and informative for the community-at-large here, so they can make informed decisions about products that would constitute value propositions. There are times when I will make an "inference" or "postulate" about a new product, but I qualify these posts by stating they are hypotheses.

I have never tried the Alpha but will guess that it will be less refined and organic presentation than the Sigma, but may more energetic and fun to listen.

I wouldn't make that guess or inference if my experiences with Sigma and Alpha PC is a reference go by. The Alpha PC has a beautifully layered, articulated, nuanced, and organic quality to it that is really musical. It is really lovely; Sigma has more of all these attributes, but depending on your system and your room, it may prove to be too much horsepower. Again, it comes down to how the cables function as part of a system with your components, speakers and room. This is why I encourage potential customers to rent in the cables at a few levels, and try them and see which cables work best for their specific system. They may find that a mix 'n match approach lets them achieve a just right configuration for their specific room and system.