SHUNYATA BLK MAMBA or WHALE ELITE?


WANTING TO STEP UP IN AC CABLE. WHATS THE OPINION ON THE BLACK MAMBA VS THE WHALE ELITE? SEE THE WHALES ON AUCTION BUT HAVENT HEARD OR READ ANY INFO ON THEIR PERFORMANCE.
rcreations
Actually, you're comparing two cables in different leagues from each other. I've had the pleasure of owning both cords. The Black Mamba is a very good cord rendering an improved bass response, lower background noise which allows you to hear more detail. It puts an 'air' around instruments and vocals. It virtually improves every aspect of the music spectrum. On the other hand, the BMI Whale is much more dynamic than the Black Mamba. It takes all of the fine attributes of the Shunyata cord and improves on each one. The Whale Elite sounds like a refinded King Cobra in my system. For the price, it's a tremendous bargain. I highly recommend both cords but the Whale definately outshines the Black Mamba many times over. BTW...the BMI Eel more closely matches the Black Mamba. Hope this helps!
I have written about the Whale vs. a number of very high end cords on a post called "the winter lessons". This in my opinion is the best value in audio, please see my post. J.D.
Both Jaguar and Jadem6 are correct. I have a few WHALEs and find that they are a true bargain in hi-end power cables. The mamba and viper, electraglide compare to the Eel cable that BMI manufactures. The Whale competes with the Fatboy, King cobra and NBS statement. I had all 3 cables in the past and sold them once I heard the Whale. The Whale outperforms these very expensive cables for about a quarter of the price and saved a lot of money. Kudos to BMI and the Whale. I've gave a number of feedbacks in forums on this great product. Just check earlier forums in the cables.
Has anyone compared the EEL to the Whale? Other than Brulee and Lak I do not recall any references to the EEL. Does the Whale eat the EEL alive or do they have similar traits? I am also interested in the Whale but would not be able to swing 3 or 4 of them budget wise. Has anyone used the two in combination? Right now I incorperate cords and cables from six different manufacturer's in my simple system and would like try more of a theme in the future. I have the IC's pretty much figured out (Mapleshade) but am having difficulties with PC's in my price range. Hope this isn't too far off the thread's intent.
I have owned B.M., Sidewinder, EEL and WHALE power cords. All of my Power Snake brands have been sold off and the BMI cords have stayed. Whale and EEL are very similar in sonic characteristics with the Whale wins out in both dynamic and bass. In my systems, EEL is on preamp and Whale is on power amp. Both work wonder in this configuration.
how much clearance does the Whale need before the first bend? It looks like my rack and my amp would have to be pretty far away from the wall in order for me to use the Whale.
Whale need at least 1/2 ft on both ends for clearance before bending because of its size.
thanks to all that responded. gonna start with a pair of eels on audire noble monos, and change out to whales down the road. kurt
I had both the Black Mamba and Whale on my SCD-777ES. The Whale is a more neutral cable, dynamics are lightning fast, noise floor is lower, and bass is tighter in my system. Will need to add more Whales to system.
With the Whale being soooo thick, does the IEC fit into the component very tightly, or does it sag like most after market power cords. Concerned about the IEC being pulled from the component due to size and weight.
Dolphin, The Whale uses some custom IEC so that it literally clamps the component male IEC pins . No sagging seen with this cord. Mike
That's good news. I had figured that I would have to hang them from ribbons, though I probably will need some sort of support for the one going to the little Bel Canto DAC. I am mailing my order for two of the Whales today.
Hi Jay: Part of my system (the Audion Silver Night 300B) is at the shop, so I am breaking one of the cords in on the computer and the other on my DAC which is the only piece of gear that I could easily fit the cord to with my current setup (soon be relocated to more spacious surroundings - a closet). I auditioned both of the cords (out of the box) on my DAC and player for approx. one hour and experienced a fuller and more 3D sound right off the bat (this was with my Musical Fidelity X-A1 powering the system). I had to remove the cord from the player though because I could not fit the player into my cabinet due to requiring more space for the PC in the back. Even with only one now installed in this system, the bass response and the depth, or roundness, of instruments has increased for the good. When I get the system back together, relocated and the PC's run in I will post an update. My first impression was very positive.
The Black Mamba is a very good power cord but it's not in the same league as the Whale Elite. I am on my second Whale and use to have the Black Mamba. The Whale is a lot more robust in the bass and tight detail with smooth highs. The Whale is in parallel with the King Cobra and Fatman which I also own.
Pornstar - you are on the wrong website. Keep your vulgar insights to the X rated sites.

I agree with the Whale owners on the improvements. I have a 3ft Whale on my Sony SCD-1 player and a 5ft on my Levinson
preamp. Big improvements with bass tighness, detail accuracy and blackness in the background. Plan to get another one for may amp. Currently using the original Cobra on my amp which is good.
By the way I switched back to older Levinson gear #23.5 amp & #26 preamp and traded in the Krell. All I can say is that it's good to back to with Levinson gear.