Shunyata Alpha/Delta NR Line.

I wouldn’t say that cables are "system dependent." I would say that many people have tailored their system towards a certain "type" of sound and when a cable comes in that contributes less to the sound, it can be mistakenly thought that it is the cable, rather than that the other components have colorations that are now showing through.

I wrote - on another thread - a post about my time with the Delta, where I found it to be highly detailed, with a very good sense of fullness (a la the Cobra ZiTron), but that, lacking the ZiTron technology, it has a certain "stillness," which is more akin to a shading towards "dryness." For example, Nordost has a "liquid" sound, as do MIT cables. Still the "stillness" does not push you away from the music at all. In fact, this generation of Shunyata cords has returned a "musciality" that had been subtly missing from previous generations, although Shunyata has always had a fully saturated tonal palette once you reach the a certain level. So, the Delta does have that trait, and it’s an important one if you listen to musical music (orchestral, or anything with acoustic instruments, which show "musicality" better than the highly processed recordings out now). The Clash's 'London Calling,' never sounded dry, but it isn't a 'musical' recording. So, for many, who listen to highly produced music, the criticisms will have less value. And, in fact, in this case, the resolution (you can really hear them in vocals, where you can almost always hear the singing taking a breath. In ALL previous generations of my Shunyata cables - including the Alpha HC - you will NOT hear the singer taking a breath. So, the low-level resolution is - from my observations - greater than the preceding generations's abilities in this area. And so, with pop music, you'll hear more of the instruments clearly. 

And keep in mind that this "dryness" showed up mostly in my NAD integrateds (I have several different models), but less so in my CJ/Antique Sound Lab setup, which is quite liquid. (I haven't het installed my tube integrated amp (also Antique Sound Labs, but a Class "A", 30 watt-number. I'll get around to that and let you know how it sounds. Also, it (the dryness) showed up more with digital than with vinyl, where it was far less evident. Analogue is a "freer" medium for sound, so the Delta allows that to be heard, so the sonics are a bit more liquid (again, my references are Carnegie Hall and The Metroplitan Opera, both in New York). (And the Bushnell in Hartford, CT). I don't stream music, so I have no idea how the Delta would sound on a music server. But for $700, it does a hell of a lot! (I just wish they'd put ZiTron technology into it and sold it for $1k).

New Delta NR powercord owner here. I am seeking advice from users that have compared it to the Alpha or Sigma NR. On paper, they only differ in total wire gage ( 10ga. 8ga, 6ga). So if my gear doesnt need the extra gage diameter for power draw, what else could be improved upon the DeltaNR model ?

The Delta NR is for sure a nice upgrade over my Zitron Cobra. I do ear more into the recording. But I have to turn up the volume a little bit more than before , as if the built in noise reduction circuit reduces the dynamics a bit... I believe this is what the previous poster calls as ''a certain stillness''. I can also turn up the treble a bit more on my preamp. Is the cord rolling the highs...I don’t think so... bizarre effect nevertheless.

Opinions, experiences with this new line of pcs ?

gbmcleod: Seriously,  " ...NAD integrateds (I have several different models),  CJ/Antique Sound Lab..."  in evaluating Shunyata cables ?

Hmmm, it may be a really good idea to seriously consider equipment upgrades, before cable concerns -and (cable) performance remarks.

pj

Am using Delta NR in place of a Python HX (hmm, green ends? Dont want to run 2 flights down to ck) on my Oppo 205. It has provided a nice small bump in sonics. Have a Hydra 2 & 20a Python feeding it.

Allhifi: haven’t been in here in a while.
I’ve no need to get other equipment to evaluate the shunyata, thanks. There’s been a flow of equipment throughout the house: ARC, Hegel, Parasound. And if I needed it, a dealership with things i USED to own: Wilson speakers, newer ARC. And with my ASC-designed room with 30-40 tube traps, that MORE than makes up for the reviews I read by others. It more than made up for what I heard when HP and I compared notes in the old days when he was alive, and I’d point out something HE missed. So there. Besides, I’m going on my 7th decade of life. No point buying something expensive and keeling over the next month. My family wouldn’t even know what to sell my Nordost stuff for. I’d like to spare them selling Valhalla for $400, thanks.

What was left unsaid was that I was once a reviewer for TAS and the equipment manager for the now defunct Fi Magazine. I’ve heard -and owned - equipment most salivate at. And my ears are the most important instrument in evaluations, not the equipment. Poorly set up ARC (meaning, crappy room acoustics - a common malady, by the way, from what i’ve seen, as well as in a dealer’s showroom with a 100k system, which, while more ’detailed,’ sounded less like anything ’live’ than I’ve heard in 40 years of High End listening and 60 years of being in bands, concert halls and other live venues before they starting using microphones and PA systems for Ella (vile!)) - and heard, in others’ systems - give far less musical satisfaction than using "good" but not SOTA equipment. I’ve owned, ARC, Jadis, Goldmund, Infinity, Avalon, Rowland, Convergent, Transparent, MIT, Nordost, VTL, VAC, Clearaudio, VPI and my prized Versa Dynamics 2.3 turntable, as well as many others. And a CJ ET3 SE is nothing to sneeze at (You hurt its feelings! I had to anti-static the poor dear when I told it about your response!) These days, I just want to enjoy music, not - as so many - the equipment. Try to keep an open mind about what can be heard without SOTA. And by the way, the ASL Hurricanes’ realism trumps nearly anything I’ve yet heard. Which is why I still own it after 15 years, longer even than my Goldmund Mimesis 9 (THE most transparent, $14,000 amp I’ve ever had, along with the $13,000 VAC amps). Both fantastic, but certainly NOT the "Good-God-it’s-live-not-Memorex" ability of the ASLs. "More detail" is no substitute for "it actually sounds ’real.’" Have you ever heard the Hurricanes? Doesn’t sound like you have or you’d have kept the disbelief in check. I get it. "Marquee value" impresses you. It did to me, too - 30 years ago. Then I grew past it.