27-Jul-2018, 02:23
Hello Chatters,
I did manage to get a home demo of the Audioquest Niagara 1000 and the Shunyata Denali 2000 T power conditioner. There was an AQ NRG-4 power cable for the 1000 and a Shunyata Alpha HC for the Denali. I have a dedicated circuit for my hifi, but I did have a lamp with a compact fluorescent bulb in the same outlet. Other gear not connected to either product, so not affected. I'll give a brief summary and try not to be too silly with vague terminology.
In short, both the AQ 1000 and the Denali improved the dynamics and clarity of the music. Treble, such as cymbals, were cleaner and 'gentler' and easier to discern. Bass detail and speed certainly improved, and I expected that would be the main change, if any was clearly detected. But surprisingly, the midrange also came forward.... in space but also in that it was more ... forward. Just less covered by the rest of the music. Vocals were more upfront, but not aggressively so. It reminded me of a thread here, some time ago (possibly in relation to the Pro or CI upgrade) where one person felt there was a change in the presentation of the midrange and vocals were no longer the focus of the music. Both the AQ and the Denali fixed that, and Sarah Vaughan stepped forward of the speakers (hyperbole alert - sorry). But true.
The Shunyata was better than the Niagara. Sort of by the same degree of change made from stock home depot extension to AQ, the same degree of improvement from the AQ to the Denali. The Denali, however, also seemed to improve the tone of things. Tones became a bit thicker, juicier, more interesting, and at the same time the speed improved, and spatial definition improved. Dynamics and detail at lower volumes really changed, and I like that a lot. Like having clean glasses and better quality lenses. This also surprised me.
I had previously been aware of a dynamic flatness in my system generally (probably as a result of being spoiled by Wdw's system) and both the AQ and the Denali addressed that. I was uncertain, based especially on cost, as to how much of an improvement it would be worth to me. But it is one of those situations where, once you hear it, you know what you are missing. In the end, after several back and forth swaps, my, ears said to me, 'this is the way the system is supposed to sound....' As if the amp and speakers were finally getting the clarity on the input side that they needed, and that clarity came out of the speakers. Yes, it is a modest tune to the sound, but one could easily end up running off in search of a new amp or speakers to get this type of improvement.
I don't think that I would quite go with some of the commentary I read in Stereophile reviews, or perhaps even Darko's assessment, but there is a definite improvement with both products. It is also true that these two products are not really competitors as they don't do the same thing. An AQ 5000 might be a similar class of conditioner, and maybe should be compared to the Denali 6000. I did not try any of the Shunyata Venom power strips.
As I'm not very good at self discipline or restraint, I'm going Denali. Not cheap, but a very nice product.
If the class has any questions, I'll try and give any help I can.
I did manage to get a home demo of the Audioquest Niagara 1000 and the Shunyata Denali 2000 T power conditioner. There was an AQ NRG-4 power cable for the 1000 and a Shunyata Alpha HC for the Denali. I have a dedicated circuit for my hifi, but I did have a lamp with a compact fluorescent bulb in the same outlet. Other gear not connected to either product, so not affected. I'll give a brief summary and try not to be too silly with vague terminology.
In short, both the AQ 1000 and the Denali improved the dynamics and clarity of the music. Treble, such as cymbals, were cleaner and 'gentler' and easier to discern. Bass detail and speed certainly improved, and I expected that would be the main change, if any was clearly detected. But surprisingly, the midrange also came forward.... in space but also in that it was more ... forward. Just less covered by the rest of the music. Vocals were more upfront, but not aggressively so. It reminded me of a thread here, some time ago (possibly in relation to the Pro or CI upgrade) where one person felt there was a change in the presentation of the midrange and vocals were no longer the focus of the music. Both the AQ and the Denali fixed that, and Sarah Vaughan stepped forward of the speakers (hyperbole alert - sorry). But true.
The Shunyata was better than the Niagara. Sort of by the same degree of change made from stock home depot extension to AQ, the same degree of improvement from the AQ to the Denali. The Denali, however, also seemed to improve the tone of things. Tones became a bit thicker, juicier, more interesting, and at the same time the speed improved, and spatial definition improved. Dynamics and detail at lower volumes really changed, and I like that a lot. Like having clean glasses and better quality lenses. This also surprised me.
I had previously been aware of a dynamic flatness in my system generally (probably as a result of being spoiled by Wdw's system) and both the AQ and the Denali addressed that. I was uncertain, based especially on cost, as to how much of an improvement it would be worth to me. But it is one of those situations where, once you hear it, you know what you are missing. In the end, after several back and forth swaps, my, ears said to me, 'this is the way the system is supposed to sound....' As if the amp and speakers were finally getting the clarity on the input side that they needed, and that clarity came out of the speakers. Yes, it is a modest tune to the sound, but one could easily end up running off in search of a new amp or speakers to get this type of improvement.
I don't think that I would quite go with some of the commentary I read in Stereophile reviews, or perhaps even Darko's assessment, but there is a definite improvement with both products. It is also true that these two products are not really competitors as they don't do the same thing. An AQ 5000 might be a similar class of conditioner, and maybe should be compared to the Denali 6000. I did not try any of the Shunyata Venom power strips.
As I'm not very good at self discipline or restraint, I'm going Denali. Not cheap, but a very nice product.
If the class has any questions, I'll try and give any help I can.
Damon
Powernode, NAD M32, Cambridge CD transport, Analysis Plus, Nordost, iFi Nova, CSS Criton 1TDX, KEF C62
Vancouver, Canada
