Shunyata Research

[deviousalet]

Thanks for that update, Guillaume.

See, you're just as critical here as always, even if your Devialet is silver rather than gold. You have better information than I can find anywhere else.

Now I know more about my Devialet than I did yesterday. You may have helped me avoid the temptation to buy an expensive cable, so thanks for that. On the other hand I now need to do listening tests with interlink cables again (oh joy) incase I can sell my cable and go back to stock.

Do you know in what version of firmware the jitter bug was fixed? It would have been helpful if Devialet had put that in the release notes, but since they don't communicate well we rely upon you to inform us.

[GuillaumeB]

Thanks for that update, Guillaume.

See, you're just as critical here as always, even if your Devialet is silver rather than gold. You have better information than I can find anywhere else.

Now I know more about my Devialet than I did yesterday. You may have helped me avoid the temptation to buy an expensive cable, so thanks for that. On the other hand I now need to do listening tests with interlink cables again (oh joy) incase I can sell my cable and go back to stock.

Do you know in what version of firmware the jitter bug was fixed? It would have been helpful if Devialet had put that in the release notes, but since they don't communicate well we rely upon you to inform us.

It was a while back, sorry don't have the details. I believe it was mentioned in a changelog at the time. When I discussed this with Devialet they offered this by way of an explanation.

Years ago when I had the 500 which became an 800 I found that the digital link made quite a big difference. Enough to spend a small fortune on one. I don't think I would recommend this now. Yes a decent digital cable will make a difference but it's nothing in comparison to what can be achieved with other things.

If you want to really unleash what the Denali can do then try one of the new Delta PCs which are a substantial improvement over the discontinued Z-PC10. And at roughly half the price!

Guillaume

[GuillaumeB]

Here's as pic taken at KJ West One last week.

As you can see the McIntosh MA 9000 and dCS Network Bridge are there too


   


Guillaume

[GuillaumeB]

I've now got the production UK Denali units and they are extraordinarily good, but please don't take my word for it. 

If anyone is interested in hearing it with Devialet gear there is a unit on permanent display at KJ West One in Central London, if this isn't convenient then please get in touch and we can make arrangements to either bring a unit to you or for a demo here in the (currently very sunny) Surrey Hills. 

I'm trying to convince a few other Devialet dealers to try us out so any support on that front would be greatly appreciated. 

Cheers,

Guillaume

[Damon]

Shunyata Denali Hydra Denali 2000T - Advice Sought

Hi All,
I'm considering a Denali 2000T, and I have a couple of days to decide. It is used, from 2016. @GuillaumeB has given me some brief thoughts via email, and I've heard Wdw's systems with an AQ Niagara 5000. I don't think I can listen before I buy (and yes, I'm embarrassed and aware of the foolishness of this behaviour). But hearing the quiet and clarity of Wdw's system, I'm intrigued to explore this tweak. Many other differences between our systems as well, so I'm clear on that factor.

I'm wondering if anyone here can offer advice or listening experiences using a D2000 on a Devialet. I have a dedicated circuit already. I'm not looking for magic, but I am trying to address the last bits of the system, and power is one candidate. The two outlets will be enough for me, as I'm not going dual mono. I could try one of Shunyata's venom strips, or the Audioquest Niagara 1000, both of which are less expensive, and I will need a power cord for whichever I end up with. The power strips are less money than the Denali and occasionally Shunyata has a package special.

The Denali 2000T is about $2,300.00 cdn, with box and original certificate of authenticity / purchase.

Thanks,

[sam1000]

Why not buy 6000t or s? I think it provides more bang for the buck than 2000t. In my case,
the performance significantly improved when I swapped Alpha cable with Sigma power cable going into Denali.
The other alternative is Furutech Flux 50 NCF which costs between $700 to $850 usd. This was like putting on 3D glasses in terms of sound stage. This is a 30” adapter , so you will need a decent power cable going from outlet into furutech. I got this one last week and was very impressed.

[Hifi_swlon]

Shunyata Denali Hydra Denali 2000T - Advice Sought

Hi All,
I'm considering a Denali 2000T, and I have a couple of days to decide. It is used, from 2016. @GuillaumeB has given me some brief thoughts via email, and I've heard Wdw's systems with an AQ Niagara 5000. I don't think I can listen before I buy (and yes, I'm embarrassed and aware of the foolishness of this behaviour). But hearing the quiet and clarity of Wdw's system, I'm intrigued to explore this tweak. Many other differences between our systems as well, so I'm clear on that factor.

I'm wondering if anyone here can offer advice or listening experiences using a D2000 on a Devialet. I have a dedicated circuit already. I'm not looking for magic, but I am trying to address the last bits of the system, and power is one candidate. The two outlets will be enough for me, as I'm not going dual mono. I could try one of Shunyata's venom strips, or the Audioquest Niagara 1000, both of which are less expensive, and I will need a power cord for whichever I end up with. The power strips are less money than the Denali and occasionally Shunyata has a package special.

The Denali 2000T is about $2,300.00 cdn, with box and original certificate of authenticity / purchase.

Thanks,

Can’t you borrow some options from a dealer and try? They might not do anything.

[Damon]

@sam1000 Thanks for the reply. I will look into the alternatives certainly. It is good to have suggestions as I would not have any logical place to start sniffing around for options.

@Hifi_swlon I am sceptical enough about this that I am going to try some demo gear; if that works, I would buy from the dealer. And I'm totally open to the 'no improvement' result. I don't need to spend money or acquire more boxes that make a 'possible difference'. If it isn't a clear and repeatable improvement then I will move on to some other diversion.

[baddog]

@Damon Very interested to hear your thoughts once you try, I am considering going down this path as well, but no easy way to demo first.

[Damon]

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.