Hi Pataldorr- I recently went to a Hydra 8 from a 4, which I had used for about four years. It is surprising how much of a difference the 8 makes. I'd say the improvement is as significant as when I went from a power strip to the 4. The entire system (CJ tube preamp and power amps, Linn table and AR PH3 SE phono) sounds better. Specifically, more/deeper/cleaner bass, fuller midrange and best of all a cleaner top end. No negatives. I'd also say the overall systme sound is more "toghether" with a cleaner attack and better pacing, although I guess this last part is pretty subjective. Once the 8 was in place I started playing things louder and didn't really know why. Then I realized that since the sound was cleaner I could play it louder without fatigue. I'd rate the Hydra8 an 11 out of 10 since it makes every component better.
I realize you posted this last year and probably own the 8 by now, but I'm putting this in just in case.
I realize you posted this last year and probably own the 8 by now, but I'm putting this in just in case.