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Is a Hydra the real deal? How do you know?

yeah, I know it sounds wierd. A friend of mine recently suggested one of the pieces in his system is a Hydra conditioner. . .and a valued item.

I'm not disagreeing with his information.... my question is this... "As the Shunyata Hydra's need to have a cable specially made to fit/operate the conditioner, and most folks choose to use one made by shunyata, how do you know if it's the conditioner or the power cord doing the job?

I spent some time recently asessing various power cords. Right off I saw the need to buy some adapters for the cords to decrease the wear and tear on my gear, and speed up the process (run in time of the cords). I put the cords + adapters onto some other gear in a secondary system... things changed sonically almost immediately... as it would have with use on my main system. No other items in the mix. Just the adapter, power cord, and the unit (s).

I'm wondering how one can determine the advantage of the hydra's if no cord - even a cheap one - comes supplied with the units? Apart from the ability to plug in more items than a single adapter gives... it just seems like a lot of money to spend for a multi outlet center..... if of course I was told wrong about the Hydras not being supplied with cords.... I apologize profusely. But a dealer told me Shunyata does not provide a cord with their conditioners.... it must be purchased separately. I guess he's correct as I see many questions about which cord for Hydras for either this or that applicaton... and that different Hydras' have different sonic attributes... Well how do you know if right off the bat you gotta add a Shunyata cord to it... Oh, by the way... I own a Shunyata Python VX, and I do dig it. ...just curious about adding a Hydra elsewhere in the system for one or two other pieces that are not 'conditioned'..

Thank you very much for your time.
blindjim

Showing 6 responses by mdhoover

mdhoover
695 posts
 
Grant,
The Powervar has the Universal player, DAC, a powered antenna, an equalizer, the Stax headphone amp, another DVD/VCR player/recorder (I think), and the satellite receiver (I think). It's pretty much full.
-Bill
mdhoover
695 posts
 
"Most people have dedicated lines and then plug most of their gear into a Hydra 6 or 8 or other conditioner and totally miss the benefits of the dedicated line."
-Jtinn
Dumb question, but I'll ask it anyway: Could you please explain why this is true in more detail? I have a dedicated line with four outlets, and the two monoblock amps, the preamp, and the Powervar (a 10 amp model) are all plugged into the wall outlets for that dedicated line. Everything else except the sub bass unit and the television is plugged into the Powervar (which is plugged into the same line, as stated). Is that bad????????

{The TV is plugged into the main house circuit directly into the wall, not into the dedicated line. The sub bass unit (Rel Storm III) is plugged into the wall also, into a different outlet, and not into the dedicated line.}

Why I'm asking: I am considering upgrading to a multi-outlet Hydra to replace the Powervar, but have limited options for where to plug it in.

Thanks.

-Bill
mdhoover
695 posts
 
Grant,
I just committed to buy the original Hydra from Lak. This one has six ivory outlets in the back. It has three separate circuits, I think. So, would that work? Should it be plugged into the same line as the amps and preamps, or should it go into a different wall unit? If I plug it into a different wall unit, should I at least put Porter Ports into those even though they aren't "dedicated" lines? To increase the number of plug-ins, what would you recommend as an outlet doubler (adaptor)? Thanks.
-Bill
mdhoover
695 posts
 
Thanks guys. (Grant, I also left a message on your company's answering machine.) I THINK I understand what you're recommending:

It sounds like the monoblock amps should be plugged into the dedicated line, and probably nothing else. However, the limiting factor is the number of available outlets.

So, now there are even more questions:
Would it be okay to plug the Rel Storm 3 sub bass unit and the preamplifier into that dedicated line along with the two monoblocks, or would that screw up the isolation? If the preamp and the Rel were plugged into that same line with the monoblocks, then at least all four of its outlets would be being used.

Then there'd be two wall outlets remaining, one on either side of the entertainment center. Neither of these would be from the dedicated line. Would it be okay to plug the Hydra into one and the Powervar into the other? {The reason I was trying to ditch the Powervar is because it appears to be transmitting transformer hum through the system.} Thanks.

-Bill

mdhoover
695 posts
 
"Couldn't a second dedicated line be run next to the one existing dedicated line? After all, you already have a four outlet gang box in the wall."
-Tvad
Yes, that's a very good idea that was also mentioned by Lak, the seller. Actually, he suggested TWO more dedicated lines, one for each of the Odyssey Stratos Extreme Monoblocks. It would be necessary to convince my wife about this, though. There may have to be a waiting period prior to the spousal authorization of such a procedure, if you know what I mean....... Meanwhile, I'll look into that VH Audio Hotbox. Presumably you think that's a good unit, I take it. I may also check out a Hydra 2.
Thanks for the ideas.
-Bill
mdhoover
695 posts
 
"Bill, if the cost of running a dedicated line by a profesional electrician in your area is equal to, or less than, the cost of doing the same in Los Angeles, then it should cost less than a Hydra 2 and an accompanying power cord. perhaps your situation is different. It cost me a total of $500 to run two dedicated lines, including two Porter Ports."
-Tvad
No, my situation is not different. It was quite inexpensive to run the first dedicated line, about 200 bucks total. It's just the logistics of getting an electrician scheduled, and at a time when someone will be home. In other words, it requires my wife's cooperation and time. Both of those things are in limited supply when it comes to my audiophile habit. However, you are correct (as usual) about the relative costs.
-Bill
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