CFB
I find your reaction to the Hydra interesting as I do all feedback from audiophiles. I happen to sell the Hydra, the Sound Application, the Audio magic Stealth, and when Jack Bybee was in business I sold more of his Pro line conditioners than anyone else.
I am a firm believer that everything starts at the wall and that once you have installed your dedicated lines that your powercords and conditioning are going to give your system the magic hidden within the components aching to be revealed.
There is a recent review comparing the Audio magic Stealth, the Sound Application, and the Hydra at www.enjoythe music.com needless to say it is just one persons opinion but then that is what all reviews and personal observations can be.
I like all three units alot ( although they are very different from each other) and they each sound better than the others in different systems and especially with the powercords used. A great powercord can change the performance of a line conditioner more than any other component. If the Hydra has an obvious weakness it is that it limits experimentation with powercords by the connection that it uses limiting the powercord choices to the sidewinder (stock with the unit) the Mojave and the Python.
Break in is extensive on the unit and they state that in the manual as does every other line conditioner on the market. Also replacing the fuse with a copper slug improves the unit dramatically.
From your comments I believe that you would find the Stealth and Sound Application more to your liking. Not because they are better but because they may fit your flavor better. Every conditioner changes the sonic signature in some way just as does everything that you do to your system even if it is just putting different wood blocks under your components.
Realize the Hydra is pure magic in many systems and I am sure that is why so many rooms at CES had the unit in their systems. More than any conditoner. When a Hydra fits well within a system it gives it more of an analogue sound. But nothing works everywhere. I learned years ago that mixing different brands of powercords works better in most systems than just using one brand. In our showroom every room has a mix of Shunyata, Synergistic, Electraglide and Audio magic powercords. They all do different things and each have different strengths.
I was once so seduced by my 2 first Electraglide Fat Men that I put them everywhere in the system and suddenly what had been near perfection was transformed to being bloated and slow it was like I was moving through molasses. Too much of anything can move any system too far in many different directions and usually not for the best.
Who knows once it is all said and done you may like having no conditioner and just great powercords throughout your system. In my experience most systems benefit a great deal from the conditioners on the market. One did not work to your taste but there are many others! Also realize that with conditioners, cables, etc. even if properly burned in before you receive them it still takes up to a week for them to settle into your system.
In my experience the greatest mistake most audiophiles make is not giving products enough time to show what magic is hidden within them. The fact is that we all ache for instant utopia and want an instantaneous transformation the minute we plug in a new toy. It just does not work that way all the time.
I find your reaction to the Hydra interesting as I do all feedback from audiophiles. I happen to sell the Hydra, the Sound Application, the Audio magic Stealth, and when Jack Bybee was in business I sold more of his Pro line conditioners than anyone else.
I am a firm believer that everything starts at the wall and that once you have installed your dedicated lines that your powercords and conditioning are going to give your system the magic hidden within the components aching to be revealed.
There is a recent review comparing the Audio magic Stealth, the Sound Application, and the Hydra at www.enjoythe music.com needless to say it is just one persons opinion but then that is what all reviews and personal observations can be.
I like all three units alot ( although they are very different from each other) and they each sound better than the others in different systems and especially with the powercords used. A great powercord can change the performance of a line conditioner more than any other component. If the Hydra has an obvious weakness it is that it limits experimentation with powercords by the connection that it uses limiting the powercord choices to the sidewinder (stock with the unit) the Mojave and the Python.
Break in is extensive on the unit and they state that in the manual as does every other line conditioner on the market. Also replacing the fuse with a copper slug improves the unit dramatically.
From your comments I believe that you would find the Stealth and Sound Application more to your liking. Not because they are better but because they may fit your flavor better. Every conditioner changes the sonic signature in some way just as does everything that you do to your system even if it is just putting different wood blocks under your components.
Realize the Hydra is pure magic in many systems and I am sure that is why so many rooms at CES had the unit in their systems. More than any conditoner. When a Hydra fits well within a system it gives it more of an analogue sound. But nothing works everywhere. I learned years ago that mixing different brands of powercords works better in most systems than just using one brand. In our showroom every room has a mix of Shunyata, Synergistic, Electraglide and Audio magic powercords. They all do different things and each have different strengths.
I was once so seduced by my 2 first Electraglide Fat Men that I put them everywhere in the system and suddenly what had been near perfection was transformed to being bloated and slow it was like I was moving through molasses. Too much of anything can move any system too far in many different directions and usually not for the best.
Who knows once it is all said and done you may like having no conditioner and just great powercords throughout your system. In my experience most systems benefit a great deal from the conditioners on the market. One did not work to your taste but there are many others! Also realize that with conditioners, cables, etc. even if properly burned in before you receive them it still takes up to a week for them to settle into your system.
In my experience the greatest mistake most audiophiles make is not giving products enough time to show what magic is hidden within them. The fact is that we all ache for instant utopia and want an instantaneous transformation the minute we plug in a new toy. It just does not work that way all the time.