Seeking Opinions of Shuntata Hydra

I also have one on order. With this item being so new, you and I are going to be trailblazers on this product. The latest products that Shunyata has put out, have been excellent. Keep your fingers crossed.

Gentlemen you are in for an extraordinary treat. I have had mine for 4 or 5 weeks now and it is nothing short of phenomenal. Warning! If you're the kind of person that cannot wait for a product to go through the required break in time, which can be quite lengthy, you will be disappointed. I went through a one week period of running about 1,000 watts through the three outlets, using an oil filled heater, and two lamps. I then put it into the system and for the next week ran a fan through the three outlets(rotating) while not listening to music. Even after all of this breaking in it was still about another week before it really blossomed. But when it did I was totally enthralled with the weight and body of the presentation. It made the sound more transparent, but the highs were sweeter. Bass response was so much improved, I have decided against the subwoofer I was planning on. Dynamics were greatly improved. The soudstage was much wider, deeper, and improved virtically. There is now a sort of congealment to the sound, a musical togetherness, that is hard to describe. The only other experience that I have had that is even close to what the Hydra has done, is when I auditioned a King Cobra on my Miles cdp. I am now using Black Mambas on the Miles and my preamp- both of which are into the Hydra. For those of you contemplating this remarkable product-do yourself a favor and do what I did-buy it without hearing or seeing it, you won't be disappointed.

TJ you said it pretty well: greater transparency, soundstaging, and dynamics. I went through a similar burnin on my 5 week old Hydra and found it still needed several weeks before it settled in. The way it allows music to unravel in that uncongealed yet totally coherent way is remarkable. I live in a high RFI/EMI urban area and found it to reduce powerline noise but not completely eliminate it (I still hear some background noise up close). However, I believe that burnin for this device is critical in order for its Stardust compound to couple fully with powerline noise. While the reduction in noise has been gradual, ultimately I have come to realize that my Hydra is responsible for the quieter power and massive gains in musicality. I also noted that it works synergistically with PS cords and that my integrated amplifier suffers no ill effects when plugged in (on the contrary it sounds more dynamic). In my opinion the Hydra is even more effective than the powercords themselves and that is saying a lot.

Not to get off topic, I was telling my wife about this post (I want a Hydra too, but no money here) I said I wonder when the first post will come that states a guy finally got him 1972 Marantz solid state to open up! "Only 2,371 hours of burn in!!"