I purchased an original Hydra after speaking with Caelin Gabriel himself about these supposed different 'versions'. He basically told me that there is only ONE version, but that they changed colors from orange hospital-grade outlets to biege (off-white) somewhere along the line. This was done only for aesthetic reasons, and probably because of a product-sourcing change.
Caelin indicated that there is no sonic difference, and no model-name change was warranted by this update. But he is known to make running changes to his products - without changing names or model designations.
The Hydra-8 is the brand-new unit, and is a totally different beast then the original Hydra. It is supposedly better-sounding, has 3 layers of surge suppression that don't affect the sound quality, 8 outlets instead of 6 AND it costs $500 less at MSRP then the original. It also looks more like traditional audio gear, with a machined metal front panel and painted metal enclosure instead of the Granite/Corian/Purple Heart Wood chassis of the original. Finally, the -8 uses a standard 20-amp IEC cord instead of the NEMA twistlock connection of the original, making it easier to experiment with different cords.
Keep in mind that the original has nothing other then a 15 or 20 amp fuse acting as lightning protection. And Caelin may be persuaded to send you a copper slug to replace the fuse, as that even makes a sonic difference. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK is the moto here, but I use it and actually CAN tell a difference in my Pass amp's explosiveness on big transients. I look at it this way - I could be plugging the amp directly into the wall, which provides NO protection at all, and gives no sonic benefits like the Hydra seems to IMS.
I have seen no industry or owner comparisons of Old Hydra vs New Hydra-8, or Hydra-8 vs Stealth, but I am sure that is coming.
Caelin indicated that there is no sonic difference, and no model-name change was warranted by this update. But he is known to make running changes to his products - without changing names or model designations.
The Hydra-8 is the brand-new unit, and is a totally different beast then the original Hydra. It is supposedly better-sounding, has 3 layers of surge suppression that don't affect the sound quality, 8 outlets instead of 6 AND it costs $500 less at MSRP then the original. It also looks more like traditional audio gear, with a machined metal front panel and painted metal enclosure instead of the Granite/Corian/Purple Heart Wood chassis of the original. Finally, the -8 uses a standard 20-amp IEC cord instead of the NEMA twistlock connection of the original, making it easier to experiment with different cords.
Keep in mind that the original has nothing other then a 15 or 20 amp fuse acting as lightning protection. And Caelin may be persuaded to send you a copper slug to replace the fuse, as that even makes a sonic difference. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK is the moto here, but I use it and actually CAN tell a difference in my Pass amp's explosiveness on big transients. I look at it this way - I could be plugging the amp directly into the wall, which provides NO protection at all, and gives no sonic benefits like the Hydra seems to IMS.
I have seen no industry or owner comparisons of Old Hydra vs New Hydra-8, or Hydra-8 vs Stealth, but I am sure that is coming.