You may be correct on this. My power distributor is also Shunyata (Everest), so for me XC makes sense. The reasoning is that whatever benefit the NR technology provides (noise reduction), is already in the Shunyata power distributors, whereas such tech may or may not exist with other brands’ power conditioning.
By the way, I used to own the Isotek Aquarius. It was great for the money. Everest is better for me, but of course, much more expensive
No way for me to give you any kind of meaningful quantitative answer on the difference. I would characterize the benefit of the Delta v2 over the Alpha v1 as incremental vs the almost component level upgrade type improvement the Venom HC provided over the stock Isotek cord.
Hope that helps.
@thyname
Originally, I inquired at the Cable Co. about the XC version (replacing EF, apparently) of the Delta v2 thinking NR would be redundant to what the Aquarius (one of the better audio purchases I've made, by the way) was doing. They told me Shunyata's guidance was to use XC models for powering Shunyata conditioners but for other brands of conditioners, go with NR.
I tried a Venom HC (v1) power cord on an Isotek Aquarius power conditioner. It provided a significant improvement to the sound over the as-supplied Isotek Premier cord.
I also spent time listening with Delta NR v1 and v2 cords as well as an Alpha NR v1. Sound with those was better than with the Venom HC...but not by as much as provided by the Venom HC over the Isotek Premier.
Ranking would be... Delta NR v2>Alpha NR v1>Delta NR v1>>Venom HC>>>Premier. No experience with the Black Mamba.
Though I have not tried the latest version of this power cord, I believe the Venom HC is an outstanding value.
I have two pairs of the Black Mamba and one older Alpha. The Black Mamba is used on my dual power supply phono stage and the alpha on my preamp. They seem to work very well and I don’t perceive any problems. But, the newer versions of these Alpha NR are rated way better are have better noise dissipating technology which are beneficial in today’s extremely high EMI/RFI environment. The original Alpha and Mamba have been used for years and I don’t really feel highly compelled to upgrade, but, curiosity killed the cat, LOL.
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