Audiopur:
My conclusion differ from yours regarding the Python Vx and the Shiva. I found the Shiva is leaner and sounds more dynamic, but lacks body.I've found that "more dynamic" and "thinner" usually go together. I don't care for the Shiva at all.
Now I've had Python Alpha,Vx, Shiva, Vishnu and now Brahma (a brand new Brahma at that.
The Brahma has the best sense of "swing" of all of them. And it's not even broken in. It also has the best sense of space. The Shunyatas have more "power" to their sound, as in more push, but sonically, it's definitely darker than the Nordost (this is no surprise to anyone, is it?).
I had the Python Alphas on the amplifiers, but some of the "accents" of jazz music seemed diminished.Duke Ellington, for example, didn't "swing" as much with the Shunyata gear because the stop/start nature of his compositions weren't conveyed as easily. I find it harder to hear all this with digital in contrast to my vinyl setup in any case, and I always have (hey, maybe I need a $20,000 digital setup, but heck, it burns me up that, for the cost of the best digital setups, one could have two or three vinyl setups). Vinyl seems to convey the accents in jazz better than digital, to my ears. I love the Shunyata gear, and I've owned a ton of it, but, like all cables, it has strengths and weaknesses. Nothing's perfect. The "darkness" of Shunyata is pretty minor, to my ears. I would still buy a King Cobra V2 in 2 seconds if I saw one for sale. I have always thought that that power cord was exquisite, and I liked it more than the Valhalla power cord, when I had it, although the Valhalla is exceedingly low in noise, so the presentation sounds intensely "continuous" in nature. BUT, I sold it anyway. I liked what it did, but the cost!! I prefer the Brahma simply because it costs less and is a significant step up from the Vishnu. I'm just going to sell the Vishnus and replace them with Brahmas. If I could have a system of King Cobra V2s, I'd buy them, too! Sure worked for me!
My conclusion differ from yours regarding the Python Vx and the Shiva. I found the Shiva is leaner and sounds more dynamic, but lacks body.I've found that "more dynamic" and "thinner" usually go together. I don't care for the Shiva at all.
Now I've had Python Alpha,Vx, Shiva, Vishnu and now Brahma (a brand new Brahma at that.
The Brahma has the best sense of "swing" of all of them. And it's not even broken in. It also has the best sense of space. The Shunyatas have more "power" to their sound, as in more push, but sonically, it's definitely darker than the Nordost (this is no surprise to anyone, is it?).
I had the Python Alphas on the amplifiers, but some of the "accents" of jazz music seemed diminished.Duke Ellington, for example, didn't "swing" as much with the Shunyata gear because the stop/start nature of his compositions weren't conveyed as easily. I find it harder to hear all this with digital in contrast to my vinyl setup in any case, and I always have (hey, maybe I need a $20,000 digital setup, but heck, it burns me up that, for the cost of the best digital setups, one could have two or three vinyl setups). Vinyl seems to convey the accents in jazz better than digital, to my ears. I love the Shunyata gear, and I've owned a ton of it, but, like all cables, it has strengths and weaknesses. Nothing's perfect. The "darkness" of Shunyata is pretty minor, to my ears. I would still buy a King Cobra V2 in 2 seconds if I saw one for sale. I have always thought that that power cord was exquisite, and I liked it more than the Valhalla power cord, when I had it, although the Valhalla is exceedingly low in noise, so the presentation sounds intensely "continuous" in nature. BUT, I sold it anyway. I liked what it did, but the cost!! I prefer the Brahma simply because it costs less and is a significant step up from the Vishnu. I'm just going to sell the Vishnus and replace them with Brahmas. If I could have a system of King Cobra V2s, I'd buy them, too! Sure worked for me!