Should I bypass my Shunyata Hydra power conditioner?

@jafant Me! Original Hydra on all but amp.  I also still have 4 Black mamba PC's too.

fthompson251

Thank You for the follow up. After all of these years, did you consider moving up to a newer Shunyata Hydra?  I am considering an original Hydra (wood faceplate).

Happy Listening!

I've had a Hydra Model 8 power-distribution center in my system since 2005.  It is plugged into a dedicated 20 amp circuit.  I only have my mono blocks connected and they sound slightly better than plugged directly into wall.  The model 8 is not current limiting and offers great surge protection.  I would never leave expensive amps unprotected.

I just recently conducted the very same experiment.  I unplugged my Hegel H590 integrate amp from my Audioquest Niagara 3000 and plugged it directly into the wall socket outlet.  I wanted to find out for myself and I went back and forth just enough times to make a determination on what sounded better, overall.  Plugging my amp into my power conditioner was the winner for overall better sound for my system.  However, this was not always the case when I conducted this same comparison in the past.  In most cases, direct into the wall sounded better, depending on what conditioner I was using at the time.  I purchased the Audioquest Niagara 3000 conditioner specifically because of it's ability to not constrain an amps power and  it appears to be extremely effective in not doing so.  

I am still using my old original Hydra with the fancy wooden case.  Love it and would never part with it.  I have it daisy chained to a newer Denali.  Everything plugged into a Shunyata, even the amps.  As a few posters have noticed, amps may initially sound "better" when plugged directly into the wall, but then you start to notice the hash and brittleness which you first mistook for detail.  So much more musical with the Shunyatas, and more information comes through as well. You just loose the false (imo) etched sound of direct to the wall.  Different people will certainly perceive the change differently.