not a charming day with snakes

Kelly, did you not baptise the PC in dry ice? You should do that before you pass judgement. Be sure to place in the tank with your left hand and recover it with your right hand. (An often missed part of the initiation.) If you miss this last part, PRAT can turn to TRAP, or worse yet as PART$$$.) Thanks for the music recommendations. Charlie.

p.s. In case this does not help, be sure to consult a dealer who sells them. They are always helpful with what you are really hearing.

CFB

I find your reaction to the Hydra interesting as I do all feedback from audiophiles. I happen to sell the Hydra, the Sound Application, the Audio magic Stealth, and when Jack Bybee was in business I sold more of his Pro line conditioners than anyone else.

I am a firm believer that everything starts at the wall and that once you have installed your dedicated lines that your powercords and conditioning are going to give your system the magic hidden within the components aching to be revealed.

There is a recent review comparing the Audio magic Stealth, the Sound Application, and the Hydra at www.enjoythe music.com needless to say it is just one persons opinion but then that is what all reviews and personal observations can be.

I like all three units alot ( although they are very different from each other) and they each sound better than the others in different systems and especially with the powercords used. A great powercord can change the performance of a line conditioner more than any other component. If the Hydra has an obvious weakness it is that it limits experimentation with powercords by the connection that it uses limiting the powercord choices to the sidewinder (stock with the unit) the Mojave and the Python.

Break in is extensive on the unit and they state that in the manual as does every other line conditioner on the market. Also replacing the fuse with a copper slug improves the unit dramatically.

From your comments I believe that you would find the Stealth and Sound Application more to your liking. Not because they are better but because they may fit your flavor better. Every conditioner changes the sonic signature in some way just as does everything that you do to your system even if it is just putting different wood blocks under your components.

Realize the Hydra is pure magic in many systems and I am sure that is why so many rooms at CES had the unit in their systems. More than any conditoner. When a Hydra fits well within a system it gives it more of an analogue sound. But nothing works everywhere. I learned years ago that mixing different brands of powercords works better in most systems than just using one brand. In our showroom every room has a mix of Shunyata, Synergistic, Electraglide and Audio magic powercords. They all do different things and each have different strengths.

I was once so seduced by my 2 first Electraglide Fat Men that I put them everywhere in the system and suddenly what had been near perfection was transformed to being bloated and slow it was like I was moving through molasses. Too much of anything can move any system too far in many different directions and usually not for the best.

Who knows once it is all said and done you may like having no conditioner and just great powercords throughout your system. In my experience most systems benefit a great deal from the conditioners on the market. One did not work to your taste but there are many others! Also realize that with conditioners, cables, etc. even if properly burned in before you receive them it still takes up to a week for them to settle into your system.

In my experience the greatest mistake most audiophiles make is not giving products enough time to show what magic is hidden within them. The fact is that we all ache for instant utopia and want an instantaneous transformation the minute we plug in a new toy. It just does not work that way all the time.

Hi
We have some similar experiences with our AC power triphazers. Speeding up the connected devices timing can be a serious degradation to system sound.
BUT.. the degrading effects go away after a period from one to three days.
Unless left in one place for several days (A common reviewer mistake )you are not hearing what the cord sounds like. You might read the link "what is break in" at www.triphazer.com for some insight.

mike

sos and michael: the hydra i've borrowed is well broken in. having been at this hobby for more than 30 years, i've heard my share of conditioners, surge protectors, power regenerators, powercords, ic's, cables and numerous related tweaks. my sound room has 5 dedicated circuits with large diameter wire and hospital-grade outlets, all separately grounded from other electrical, coax and telephone boxes. FWIW, i DO believe in the improvements wrought by break in/burn in and, as a matter of standard practice, listen critically only after each component in the chain is thoroughly broken in. after listening to the hydra today, which has been left on with all connected and unconnected components operating for more than 24 hours, my observations are the same as those in my opening post. i'll let you know if things change over the next few days. -cfb

Hi Cornfed,

I'm sorry your experience with the Hydra has been unsuccessful. Although I noted that Albert P. echos your impressions regarding pace, rhythym and timing, I have not heard of, or been given that feedback from the many customers, dealers, or manufacturers I've had contact with in the past year. In fact, the majority of the feedback we've received from within, and outside the industry has pointed to PRAT as a strength of the unit. Of course, that doesn't discount yours, or anyone's impressions that finds differently, or to the contrary.

If your impressions remain, I too would suggest that you investigate the Audio Magic Stealth. I have listened with that unit--thanks to Jerry, and can attest that it is a fine performer. It is extremely immediate, transparent and dynamic.

Interestingly, high current amp manufacturers such as Edge, BAT, Halcro(distributor), McCormack, and low-current amp manufacturers like ART, not only used the Hydra to power their amps at the Show, they also own and use Hydra in their own systems, as does Audio Research. If you know how sensitive amp/electronics manufacturers can be to tethering "power distribution" products to their amps, you'll understand this to be an achievement of sorts. Rowland Design has also eval'd Hydra and found that it did not interfere in any way with the performance and operation of their amps. We supplied 5 Hydras to power an even dozen Rowland amps at the Million $ Wisdom exhibit at the Show.

Bob Crump did have a mixed reaction to the Hydra we sent him, but that unit was a pre-production model that has virtually nothing in common with the Hydras that are being produced today. Bob mistakenly intimated that we use Ferrites inside of Hydra, which is incorrect. Ferrites would definitely compress dynamics and interfere with the critical pace and timing elements within music, which is why we avoid them.

If you'd like, I'd be happy to make a couple of suggestions regarding operation and set up that may, or may not, alter your experience. I don't believe this is a break-in issue, but there are many details and interactions within music systems that can tip performance in one, or another direction. Given the investment of your time in evaluation, it may be worth a little tinkering before throwing in the wet-blanket :). Feel free to e-mail or call anytime.

Regards,

Grant Samuelsen
Shunyata Research