Hydra 6 (front)
Hydra 8 (rear)
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Shunyata Research Hydra Power
Distribution System
If there’s one thing I love about my fellow audio
reviewers, it’s how comprehensive their technical knowledge is. No matter how
abstract the physics, metallurgy, material science, or technology employed by a high-end
product, a reviewer will be happy to explain it to you.
I’ve done it too -- in fact, I believe that one of my
most important functions is to serve as a bridge between my readers and the manufacturer.
There’s a temptation inherent in this position, however, which is for a reviewer to
try too hard -- to buy completely into a manufacturer’s explanation and offer it as
fact, even when he or she (or I) hasn’t completely understood it.
I’ve been playing with several generations of Shunyata
Research power products -- various AC cables and Hydra distribution boxes -- for nigh on
two years now, attempting to get a handle on what they do and how they do it. In terms of
the effects of the Shunyata AC products, I feel I now grasp precisely what they do in my
system; as to how they do it, I don’t have a clue.
As a result, I’ve been conflicted over how to proceed
in writing a review of these products. I have no doubt about the quality of the Shunyata
products or their effects on my audio system -- I’ve even demonstrated it to
visitors, who, with not any prompting from me, have described the same changes that
I’ve been hearing.
Scientific? No, just more anecdotal evidence -- but I found
it encouraging nonetheless. Just don’t ask me to explain it.
Ladies and gentlemen, attention please / Come in close
so everyone can see
The Shunyata Research Hydras are
completely passive devices, each with a single 20A AC input and two, four, six, or
eight AC outlets, depending on the model. The Hydra Model-2 will probably be used
primarily at the power-amp end of a system, while the Models 4, 6, and 8 will end up near
the source components and preamp.
The Hydra chassis are constructed from heavy-gauge
aluminum; in the case of the Model-8, there’s a second, inner chamber enclosing a
massive distribution bus system and FeSi-1002 compound (more on this later).
The Hydras employ Shunyata’s Venom outlets, heavily
plated in silver and rhodium -- these are reportedly produced by Hubbel to Shunyata’s
exact specifications, with all ferrous metals and carbon removed. Caelin Gabriel also
states that he specifies that the outlets’ chassis be oversized to increase internal
airflow and reduce heat at the contact points. When Shunyata gets its outlets from Hubbel,
it treats them in its own computer-controlled deep-immersion cryogenic facility. According
to Gabriel, Shunyata’s triple-plating process lowers junction impedance, improves
durability, and facilitates a more linear, transparent signal transfer over that of
standard- or hospital-grade outlets.
The innards of the various Hydras differ. Unlike the
others, the Model-2 does not use an internal bus, but rather connects its Venom outlets to
heavy-gauge silver wiring directly through its passive filter and protection network.
The Hydras Model-4 and -6 use
Shunyata’s proprietary silver-plated bus-jumper system connected directly to the
individual Venom duplex outlets. These support massive current loads, Shunyata claims, and
present a non-resistive load to the AC signal.
The Hydra Model-8’s use three
two-pound bus bars of solid copper, machined from Shunyata Research’s own ingots of
CDA-101 copper -- the same high-purity copper Shunyata uses for everything it makes.
The biggest change in the latest iteration of the Hydras is
Shunyata’s three-stage Trident Defense System, which consists of the Venom filter,
NextGen TMOVs, and a Carling Electromagnetic Breaker (on the Models 8, 6, and 4).
The Venom filter is a multi-element capacitive array
designed to reduce broadband noise and transient voltage spikes. The capacitors, produced
to Shunyata’s specifications, are special metalized-polyester designs "capable
of repeatedly absorbing high-energy spikes in excess of 1000 volts . . . without damage or
deterioration."
Shunyata also points out that the Venom filter performs its
function of eliminating spikes and noise without introducing ringing or grain, common
problems associated with conventional power-line capacitors.
The second stage of the TDS is a multi-element array of
massive (20mm) thermally protected metal-oxide varistors (TMOVs) that provides 6000V of
overvoltage transient protection and up to 60,000 amps of transient over-current
protection. The Venom filter can theoretically handle "voltage events" of 1000V.
The TDS’s third stage is a custom-manufactured Carling
electromagnetic circuit breaker that uses a separate current-sensing circuit located
outside the current path. The circuit breaker saved me quite a few steps during my
audition because it worked as designed, tripping itself when I managed to introduce demand
overages in my system -- rather than hike down to my basement breaker box, all I had to do
was reset the Hydra 6 or 8.
The Hydra Model-8 also incorporates the synthetically
manufactured ceramic beads made of what Shunyata Research calls FeSi-1002 compound.
Shunyata explains FeSi-1002’s action thusly: "Although the substance has no
metallic content, it has a similar effect as ferrites in that it absorbs electromagnetic
noise within its molecular structure. The FeSi-1002 compound’s passive noise
reduction avoids the dynamically compressive effects commonly associated with ferrites,
transformers, chokes and coils."
You’ll note that I don’t offer detailed
descriptions of why all of these technologies work. Despite the strong opinions held by
many audiophiles, I can’t sort the fact from the fiction among the plethora of
audiophile superstitions concerning the "sounds" of metals and suchlike.
Marketing director Grant Samuelsen told me, "We do not
claim that one technology or the other is responsible for our results, rather it is the
accumulation of all the specialized parts and custom processes we employ that account for
the performance of our products."
The Shunyata Research Hydra Model-2 lists for $395 USD, the
Hydra Model-4 for $695, the Hydra Model-6 for $995, and the Hydra Model-8 for $1995.
I got a tale to tell / A listen don’t cost a dime
I’ve used both a Hydra Model-6 and Hydra Model-8 in
almost every system I’ve reviewed in the past year. Big solid-state amps such as the
McCormack DNA 500 and Perreaux 750 monoblocks, tube products like the Blue Circle BC3
Galatea MKII, CD players like the Ayre Acoustic CX-7 or Classé -- you name it, I’ve
tried it with and without the Hydras.
Well I’ve got a little somethin’ / Guaranteed
to ease your mind
The two Hydras I auditioned were the Model-6 and the
Model-8, which are quite similar to one another. The big difference is the presence of the
FeSi-1002 compound around the Venom outlet’s inner housing in the Model-8 --
although, quite late in the review process, I discovered that the Model-6’s bus bars
are directly connected to the AC inputs, while the Model-8 employs CDA-101 copper wiring
connecting the inner box’s bus bars to the input connector. I’d like to think
that’s why I didn’t find the two products sonically identical, but I’m not
sure that’s the case. I did feel that the Model-8 sounded more
"tubelike" and three-dimensional and the Model-6 more crystalline and detailed,
but the differences were minor -- at least compared to the difference between using them
and not having the devices in the power chain at all. That difference was
consistent: Backgrounds were quieter, soundstages were deeper, and I could more easily
hear musical details that were MIA when the Hydras weren’t in the chain.
That sounds like new-age audio hooey, but I’m not
talking about frippery -- I’m talking about real musical details. Take the Credo
from Bach’s B-Minor Mass, as performed by John Eliot Gardiner [CD, Archiv 415
514-2], for example. Superficially, the Credo is a look back to Gregorian chant.
However, the real action doesn’t take place in the notes that are sung and played,
but in the harmonic overtones generated by them. In contrast to the solemnity of the Credo’s
text, there’s quite a jolly little dance going on "upstairs."
If I listened to the Credo in a high-resolution
system sans Hydra (McCormack UDP-1, Blue Circle BC3 Galatea MKII, Perreaux 750 monoblocks,
Aerial Model 20Ts, Shunyata audio cables), I could hear the harmonic dance, but it was on
the same dynamic level as the notated melodic figures. Adding the Model-6 brought the
dance into sharp relief -- not only was it more audible, but it seemed to surf
along on top of the fundamentals with greater verve.
Another impressive trait of the Hydras was that, unlike
just about every active power conditioner I’ve used, they conferred their
benefits on power amplifiers, even high-current designs. With the active units I’ve
heard, amplifiers have always sounded duller, slower, and less detailed than they did
plugged straight into the wall outlets. Every power amp I plugged into a Hydra sounded
noticeably better when connected to the Hydra than when fed straight from the wall.
If you ain’t impressed yet, just tell me what you
wanna hear
Yeah, yeah, I hear you saying. You’re an
audiophile -- you’ll believe anything.
Maybe so, but I performed a piece of legerdemain with a few
visitors. I’d play them a straight system, having removed the Hydras prior to my
guests’ arrival. Then I’d say that I wanted to play a different component (the
story would change, but it was usually a different CD player). I’d plug everything
into the Hydra and play the same track at the same settings.
What surprised me wasn’t that everyone heard a
difference, but that everyone used the same words: quieter and clearer. This
is quite different from the usual "I hear something, I guess."
Two of these guinea pigs were audiophiles, so we can easily
discard those results as the ravings of lunatics. But the other six test subjects were
"normals" -- and that unanimity was astonishing.
And if you believe that, we’re gonna get along just
fine
The Hydra power-distribution products did what Shunyata
Research said they’d do. I can’t tell you why, but I don’t believe
that my lack of imagination poses any sort of limit on how the universe functions. As
J.B.S. Haldane observed, "The universe is not only queerer than we imagine, but
queerer than we can imagine."
If the only Hydra available were the $1995 Hydra Model-8, I
might have some questions about the value of the changes wrought by the Shunyata devices.
But the $395 Hydra Model-2 is a different kettle of fish -- even modest systems would
benefit from having it in the chain.
More ambitious systems will definitely benefit from the use
of a Hydra. Counterintuitively, the better the resolving power of the system, the
greater the benefits -- but I haven’t been able to find any components below
the Hydras’ threshold of efficacy. They just flat-out work.
And if I seem to be having a bit of fun at Shunyata’s
expense by quoting Steve Earle’s "Snake Oil" as the section headers for
this review, it’s precisely because I know that the Hydras offer real improvement --
even if it does seem too good to be true.
...Wes Phillips
wes@onhifi.com
Shunyata Research Hydra Power
Distribution System
Prices (USD): Hydra Model-2, $395; Hydra Model-4, $695; Hydra Model-6, $995; Hydra
Model-8, $1995.
Warranty: Five years parts and labor.
Shunyata Research Inc.
5594 NE Minder Rd.
Poulsbo, WA 98370
Phone: (360) 297-8960
Fax: (360) 297-8471
E-mail: info@shunyata.com
Website: www.shunyata.com
Shunyata Research responds:
We'd like to thank Wes Phillips for investing his time and
experience in evaluating our system of power products, including the Hydra series, in a
variety of contexts and with a broad range of electronics.
Wes's comments mirror those of our many professional
clients, including Sony Music Mastering, Philips Crest National Studios, Astoria, Lookout
Studios, Skywalker Sound, James Guthrie, Rick Rubin, Peter Mcgrath and many others who
depend on Shunyata products' consistent performance in their recording, test, and
mastering systems.
We agree that there is no simple buzzword or defining
technology that accounts for the Hydras broad success and strong performance. Instead, it
is the many custom-designed parts and exclusive processes, combined with a direct,
uncomplicated approach to power distribution, that explain Hydra's accomplishments. For
those seeking full technical details, measurements, and applications, please see our
website.
Again, we would like to thank Wes Phillips for his
informative and thorough review and comments.
Best Regards,
Grant Samuelsen
Shunyata Research
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