Delta NR C19 or Alpha NR C19 for a Venom UK6?

SR-1

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2016
39
3
113
London, United Kingdom
Just upgraded my Venom UK6 to the latest spec and am trying it with a Delta NR C19 cable. It sounds really good but I am wondering if an Alpha NR C19 would serve me even better. Would an Alpha NR be overkill for the UK6?

My headphone system at the moment is an Innuos Zenith SE server, tX-USBultra regenerator powered by a Paul Hynes SR4 linear power supply, Chord M Scaler and DAVE dac. I have an Alpha HC feeding the DAVE, usually from the wall socket but now trying with the UK6. The other components are running with their supplied power cables but I am starting to look at upgrading these. Thanks for any advice.
 
Last edited:

heihei

VIP/Donor
Jul 24, 2017
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No two ways about it - bang for your buck on the Delta can't be beat. There is improvement going to the Alpha though - can you get a demo cable to try?
 

GrantS

Industry Expert
Oct 23, 2013
171
59
333
Just upgraded my Venom UK6 to the latest spec and am trying it with a Delta NR C19 cable. It sounds really good but I am wondering if an Alpha NR C19 would serve me even better. Would an Alpha NR be overkill for the UK6?

My headphone system at the moment is an Innuos Zenith SE server, tX-USBultra regenerator powered by a Paul Hynes SR4 linear power supply, Chord M Scaler and DAVE dac. I have an Alpha HC feeding the DAVE, usually from the wall socket but now trying with the UK6. The other components are running with their supplied power cables but I am starting to look at upgrading these. Thanks for any advice.

Hi. No question that there would be an improvement going to the heavier gauge Alpha NR if you are running multiple components through the UK 6 -- the degree of improvement will depend on how much demand there is through the UK6. The more electronics you run through any distributor - especially one with very low resistance to instantaneous current like the UK6, the more important the power cord to the wall becomes. Typically, I refer to the power cord from our distributors to the wall as the most important in the system. This becomes more true as you add components, or for example amplifiers. Conversely, for those who run only digital signal output devices or only line-level component like a pre-amp, this rule becomes slightly less true. Scaling up the power cord to the wall from any distributor usually offers a nice upgrade.

I agree that the Delta is very hard to best at its price and for most high-end electronics Delta is my first recommendation. If someone were to buy one more expensive power cord for their system and wonder where to place it for best effect, I would recommend from the distributor to the wall with very few exceptions. If you replace power cords to electronics, Venom or Delta power cords are both worthy considerations. Best path is to seek out an evaluation every step when possible.

I hope this helps!

Regards,

Grant
 

the sound of Tao

Well-Known Member
Jul 18, 2014
3,620
4,838
940
+1 on the above, go big on the wall to distribution feed cable so that the biggest and best cable then feeds throughout.

For amps often very much the same with higher gauge/current delivery and good shielding potentially making very good performing amps into great ones.

For the Paul Haynes as a linear psu still putting a on good current delivery based well shielded cable here really maximises the whole benefits of running with a linear psu in the first place over the stock supply.

Congratulations on the M Scaler, mine is due here shortly. I already run external linear psu for my dacs and SOTM and have these with Zitron Pythons and then for another system I have linear dac power supply with a CX Python cable. Either of these Pythons have great balance and seem to be nice at a source level.

So going with Alpha for the feed cable next makes complete sense then any mix of new Deltas or older Sigmas, alpha HCs, Zitron or even CX Anacondas or Pythons is going to be very nice as the higher mid to upper end Shunyata cables share many qualities and essential nature just at various degrees of transparency, reach and focus.
 

SR-1

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2016
39
3
113
London, United Kingdom
+1 on the above, go big on the wall to distribution feed cable so that the biggest and best cable then feeds throughout.

For amps often very much the same with higher gauge/current delivery and good shielding potentially making very good performing amps into great ones.

For the Paul Haynes as a linear psu still putting a on good current delivery based well shielded cable here really maximises the whole benefits of running with a linear psu in the first place over the stock supply.

Congratulations on the M Scaler, mine is due here shortly. I already run external linear psu for my dacs and SOTM and have these with Zitron Pythons and then for another system I have linear dac power supply with a CX Python cable. Either of these Pythons have great balance and seem to be nice at a source level.

So going with Alpha for the feed cable next makes complete sense then any mix of new Deltas or older Sigmas, alpha HCs, Zitron or even CX Anacondas or Pythons is going to be very nice as the higher mid to upper end Shunyata cables share many qualities and essential nature just at various degrees of transparency, reach and focus.
Thanks for that. The M Scaler is well worth the wait.
 

SR-1

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2016
39
3
113
London, United Kingdom
Hi. No question that there would be an improvement going to the heavier gauge Alpha NR if you are running multiple components through the UK 6 -- the degree of improvement will depend on how much demand there is through the UK6. The more electronics you run through any distributor - especially one with very low resistance to instantaneous current like the UK6, the more important the power cord to the wall becomes. Typically, I refer to the power cord from our distributors to the wall as the most important in the system. This becomes more true as you add components, or for example amplifiers. Conversely, for those who run only digital signal output devices or only line-level component like a pre-amp, this rule becomes slightly less true. Scaling up the power cord to the wall from any distributor usually offers a nice upgrade.

I agree that the Delta is very hard to best at its price and for most high-end electronics Delta is my first recommendation. If someone were to buy one more expensive power cord for their system and wonder where to place it for best effect, I would recommend from the distributor to the wall with very few exceptions. If you replace power cords to electronics, Venom or Delta power cords are both worthy considerations. Best path is to seek out an evaluation every step when possible.

I hope this helps!

Regards,

Grant
Thanks, Grant. Very helpful.

A couple more questions if I may. With an Alpha between UK6 and wall, is it only about enabling higher current draw, or is there more to it (e.g. different/better filtering than the Delta)? Would I be compromising on anything if I chose an Alpha EF instead of an Alpha NR for the UK6?

I’ve been running in the UK6 for a day now and one unexpected benefit I am ‘seeing’ is a much cleaner tv picture. Unexpected because the tv is plugged into a wall socket, albeit in the same duplex as the borrowed Delta C19 I have feeding the UK6.
 

Mcbrion

Well-Known Member
May 9, 2013
91
14
313
Connecticut
I purchased a Delta NR, a Sigma NR and tried out an Alpha NR.
The Alpha NR excels - in my experience - far past the Delta, simply by virtue of its having ZiTron technology. The Delta does have an intensely musical sound (as in a concert hall, not as compared to other cords), meaning hearing an xylophone struck thru a good recording and hearing it in real life, tonally sound very similar.

But, as Mr. Samuelson says, it depends on your distributor. I found the Sigma elevated the performance of everything when it was plugged into the line conditioner I use. I like the Delta, but having all three at the same time? Sigma, Alpha, then Delta.
 

SR-1

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2016
39
3
113
London, United Kingdom
I purchased a Delta NR, a Sigma NR and tried out an Alpha NR.
The Alpha NR excels - in my experience - far past the Delta, simply by virtue of its having ZiTron technology. The Delta does have an intensely musical sound (as in a concert hall, not as compared to other cords), meaning hearing an xylophone struck thru a good recording and hearing it in real life, tonally sound very similar.

But, as Mr. Samuelson says, it depends on your distributor. I found the Sigma elevated the performance of everything when it was plugged into the line conditioner I use. I like the Delta, but having all three at the same time? Sigma, Alpha, then Delta.
Thanks for that.

I have since decided on getting the Alpha EF for my Venom UK6. This is after trying it with the Delta NR and then with the Alpha NR.

I felt the extra weight and authority of the Alpha EF was on balance better than the slightly lower noise floor of the Delta NR. I had more difficulty deciding between the two Alphas. The Alpha EF was more natural sounding with (compared to the NR) more weight in the lower-mid/upper bass region. The NR had a lower noise floor with more detail but did sound a little lean compared to the EF, lacking some natutral body to cello, voice and piano key strikes to name just three examples.

There wasn’t a lot between the two for me (in my headphone-based system) but thinking ahead to when I might upgrade to a Denali, with which, as I understand it, the additional filtering in the feeder cable becomes almost redundant, I decided on the EF. But, knowing how much I agonised over this, my dealer has given me a few weeks grace to upgrade to an Alpha NR if I want to. I have not heard the Sigma (EF or NR) but cannot justify the cost of that cable for the UK6.
 

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