Shunyata Grounding System

wil

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2015
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I don’t know if this product is effective or not and I try to have an open mind. But this type of review sends my bs meter into the ultra-violet red zone. A blizzard of fluff piled on more fluff that eventually buries the reader into a stupor of nothingness.

A more concise synopsis of this review:

“EMI, etc bad. This product makes bad go away.”
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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I don’t know if this product is effective or not and I try to have an open mind. But this type of review sends my bs meter into the ultra-violet red zone. A blizzard of fluff piled on more fluff that eventually buries the reader into a stupor of nothingness.

A more concise synopsis of this review:

“EMI, etc bad. This product makes bad go away.”

50% of the reviews tell us that the product makes bad go away. The remaining 50% tell us that the product makes good come to us. I do not see a large difference between them. ;)

I do not care when designers and manufacturers make claims that are evidently absurd or abusive. I react however when they claim science support to thinks that are mainly empirical or anecdotal.

People should remember that quantum physics did not contradict Newton mechanics, it complemented it.
 

Kingrex

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2019
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I feel the same Wil. When he says the Technical details, then never address details and goes into long winded hype, I think BS too.
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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I don’t know if this product is effective or not and I try to have an open mind. But this type of review sends my bs meter into the ultra-violet red zone. A blizzard of fluff piled on more fluff that eventually buries the reader into a stupor of nothingness.

A more concise synopsis of this review:

“EMI, etc bad. This product makes bad go away.”

You are too generous or prudent. A straight and uncensored opinion about this article - I can't consider it a review - would violate our TOS. ;)

I should note that although all manufacturers of such devices use a suggestive hyperbolic language, some of them make a fair, although incomplete, description of their devices and its operation mode. Reviewers just reproduce it.
 

Puma Cat

Well-Known Member
Feb 20, 2011
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SF East Bay Area
If I may make a request, if there's interest in the SCHNERZINGER LAN and GRID PROTECTOR products, please start a new thread to discuss those products in it's own thread/topic so folks can search and follow the discussion for that specific product easily and effectively.

This thread is about Shunyata grounding products; personally would prefer the discussion stay "on-topic", as it were.

Thanks and cheers, gents.
 
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Kingrex

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Feb 3, 2019
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Your a good guy Puma. But your not the OP. And people like to compare and contrast. Don't many complain reviews don't compare the product in hand to other know products.
 

SCAudiophile

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2010
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Greer South Carolina (USA)
Then as a long-term forum user for the last 20+ years back to the <yikes> Audiogon and other days, I think they should open a thread for such comparisons and not derail threads on specific topics, products, etc. Derailing threads does not only bugger the OP. Just an opinion...
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
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Joe, (@Audire) is the OP of this thread and @Puma Cat has a point. If Joe is okay with a thread derailment, then okay. It is, however, a disservice to those who subscribe to this thread and click on to see the latest post and it has nothing to do with the thread topic or what they are subscribing to the thread for.

I would advise that it be best to start another thread, so this one stays on topic. That thread can be linked to on this one, if other folks are interested in that.

Tom
 

Puma Cat

Well-Known Member
Feb 20, 2011
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Joe, (@Audire) is the OP of this thread and @Puma Cat has a point. If Joe is okay with a thread derailment, then okay. It is, however, a disservice to those who subscribe to this thread and click on to see the latest post and it has nothing to do with the thread topic or what they are subscribing to the thread for.

I would advise that it be best to start another thread, so this one stays on topic. That thread can be linked to on this one, if other folks are interested in that.

Tom
Yep, Tom, that was my thought as well.

Cheers, gents,
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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Joe, (@Audire) is the OP of this thread and @Puma Cat has a point. If Joe is okay with a thread derailment, then okay. It is, however, a disservice to those who subscribe to this thread and click on to see the latest post and it has nothing to do with the thread topic or what they are subscribing to the thread for.

I would advise that it be best to start another thread, so this one stays on topic. That thread can be linked to on this one, if other folks are interested in that.

Tom

Although sometimes, after a reasonable time a secondary subject menaces the main thread by its growth and interest and I find acceptable a request to create a secondary thread, I find this particular appeal by a member unfounded and deleterious to the WBF long time spirit of accepting a reasonable out of main subject posting - apologies to Puma Cat, it is just my opinion. Many of our more interesting debates happened such way. Many times a subject is not appealing enough to create a separate thread or the loss a drive due to creating a new thread from zero kills an interesting discussion.

We have a TOS that includes acceptance of such requests in members system threads - I think it is enough. Surely I understand that moderators can moderate at anytime!

Again just my opinion but I find that functional comparisons between competing devices of other brands should be welcome in this thread, as well as general comments.
 
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Kingrex

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Feb 3, 2019
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My thinking was more along microstrip. Ground boxes are fairly new. Not like an amp or preamp. Shunyata Altaira is very new. So how does it stack up to others that have been around. We have little to no comparison.

Im not interested in dragging some antenna that does (What) into the subject. But just how does an Altaira stack up against a very budget friendly Puritan. Or a coatly CAD. Or even boxes of crystal such as Entreq. Just saying it rids noise with the exact same language as the others is not really informative. I mostly hear, ok, it works. It has good literature suggesting all sorts of ways to spend as much as possible on it. But nothing that is differentiating it from the other brands in a performance perspective.
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
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Gentlemen, I do understand your stance. I do. However, this is NOT the thread subject and this is one of two that has been swayed off topic for the same company.

Moving forward, this thread will be about the Shunyata grounding system. Any further disruptions or off topic posts (within reason) will be deleted or moved to another thread. Let's stay on topic and move on, shall we?

Thanks to all for your cooperation.

Tom
 

tima

Industry Expert
Mar 3, 2014
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Please don't misconstrue what might seem like skepticism. I have no opinion a priori, as I have never heard the effect of these interesting devices. I am simply trying to understand the theory underlying the product.

Ferrite core-type materials have been used as EMI/RFI blockers and absorbers for decades. This is a well-accepted practice.

What is special about the ferrite-type material in the Altaira, or about the way the ferrite material is utilized?

Quantity, quality, and implementation.

Compared to a ferrite ring wrapped around a cable, the quantity of Shunyata's proprietary blend of ferroelectric material (ZrCa2000) needed for efficient noise absorption is evidenced by the size of the noise isolation chambers (NIC) in Shunyata Triton and Typhon type devices and their follow-on power distributors.

Gabriel developed a method for "increasing the coupling effectiveness of an AC electric field to a ferroelectric substance.” He found that by connecting the hot wire at a single point to a conductive metal tube containing the ZrCa2000 material, the surface area interface between the wire and the ferroelectrics became significantly larger than that of the wire’s surface area alone. Greater surface-area exposure to a larger volume of ferroelectrics means greater noise absorption; Gabriel holds a patent on this. One key to his approach is the belief that the ZrCa2000 blend offers superior sonic characteristics vs ferrite rings.
 

Puma Cat

Well-Known Member
Feb 20, 2011
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SF East Bay Area
Quantity, quality, and implementation.

Compared to a ferrite ring wrapped around a cable, the quantity of Shunyata's proprietary blend of ferroelectric material (ZrCa2000) needed for efficient noise absorption is evidenced by the size of the noise isolation chambers (NIC) in Shunyata Triton and Typhon type devices and their follow-on power distributors.

Gabriel developed a method for "increasing the coupling effectiveness of an AC electric field to a ferroelectric substance.” He found that by connecting the hot wire at a single point to a conductive metal tube containing the ZrCa2000 material, the surface area interface between the wire and the ferroelectrics became significantly larger than that of the wire’s surface area alone. Greater surface-area exposure to a larger volume of ferroelectrics means greater noise absorption; Gabriel holds a patent on this. One key to his approach is the belief that the ZrCa2000 blend offers superior sonic characteristics vs ferrite rings.
Yep, the patents and IP are based on....real physics.

Funny how that works....
 

Zeotrope

Well-Known Member
Feb 11, 2021
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I agree about the pudding. I also agree about the segmentation approach of Shunyata’s (as it is consistent with their Denali and Everest power handling philosophy). What I was agreeing that I did not get was the pigtailing from Altaira to Altaira rather than running each Altaira back to ground on the Denali power conditioner independently, as I thought was Kingrex pov mentioning a star ground type approach.

The later approach with Denalis but without Altairas was what I was told would be an improvement.
It’s just a practical choice - you cannot connect more than 1 ground wire to one terminal reliably.
 

Zeotrope

Well-Known Member
Feb 11, 2021
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If segregating analog from digital with 2 SG hubs, Shunyata suggests the DAC to be connected to the analog SG hub since the output is analog.
It has nothing to do with digital vs analog. The Signal Hub is for connecting like devices (e.g., all analog or all digital). The Chassis Hub is for connecting a combination of devices (e.g., analog and digital). If you can separate the components, the Signal Hub provides more performance (I.e., lower noise).
 

Puma Cat

Well-Known Member
Feb 20, 2011
254
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970
SF East Bay Area
It has nothing to do with digital vs analog. The Signal Hub is for connecting like devices (e.g., all analog or all digital). The Chassis Hub is for connecting a combination of devices (e.g., analog and digital). If you can separate the components, the Signal Hub provides more performance (I.e., lower noise).
Yes, that is a effective and accurate way to think about how to configure an Altaira system.
 

gfroman

Well-Known Member
Dec 28, 2012
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I know this has probably been discussed, but if one were to start with just one hub would you choose CG or SG Altera?
I already have the grounding on my Everest power conditioner.
 

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