Shunyata Theta/Gamma Lines - Do they surpass the Delta/Venom of the previous generation?

[keithc]

Gamma NR just arrived.
First impression is very good. Definitely a construction that far surpasses the former Venom/Delta feel. And I love that it comes with a plug insert!

Going to burn in.

 

[Vinylshadow]

Update on my previous post on Theta Ethernet cable. It’s been 8 days since installing and now have a mere 30-40 hours on it… and yet the cable is already beginning to reveal its magic.
- Incredible detail, very resolving, transparent
- Remarkable, vastly improved sound-staging.
- Improved imaging
- Improved, iron grip on the lower end. Best my REL subs have ever sounded.
- Beautiful elevation of vocals, a fine, natural decay of musical notes.

Honestly, I’d not thought an Ethernet cable could make such a meaningful contribution to sound quality, particularly given I’ve got an optical feed traveling through it from my EtherRegen to my Antipodes K-41. It’s a fantastic upside surprise for which I was unprepared. Clean, detailed, BIG soundstage that is worth far more than the $500 cost. Shunyata has hit a home run. And it will improve once I get closer to 100 hours I’m told!

What cable are you using from the wall to the EtherRegen?

I'll be plugging my Ethernet cable directly from the wall outlet to my Playback Designs MPS-X streamer. So curious about the EtherRegen as it would be an extra circuit. You are using an Optical cable from EtherRegen to Antipodes? What does the EtherRegen do for your system. Thanks.

 

[audiophilac1]

Update on my previous post on Theta Ethernet cable. It’s been 8 days since installing and now have a mere 30-40 hours on it… and yet the cable is already beginning to reveal its magic.
- Incredible detail, very resolving, transparent
- Remarkable, vastly improved sound-staging.
- Improved imaging
- Improved, iron grip on the lower end. Best my REL subs have ever sounded.
- Beautiful elevation of vocals, a fine, natural decay of musical notes.

Honestly, I’d not thought an Ethernet cable could make such a meaningful contribution to sound quality, particularly given I’ve got an optical feed traveling through it from my EtherRegen to my Antipodes K-41. It’s a fantastic upside surprise for which I was unprepared. Clean, detailed, BIG soundstage that is worth far more than the $500 cost. Shunyata has hit a home run. And it will improve once I get closer to 100 hours I’m told!

what was your previous ethernet cable?

 

[KrellFan1]

Most recently I had the Supra, the DH Labs Silversonic and the Synergistic Foundation SX. This Shunyata has hit it out of the park for me.

 

[KrellFan1]

What cable are you using from the wall to the EtherRegen?

I'll be plugging my Ethernet cable directly from the wall outlet to my Playback Designs MPS-X streamer. So curious about the EtherRegen as it would be an extra circuit. You are using an Optical cable from EtherRegen to Antipodes? What does the EtherRegen do for your system. Thanks.

This writer/ reviewer can describe in far better detail than I. I cannot recommend highly enough. You’ve got a superb unit there. It deserves the best .. https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/uptone-audio-etherregen-review-and-comparison-r887/

 

[Vinylshadow]

This writer/ reviewer can describe in far better detail than I. I cannot recommend highly enough. You’ve got a superb unit there. It deserves the best .. https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/uptone-audio-etherregen-review-and-comparison-r887/

I'm gonna get the Shunyata Theta cable for sure. But I need ATT to put an ethernet port near my equipment rack. I don't know where they will pull the signal from to get it there though. From another line inside my house? Or from the street? But I will ask them about using fiber opric hopefully from the street or maybe the side of my house to where they place the ethernet port...I don't know if I need to use an EtherRegen switcher from the wall port or go straight into my Playback Designs streamer from the wall. This is all new to me!!....Thanks!

 

[KrellFan1]

I don't know if I need to use an EtherRegen switcher from the wall port or go straight into my Playback Designs streamer from the wall

As for the Ethernet cable, you’ll be thrilled with results. Regarding AT&T and such, I dunno. My home was pre-wired when I bought it new in 2016 so the line is coming out of my laundry room and snakes all the way through to my wall where my entertainment system is. My ISP provider runs fiber from outside station to this room and. I use their router to feed everything out to the home. I run an ethernet cable from that entertainment wall into a 24 port Araknis Switch. From that switch, I run an ethernet cable out to the EtherREGEN switch. It’s quite simple actually. There are many YouTube videos and reviews on this item and you can always call Alex Crespi aka @Superdad at Uptone Audio as he is happy to answer whatever questions you may have.

 

[Vinylshadow]

As for the Ethernet cable, you’ll be thrilled with results. Regarding AT&T and such, I dunno. My home was pre-wired when I bought it new in 2016 so the line is coming out of my laundry room and snakes all the way through to my wall where my entertainment system is. My ISP provider runs fiber from outside station to this room and. I use their router to feed everything out to the home. I run an ethernet cable from that entertainment wall into a 24 port Araknis Switch. From that switch, I run an ethernet cable out to the EtherREGEN switch. It’s quite simple actually. There are many YouTube videos and reviews on this item and you can always call Alex Crespi aka @Superdad at Uptone Audio as he is happy to answer whatever questions you may have.

Thank you....My house was built in '94 so I don't know if ATT used FO then. But I keep getting mailers from Blue Stream about their FO upgrades if I switch to them. My WiFi modem is upstairs with my desktop and it's using VDSL and VOIP phone jacks with special filters to the Modem. And downstairs there are only phone jacks as well so I don't even know if there is new tech Ethernet run to my house! I'll need to hear from ATT 1st to see what is here and how they approach the task as FO is a must. As far switches, I need to learn why I'd need those in between the wall and the Shunyata Theta and my Playback Designs Streamer. I would think the Playback Designs Streamer and MPD-8 DAC should be able to clean up the signal well but maybe switches still help.

 

[KrellFan1]

Thank you....My house was built in '94 so I don't know if ATT used FO then. But I keep getting mailers from Blue Stream about their FO upgrades if I switch to them. My WiFi modem is upstairs with my desktop and it's using VDSL and VOIP phone jacks with special filters to the Modem. And downstairs there are only phone jacks as well so I don't even know if there is new tech Ethernet run to my house! I'll need to hear from ATT 1st to see what is here and how they approach the task as FO is a must. As far switches, I need to learn why I'd need those in between the wall and the Shunyata Theta and my Playback Designs Streamer. I would think the Playback Designs Streamer and MPD-8 DAC should be able to clean up the signal well but maybe switches still help.

Geez, sounds like a cluster! I would suggest you just do a search for ISP providers in your market and have a consult with whichever company you believe provides the most reliable solution at the best price. I have no idea which market you are in and sincerely doubt that any provider have fiber some 30 years ago. Once you make a decision let them know what you have and what you WANT and if they can get you from A-B. If not you can go to an app like Thumbtack and look for a good tech who specializes in such work. Plenty out there for sure. Good luck!

 

[Vinylshadow]

Geez, sounds like a cluster! I would suggest you just do a search for ISP providers in your market and have a consult with whichever company you believe provides the most reliable solution at the best price. I have no idea which market you are in and sincerely doubt that any provider have fiber some 30 years ago. Once you make a decision let them know what you have and what you WANT and if they can get you from A-B. If not you can go to an app like Thumbtack and look for a good tech who specializes in such work. Plenty out there for sure. Good luck!

Thanks!

 

[TommyC]

Any word on the Delta replacement? It's discontinued and there's a price gap between the Theta and Alpha.

 

[Puma Cat]

Any word on the Delta replacement? It's discontinued and there's a price gap between the Theta and Alpha.

Theta is the new line of cables replacing Delta. Gamma replaces the legacy Venom product line.

 

[kennyb123]

Theta is the new line of cables replacing Delta.

It does seem to be priced about the same or maybe just a bit lower. Another example of Shunyata aiming to deliver more for the money.

 

[Puma Cat]

It does seem to be priced about the same or maybe just a bit lower. Another example of Shunyata aiming to deliver more for the money.

Yes, and that's always been an overarching "guiding principle" for Shunyata Research. They are always striving to provide increased value* for their customers across their product portfolio.

* – Def: Value = Quality/Price

 

[Mcbrion]

The Theta is a great power cord. I have two, connected to my CD player and my amp. What is most striking is 1) the dynamics it allows to pass through (given the rest of the system has great dynamic capabilities), 2) the purity of it (no fuzz, like the Cobra ZiTron power cord), and its extension at the frequency extremes. I had a Delta NR V1 and V2 and they were both very good cables, but I've been spoiled by the top of the line Sigma (besides it makes a good comparison, yes?) power cables. So, the Theta needed to be good. And, not to slight it, but the Venom is also a good cable.

That said, what I hear from my Venom NR V10 is a slightly "grayer" presentation, without - as a Benneton ad would say - "All The Colors Of The Rainbow." I listen for "grayness" because no matter how good a cord is, if it bleaches out the colors of say, a glockenspiel, or a harp, or ANY instruments, it lessens the beauty of music for me (not euphonic: just what I know to be on the record). And for me, the Theta sailed past that concern (I still have the Venom, by the way). The Theta seems faster, and does not truncate the harmonic series. As good as the Venom is, it doesn't quite escape that critical difference between the two.
I will be interested to see how the Sigma NR V2 performs when it arrives tomorrow, compared to the Theta. I don't expect there to be any contest, but given the newness of the Theta line, I'll be able to see (hear?) where the performances diverge on each cord. But make no mistake: I love how music sounds with the Theta in the system.

 

[Puma Cat]

The Theta is a great power cord. I have two, connected to my CD player and my amp. What is most striking is 1) the dynamics it allows to pass through (given the rest of the system has great dynamic capabilities), 2) the purity of it (no fuzz, like the Cobra ZiTron power cord), and its extension at the frequency extremes. I had a Delta NR V1 and V2 and they were both very good cables, but I've been spoiled by the top of the line Sigma (besides it makes a good comparison, yes?) power cables. So, the Theta needed to be good. And, not to slight it, but the Venom is also a good cable.

That said, what I hear from my Venom NR V10 is a slightly "grayer" presentation, without - as a Benneton ad would say - "All The Colors Of The Rainbow." I listen for "grayness" because no matter how good a cord is, if it bleaches out the colors of say, a glockenspiel, or a harp, or ANY instruments, it lessens the beauty of music for me (not euphonic: just what I know to be on the record). And for me, the Theta sailed past that concern (I still have the Venom, by the way). The Theta seems faster, and does not truncate the harmonic series. As good as the Venom is, it doesn't quite escape that critical difference between the two.
I will be interested to see how the Sigma NR V2 performs when it arrives tomorrow, compared to the Theta. I don't expect there to be any contest, but given the newness of the Theta line, I'll be able to see (hear?) where the performances diverge on each cord. But make no mistake: I love how music sounds with the Theta in the system.

Excellent summary and useful points for consideration. I've been using the newer Venom-X PCs for certain applications in my system, so it will be interesting to compare it to the Theta PC at some point. Thanks!

 

[zkidd]

If I may add my $.02 here...I recently purchased a Shunyata Theta SPDIF cable to try and while I have been slightly skeptical of some of the claims made by Shunyata, I must now hang my head in shame for being so suspicious. The Theta SPDIF is giving me so much more in terms of details, layers and layers of it as well as a soundstage that is both wide and deep, and this is with only about 20 hours of playing time on said cable. For a mere $500 it is akin to getting new speakers or a new amp! I never thought I would be typing these words but just the addition of the Theta to my rather plebian digital playback (Cambridge CXN100 to DAC in my Esoteric K-03X) has brought the performance so, so close to my beloved turntable. Hence, I have now scrambled to get two Theta power cables and am also seeking out an audition with a local Shunyata dealer to see if I can demo some Theta speaker cables. The Theta cables are unlike anything I have heard from Shunyata before, and I have a lot of Shunyata products! In fact I think I have paid for someone's salary for at least a year. But again, these newer cables have so much more clarity, BASS!, and dynamics. People have said that these are a real home run for Shunyata and I will add that they may be a grand slam.

 

[zkidd]

Hello again:
Since I last posted I have had the chance to audition in my home the Theta speaker cable and also a set of Theta interconnects terminated with XLRs. Here are my impressions, for what they are worth...
Like the coax cable, the Theta speaker cables were killer...I mean, I looked at them, lifted them out of the box and my brain thought "Delta". And that is what I expected to hear, and I could not have been more wrong. Within minutes I knew that Shunyata is doing something way different, and that is just not hyperbole. I have had in my home almost every Shunyata speaker cable made, from Cobra and Python up to Sigma v2. No Omegas but I do not want to go there for I know those are never going to be in my budget. But I do have to say that it just might be possible that Shunyata has shot themselves in the foot for these Thetas are (were?) unlike any Shunyata audio cable I have ever auditioned. To give a very broad and short synopsis I would describe them as "wonderfully musical". The store where I borrowed these charged my credit card rather than putting the cables on the card as a "Hold" so I was rather anxious to get these back to the store and get that charge off the card but anyway, that said, I got about 12 hours or so of playing time before it was time to hit the rack (it was 4AM after all) . Still, when the switches were all in "Off" or "Standby" I was firmly convinced that I could live with these and never look back. My aural memory being what it is, I thought the Thetas were a more "full bodied" cable and played wider and deeper than the Sigma v2 cables I have had here. I would feel quite good in saying that these are highly recommended, or at least these should be on a very, very short audition list.
The interconnects did not get enough playing time on them as I was more interested in the speaker cable but from what little I did hear, I was of the same impression as I have been with all things Theta, and it is that these are not the Shunyata audio cables of yore...

 

[zkidd]

Oops - I might need to add some clarification for re-reading what I posted a little earlier, someone may wonder what I mean what I say that Shunyata might have shot themselves in the foot so here is what I mean by that:
Other than the Omega, which is pretty much in prices ranges beyond that of the average Joe or Josephine (and I am sorry for the assumption there) the Sigma is the "Gold Standard" for the Shunyata line. I get that as I have several Sigma powercords. And soon when my Theta PCs arrive I plan on comparing the Theta PCs to my Sigma PCs and after hearing what the Thetas are doing wherever they are placed, I wonder if there will be a need for the Sigma v2? Now I know that the Alpha and Sigma cables are getting a face lift too, but geez, how are those going to be that much better than what I am hearing through the Theta cables I have demo'd so far? I feel that the Theta is a significant step up for Shunyata and so much so I just wonder if people are going to want the Sigma after they have heard what the Theta can do?
That is what I mean by "shooting themselves in the foot". I will be curious to see what reviewers write about the Theta once the Thetas start getting into the hands of the audio pundits. Will the learned souls with the keyboards and columns be able to say that the Theta is not as good as the Sigma and really mean it, or are they going to have to write that Caelin outdid himself and at a level where the average person can get Sigma performance, no wait, better than Sigma performance for a lot less?
Thanks...

 

[Mcbrion]

Oops - I might need to add some clarification for re-reading what I posted a little earlier, someone may wonder what I mean what I say that Shunyata might have shot themselves in the foot so here is what I mean by that:
Other than the Omega, which is pretty much in prices ranges beyond that of the average Joe or Josephine (and I am sorry for the assumption there) the Sigma is the "Gold Standard" for the Shunyata line. I get that as I have several Sigma powercords. And soon when my Theta PCs arrive I plan on comparing the Theta PCs to my Sigma PCs and after hearing what the Thetas are doing wherever they are placed, I wonder if there will be a need for the Sigma v2? Now I know that the Alpha and Sigma cables are getting a face lift too, but geez, how are those going to be that much better than what I am hearing through the Theta cables I have demo'd so far? I feel that the Theta is a significant step up for Shunyata and so much so I just wonder if people are going to want the Sigma after they have heard what the Theta can do?
That is what I mean by "shooting themselves in the foot". I will be curious to see what reviewers write about the Theta once the Thetas start getting into the hands of the audio pundits. Will the learned souls with the keyboards and columns be able to say that the Theta is not as good as the Sigma and really mean it, or are they going to have to write that Caelin outdid himself and at a level where the average person can get Sigma performance, no wait, better than Sigma performance for a lot less?
Thanks...

I did not find that I regretted having bought a Sigma even after having first purchasing the Theta.

All I will say is that I replaced the Theta with the Sigma, and the Theta is great, but the Sigma has the tonality of live music as I hear it in the symphony hall to a greater degree. I don't mean bass/midrange/treble. I mean, if I heard a solo flute live, then Theta, then Sigma, to my ears, has a greater resemblance to the flute as heard live.
That said, if one doesn't want to spend Sigma money, the differences between the Theta and the Sigma are of degree, not of "type." Going from the Theta to the Sigma is like buying a high quality telescope that is an 10" after owning one that is an 8". The 8" will show you the rings of Saturn very clearly, but the 10" will show you the separation between the rings to a significantly higher degree. So, more resolution, or course, but also a richer, truer-to-life, tone when listening to the two power cords.


The Theta - especially in this price range - can hold its own and admirably so. I'm sure the newer Sigmas are better still, but at a certain point, if the electronics or speakers have limitations, one will not get absolutely everything one paid for, so I'm happy with my current generation Sigmas.