SHUNYTA OMEGA QR POWER cable listening impressions

SCAudiophile

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2010
1,156
435
1,205
Greer South Carolina (USA)
Shunyata OMEGA QR Power cord (15-amp) recent listening impressions:

*This is a long post, thanks for the patience to read it through,…

Going back almost 15 years and rolling forward with my 2004-2009 hybrid 7.1 HT and 2-channel setup which was by my
standards at least, monstrous in size, complexity and expense using dual-subs, full range speakers in 4 out 7 positions and near
full-range in the other 3, Esoteric 3-box stack (P-03U, D-03, G-0s), high-end video, video EQ (Lumagen, etc...) and all the trimmings,
I've owned a LOT of Shunyata products in the Hydra8 and Anaconda/Anaconda VX timeline so I am no stranger to Shunyata's
approach, quality, value for the money, customer service and attention to detail in all that they do.

Roll the clock forward ten years plus; the HT setup is gone,….I love music listening far more than even the best HT setups
I’ve ever had and have heard and no longer want the ever-changing formats, pre- and post-processing standards for video,
audio, etc…crazy complexity, crazy expense and the feeling of being behind the times ever after the most major of upgrades.
In short, I’ve been working to maximize my 2-channel playback sans going after vinyl which I always loved but again, cost, scale,
complexity, storage requirements, etc…are all something I did not want to take on again.

This is a every long-winded way of saying that I’ve put all my time, money and effort into pushing the envelope as we all
do to get the most realistic musical playback possible out of my D->A system. I have no time for non-full range speakers,
one to a few inch-wide sweet spots, laser sighting or satellite + GPS needed for speaker setup (obviously joking!!), speakers that
are precise, revealing, ultra-expensive with fan-attracting names but not able to play all the music I like musically, realistically and
without fatigue even when played 4, 6, 8, 10+ hours per day while I work, or critically listen, or simply relax in the house.

Two to 3 years ago I thought I’d squeezed all I could out of the system with 02-level Esoteric separates, preamp and amp,
10 MHz OP21 level Type2 master clock, SOTA speakers and many great digital and analog interconnects and speaker cables
plus a UK company’s 2-box power conditioner that was the finest I’d heard in 20 years of chasing the dragon as it were for power.

Enter Shunyata <again>…due in part to posts about the benefit of high quality word and master clocking external/other devices in the
D-to-A playback chain, I was asked to participate in a group of 5 anonymous testers all with different equipment over a multi-month
period to do double-blind testing of 50-ohm and 75-ohm clock cables for Shunyata. That began it all…1-2 years later and a lot of
great testing and learning later all digital cables (SIGMA 50-ohm clock and AES/EBU), several SIGMA and Anaconda Zitron/KPIP
analog XLRs and all my power conditioning is now and shall remain Shunyata. Part and parcel of this was the TRITON V3
which quickly displaced a 2-box SOTA setup from another vendor. I heard thee most musical sounds out of my systems that I’d
ever heard out of any system I’d built. Then came the TYPHON QR. The result that occurred when putting the TYPHON QR into the
system in front of the TRITON V3 is one that won’t be forgotten. I remember calling Caelin and dropping all the audiophile
crazy words and hyperbole and saying ‘my system just sounds like live music!’ and asking how exactly he pulled that off
in one passive box coupled to another.

Anyone who has taken TRITON V3, TYPHON QR, SIGMA, Alpha or Delta cables into their system of any kind and now
the Denali 6000/S v2, know what I’m taking about when I say that I believe Caelin and the team at Shunyata are ‘on a roll’
doing what I would say is the best work of their careers, no b.s. , no exaggeration.


ENTER THE OMEGA QR Power cord:

In all my demo time with the TRITON V3 and then the TYPHON QR in combo with it, and all the time after purchasing them,
I have found that they absolutely excel at improving the quality of playback and performance of any front-end component
all the way thru the chain. For me that is;

Transport, DAC, Master clock, Preamp, LPSU for active RoomEQ, Crossover and A->D->A components for my
Active speaker setup….

Plugging my SOTA Stereo amp (Esoteric A-02) into the combo and all the digital amps in my active speaker full-range
Setup (5 in all) also sounded great but frankly plugging any amplifier into a properly done dedicated circuit straight to
the wall as always performed better regardless of what power conditioning I had in the system at any point in time..

I had the good fortune about 2 weeks ago to be given a chance to spend 5 days with an new Shunyat OMEGA QR power cord.

The fit, finish and build quality (including a new SOTA wire-type internally) are truly world-class and eclipse even
the best from Shunyata thus far which is no easy task. The bespoke connectors, use of high grade carbon, flexibility
of the cable are all on a brand new level of excellence! I’m told these improvements will be studied for their application
to future cables as well. The aesthetic is to my eyes, beautiful to look at as well.

In short, the impact of using this cord is truly, no b.s., no exaggeration was mind-blowing to me….this cord is tailor made
for any amplifier, even digital (ICEpower2, etc…) with more modest current draw requirements but easily will maximize
the performance ff any amplifier, Tube, Solid State or Digital (IMHO). It certainly did that here with respect to all the
various amp connects to the wall in my setup that I tried.

I don’t know the topology or the innards of this cable except what has been circulated online thus far. To my listening
tests from the first hour forward out of the box, every single aspects of playback anywhere I plugged it in improved.

As a kicker, I also tried it on the LPSU for my Wavelet Active Crossover & RoomEQ and then on my DAC as well
and heard similar advances.

In every single case, particular and more striking differences for any amplifier and the LPSU for Wavelet, I heard;

- dramatic increase in sound stage definition and size in 3-dimensions

- rock-solid and dramatic increase in imaging performance top to bottom (floor to ceiling) and left to right

- deepening of the sound stage even further behind the walls and out into the room

- better performance and pacing of all playback, more immediacy and realism in the presentation of the most subtle to the most demanding dynamics in all sorts of music

- improved tonal correctness and ‘color of sound’ (hearing the different materials for drum heads, stick and mallet types, brushes, bows, etc….gold/silver/brass/no finish on trumpet, sax, etc…guitar, piano, violin and bass (double and electric) all rendered in an utterly real and transparent/correct way

- immediacy and pacing of the music; ultra-correct and realistic

- tightness and correctness of the image and improved ability to locate instruments, voices, etc….both individually and in ensemble and have them be what seems to see to be a more correct sizing

Frankly, I expected improvement, bigger in some areas than in othheers but what I heard amazed me as this cord pushed so many areas up on the
scale of playback quality simply through attaching it to one device at a time that I was and still am, shocked by what I heard.

From a ‘power conditioner’ point of view, this has just the right amount of QR/BB for noise elimination the right amount of
current flow and increased dynamic ability for current draw and whatever else amps and LPSUs need to sound their absolute
best.

In short, the most amazing single power cord + conditioning all in one cable for current-draw needs for amps of all kinds
(Even digital amps embedded in active speakers by the way) and LPSUs driving other core components. The effects and sound
quality improvements are not subtle and you won’t have to wait to hear them. The only way to equal it or better would be to be
fortunate enough to have individual TYPHON QRs for each amplifier you have and go 1:1 as is the case with a good friend
here who has 3 TYPHON QRs believe it or not (1 to drive his TRITON V3 and 1 each for his mono blocks)
and is very fortunate and flying in very rarefied airspace as it were :) !!!

Obvious questions answered:

Going forward at least until Caelin beats the combination, the TRITON V3 and TYPHON QR for transport, DAC, master clock
and pre-amp/processors to me is still the bar for top performance for non-amplifier and non-LPSU devices The OMEGA is excellent
when powering these devices however to my ears I will keep front-end devices plugged into the TRITON V3 and TYPHON QR.

For amplifiers of all types and LPSUs, the OMEGA QR is the cable to beat at its price point and much higher one for direct-to-wall connections.

I will be watching for the cascade of lessons learned in perfecting this OMEGA QR power cord to be brought to
future releases of other cords at more moderate price points rumored to be in the brainstorming process.

One word not the price of the OMEGA QR: yes, it a new price range for Shunyata for a pc; having heard many others at equal
and even higher price points, all of those vendors should be quite worried about what Caelin and team have packed into this
OMEGA QR and the Uber-musical results at a high, but responsible price.

Caelin and the team at Shunyata are ‘on a roll’ doing what I would say and I have heard in musical result is the best work of their careers!

I am grateful I had the opportunity to demo this cord for a few days. It was truly painful to put it in the box and ship
it off to the next destination!!!

BTW...this is the first promo photo of them; the cable was even more beautiful in person;

C6E63C6C-46B7-4AE6-92DB-54F140360A0C.jpg
 

GuillaumeB

VIP/Donor
Mar 10, 2014
267
85
333
UK
www.boyeraudio.com
Wow what a wonderful detailed write-up!!

Amazingly I have 2 very early production units and both are now at my dealers KJ West One in London. I believe they are the first dealer in the world to hear this cable. They have a demo unit on order and I cannot wait to get my hands back on at least one unit once it arrives!

Cheers,

Guillaume
 
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Hieukm

Well-Known Member
Oct 2, 2016
271
105
128
How is this compare to the top flight cables?? From the description: it is a power cords designed for amplifiers?
 

ken6217

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2017
67
16
113
I'll tell you one thing, $9k is absolutely absurd. I have had KC CX, Sigma NR, Kabala Sosna Realization power cords, and all are wonderful. They are also half the price of the Omega.

You can say R&D until the cows come home. Cables have such an enormous markup, and it is ridiculous to set such a high price for this cable.
 

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
1,709
406
405
This cable appears to be designed for amps. I have two amps, each has a dedicated 20 amp circuit, and a dedicated Denali 2000, which requires two power cords. If the Omega QR eliminates the Denali, and one power cord on each amp then it is a bargain.
 

isquirrel

VIP/Donor
Sep 23, 2014
79
46
150
Brisbane, Australia
Sounds very interesting, I will have to experiment with a couple of these to hear what they are capable of. I gather they can be used for source components as well as amps?
 

tima

Industry Expert
Mar 3, 2014
5,777
6,819
1,400
the Upper Midwest
Having had the opportunity to use and review most of Shunyata's top-line wires over the past 17+ years, what really caught my attention about the Omega QR is Caelin Gabriel's use of silver for the first time in a conductor. An "...outer core of pure copper surrounds an inner core of the purest form of silver."

Having used only copper in the past and proudly drawing attention to their implementations of it, this - what Shunyata calls VTX-Ag - is a radical departure from everything he has done conductor-wise. Assuming we will see an Omega series of signal cables sometime in the future, I'll speculate those will also adopt the VTX-Ag conductor.
 

kennyb123

Well-Known Member
Nov 30, 2012
856
796
1,155
Kirkland, WA
Having had the opportunity to use and review most of Shunyata's top-line wires over the past 17+ years, what really caught my attention about the Omega QR is Caelin Gabriel's use of silver for the first time in a conductor. An "...outer core of pure copper surrounds an inner core of the purest form of silver."

Having used only copper in the past and proudly drawing attention to their implementations of it, this - what Shunyata calls VTX-Ag - is a radical departure from everything he has done conductor-wise. Assuming we will see an Omega series of signal cables sometime in the future, I'll speculate those will also adopt the VTX-Ag conductor.

The Alpha and Sigma USB cables both have silver conductors. I’d love to hear the backstory behind the move to silver.
 

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
1,709
406
405
I doubt if there is anything nefarious about using silver. It probably works better for the application.
 

tima

Industry Expert
Mar 3, 2014
5,777
6,819
1,400
the Upper Midwest
The Alpha and Sigma USB cables both have silver conductors.

I always forget about USB audio. But, yes I've read those are silver plate over copper with a silver shield. Shunyata specs mention the latter.

"... the VTX-Ag conductors represent the greatest advance in conductor science of designer Gabriel’s storied career."
 

Mcbrion

Well-Known Member
May 9, 2013
91
14
313
Connecticut
If it is the the ne-plus-ultra of power cords, I'm all for it. I certainly won't buy one, but I would love to hear one.
That said, an Sigma NR is not exactly "second place." It's "First Place," with the Omega likely taking "Best of Show." A Sigma NR will be the best that most of us will ever need. And I say that as someone who had the Sigma Analog and did not have the same reaction. So, I was hesitant about the Sigma NR, even after reading a review about it, but then decided I HAD to know. Was it better? I'd have been happy with my Python Zitrons. My favorites among Shunyata are the Sigma NR, the Cobra ZiTron (but not the Alpha ZiTron power cord: it just seems a little 'sterile' compared to the Cobra) all the Pythons in every generation (they were/are damned good) and my favorite, although, in retrospect, far from perfect: The Shunyata Andromeda speaker cable. I think it was the final one, an 8 gauge wire?? (The earlier Andromeda was much smaller in gauge: I had it). Even with the upper midrange sucked out a bit, it was one dazzling speaker cable. Although I love my ZiTron cables, in some respects the Andromeda was more magical. (Or maybe it was my basement, which is 23 x 45. Plenty of space, even with a low ceiling, for the music to spread out. And I'll say one thing about sound: a bigger room (a good bigger room, not just the dimensions themselves) will cause the music to sound "unbound" in a way even the best smaller room could). And I'm not alone in that: F. Alton Everest, in his Master Acoustics hand book, says exactly the same thing: no substitute for size (up to a certain cubic foot size). My unfinished basement, with 50 tube traps - and a Sigma - makes people stop talking and listen.
Bite the bullet and buy yourself a Sigma NR. (Sorry, none of the other Sigmas moved me. ONLY the NR. YMMV (although I don't know how). JUST ONE. You'll get it.
But if you're rich, just get the Omega. I've no doubt that, for 3x the Sigma, it's the cats meow. I HAVE to at least hear it. My (for-the-moment) Don Quixote quest.
 
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Bluedog

Well-Known Member
Nov 22, 2013
37
16
140
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Boston
1586116385582.jpeg

Shunyata OMEGA QR Power cord (15-amp) recent listening impressions:

*This is a long post, thanks for the patience to read it through,…

Going back almost 15 years and rolling forward with my 2004-2009 hybrid 7.1 HT and 2-channel setup which was by my
standards at least, monstrous in size, complexity and expense using dual-subs, full range speakers in 4 out 7 positions and near
full-range in the other 3, Esoteric 3-box stack (P-03U, D-03, G-0s), high-end video, video EQ (Lumagen, etc...) and all the trimmings,
I've owned a LOT of Shunyata products in the Hydra8 and Anaconda/Anaconda VX timeline so I am no stranger to Shunyata's
approach, quality, value for the money, customer service and attention to detail in all that they do.

Roll the clock forward ten years plus; the HT setup is gone,….I love music listening far more than even the best HT setups
I’ve ever had and have heard and no longer want the ever-changing formats, pre- and post-processing standards for video,
audio, etc…crazy complexity, crazy expense and the feeling of being behind the times ever after the most major of upgrades.
In short, I’ve been working to maximize my 2-channel playback sans going after vinyl which I always loved but again, cost, scale,
complexity, storage requirements, etc…are all something I did not want to take on again.

This is a every long-winded way of saying that I’ve put all my time, money and effort into pushing the envelope as we all
do to get the most realistic musical playback possible out of my D->A system. I have no time for non-full range speakers,
one to a few inch-wide sweet spots, laser sighting or satellite + GPS needed for speaker setup (obviously joking!!), speakers that
are precise, revealing, ultra-expensive with fan-attracting names but not able to play all the music I like musically, realistically and
without fatigue even when played 4, 6, 8, 10+ hours per day while I work, or critically listen, or simply relax in the house.

Two to 3 years ago I thought I’d squeezed all I could out of the system with 02-level Esoteric separates, preamp and amp,
10 MHz OP21 level Type2 master clock, SOTA speakers and many great digital and analog interconnects and speaker cables
plus a UK company’s 2-box power conditioner that was the finest I’d heard in 20 years of chasing the dragon as it were for power.

Enter Shunyata <again>…due in part to posts about the benefit of high quality word and master clocking external/other devices in the
D-to-A playback chain, I was asked to participate in a group of 5 anonymous testers all with different equipment over a multi-month
period to do double-blind testing of 50-ohm and 75-ohm clock cables for Shunyata. That began it all…1-2 years later and a lot of
great testing and learning later all digital cables (SIGMA 50-ohm clock and AES/EBU), several SIGMA and Anaconda Zitron/KPIP
analog XLRs and all my power conditioning is now and shall remain Shunyata. Part and parcel of this was the TRITON V3
which quickly displaced a 2-box SOTA setup from another vendor. I heard thee most musical sounds out of my systems that I’d
ever heard out of any system I’d built. Then came the TYPHON QR. The result that occurred when putting the TYPHON QR into the
system in front of the TRITON V3 is one that won’t be forgotten. I remember calling Caelin and dropping all the audiophile
crazy words and hyperbole and saying ‘my system just sounds like live music!’ and asking how exactly he pulled that off
in one passive box coupled to another.

Anyone who has taken TRITON V3, TYPHON QR, SIGMA, Alpha or Delta cables into their system of any kind and now
the Denali 6000/S v2, know what I’m taking about when I say that I believe Caelin and the team at Shunyata are ‘on a roll’
doing what I would say is the best work of their careers, no b.s. , no exaggeration.


ENTER THE OMEGA QR Power cord:

In all my demo time with the TRITON V3 and then the TYPHON QR in combo with it, and all the time after purchasing them,
I have found that they absolutely excel at improving the quality of playback and performance of any front-end component
all the way thru the chain. For me that is;

Transport, DAC, Master clock, Preamp, LPSU for active RoomEQ, Crossover and A->D->A components for my
Active speaker setup….

Plugging my SOTA Stereo amp (Esoteric A-02) into the combo and all the digital amps in my active speaker full-range
Setup (5 in all) also sounded great but frankly plugging any amplifier into a properly done dedicated circuit straight to
the wall as always performed better regardless of what power conditioning I had in the system at any point in time..

I had the good fortune about 2 weeks ago to be given a chance to spend 5 days with an new Shunyat OMEGA QR power cord.

The fit, finish and build quality (including a new SOTA wire-type internally) are truly world-class and eclipse even
the best from Shunyata thus far which is no easy task. The bespoke connectors, use of high grade carbon, flexibility
of the cable are all on a brand new level of excellence! I’m told these improvements will be studied for their application
to future cables as well. The aesthetic is to my eyes, beautiful to look at as well.

In short, the impact of using this cord is truly, no b.s., no exaggeration was mind-blowing to me….this cord is tailor made
for any amplifier, even digital (ICEpower2, etc…) with more modest current draw requirements but easily will maximize
the performance ff any amplifier, Tube, Solid State or Digital (IMHO). It certainly did that here with respect to all the
various amp connects to the wall in my setup that I tried.

I don’t know the topology or the innards of this cable except what has been circulated online thus far. To my listening
tests from the first hour forward out of the box, every single aspects of playback anywhere I plugged it in improved.

As a kicker, I also tried it on the LPSU for my Wavelet Active Crossover & RoomEQ and then on my DAC as well
and heard similar advances.

In every single case, particular and more striking differences for any amplifier and the LPSU for Wavelet, I heard;

- dramatic increase in sound stage definition and size in 3-dimensions

- rock-solid and dramatic increase in imaging performance top to bottom (floor to ceiling) and left to right

- deepening of the sound stage even further behind the walls and out into the room

- better performance and pacing of all playback, more immediacy and realism in the presentation of the most subtle to the most demanding dynamics in all sorts of music

- improved tonal correctness and ‘color of sound’ (hearing the different materials for drum heads, stick and mallet types, brushes, bows, etc….gold/silver/brass/no finish on trumpet, sax, etc…guitar, piano, violin and bass (double and electric) all rendered in an utterly real and transparent/correct way

- immediacy and pacing of the music; ultra-correct and realistic

- tightness and correctness of the image and improved ability to locate instruments, voices, etc….both individually and in ensemble and have them be what seems to see to be a more correct sizing

Frankly, I expected improvement, bigger in some areas than in othheers but what I heard amazed me as this cord pushed so many areas up on the
scale of playback quality simply through attaching it to one device at a time that I was and still am, shocked by what I heard.

From a ‘power conditioner’ point of view, this has just the right amount of QR/BB for noise elimination the right amount of
current flow and increased dynamic ability for current draw and whatever else amps and LPSUs need to sound their absolute
best.

In short, the most amazing single power cord + conditioning all in one cable for current-draw needs for amps of all kinds
(Even digital amps embedded in active speakers by the way) and LPSUs driving other core components. The effects and sound
quality improvements are not subtle and you won’t have to wait to hear them. The only way to equal it or better would be to be
fortunate enough to have individual TYPHON QRs for each amplifier you have and go 1:1 as is the case with a good friend
here who has 3 TYPHON QRs believe it or not (1 to drive his TRITON V3 and 1 each for his mono blocks)
and is very fortunate and flying in very rarefied airspace as it were :) !!!

Obvious questions answered:

Going forward at least until Caelin beats the combination, the TRITON V3 and TYPHON QR for transport, DAC, master clock
and pre-amp/processors to me is still the bar for top performance for non-amplifier and non-LPSU devices The OMEGA is excellent
when powering these devices however to my ears I will keep front-end devices plugged into the TRITON V3 and TYPHON QR.

For amplifiers of all types and LPSUs, the OMEGA QR is the cable to beat at its price point and much higher one for direct-to-wall connections.

I will be watching for the cascade of lessons learned in perfecting this OMEGA QR power cord to be brought to
future releases of other cords at more moderate price points rumored to be in the brainstorming process.

One word not the price of the OMEGA QR: yes, it a new price range for Shunyata for a pc; having heard many others at equal
and even higher price points, all of those vendors should be quite worried about what Caelin and team have packed into this
OMEGA QR and the Uber-musical results at a high, but responsible price.

Caelin and the team at Shunyata are ‘on a roll’ doing what I would say and I have heard in musical result is the best work of their careers!

I am grateful I had the opportunity to demo this cord for a few days. It was truly painful to put it in the box and ship
it off to the next destination!!!

BTW...this is the first promo photo of them; the cable was even more beautiful in person;

View attachment 59490
 

Bluedog

Well-Known Member
Nov 22, 2013
37
16
140
70
Boston
Photo from my dealer:



1586116502436.jpeg
 
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SCAudiophile

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2010
1,156
435
1,205
Greer South Carolina (USA)
Great looking photos!
 

SCAudiophile

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2010
1,156
435
1,205
Greer South Carolina (USA)
Shunyata OMEGA QR Power cord (15-amp) recent listening impressions:

(original post had to be cut-out to shorten the overall post to less than 10K characters...), see October-November 2019 posts

View attachment 59490
Circling back on the original write-up I did on Omega QR pre-production "first article" review and having had the good fortune
to obtain a production version of the cable several months ago and be living with it ever since, I repeated all prior component,
amplifier, processor and pre-amp testing configurations for several weeks at a time with the latest Omega QR power cable.

The original impressions and detailed listening results I perceived are still accurate and what I've found after several months
this cable delivers in ample amounts across the entire listening spectrum. I've not had the good fortune to be able to move to
an Omega XC for my Typhon QR with matching Omega XC umbilical but an hoping to move up from Sigma umbilical, etc...soon!

Many months later, the following are still my leading perceptions compared to all prior and current Shunyata Alpha and Sigma v1 and v2 cables, across every genre of music in my collection ;

- dramatic increase in sound stage definition and size in 3-dimensions

- rock-solid and dramatic increase in imaging performance top to bottom (floor to ceiling) and left to right

- deepening of the sound stage even further behind the walls and out into the room than ever before

- dead quiet, ultra-black backgrounds....

- better performance and pacing of all playback, more immediacy and realism in the presentation of the most subtle to the most demanding dynamics in all sorts of music

- improved tonal correctness and ‘color of sound’ (hearing the different materials for drum heads, stick and mallet types, brushes, bows, etc….gold/silver/brass/no finish on trumpet, sax, etc…guitar, piano, violin and bass (double and electric) all rendered in an utterly real and transparent/correct way

- immediacy and pacing of the music; ultra-correct and realistic

- tightness and correctness of the image and improved ability to locate instruments, voices, etc….both individually and in ensemble and have them be what seems to see to be a more correct sizing

- "simply sounds like great music", most audiophile hyperbole/typical wording no longer needed

A fantastic cable!!!
 

PR13

Well-Known Member
Dec 15, 2019
20
8
70
UK
Circling back on the original write-up I did on Omega QR pre-production "first article" review and having had the good fortune
to obtain a production version of the cable several months ago and be living with it ever since, I repeated all prior component,
amplifier, processor and pre-amp testing configurations for several weeks at a time with the latest Omega QR power cable.

The original impressions and detailed listening results I perceived are still accurate and what I've found after several months
this cable delivers in ample amounts across the entire listening spectrum. I've not had the good fortune to be able to move to
an Omega XC for my Typhon QR with matching Omega XC umbilical but an hoping to move up from Sigma umbilical, etc...soon!

Many months later, the following are still my leading perceptions compared to all prior and current Shunyata Alpha and Sigma v1 and v2 cables, across every genre of music in my collection ;

- dramatic increase in sound stage definition and size in 3-dimensions

- rock-solid and dramatic increase in imaging performance top to bottom (floor to ceiling) and left to right

- deepening of the sound stage even further behind the walls and out into the room than ever before

- dead quiet, ultra-black backgrounds....

- better performance and pacing of all playback, more immediacy and realism in the presentation of the most subtle to the most demanding dynamics in all sorts of music

- improved tonal correctness and ‘color of sound’ (hearing the different materials for drum heads, stick and mallet types, brushes, bows, etc….gold/silver/brass/no finish on trumpet, sax, etc…guitar, piano, violin and bass (double and electric) all rendered in an utterly real and transparent/correct way

- immediacy and pacing of the music; ultra-correct and realistic

- tightness and correctness of the image and improved ability to locate instruments, voices, etc….both individually and in ensemble and have them be what seems to see to be a more correct sizing

- "simply sounds like great music", most audiophile hyperbole/typical wording no longer needed

A fantastic cable!!!
£9,000 for a cable. Absolutely absurd. You need your head read if you honestly think this makes nine thousand pounds worth of difference to your HiFi. Silver is cheap, Copper even cheaper and I don't buy any of this R&D justification to warrant such a price. The very fact you have written so much about a cable which replaced no doubt one that you felt equally as passionate about until you were told this one was better probably says something. Shunyata are humiliating you and anyone else who buys such a product, plain and simple
 

SCAudiophile

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2010
1,156
435
1,205
Greer South Carolina (USA)
You have a right to your opinion and experience as well as experientially-developed biases as we all do. You also have a very nice system from the look of the brief list in your signature. Those are all great components IMHO and also carry suitably higher price tags which you don't seem to have an issue paying for the quality and sonic profile that you desire, perhaps ironically enough given your stance.

My comments on the Shunyata Omega QR (or any cable for that matter) in particular had nothing to do with price; they were only reporting what I'd heard and the improvements I heard over the prior level of cable, pure and simple.

Truth be told I have my own feelings on the ever escalating prices inflating due to marketing-led motivations, distributor and dealer margins (often where that distributor and/or the dealer deliver less value the more educated or at least 'decided' a consumer is at point of discussion and order). Shunyata is one of the more reasonable companies out there in terms of reasonable profit margins and up-market adds for their dealers however the prices are substantial nonetheless; they are however less egregious than many out there.

What cables or raw wire do you use that you feel are worthy of the spend?

Your assertions: "You need your head read if you honestly think this makes nine thousand pounds worth of difference to your HiFi. Silver is cheap, Copper even cheaper and I don't buy any of this R&D justification to warrant such a price. The very fact you have written so much about a cable which replaced no doubt one that you felt equally as passionate about until you were told this one was better probably says something. Shunyata are humiliating you and anyone else who buys such a product, plain and simple"

I DO NOT appreciate, nor does anyone deserve, the personal attack you felt you must send after trolling for a post that is 10 months old that does not fit into your world view so to speak so that you could put on a pair of "internet balls" and go on a personalized attack.

When I try cables for purchase (or components, conditioners or speakers) or because I'm asked to in a trial situation as happens over the years as I have a lot of fun doing this, I don't let what I'm told or marketing get in the way of objective listening and will either not publically post at all or will write a personal message to the manufacturer to advise them of the negative aspects so as to not go on the attack on a public forum.

More to the point, when I am originally sent cables for test or comment it's generally before the marketing blurbs have gone out so there is no outside influence to ignore. When there is already market presence and/or when I'm thinking of buying, I do my best to push all that out and
just listen to what is actually there.

Shunyata has not embarrassed me or anyone else who likes cables that happen to carry medium or higher price tags. We are all passionate music lovers and gear chasers, and most of us are adults and make our own choices in this hobby and in life.
 

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