I wouldn’t say that cables are "system dependent." I would say that many people have tailored their system towards a certain "type" of sound and when a cable comes in that contributes less to the sound, it can be mistakenly thought that it is the cable, rather than that the other components have colorations that are now showing through.
I wrote - on another thread - a post about my time with the Delta, where I found it to be highly detailed, with a very good sense of fullness (a la the Cobra ZiTron), but that, lacking the ZiTron technology, it has a certain "stillness," which is more akin to a shading towards "dryness." For example, Nordost has a "liquid" sound, as do MIT cables. Still the "stillness" does not push you away from the music at all. In fact, this generation of Shunyata cords has returned a "musciality" that had been subtly missing from previous generations, although Shunyata has always had a fully saturated tonal palette once you reach the a certain level. So, the Delta does have that trait, and it’s an important one if you listen to musical music (orchestral, or anything with acoustic instruments, which show "musicality" better than the highly processed recordings out now). The Clash's 'London Calling,' never sounded dry, but it isn't a 'musical' recording. So, for many, who listen to highly produced music, the criticisms will have less value. And, in fact, in this case, the resolution (you can really hear them in vocals, where you can almost always hear the singing taking a breath. In ALL previous generations of my Shunyata cables - including the Alpha HC - you will NOT hear the singer taking a breath. So, the low-level resolution is - from my observations - greater than the preceding generations's abilities in this area. And so, with pop music, you'll hear more of the instruments clearly.
And keep in mind that this "dryness" showed up mostly in my NAD integrateds (I have several different models), but less so in my CJ/Antique Sound Lab setup, which is quite liquid. (I haven't het installed my tube integrated amp (also Antique Sound Labs, but a Class "A", 30 watt-number. I'll get around to that and let you know how it sounds. Also, it (the dryness) showed up more with digital than with vinyl, where it was far less evident. Analogue is a "freer" medium for sound, so the Delta allows that to be heard, so the sonics are a bit more liquid (again, my references are Carnegie Hall and The Metroplitan Opera, both in New York). (And the Bushnell in Hartford, CT). I don't stream music, so I have no idea how the Delta would sound on a music server. But for $700, it does a hell of a lot! (I just wish they'd put ZiTron technology into it and sold it for $1k).
I wrote - on another thread - a post about my time with the Delta, where I found it to be highly detailed, with a very good sense of fullness (a la the Cobra ZiTron), but that, lacking the ZiTron technology, it has a certain "stillness," which is more akin to a shading towards "dryness." For example, Nordost has a "liquid" sound, as do MIT cables. Still the "stillness" does not push you away from the music at all. In fact, this generation of Shunyata cords has returned a "musciality" that had been subtly missing from previous generations, although Shunyata has always had a fully saturated tonal palette once you reach the a certain level. So, the Delta does have that trait, and it’s an important one if you listen to musical music (orchestral, or anything with acoustic instruments, which show "musicality" better than the highly processed recordings out now). The Clash's 'London Calling,' never sounded dry, but it isn't a 'musical' recording. So, for many, who listen to highly produced music, the criticisms will have less value. And, in fact, in this case, the resolution (you can really hear them in vocals, where you can almost always hear the singing taking a breath. In ALL previous generations of my Shunyata cables - including the Alpha HC - you will NOT hear the singer taking a breath. So, the low-level resolution is - from my observations - greater than the preceding generations's abilities in this area. And so, with pop music, you'll hear more of the instruments clearly.
And keep in mind that this "dryness" showed up mostly in my NAD integrateds (I have several different models), but less so in my CJ/Antique Sound Lab setup, which is quite liquid. (I haven't het installed my tube integrated amp (also Antique Sound Labs, but a Class "A", 30 watt-number. I'll get around to that and let you know how it sounds. Also, it (the dryness) showed up more with digital than with vinyl, where it was far less evident. Analogue is a "freer" medium for sound, so the Delta allows that to be heard, so the sonics are a bit more liquid (again, my references are Carnegie Hall and The Metroplitan Opera, both in New York). (And the Bushnell in Hartford, CT). I don't stream music, so I have no idea how the Delta would sound on a music server. But for $700, it does a hell of a lot! (I just wish they'd put ZiTron technology into it and sold it for $1k).