Is a Hydra the real deal? How do you know?

i own a hydra four and love it i use it with the diamonback cord and it is fine. i used it with a more expensive cord and it did work better but for the money difference i went with the diamondback cord and the hydra four and save money between the two twos and then two cords for me the diffence was not that great the money made the difference the hydra diffently have a black background and i use tubed equip. wouldn't be without my hydra and it only makes sense to use shunyata cords....

I suppose that's what burns my butt about having to add a better cord, or even 'a' cord is simply that . . .spending $500 to $1000, for conditioning devices and right away having to get into the pocket even deeper, yet again... and not by choice... by need. One would think makers of these items would supply at least something with the item.

I understand your point. However, if you look at it from another perspective, one might argue that it's highly unlikely that a Hydra owner keeps the starter cord on the Hydra, and quickly moves up the product chain. For the consumer, the cost of the starter cord was a poor value from the start.

From Shunyata's perspective, I suppose they could package the Hydra conditioners with a basic Diamondback cord, but many Hydra buyers don't want that cord, and they would find it an unecessary additional cost to the conditioner for a cord they won't use. Allowing the customer to purchase any one of several potential power cords avoids wasted dollars. If it makes you more comfortable, consider the starter price of a Hydra 2 to include not only the conditioner but a Diamondback power cord.

How would you say the Hydra 2, or 4, differs from the upc 200 given a like cord is on each of the units...??

As I wrote in your earlier thread asking about PS Audio and Shunyata conditioners, you really have to try them in your own system. I once owned a PS Audio Ultimate Outlet HC at the same time I owned a Hydra 2. I used the Ultimate Outlet HC on my amp and preamp, and I used the Hydra 2 on my digital source. This combo sounded pretty good. When I swapped the two conditioners, the sound became strangled and closed-in. When I left the Ultimate Outlet HC on the digital and plugged the amp and preamp into the wall, the sound still was constricted. I concluded in my system, the Ultimate Outlet HC on my digital front end was no bueno, yet it worked fine on my amp and preamp. This is an example of why it's best to experiment with these things in your system.

I did swap about some cords in place of the OEM cord... and Yep! It's better with better cords...

You've already experienced my point!

It's also doubtful I'll be spending more for a cord than the unit it attaches to is worth. Doesn't make sense.

Well, you've just admitted hearing the benefits of better cords. I understand your reluctance to spend more on the cord than on the conditioner, but if it results in an improvement, wasn't it worth the price, regardless of the price ratio between the conditioner and the cord?

that'd kind of like putting 3000 bucks worth of rims and tires on a 1000 dollar car... to me anyway.

I would propose that adding $3000 rims to a $1000 car does not improve the performance of the car, which at $1000 is already a piece of junk, whereas adding a more expensive Shunyata power cord can markedly improve the performance of a Shunyata Hydra conditioner.

You will never know if a Hydra and a good Shunyata cord will benfit your system until you try them for yourself. All the questions and answers in these discussion threads won't answer your question.

Considering you can purchase used Hydra conditioners and used Shunyata cords on Audiogon and re-sell them for a zero sum game, what's holding you back? Believe me, if you buy them and try them and they work for you, their cost will be forgotten in a week while your enjoyment of them will last months, or years, or...until you get the next itch to upgrade. :)

I use a Hydra 2 on the rig in my tv room. My upstairs rig is an Audio Magic Eclipse which has proabably the only solution of totaling isolating digital from analog: uses two power cords (total and true isolation) that go to two dedicated outlets. What I'm getting at is that I use excellent power cords (one I purchased from Tvad, in fact) from the outlet to the AM. These cords, IMHO do not have to be the big bucks kind. But from conditioner to component? That's where I went for the "gold." Bottom line is to trust your ears. The more you know your rig and music, the better able you will be to hear what cords, conditioners are doing what. peace, warren

Tvad - Warrenh

Tvad. got it. I suppose there would be far less threads if the underlying answer was always to be "..try it in your system if you really want to find out how good it is." ...and I do see the value of that statement. Really. but let's pause for a moment... ever count how much junk is out there to try? Lots.

Rather than take the 'scenic' route in buying/renting & trying just everything on the mkt. I use the threads I post to 'cull the herd'. Limit the area I need to prospect for gold in. Already in this post thanks to you, I now know getting a cord for the Hydra is easy enough. . . and it seems best suited to digital gear... for the most part. I tend to agree with that.... as Warren said. If in fact the amount of change that comes from the addition of the Python VX to my CDP is indicative of the type of change/improvement Hydras provide, perhaps one is in my future.

A fair amount of concern revolves around 'conditioning' for the amp... right now it's the vk500. The plan is to go to the vk600 at some point. That's a fair amount of current draw with eighter amp. With just a preamp & CDP, (I'm going to add a tuner & multiformat player later), I don't need tons of outlets... but will need ample wattage supply... and I'd not wish to 'change' the sonics any more than I have to which set me onto the 'passive' path rather than the 'active' one in conditioning.

It's likely just my inclination, and past notions from previous work experiences that have me seeing how much money to put where.... Like warrenh said... Putting the 'money' onto the cords attached to the components and not onto the conditioner would be what I think should be the best way to go. My analogy of the 'rims and old car' may not have been the best. All I am saying is "if it takes one to spend a likewise amount for power cords as it does for components or even near their price... just how good is the component? ...if it needs thousands of bucks of power cords to sound great... somethings wrong with that picture. There needs to be limits. there should also be options available to the consumer. Proper marketing strategy would be to allow for inclusion of a cord with any conditioner at a reduced price at point of sale. That's the way American retail has always worked... buy more - pay less.... it's the way of things. that won't change... and consumers, by and large, expect it.

As the tone of my post seems demonstrative add most forward, do not take it as such. It's my displeasure with being forced to accommodate peripherals to extract a level of quality & performance from highly regarded items in the first palce that continually irks me. It is not your sage advice, or thoughts I take issue with. Not at all. My position may change in the future if money no longer reamins quite so scarce, though it's not likely. all things considered, it is a shame that one needs not only to spend copius bucks for supposedly top flight gear, but additional bucks to have it perform as it should in the first place. Guess it's just like racing. When I raced bikes the saying was, "If you want to go faster the real race is which one crosses the finish line first... the scooter, or the money?" It costs a lot to go faster. In that hobby or this, there is a "point of diminishing returns'. I'll be happy to live right there. Right at that point. No further. For me, as you said about perspectives, "That would be my perspective'.

Tvad, and Warrenh - you're both right... I'll lean towards Warrnh's notion for the most part though...especially with conditioning devices. All your insights are most appreciated and very valuable to me... as always. Sincerely, I thank you.

I'll simply add that I have always tried to be frugal when it comes to tweaks..and I regard conditioning and cords as tweaks. Somewhere in these threads I have written about and supported using $7 Volex 14gauge, shielded power cords as upgraded aftermarket power cords. I still own one today, and I'm presently using it on my $6500 digital source while my Cadillac cords are on duty elsewhere. I put my money where my mouth is and rarely recommend anything I haven't personally tried. Finding inexpensive and good 20a cords is a little more difficult, but I'd try Radio Shack or Fry's Electronics. If you don't have success there, then you can purchase an ErnieM DIY cord as sold by Audiogon member "Subaruguru". I used one of Ernie's 20a cords on my Hydra 2 for over a year, and had outstanding results.

So, I also generally start at the bottom of the dollar ladder and move my way up. Warrenh is using $500 cords, by the way...at least the one he purchased from me. He happened to pay much less because he bought it used. I'm sure he would agree that any extra money he has spent on more expensive cords has paid dividends.

Look, I'm not trying to sell anyone on more expensive power cords. I'm simply trying to make an argument for not dismissing their performance benefits out of hand because of their price tags. Like most tweaks, the benefits received never seem to be commensurate with the admission price, but that's the way it is.

Whatever you decide, I wish you enjoyment on the journey.