Shunyata Alpha Speaker Wire First Impressions
 

I just got in some Shunyata Alpha speaker wires to demo and was hopeful they would be an upgrade over current cables. To say they are an upgrade would be the understatement of the decade! In just a few short seconds my jaw hit the ground .... there was a sense of openness and detail I just didn't think my system was capable of. I've tried Cardas Clear, AudioQuest Oak, Transparent Reference lately and they each did some very amazing things. What the Alphas did was to do everything all of those other cables did in Spades. To say they sound more real isn't really descriptive of anything but that's what they do. The texture is more natural, the harmonics are gorgeous and there was much more impact than before. To say the bass is incredible might make you think they emphasize the bass which they don't. They don't really emphasize anything other than the entirety of the music. I have never experienced a cable this good. Period. I want to try the Sigma as well but I'm not sure how it could get any better! I would definitely put these on your list to audition if you are in the market for new speaker wires. I will say all of my interconnect is Anaconda so I'm sure there is some synergy going on here. Simply Amazing! :banana:

George

Well that's great, I just mortgaged my house and gave up my kids for TA Reference. You are a little late with this review to save them.

Seriously, that's cool... I bet there is synergy between ic's and SC's. It seems like that with TA.

Well are you going to buy em? Or try sigma?

:umm: Now that's a good question....

Give Sigma a try!

Do you Know how the Alpha compares to the Zitron Anaconda? I would be curious of how much of a difference there is.

I would think, based on paper, that the Alpha is somewhat better than the Anaconda.

Second generation Zitron technology and KPIP to name a couple of the improvements.

George, you owe it to yourself to demo the Sigma's if in your budget. Those new Sea Foam Sasha 2's will be very happy you did.

Yes, the Alpha Interconnects use the Ohno Continuous Cast copper, so with the better conductor metal, the improved Zi-Tron circuit and KPIP, the Alpha has some distinct performance advantages over the top model of our previous generation. The design, science and material quality of both the Alpha interconnect and Alpha speaker cables have improved--which includes the sonic-welding process. The Sonic Welding process in and of itself is an across-the-board better sounding metal bonding method than anything else out there. It should sound better, because those S.W machines cost a fortune.

Best regards,

Grant
Shunyata Research

Thanks for the info Grant ... going from AQ Aspen to Alpha is like night and day in many areas especially presence and depth, soundstage width and it seems unbelievably smooth with tons more detail than I'm used to. The question is ... how much difference is there between the Alpha and Sigma? Maybe the better question is what kinds of things might I notice between the Alpha and Sigma? If I love Alpha is the nature of the sound similar? Some lines when you go too far up the line they can seem "bright" and I'm very sensitive to that. Not sure I can audition Sigma is why I'm asking. Also ... going to be used with Wilson Sasha 2's. Appreciate any insight ...

Thx

George

Hi George,

The Venom, Delta, Alpha and Sigma cables all share the same quality conductor metals and characteristics-- Ohno Continuous Cast Copper, hollow-core VTX conductors, then simply add material and tech refinements as you move up. Over the Venom cables, Delta adds heavier gauge, Teflon dielectric, sonic-welded terminations and the KPIP conditioning process. Alpha adds the second-generation Zi-Tron circuit, larger gauge and construction refinements such as the flexible outer tube. Sigma adds the Transverse Axial Polarizer (IC's) and HARP module (speaker cables). The TAP is patent-pending and lowers distortion through the polarization of external electromagnetic field energy that surrounds the IC conductors. HARP (spk cables) is a passive technology that lowers conductor-resonance related distortions. Both of these technologies are passive technologies that _do not_ interact with the signal or conductors (the opposite of a network, for example). All of the technologies we use in power and signal systems are designed to protect and preserve the original power, analog or digital signal. We do not use different metals to accentuate different aspects of sound or change the fundamental character of the cables. Quite the opposite, we use the same metals through everything we make to preserve signal integrity through using all-matching metals.

With each step up through each signal cable line, noise is removed and this adds layers of information and weight to three-dimensional images The perceived depth of field increases notably and there is an increasing sense of authority, natural tone and a lack of compression in sound. The signal cables were all compared to many of the most expensive brands on the market long before release. We feel good about their value, science and build quality compared to what's out there. The rest is up to each individual testing and comparing these in your own system. We greatly appreciate your feedback.

Best regards,

Grant

Sigmas on the way!