Home Theatre and Shunyata power cord questions
 

I recently acquired a loom of V10NRs which I’m using in my home theatre system. I also have a Sigma in there which I’ve been using with my 5 channel Anthem 225 watt/channel amplifier. The system is powered via 2 dedicated AC mains with the video powered by a Denali 6000S v2 on one AC line and the audio on the other AC line with a Triton v3. Both the Triton and the Denali are connected to the wall outlets via Sigma NR power cords.

I’ve been running my Anthem multi-channel amp via a Sigma power cord and my Anthem multi-channel preamp with one of my new Denali power cords. Today decided to swap the position of the Sigma to my Anthem preamp and the Denali V10NR to my Anthem multichannel amp to see how it will sound in that configuration.

Although experimentation is the only way to know which will sound best, it is difficult to get behind my A/V rack to change cables back and forth, so I have a few questions for the great people at Shunyata:

1. The Sigma is stated to be 6 gauge, but I’ve seen no specification regarding the gauge of the new Venom V10NR. Could I get that spec from Shunyata?
2. After I bought the Venom V10NR power cords, I see that Shunyata also has a new Venom HC power cord in addition to the other new Venom power cords. Would the HC be potentially a better match for a 5 channel multichannel amp than the V10NR?
3. Does the Venom HC also have the same noise reduction built into it as the V10NR?

I have no connection to Shunyata, except as a user of their products. That being said, the answer to most of your questions can be found by reading the info on Shunyata's web site. Here's the Cliff notes:

The Venom V10NR is 10-gauge, the Venom V12NR is 12-gauge, the Venom V14 Digital is 14-gauge.

The Venom HC v1 & v2 are both 10-gauge, and neither has noise reduction.

The Venom V10NR, with its noise reduction, better copper, better quality connectors & KPIP processing (almost no break-in required), will definitely sound better than the HC models. The Venom NR line has been receiving a lot of accolades for its remarkable price/performance ratio. (As always, YMMV...)

SOTA Cosmos TT (vacuum, Electronic Flywheel), SME V, Koetsu Rosewood Signature
Esoteric X-05 SACD player, Alesis ML-9600 mastering CD burner, Nakamichi 700 ZXE Cassette Deck
Pass Labs XP-15 phono stage
Pass Labs XP-30 & Hovland HP-100 preamps
Edge G8+ laser-biased monoblocks & Classé M-700 monoblocks
Rockport Atria & Infinity IRS Beta Speakers
Audience AU24 SX Phono cable, MIT Shotgun ICs & SCs
Revelation Audio Labs 'Passage' CryoSilver Reference DualConduit DB-25 umbilical cables for Pass XP-30
Shunyata Denali 6000T power conditioner, Shunyata Alpha NR, Delta NR, Viper Ztron, Venom HC & Harmonic Technology PCs
Audio Magic Ultimate SHD Bees Wax Fuse, Synergistic Research Blue & Black fuses, Hi-Fi Tuning fuses
Klaudio LP200 ultrasonic RCM

My sincere apology for not updating my post earlier, stating that I had found the answers to my questions, but thanks for answering them anyway. I was in a rush when I initially posted the questions and my bad for not doing more research first.

Unlike my other Shunyata Sigma and Alpha cables, when the the last Venom V10NR finally arrived from Shunyata and was installed in my home theater system, it didn’t very sound good powering my preamp, so I attempted to find it’s specs (gauge, etc.) to see if it might be suited for trial to my amp. Indeed, it was—10 gauge. After swapping the Sigma to my preamp and the Venom to my amp, letting them settle, and finally started playing music, I once again noticed the same haze (fine grain) and an edge imparted to upper midrange and voice across all my sources which resulted in listener fatigue. Unfortunately, the new Venom yields an unnatural sound in my system which wasn’t present before I added it to either my multichannel amp or preamp.

I then swapped out the Venom out for an old ESP Essence power cord that I had on hand. The ESP sounded much smoother and relaxed; more like an Alpha or Sigma. Therefore, at this point, I’m going to return the Venom V10NR and consider either an Alpha, Sigma, or if the ESP continues to impress me, just leave it where the Venom had been and be done with it.

I'd let the NR-V10 burn in for a week or so before deciding on its final sonic attributes. The qualities you describe sound a lot like a brand-new power cord to me. Just use to power a DAC or something similar you can leave on continually and having music streamed through it.

It's possible that that particular V10NR was defective. Since it sounds like you are using multiple V10NRs in other parts of the system, & don't seem to be unhappy with those, you might try testing one of them on your preamp to see how it sounds. Four(?) years ago I purchased 2 Venom Defender units. When one didn't sound right, I ended up sending it back to Shunyata, and sure enough, it was defective. The replacement was fine. Even in the best companies, occasional defects get missed. (Many years ago, I received a defective Ayre SACD player...)

Although the more expensive (current) Shunyata models will of course sound better than the Venom line, I have not seen anyone else describe what you are hearing with the V10NR, so it might be worth the experiment...

Mine's a wholly different system and configuration, RLF, so apply as many grains of salt as you deem appropriate.

I've moved my original-version Hydra and its connect-to-the-wall Venom NR v10 from my bedroom system to the living-room A/V system. Populating its six outlets are my turntable, phono preamp, Sony Bravia 40" flat screen (with a Wireworld 5/2 PC), conrad-johnson Premier 17LS line stage and TEAC DAC (both w/ upgradded-plug WW 7), and Comcast cable box.

The results...

Video: More vivid colors and sharper contrasts, including more noticeably natural skin tones, without any discernible trace of distorting video "noise" artifacts.

Audio: Increased resolution, vocal and instrumental clarity, soundstage dimensionality, and dynamic contrast. No fuzziness, no distortion even on loud transient passages.

Is it possible that any of your NR 10s have near-90-degree turns between your power distributors and the components they feed? That could affect the power cord's performance.

It could be that it needs a little more burn-in time. However, I’ve owned and auditioned many power cords over the years and my ears may not be as sensitive as others to burn-in; even with Shunyata. While I’ve noticed improvements as a power cord settles in, in demoing them with The Cable Company’s lending library over the years, my first impressions of a particular power cord seldom has changed as it settles in. Either I like it or I don’t.

That’s a good idea and I put a another one to the amp just now.

As for the sound, my thought is that the V10NR at the amp or preamp position in my home theater might be just emphasising different aspects of the sound more than another model, or especially, a different brand. I was previously using an older discontinued $900 Synergistic Research Element Tungsten power cord where the V10 resides now which was the best sounding power cord in that position and I even preferred it over the Sigma in that position, believe it or not. The Achilles heal of some Synergistic power cords is its female IEC end which was small and would not make good contact with my Anthem gear in my HT system and the Ayre DAC in my stereo. I finally had enough and decided to replace it due to the loose fitting IEC.

That being said, the 4K Dolby Atmos UHD HDR movie, Bohemian Rhapsody never sounded better than last night with the V10s in the mix. Again, it just might be with lessor source material that the Venom may be revealing more or emphasising the upper midrange a little more than what I have been used to, but this is just a guess.

Jim. Thank you so much for great input, excellent advice, and a reminder for everyone including me to keep stress off of their cables.

While the V10NR does not have the flexibility of the Alpha and Sigma, I am extremely careful not to stress the “turns” or “ends” of my power cords or other cables even though it is sometimes easier said than done when connections are close together and near the wall.