View Single Post
  #9  
Old 01-14-2018, 10:26 AM
mcbrion mcbrion is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 1
Default

I have the Cobra, plus the Alpha HC power cords, Python ZiTron power cable, and Cobra speaker cables.
I HAVE noticed that there is just a bit less mid bass weight to the sound than past incarnations of the Shunyatas (I've owned every single generation of the power cords, plus the Andromeda speaker cables (first generation, but the later version, which was as thick as Transparent's Reference cables [circa 1994]). I say this because the Andromeda started out with the gauge of the Phoenix speaker cables, but later were made MUCH bigger, so that one could confuse the earlier versions of the Andromeda with the Phoenix speaker cables.
Onward then. Also had Gemini speaker cables and then jumped to Cobras (skipped the Stratos incarnation because it was extremely expensive, which is not something associated with Shunyata's cable (well, not until the current incarnation, which is price jumping quite a bit!).
Anyway, with that in mind, The Cobras are a bit light in the mid bass compared to earlier incarnations. However, it does not affect the upper bass/lower midrange frequencies. By contrast, the Alpha HC DOES sound a bit "leaned out" in those frequencies, although Shunyata touts its "extremely low noise floor." Frank Sinatra and other singers whose voices dip into the lower midrange, sound "lighter" than they did with even the Cobra incarnation.
I've had Cobras since 2012. Have also had Nordost Frey 2 speaker cables (couldn't really tell that much difference in terms of sonics, although I have Frey 2 power cords and interconnects (sold the Frey 2 speaker cables) as well as the Shunyata.
So: mid bass seems lighter to me (and my amps are Antique Sound Lab Hurricanes, which - if you ever read Harry Pearson's review in TAS - you would know that he extolled their mid bass as "exactly right", so that's not a frequency I need worry about). I can use the Hurricanes to assess any component's mid bass.
But I'd also say that, if the rest of your equipment is good in the mid bass, and your room is optimized (I have an ASC-constructed room [resilient channel. the whole Wall Damp treatment]), it will not sound "light." Also, if you have other components with mid bass weight, it may not bother you. I don't notice it on my r&b records of the 60s and 70s, nor my disco records (I used to be a dj). Plenty of kick, just not as much "power." I have more of an objection to the Alpha HC, which I'm sure is everything Shunyata says, but is less powerful in the "power range" (100-400 hz), and that bothers me more than the mid bass being slightly less powerful. Again, the observation is objective, but my reaction is SUBjective. I'd rather not have the entire power range thinned out.
Reply With Quote