Quote:
Originally Posted by DMelby
Puma Cat, on the strength of your and other trusted sources I took the plunge on the Sigma XC. This cable replaced a prior Sigma analog that was running from the wall into a Typhon QR then Triton V3. This combination produced outstanding results. I was happy with the results, but there was a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right, something is missing. It's one of those things that are hard pinpoint, its just a feeling. The Typhon QR and Triton v3 are well know amazing performers. The Sigma is an amazing PC in its own right. The source and amplification are top notch by all estimates. So what was wrong. As its so hard to know not hearing different systems I was stuck. Enjoying very much the music, but not quite comfortable. I think this is a well know feeling amongst us audiophiles. This prompts the next purchase  I was very nervous about using a Sigma NR versus Sigma XC to the Typhon QR/Triton V3. I was thinking, no noise reduction that doesn't sound good. I even originally placed an order for the NR but quickly reversed it. I remembered that Grant and Caelin recommended the XC to power distributors.
Enter the Sigma XC. Wow with this one change I get what the problem was before. Real music has a life to it. Live music has no sluggishness to the sound - it just breathes and fills the room with immediacy. The Sigma XC has in one fell swoop done just that. The XC has set my system free -and brought my system a big step closer to live music. It's funny how easy in retrospect it is to say okay I should have understood there was a restriction in the cord to my power distributor. But I guess until I've heard it I couldn't possibly guess. It seems easier to determine when noise is present in my system, and the steps to eliminate it. This is something different, and I wonder if its the improved DTCD, something else or all together. But as Puma has stated, this cable just produces a live music quality that goes beyond traditional terms. It's everything together that is improved. This is a wonderful cable, easily one of the best upgrades from Shunyata. Highly recommended for connecting to a power distributor. |
Hi Dr. Melby,
Its very good to hear that you found my "impressions review" to be informative and accurate, but more importantly, that you are happy with your purchase because you are having engaging and beguiling musical experiences
Your insights about the Sigma XC brings are accurate and consistent with my experiences and also, I think, consistent with how Shunyata designs the various types of cables for their respective applications.
I remember reading some information from Shunyata that they had discovered in their 20+ years of designing power cables and based on extensive listening tests, that DTCD is the most
single most important functional attribute for power cables with respect for their ability to re-create musical experiences that listeners found most realistic and most-involving.
As Shunyata has systematically developed other useful capabilities for their power cables, the most notable of which may be their built-in noise reduction functionality. I also think what has happened from these developments, to some degree, is that some folks may place NR over other functional attributes. However, my understanding is that even with these new developments e.g. NR, they must still be "in service" to DTCD.
So, DTCD is Requirement #1 and what you are hearing and experiencing is a direct result of the innovation and performance brought by the new Sigma XC. The most compelling thing I've discovered about it is that the normal "audiophile lexicon" we all used for years to describe "gear" doesn't serve to describe what we're hearing. We'd better served by writing about what makes a Bosendorer Concert Grand so wonderful, or the timbral differences between a Stradivarius vs. a Guanerius violin.
If we step aside from talking about power cables for a moment, we're aware of a large number of power distributors that also provide noise reduction capability. How to do this has been known for some time: you can reduce AC noise by using coils, chokes, or inductors, balun transformers, etc., or some combination of these. The problem with these approaches, though, is that these methodologies sacrifice DTCD for noise reduction. The result is a presentation that is quieter, but often sounds dark, lacks immediacy, ability to scale very quickly, and as a result, often sounds constricted or restricted. And most certainly, not engaging, involving and life-like.
Some of the key breakthoughs that Shunyata has been developing for the last decade is the ability to provide increasing levels of NR in power distributors (PD)
without using chokes, coils, inductors, transfomers, and
without compromising DTCD. Starting with the Hydra 8, V-Ray, and Triton V1, and then continuing on with the Triton V2, V3 and the Denali series, Shunyata has been able to continally decrease noise while maximizing DTCD. This represents a significant innovation, because they were able to break through what is known in TRIZ as a
functional conflict: significantly decreasing noise while concomitantly maximizing DTCD.
What this does is provide the right performance attributes in the right "manner" at the "right place": a 3-pronged approach that maximizes each functionality where it is most needed:
1) XC PCs: --> maximal current and DTCD for PDs
2) NR PDs: "incoming NR" with maximal AC current distribution to components
3) NR PCs: "Outgoing NR" from components, keeping "the pool of power" in the distribution system clean.
So...
1) The new XC power cords provide maximal current delivery and DTCD performance to the PD.
2) The PD distributes AC current to the system components while significantly lowering the overall noise floor "at the source."
3) The NR series of power cords can stop noise at the components' internal power supply's end from being reflected back out into the pool of current in the distribution system so that the "water in the pool" stays maximally clean.