AudioBeat Denali Family Review

[GrantS]

Hi All,

For those interested, there is an extremely detailed review of the Hydra Denali Series by The Audio Beat Reviewer Vance Hiner and a side-bar review by Editor Marc Mickelson posted here:

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipmen...rch_denali.htm

There is valuable context within the review, including comparisons and descriptions of the new technologies employed within each model.

Here are two relevant quotes:

"Anyone who wants to supercharge an amplifier's performance should definitely give the (Denali) 2000/T a spin.”
Reviewer Vance Hiner, The Audio Beat

"Gabriel's latest (Denali) products are unequivocally effective at making any combination of audio electronics sound more singular and real. Denali really is the peak of power conditioning here and now.”
Editor In Chief Marc Mickelson The Audio Beat

Best regards,

Grant
Shunyata Research

[PASSFREAK]

Excellent Shunyata stuff as usual.
Congrats, you are the best!
Pablo

[Odyssey]

Originally Posted by PASSFREAK

Excellent Shunyata stuff as usual.
Congrats, you are the best!
Pablo

I was so impressed with my first Denali 6000 that I bought a second one for my system!

[lem321]

I read the Audio Beat review of the Shunyata Denali products and was very impressed. I currently have a Cyclops v.1 that I use with monoblocks and plan to replace with the 2000T.

What the article in the end suggested was that the performance of the Denali products exceeded the Triton v.2/Typhon combination. Many of us already own these top-end Shunyata products. I recall reading somewhere that the Triton v.2 /Typhon remains the top performing Shunyata hydra products.

Is this still true or would it depend on one's individual system or circumstance? Is it worthwhile to consider replacing the Triton/Typhon with the new Denali products? I know the correct answer would be to try both in your system but this is sometimes not the most practical thing to do.

Comments?

[GrantS]

Hi Wilson,

Hope all is well with you.

I thought Vance and Marc, who both own Tv2 and Typhon, explained their impressions succinctly. That said, I've heard from a few customers who own the Triton v2, Typhon and DPC 6 stack that decided against a change to the Denali after an eval, though they acknowledged it was close. There are also some customers that have changed to Denali.

The Denali models are very different in terms of technology and performance--as Vance and Marc at TAB described in some detail. The Denali Series was not designed to replace the Triton v2, Typhon or the reference combination, including the DPC-6. Denali Series products were designed to offer performance, ease of use, functional upgrades and technologies that are not commonly associated with their price range. Beyond that, everything becomes anecdotal.

My reply to your question is to ask questions related to an application. How many dedicated lines are there? how many components and what are the goals of the system? A Hydra-stack, in addition to costing between $7000-$18000, requires significant floor or rack space. Denali models are much less expensive and have flexible placement options. Unequivocally, Denali's offer a lower measured noise floor -- but there is much more to performance than a simple noise measurement.

For those who own a Triton v2/ Typhon and a DPC-6, I would not recommend a change without a very careful audition and comparison--based on our tests and feedback. For everyone else shopping within double or triple the Denali price range, I recommend a listen to the Denali. We performed exhaustive testing and comparisons to other models before releasing the Denali's to market.

The reviews, forum comments, our feedback from medical and comparisons prove the Denali models are worth a listen. We designed the products to perform far above their price class. Maybe we over-shot the mark, maybe not. After that, we're fine letting the market determine the value. So far, whether from professionals, reviews or customer feedback, I think we've done ok.

Call or write and catch up, Wilson. It's good to hear from you.

Grant

[lem321]

Hi Grant,

As usual, your responses to my questions are articulate and thoughtful. It really helped me to understand the relationship between the Denali and Triton/Typhon lines. It's not simply one is better but each may offer benefits and may be the "better" choice depending one's individual system, space requirements and budget. How lucky are we as audiophiles to benefit from Shunyata’s philosophy to provide superior products at less than stratospheric prices?! My hat's off to you, Caelin and the Shunyata family!

Warm regards,
Wilson