My Shunyata Hydra 8 is here!

[Puma Cat]

And it's gorgeous! Literally looks brand-spankin' new!

Separate gangs of inputs for digital and analog sources and shaking it you can hear the proprietary Zr-Ca noise-reduction beads inside.

This should lower the noise floor of the system even more than the Hydra 4.

Pics tonight.

[chessman]

PC, congrats! I really like my Hydra 6.

[cmalak]

Congrats Stephen...I am going to audition a V-Ray II and compare it to my Hydra 8. There is a mint unit locally that may make sense if there is a big uptick in performance

[Rafale]

Stephen....great news, congrats and as always very interested in your opinion, keep us updated

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by cmalak

Congrats Stephen...I am going to audition a V-Ray II and compare it to my Hydra 8. There is a mint unit locally that may make sense if there is a big uptick in performance

Thanks, Cyril.

I'd be really curious to hear if there is a bit uptick in performance as the V-Ray II is pretty spendy...used ones sell for typically for >$2,500.

I was on the lookout for a Hydra 6 simply because of the arrival of the new mystery component tomorrow, and the powered Bifrost DAC, and three TTs, I was running out of outlets on the Hydra 4 (which I love, it's a great little power distributor). This Hyrda 8 came along at less than the price of a new (non-Alpha) Hydra 6.

And, man, it looks brand-new! Absolutely perfect in every way.

[JohnA]

congrats on the hydra 8

great units, i love mine and yea, i sort of freaked when i first unpacked it and heard the rattles

[Ritmo]

Stephen - Congratulations! Let us know what impact it has in your system!

Mike

[PHC1]

Stephen is on a spending spree!

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by Ritmo

Stephen - Congratulations! Let us know what impact it has in your system!

Mike

Well, Mike, I just sat down for a serious a listen and all I can say is:

**** ME!!!

I put a fairly soft jazz piece on as the first cut, Arne Domérus Antiphone Blues with Gustav Sjökvist, and it was immediately apparent how much quieter the system is over even a what a Hydra 4 does.

Diana Krall's Almost Blue 24/96 rip from The Girl in the Other Room sounded like she was literally in the room with me, it was absolutely gorgeous-sounding, and I'm not what you call a big DK fan.

I then put the Mastersound CD rip of Stevie Ray Vaughan's Roughest Place in Town and the XRCD K2 of Eagle's Hell Freezes Over cut of Hotel California on and was pretty much blown back in my chair. Not only were the macrodynamics, bass, bass power and definition, transient and dynamic swings markedly improved, but I was able to layers of inner detail and layerings I've never heard before, particularly on the Stevie Ray Vaughan cut.

Uhh....I didn't think it would represent anything like this level of improvment....and I haven't even put an LP on yet.

Stay tuned...

[Puma Cat]

Correct, there are no beads in the Hyrda 4.