Shunyata Research V-Ray V2 Power Conditioner & CX Series AC Cords (TAS 209)

Advancing the Art

January 11th, 2011 -- by Robert Harley
Source: The Absolute Sound

Products in this article:	V-Ray Version 2
Manufacturers in this article:	Shunyata Research

The field of AC power conditioning for audio systems has undergone a radical transformation since the first AC conditioners appeared about 20 years ago. Those early products were developed largely through trial and error, and often did as much harm as good. (Does anyone remember the Tice Power Block?) AC conditioner design was a “black art,” with the designers of the day not fully understanding the phenomena by which AC power affected sound quality.

Today, however, a few very bright and dedicated engineers have conducted fundamental research into AC power for audio systems. They have garnered a much deeper understanding of the role AC power plays in achieving good sound, and consequently, have developed products that are vastly better in every way than the crude attempts of a decade or so ago. The best of these new conditioners are not only much more effective; they also avoid the sonic shortcomings of earlier designs. This isn’t to say that all of today’s conditioners are worth owning. Although most of today’s conditioners are better than their predecessors, only a very few rise to the top as contenders for the state of the art.

Two of those contenders are the Shunyata V-Ray V2 and its associated CX Series power cords. They were developed by Shunyata founder Caelin Gabriel, a man who has certainly done his homework on the subject (see my accompanying interview). Since I first tried Shunyata’s AC conditioning system and power cords more than four years ago, they have became indispensable parts of my audio system. The combination was easily the best-sounding AC package I’d heard, rendering greater overall clarity, resolution, ease, and naturalness of timbre. The Shunyata system was so impressive it won our 2006 Product of the Year Award.

That system included the Hydra-8 conditioner for the front-end components and a pair of Hydra-2 conditioners, one for each power amplifier. Since those first products, Shunyata has been busy refining its core designs. The new V-Ray V2 is based on the original Hydra platform, but with some improvements, including a new noise-damping material that encases the critical circuits. Similarly, the new CX Series power cords represent an evolutionary step from the company’s earlier cords (see the sidebar for details).

I had the opportunity to replace my original Shunyata system with the V-Ray V2 along with a complete system of CX cords (King Cobra CX, Anaconda CX, and Python CX). I treated the Shunyata products as one system, listening to the complete older system and then comparing it to the complete new system. I then lived with the V-Ray V2 and CX Series cords in my reference system before I moved (Wilson X-2 Alexandria and Sasha loudspeakers, Spectral SDR-4000 Pro CD player, Spectral DMA-360SS preamplifier, Spectral DMA-360 power amplifiers, Pass Labs XP20 preamp, Pass Labs XA100.5 power amplifiers, Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC, dCS Puccini CD player with U-Clock, a PC-based music server for high-resolution playback, an Aesthetix Rhea Signature phonostage, and a Basis 2800 Signature turntable with a Vector 4 tonearm and Air Tight PC-1 Supreme cartridge) and have been using the Shunyata package in my new listening room for the past five months (see Associated Equipment). A complete package of a V-Ray V2 and several CX cords represents a considerable investment. In fact, this is one of the more expensive power-conditioning packages on the market. (Shunyata also makes an entire range of less expensive conditioners and power cords, starting with the $495 Guardian Pro Model 2 conditioner and the amazing $99 Venom3 cord. If you want some insight into the sonic benefits of AC cords, the Venom3 will give you more than a taste.) But in the context of a very high-quality system such as the ones in which I’ve auditioned it, the big Shunyata system’s cost is not unreasonable. Moreover, I could make a good argument that the V-Ray V2 and CX power cords are among the most cost-effective upgrades you could buy.

Having experience with the Shunyata AC system along with such an extensive array of products gave me deeper insight into the Shunyata system in particular, and into the benefits of high-level AC conditioning in general. Specifically, what the V-Ray V2 and CX Series power cords do, above all else, is remove a gray pall beneath and behind the music. One doesn’t hear this grayness until it is gone, and when it disappears, everything suddenly becomes vivid and clear, with a transparency that will make you not want to go back. This grayness is manifested in several ways, one of which is obscuring music’s fine dynamic structure. Without the Shunyata system (stock black AC cords plugged directly into the wall) there was a floor below which the system didn’t resolve micro-transient detail. Removing the Shunyata system was like very lightly rubbing an eraser over a picture drawn in chalk; fine detail was obliterated and the “picture” had less contrast. The more experience I have with today’s best equipment, the more I’ve come to recognize that what distinguishes a great system from a spectacular one is in this portrayal of extremely fine information. It’s not something one hears overtly as detail, but rather it is perceived as a greater realism of timbre, a fuller and more complete sonic “picture,” and a richer and denser portrayal of the sounds of instruments and the spaces in which they are playing. By dropping the noise floor, the very finest layer of information is resolved, and with it, a rich panorama of musical expression unfolds. This heightened resolution extends beyond timbres to the delicate spatial cues that create the soundstage. Connect the Shunyata system and the soundstage opens up with greater dimensionality, depth, air, bloom, and sense of an instrument “lighting up” the surrounding acoustic.

Comments

David Matz -- Tue, 01/11/2011 - 16:51

Mr. Harley, I enjoyed your review. I also own several cx cords (with a Running Springs conditioner) and cannot see going back or changing to another brand, but only getting more King Cobras. I have a question: is the extra bass heft real, meaning the power cords are letting the component shine to its potential, or is it "manufactured" to provide greater impact? Thanks.

Wess -- Wed, 01/26/2011 - 16:02

When I read this review and it's accompanied interview with Caelin I was left wanting. A bit of pondering and reviewing older issues of various magazines and it started to become clear. And my conclusion was that this review/interview is essentially pointless. Ultimately, it gave me no useful information. By itself, it did not.....

I have no doubt that RH is truly enthusiastic about these products and that they are, indeed, what he claims them to be as far as performance goes. At least as far as he states it. But all I see is the glaring fault of omission. The most notable is that the only thing RH compares these new products to is their older counterparts.
Are they better than the models from several years ago? Well, I surely hope so. And if RH says they are, then I believe him.
But if you follow the time line of RH reviews of these types of products over the last several years it begs a simple question. Are they actually, as RH states it, State of the Art?

Here is the simple time line.
1) Several years ago RH reviews Shunyata products and likes them well enough to hang onto them. Clearly, since you will find them listed in the "associated components" of many of his other reviews.

2) Mid 2009 RH reviews the Running Springs Dmitri and unequivocally states it as his new reference in conditioners. A close look and this review indicates clearly that the products being replaced are all Shunyata, including the first V-Ray, as they are all still listed in the "associated components" list.
The most notable aspect of the review is how, unlike other conditioners (assumedly Shunyata), the RSA product actually increases the dynamic capability of the system under review. All other aspects are essentially a wash. This distinction will become important later.

3) In 2010 RH reviews the updated Shunyata gear. He declares them to be State of the Art and "firmly ensconced" in his reference system.
BUT, not only is there no direct comparison to his previous reference (RSA), that product is also not listed in the "associated components" list of the newer Shunyata review. In other words, there can be no direct connection made. Unless, of course, you do a little sleuthing. But when you DO compare the two reviews I find it quite notable that the specific qualities of both products boil down to the fact that they both do a superb job of conditioning the power line. But there is no mention, whatsoever, of the newer Shunyata gear having the same capability of increasing dynamics as does the Running Springs. As well is should not since, if one is educated in electronics, it would be easy to see that the only changes made to the V-Ray2 (and listed in the review/interview) are things that have no hope of affecting this aspect of performance.

So, the implication in this most recent review is that Shunyata's newest products are the best according to RH. And yet there was the careful absence of any direct comparison made to the previous reference. Why?

But let's move on to another comparison made by linking this review/interview to another one from the past.
The interview with Caelin Gabriel that accompanied the review starts off with Gabriel's educational background. And one line stood out to me. "Once out of college I was recruited by a military division of the N.S.A." Wow, this makes Mr. Gabriel sound pretty darn smart. On the surface it does, anyway. But if you look all the way back to an interview from 2003 at 6moons you will find that Mr. Gabriel actually dropped out of college. He joined the military, was tested, earned the "equivalent of an electronics engineering degree" and "assigned" to a military division of the N.S.A.
Now, I have no doubt that Caelin Gabriel is a smart and perhaps brilliant guy. But I draw some clear distinctions here. The implication in this most recent interview is that Caelin Gabriel stood out so much in college that the N.S.A. come looking for him.
Well, I was fortunate enough to attend one of the top engineering universities in the world. While there I rubbed elbows with men who have been recognized by the Nobel foundation. In other words, truly some of the top minds in the world. And not once did I hear of the N.S.A. coming around to "recruit" promising students.
The older review at 6moons makes things seem a little more plausible. And a story I DID often see on campus. That being, your basic military recruiters hanging out in high traffic areas on campus and "recruiting" anyone who would stop and listen to them. Certainly anyone who may have dropped out recently.
I don't make this point in order to denigrate anyone, seriously. Only to ask yet another question. Why? Why the change in the story over the years?

My own opinion is that Shunyata is directly threatened by Running Springs Audio. Reading further into the interview that accompanied this review you find Gabriel making a specific point about inductive filtering in AC power conditioning. He states, with certainty, that inductive filtering in AC is never a good thing. He even goes so far as to say that the reason is it's limiting of dynamics!

And now we are back to the issue of dynamics. Because, if you didn't already know, the RSA products use (in part) inductive filtering. It's one of the reasons it takes actual effort to lift an RSA product while the V-Ray feels like a box of air in comparison.
And yet, if you read all the reviews carefully, you will find hidden between the lines that the RSA products significantly beat out the Shunyata products in this area of dynamics!

So what gives? Who is right? Gabriel's assertion that inductive filtering only limits dynamics? Or RH's ear that states the opposite?
Well, I have my own opinions based on the experiences of fellow audiophiles. And I can tell you that the switch from one company to the other has only gone one direction, regardless of the system they sit in. 100% from Shunyata TO Running Springs.

This is why I think the obfuscation on the educational background of Mr. Caelin Gabriel. In order to compete with his competition in print he needs added credibility. While he may be a brilliant man, he is actually an engineer with the equivalent of an EE, trained by the military. By comparison, RSA has several Electronics Ph.Ds. with the primary designer being a well respected Physicist (again, gleaned from magazine interviews) all educated at highly respected Universities.

As far as the CX power cables go...... Well, Shunyata / Caelin Gabriel may have made some interesting advances in design. But it doesn't change the fact that the fundamental design of all of the power cables reviewed here are actually licensed from someone outside of Shunyata. So what exactly does Shunyata do that proves to be so brilliant? If you read their marketing material it's obvious they put a lot of stock and branding in to the man Caelin Gabriel. But what exactly has HE done that gives him this credibility? Compared to others?
Oh, and there isn't anything break through when it comes to cryo treating and using CDA-101 copper, either. And the compound that's inside the V-Ray and is essentially the only thing that makes it unique........ discovered by "accident". (also in the 6moons interview)

But that's all beside the point by now.

So where is the integrity in this review? Why did I have to scour the internet to find these inconsistencies myself?
Not long ago RH had no problem taking a specific company to task over baseless claims in the digital arena. Why is Shunyata seemingly given a pass?
Regardless, here is something RH would agree with me on. Listen to various products with your own ear. And don't be afraid to do a little research along the way!

rono. -- Wed, 02/09/2011 - 11:26

I'm a little perplexed right now after reading the latest Absolute Sound and finding out that the Running Springs Dmitri was no longer an Editor's Choice component. Not even a mention. I auditioned it after reading the glowing review in AS and found it superior to the other power conditioners it's often compared to. I purchased it and never looked back. How could something be a reviewer's new "reference" and never get a mention again or at least an explanation of why it was replaced by a "new" reference?

Jon2020 -- Sun, 07/24/2011 - 23:58

Mr Harley,
Kindly explain your position with regard to these products. We all wait with bated breath after comments from a reader concerned over the credibility of your review on these products in TAS.