Shunyata Sigma NR v2 Power Cord review

[greg]

Sigma XC will come with Everest. I will also try Sigma NR - from wall to Everest. The Sigma Nr worked much better with the Denali than the EF version. It is more precise without uncontrolled bass. While waiting for Everest and Sima Xc and Nr, I'm listening to Alpha NR v2 and Sigma NR v2 from Denali to devices. They've been playing for 10 days and I haven't noticed any improvement in the lowest bass. The deepest bass grunts are cut like a scalpel.

[lem321]

Originally Posted by greg

Sigma XC will come with Everest. I will also try Sigma NR - from wall to Everest. The Sigma Nr worked much better with the Denali than the EF version. It is more precise without uncontrolled bass. While waiting for Everest and Sima Xc and Nr, I'm listening to Alpha NR v2 and Sigma NR v2 from Denali to devices. They've been playing for 10 days and I haven't noticed any improvement in the lowest bass. The deepest bass grunts are cut like a scalpel.

When you say "I haven't noticed any improvement in the lowest bass," do you mean between the Alpha NR v2 and Sigma NR v2 or between your previous cables (NR?) vs the new V2 cables?

[greg]

V1 / v2

[lem321]

Ok, thanks.

[jimtranr]

Not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, but since the one-level-below-Alpha Delta power cord has undergone a similar-VTX Ag technology v1 to v2 upgrade simultaneously with the Alphas and Sigmas, I thought I'd share this for-what-it's-worth impression of the bass performance difference I hear--and feel--with the new Delta XC replacing the Delta NR v1 as the wall-to-Delta D6 power distributor feed. Note that my standmounted bedroom-system speakers begin to wimp out at around 45 Hz, and their response nosedives below that, so that's a factor you may want to keep in mind.

As I noted in my full-bore assessment of the Delta XC in another thread, the XC imparts greater foundational heft to the musical presentation than experienced with the NR v1. That's true with the most demanding sources I have at hand, including concert-hall organ (the Munch/Zamkochian collaboration in the Saint-Saens "Organ" Symphony [RCA SACD rip]) and film-music tracks such as the "Garage Chase" in the Shawn Murphy-engineered James Horner score for "The Pelican Brief" [Big Screen Records CD rip].

In such instances, bass passages go deep, are felt as much as heard, and are not infrequently sustained for long periods, placing great demands on current delivery both long-term and, in the "Pelican" case, instantaneously, as Horner "shocks" with transient bursts that (no pun intended) underscore sudden sharp (frequently violent) turns in the screen action. At such points I don't detect any loss of attack, impact, sustain, or decay (or throbbing, roll-up-my-listening-room-floor reverb) with the Delta XC in place of the NR v1. The XC (v2) incarnation is superior in that regard and exhibits better definition in the process.

As I say, this isn't apples-to-apples, and since individual systems differ so widely, I don't offer it as prescriptive, but simply as a FWIW perspective.

[greg]

I'm talking about a frequency below 30Hz. I have big speakers. Omitting the lowest bass , the V2's are better in every way.

[crion2]

I think the balance you are looking for will be restored after the Sigma XC have arrived and settled in.

When I started the V2 upgrade journey I started with the XC's settling in. Then adding the Alpha V2 NR's for source components.

I could hear more of the abyss after the V2 upgrades but I think it's important to start/prioritize the XC. It is really the foundation where your PD starts working optimal.

[zonto]

Other than the removal of the noise reduction circuit/device in the new XC cables, are they otherwise any different from the applicable NR cable? The specs are otherwise identical on the website.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by zonto

Other than the removal of the noise reduction circuit/device in the new XC cables, are they otherwise any different from the applicable NR cable? The specs are otherwise identical on the website.

No, they are the same with respect to materials, geometry, construction and connectors.

The XC have a slightly faster, crisper sound than the NR PCs. Think of a digital photograph and then adding a small degree of unsharp masking to the photo.

[crion2]

Omega XC have larger gauge than Omega QR though.