蛇王最顶级电源处理器Original Hydra

二手器材 >>电源处理与其他

发布者: LOBO 来 自:
发布时间: 2009-04-09 03:48:01 付款方式: 支付宝
到期时间: 两年 成色:
价格: 13500RMB 运输公司: 顺丰快递
销售地点: 中国 讨论 返回本版
评述: http://www.shunyata.com/Content/products-Discontinued.html
Shuayata 蛇王( Power Snake)公司的旧日旗舰,是迄今为止蛇王最好的顶级的电源处理
器(包括VRAY 和Hydra8),名称是 Original Hydra ,有 6组输出,当然也是蛇王 Hydra 系
列里面最漂亮用料最顶级的电源处理器,前面是实木壳,其它侧面是大理石,里面灌沙子,功
率有 3000W.而且也是 Hydra 系列里面唯一可以具有世界电压的,就
是可以使用 100-240V 电源.
下面是原厂的确认.
Does it have the Corian, Wood and Granite chassis? If so, it can be used
for 230v. If it has our more recent metal chassis and says Hydra 8, Hydra V-
Ray etc it can not be used without modification.
Best regards,
Grant
无修无摩,成色9.5成新.原厂布袋,双层包装,保卡.注意,出厂的时候电源线是选配的,
本 台处理器接收美国一手用家的时候,上家配备了 Taipan Alpha电源线,这条电
源线价值要2-3K,不分售,也只能用在这种旋转接口上面. Hydra 电源输入插口使用的是那
种旋转电 源接口,不是直插的,必须配备带这种接口的电源线.
价格 13500圆整,谢绝议价.有意请短信或者电话到13311856598,收到短信会及时回电.
注:本人和美国一好友都极度钟情于蛇王的旧日旗舰,包括此款处理器.我朋友甚至有8
台 Original Hydra,因为当初其市场数量极少,加上其特殊的艺术特质的制作工艺,成为不
少蛇王迷---烧友的收藏.本人目前仍有三台在手,另外两台配置灰头的 Anaconda 电源线.
近日刚刚从大昌那里购入 CSE-TW4400 电源隔离器一台,加上也有 Power Companny
(Richard Grey)隔离电源,未来新的视听室电源插头已经足够.所以出Hydra 一台.
价格 13500圆整,谢绝议价.有意请短信或者电话到13311856598,收到短信会及时回电.

图片: 图片1    图片2    图片3    
回复人: springson 来 自: 114.94.90.116
回复时间:: 2009-07-25 23:45:10 讨论 返回本版
评述: 呵呵,我就是张先生,使用了两周了,非常好.LOBO人爽快,东西也好,烧得温度也高,难得的好
烧友,多交流.
收集了一些资料供LOBO和其他同好参考.个人使用下来主要感受是,瞬态更好,能量分布更均
衡,更接近真实乐器,音色温暖但是不失细节,乐感很好,系统可以提升一个档次.

1,关于原理和材料使用,据说是来自原厂说明书,我从网络上找来的
“Hydra was not designed to filter power, or to act as a surge suppressor. It
adheres to two fundamental design goals: providing power distribution for
multiple components, and most importantly, to achieve an unparalleled level of
performance in high-end AV systems. From the first note to the last, Hydra
delivers music with a previously unachievable sense of truth, purity and
absolute dynamic power. Hydra operates on a completely different theory than
conventional power products. Most power line devices are designed to either
impede instantaneous current flow (current limiting) or to redirect current
flow (current dumping). Several years of investigation at Shunyata Research
indicates that these practices degrade dynamic reproduction and introduce
subtle distortions that are all too evident when listening or viewing. The
HYDRA does not employ any conventional capacitors or current limiting devices
that degrade performance. Hydra utilizes the revolutionary, patent pending
Stardust technology found in PowerSnakes AC power cables. Stardust is a
proprietary compound that reduces noise through an electromagnetic coupling
mechanism. Its operation is entirely passive and does not require any
physical electrical connection to the conductors.Hydra improves the
effectiveness of the Stardust compound by employing a proprietary element
called the ElectroMagneticLens (EML). The EML consists of a Stardust chamber
with a field-shaping bus-array that polarizes the electromagnetic field,
focusing high-frequency energy in a bi-polar pattern. This polarization
achieves a two-fold improvement in the absolute coupling of the EM field and
the Stardust compound. The result is a reduction in high frequency noise
without producing the compressive side effects of conventional capacitors,
transformers and chokes! The EML is electro magnetically shielded within a
precision, internal aluminum chassis that is fabricated to a tolerance of less
than two thousandths of an inch. Hydra employs extensive vibration dampening
materials, including side panels of quarter inch natural granite and external
panels of anti-resonant high-density polymers

2,一个测评
So now we come to the Shunyata Research Hydra. A product out of the third
path, the Hydra uses no transformers, chokes, filters, regenerators, coils or
capacitors, instead it relies on a completely passive design built to ultra-
high standards, using hyper-pure components, unique topologies and exotic
materials based on Caelin Gabriel's (the head of Shunyata Research) background
in materials science. Gabriel, whose training is in quantum physics, spent a
decade working at the National Security Agency developing low-level signal
acquisition devices (I am not sure how you read that, but I take it to mean
eavesdropping bugs with extreme sensitivity). After leaving the employ of the
government Gabriel worked in the computer industry, designing gigabit and
beyond network data transmission devices. Both these environments are
extremely rugged proving grounds, where the tolerances, electrical hazards and
technology are magnitudes beyond even the most sophisticated of audio
environments.

The first and most obvious face the Hydra presents is its exceptional build
quality. A 35 pound 10" wide by 6" tall and 14" block, the sides are finished
with half inch thick, polished and dampened granite while the face has a solid
Amaranth wood inlay. The rest of the unit is covered with a mirror-polished
polymer. It is a beautiful thing that is not afraid of showing it.

Round back are found six, Hubbel, hospital-grade outlets, arrayed in three
individually isolated pairs. The power cord uses a Nema twist-lock connector,
assuring a tight grip. From the factory, Hydra uses the Hydra cord (which is
based on their Sidewinder Gold cord), but can be upgraded to any power cord in
the Shunyata line. Also on the back is a 20-amp fuse. With a max output of
2,500 watts, a single Hydra has enough pop for all but the most esoteric of
systems.

Internally the Hydra uses high purity, massive CDA-101 copper buss bars to
distribute and "focus" power. That focusing action is a significant part of
the Hydra. According to their literature FeSi-1000 (a proprietary compound
that functions similar to ferrites but uses a different coupling mechanism to
attenuate and dissipate radiated electrical energy) is used in their EML, or
Electro-Magnetic Lens. The EML is a buss array, designed using antenna array
principles and contained with an aluminum structure acting as a magnetic
shield, which "...create(s) a polarized electromagnetic field. This
effectively focuses high energy between two conductive plates. The EML
concentrates high frequency EMI, thereby improving the effective coupling of
the FeSi-1000 compound".

A second, significant part of the Hydra design is the massive case described
earlier. Shunyata has paid exacting attention to resonance control, and, as my
sore knuckles can attest to, this thing is solid. Finally, with a ten year,
transferable warranty, the Hydra is built like no other power conditioner that
I know of. Besides being solid, this thing is meant to last. Much has been
made of the build quality of the Hydra in various online forums and in other
reviews. I personally find it odd that, as long a product sounds right, anyone
would attack it because it is overbuilt. Give me a product designed to last
over one designed to last until the day after the warranty expires any time.

3,继续评测
Shunyata Research Hydra Power-Distribution Center

by Bill Cowen


"Simply improves the sound in all
respects."













Review Summary
Sound "A dramatic improvement in soundstage space and detail" along
with "bass lines [that] were stronger, with greater impact and heft," but "no
smoothing, no reduction in treble energy or extension, no loss of bass impact,
and no loss of dynamic swing" either; in the end, "what [Bill] got was more of
the music, and less of the non-music."

Features Six outlets and 1875-watt power limit, so it will accommodate many
entire audio systems; Corian and granite outer shell and proprietary Stardust
compound inside.

Use "It does not run warm, does not limit current, can handle the
conditioning duties of many entire systems without problem, and even includes
its own power cord."

Value "Cannot be considered inexpensive," but Bill has "done component
upgrades costing as much or more that haven’t offered the same level of sonic
improvement."



At the Consumer Electronics Show a couple years ago, I ran into a good friend
employed in the power-conditioner business. In the course of conversation, I
inquired how his business was doing. With a protracted sigh, he stated
something to the effect of "everybody is making power conditioners these
days," a fact supported by the plethora of power-conditioning/-filtering/-
regenerating devices currently available on the audio market. Without thinking
too hard, I came up with the names of a dozen such devices in a matter of a
few seconds.

So what’s the subject of this review? If you guessed "power conditioner,"
you’d be partially right. The Shunyata Hydra would be categorized as a power
conditioner, but it’s entirely different from what most of us have come to
expect from products of this genre.

Normal starting-out stuff

The $1995 USD Hydra is the latest product from Shunyata Research, the folks
that produce the much-heralded PowerSnakes line of after-market power cords.
Housed in a strikingly attractive Corian box with polished granite end panels,
this is not an industrial-looking, black-painted chassis. A wood insert in the
front panel is laser-etched with the trademark King Cobra pictogram and adds
additional elegance to the whole package. Measuring 10"W x 5.75"H x 14"D, the
Hydra is quite compact and will easily fit on most audio-rack shelves.

Along the back panel are three pairs of duplex outlets, an in-line fuse
holder, and a NEMA 15-amp twistlock socket for the incoming power. Shunyata’s
own Sidewinder power cord is included for use in conjunction with this
connector, and just so there is no confusion, a standard IEC-terminated cord
will not work with this fitting -- you must use the supplied Sidewinder or
find an alternate cord fitted with the appropriate connector. The Sidewinder
is an exceedingly good power cord in its own right, a SoundStage! Network
Reviewers' Choice, so you don’t necessarily need to make up an excuse to play
around with others. It’s quite nice to have a high-caliber cord included,
instead of it being an additional-cost option that increases the base price.

What’s it all about?

If you find all this power-conditioning stuff confusing, don’t feel bad. I do
too. So I asked Caelin Gabriel (the head PowerSnake) to provide an
explanation -- in layman’s terms -- of what the Hydra actually does.
According to Gabriel, traditional power conditioners and filters are designed
from the premise that components need to be protected from RFI (radio-
frequency interference) and EMI (electromagnetic interference) generated from
sources external to the audio system. This has usually been attempted in one
of two primary ways: impeding high-frequency bandwidth and/or redirecting
electromagnetic energy. A third method, one that has been around for quite
some time in the computer industry, has recently surfaced for audio
applications: power regeneration.

Gabriel contends that the primary culprit to power-line-induced sonic
degradation does not stem from external RFI/EMI sources. His research
indicates that the principle source of line fluctuation, EMI, and noise are
generated by the audio/video components themselves. Gabriel believes that if
this premise is true, power-conditioning/-filtering/-regenerating devices may
actually degrade system performance by reflecting the EMI generated by the
components back towards the source.

The Hydra is based upon the same proprietary (and patent-pending) noise-
reduction technology used in the PowerSnakes power cords. The Stardust
material used inside the Hydra is actually a blend of several different
chemical formulas. The various formulations operate in different frequency
bands and are selected for the required application. Stardust starts from a
chemical compound base that is fired in high-temperature ovens that cause it
to crystallize into a hard, granular substance. Gabriel says that
Stardust "literally absorbs high-frequency AC line noise" through an
electromagnetic-coupling mechanism.

The Hydra is constructed from an electromagnetically confined chamber that is
filled with Stardust. It utilizes two electromagnetic-field-shaping bus arrays
that "focus" high frequencies within the chamber. This reportedly increases
the coupling, and thereby the effectiveness of the Stardust compound. The
Hydra uses no conventional chokes or capacitors, and thus imposes no current
limiting on components plugged into it.

Layman enough for you?

Usage

The Hydra does not run hot (or even warm, for that matter), does not hum or
vibrate, and due to the fact that it imposes no limit on current delivery, you
can plug in most, if not all of your components (up to 1875 watts total
demand). It has no ventilation requirements, which allows great flexibility in
the decision of where to place it. I did find, however, that sonic gains were
possible with some attention directed to what it sat on. Placing it directly
on my static-prone carpet was discovered early on as the worst thing to do.
After experimenting with a number of different isolation/tuning schemes, I
settled with placing it on a Greater Ranges Neuance isolation shelf (borrowed
briefly from underneath my turntable), with 1" Audio Point brass cones between
the Neuance and the carpet covered-concrete floor. There are no absolutes in
the isolation/tuning game, so it’s highly recommended to experiment and find
what works best in your system.

Regarding break-in, I’m as religious in my belief that it exists as are
others who believe it to be strictly psychoacoustical. I have no fancy
scientific thesis to present here, so all I’m going to say is that I gave the
Hydra 100 hours of burn-in on a 400-watt light tree prior to assessing it
sonically. It did not seem to change much, if any, during the review process,
so either 100 hours is sufficient, or break-in truly is a figment of some
audiofool imaginations.

A final important note: the Hydra does not provide any AC-line protection,
other than the 15-amp fuse. If lightning, damaging surge currents or
miscellaneous (and catastrophic) power gremlins are a primary concern, then a
means external to the Hydra will have to be considered. To be fair, many of
the audio-oriented power-conditioning devices do not provide sufficient
protection for such catastrophes anyway, so if you live in a severe-
thunderstorm-prone area like mine, you’re better off unplugging stuff
entirely when those warning messages start beeping on Channel 5.

Up against the wall

In order to draw a baseline for the sonic ramifications of the Hydra, and as a
PS Audio P300 has been employed in my system for the past two years, I spent a
couple weeks with the P300 removed and all components plugged straight back
into the wall prior to introducing the Hydra. After sufficient acclimation to
un-conditioned power, the Hydra hit the system. As the total wattage
requirements of all my components fell well within the Hydra’s capabilities,
I plugged everything into it, including the amplifiers.

Associated Equipment
Loudspeakers – Coincident Speaker Technology Total Eclipse.

Amplifiers – AES Super Amp Signature, Cary Audio Design 805C monoblocks.

Preamplifiers – Cary Audio Design SLP-98, Audio Electronics AE-3.

Phono stages – Cary Audio Design PH-301 Mk 2, Audio Electronic Supply PH-1.

Digital – Audio Electronic Supply CD-1 (modified).

Analog – Eurokit Premiere turntable, Graham 2.0 tonearm, Benz-Micro MC-SCHEU
and Dynavector Te Kaitora cartridges, Greater Ranges Neuance isolation shelf.

Interconnects and speaker cables – Coincident Speaker Technology
interconnects and speaker cables, Coincident and Cardas Golden Cross phono
cable.

Power conditioners and power cords – PS Audio P300 Power Plant, Shunyata
Research PowerSnakes King Cobra and Black Mamba power cords.

Accessories – Black Diamond Racing cones and Round Things, SolidSteel rack,
home-brew sandboxes, Silent Running Audio amp stands (custom for the 805Cs),
ASC Half Rounds and Tower Traps, Marigo Audio Labs VTS tuning dots.



The resulting sonic improvements cannot be described as subtle. The most
striking change at the outset was a dramatic improvement in soundstage space
and detail. I’m fortunate to have a dedicated room that is large enough to
allow speaker placement well away from boundaries. This helps most any speaker
I’ve used in this room produce a wide and very deep soundstage. The Hydra
moved those boundaries a little further out, but what it did for the
definition within that space was what caught my attention. Wide and deep is
cool, but layering and specific localization, both front to back and side to
side, is even cooler. On the title track from Linda Ronstadt’s Dedicated To
The One I Love [Elektra 7559-61916-2], not only was Ronstadt’s voice moved
further back in the stage, the accompanying vocals established their own
separate location in relation to hers. You probably hear the phrase "3-D"
often enough when expressing the qualities of a soundstage, and the Hydra
could provide a dictionary definition of what that expression means. This
enhanced soundstage creation and delineation were clearly evident on every
recording I put through the system. Vinyl replay was a real treat.

The next immediately apparent quality the Hydra brought out was in the area of
micro- and macrodynamics. The Cary 805C monoblock amplifiers sounded like
they’d received an injection of adrenaline. While they obviously didn’t have
any more measurable power, they sure sounded like they did. Bass lines were
stronger, with greater impact and heft. Increased volume levels came through
with greater ease, without any sense of strain or compression that similar
volume levels without the Hydra sometimes presented. In that mix of things
dynamic, one of the most endearing qualities highlighted by the Hydra was the
unraveling of microdynamic detail and contrast. A prime example is found on
the title cut from John Lee Hooker’s The Healer [Mobile Fidelity UDCD 567].
Minus the Hydra, the percussive mix can sound a little confused. With the
Hydra, each instrument's distinct volume shift was more easily discerned, and
this lent a greater sense of rhythm and drive.

Tonally, the Hydra has little (if any) effect. It does not impart additional
warmth or brightness, nor does it strip any away if it already exists. A song
that I’m very familiar with is "Red Shoe Tango," from the soundtrack to Red
Shoe Diaries [Mercury 314-515584-2]. It’s a very short instrumental piece
that’s nicely recorded and features some percussion and a nicely rendered
saxophone. It captures the feel of the recording space to good effect. I
detected no change to the tone and character of the sax, instead hearing only
a better sense of the decay as each note ended. The drum kit at the end was
more realistic in its presentation, with a better portrayal of the transient
edges and detail.

One of the qualities most people look for in a power conditioner is the
ability to "clean up" the sound. Many of the better conditioners on the market
do a pretty good job in this regard, removing or reducing noise artifacts
commonly referred to as grit, hash and fuzz. The problem I’ve experienced
with many products is that in the process of removing this noise, some of the
music is removed along with it. And this is exactly what the Hydra doesn’t
do. There is no smoothing, no reduction in treble energy or extension, no loss
of bass impact, and no loss of dynamic swing. On cut five from The Phantom Of
The Opera [Polygram 831 563-2], the vocals sans Hydra have a very pronounced
edge and sibilance. With the Hydra in, much of that sibilance is reduced, yet
the clarity of the voices scales new heights. Nothing is rolled off, clamped
down, or covered up here. The organ delved more deeply into the nether regions
of the bass, and the stage expanded nicely. What I got was more of the music,
and less of the non-music. I had to bring in another listening chair for Mr.
Clean, who came along for the ride and seems to have taken up permanent
residence.

Up against the PS Audio P300 Power Plant

The PS Audio P300 has served well during the time I’ve owned it, and I found
it quite revelatory when it first met up with my system. It made a significant
improvement over straight-from-the-wall power, and seemed to impose much less
of a signature to the overall sound than any conditioning unit that had
preceded it. Due to the limits of its current capability, however, it was only
possible to use it for front-end components. The amplifiers have been plugged
straight into the wall, as well as several front-end review pieces that
required more power than the P300 could handle. My P300 does not have the
recently introduced MultiWave functionality, and I have not had the chance to
listen to a Power Plant with that option installed.

Hydra, take two
Into a product category recently dominated by PS Audio's Power Plants and
Richard Gray's Power Company comes the Shunyata Hydra. Yes, I know these are
all very different products in terms of the technology they use, but they all
claim to do the same thing: help your audio gear sound better by improving the
power fed to it. I've used the P300 Power Plant and Richard Gray's Power
Company at length, so I have some context with which to evaluate the Hydra.

Functionally, the Hydra is very flexible, able to accommodate my entire audio
system, mono amps and all. And to my ears, its sonic acuity falls into the
realm of clarity. Things didn't sound veiled, hashy or murky before I added
the Hydra, but the sound afterwards was noticeably more clear -- like looking
through a newly cleaned window, or perhaps no window at all. Images had more
specificity in the soundstage, which opened up in all directions. The air
around performers was more tangible, and the performers themselves sounded
more present. I could detect no tonal coloring -- the Hydra doesn't
editorialize in any way -- but tonal shading did improve, showing more
gradations. Even the bass seemed a little more lively, the Hydra allowing the
lowest notes to emerge with greater drive and pace. The PowerSnakes line of
power cords is uniformly terrific, but the Hydra is the Shunyata product to
buy if you can afford it.

The Shunyata Hydra has become an important part of my audio system, and it's a
reviewer's dream component: no sins of commission or omission to discern and
describe. It just makes an audio system sound better -- clearly better -- and
this makes it the most effective power-line product I've used.

...Marc Mickelson
marc@soundstage.com



In order to level the playing field as much as possible, the comparisons noted
below were compiled from my listening notes with just the front-end components
plugged into either unit. This might be a bit unfair to the Hydra, as it could
handle my amplifiers. So shoot me. It’s only fair to note, however, that the
sonic improvements offered by the Hydra powering all components is even more
significant than when it's powering the front-end components only.

In direct comparison, the P300 lent an overall air of politeness to the music,
while the Hydra lent an overall air of excitement. In my system, the P300 does
a very capable job of attenuating and/or eliminating sonic nastiness and
garbage, stripping the aforementioned grit and hash out of the music. But it
softens transient attack and snap in the process. Subtle shifts in
microdynamic information are masked somewhat, which is something that isn’t
entirely evident until the P300 is taken out of the system. The Hydra instills
a pronouncement of these shifts, which perhaps is what makes the difference so
large when doing a direct comparison. If you stumble into a conversation with
avid vinyl spinners, you’ll likely hear the term PRaT (Pace, Rhythm, and
Timing) bandied about. If you’re not sure exactly what that means, pop a
Hydra into your system. Then you’ll know.

This comparison is not meant as some backhanded condemnation of the P300, as
it does a large portion of its job exceedingly well. But it also does some
things in the process that are not entirely welcome -- and these may go
unnoticed due to the very things that it does so well. The Hydra seems to pull
off the remarkable feat of cleaning up without cleaning out.

One issue to consider is that the air of politeness offered by the P300 may
not necessarily be a bad thing for a source (or system) that has some unwanted
brightness, or suffers from a relentless or edgy treble presentation. The
Hydra does not attenuate anything, and there are some systems that may
actually be easier to listen to with a bit of smoothing in that area.

Conclusion

Reviewers are normally chastised for writing reviews that come across as too
much of a rave. As far as the Hydra goes, I guess that I’ll just have to be
chastised. In my system, the Hydra simply improves the sound in all respects.
It improves it in some areas substantially, and brings the improvements to the
table without imposing its own sonic signature or adding a laundry list of
contrasting negatives. It does not run warm, does not limit current, can
handle the conditioning duties of many entire systems without problem, and
even includes its own power cord. At a retail price of $2000, it cannot be
considered inexpensive, but I’ve done component upgrades costing as much or
more that haven’t offered the same level of sonic improvement.

After I completed my listening time with the Hydra, I sent the unit to Marc
Mickelson for further evaluation and comment. I found that I had no real
interest in listening to my system once the Hydra was gone -- things were just
boring and uninvolving. The true test of any component is whether it brings
you closer to the music and causes you to spend more time listening. The Hydra
passes that test with flying colors.

...Bill Cowen
bill@soundstage.com

Shunyata Research Hydra Power-Distribution Center
Price: $1995 USD.
Warranty: Ten years parts and labor.
Shunyata Research, Inc.
P.O. Box 27740
Las Vegas, NV 89126
Phone: (877) 727-7023
Fax: (425) 671-0648

E-mail: info@powersnakes.com
Website: http://www.powersnakes.com/


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-

Shunyata Research responds:

Shunyata Research would like to thank Bill and Marc for their thorough review
of the Hydra and for deeming it worthy of the Reviewers' Choice award. We are
proud of what we have accomplished with the Hydra and believe that Bill and
Marc have accurately conveyed the essence of what a Hydra brings to the
performance of a high-quality music system.

We are especially pleased that although Marc and Bill have very different
systems, they came away with similar impressions of the Hydra's sonic
abilities. Because Hydra does not use reactive components such as MOVs,
capacitors, transformers or conventional coils, it will be compatible across a
broad range of systems.

We would like to take a moment to offer our point of view on surge suppression
and why the Hydra does not include it as part of its construction. Surge
suppression is usually accomplished through the use of MOVs (metal oxide
varistors). In the event of large voltage surges, the MOV is designed to turn
on and start to conduct current in an attempt to prevent the surge from
reaching the equipment. MOVs are quite inexpensive and we could have easily
included them in the Hydra, but we chose not to for two reasons.

First: MOVs function by diverting or shorting current to a ground path. This
ground path is the neutral or ground conductor in your home wiring. The wiring
from your home's electrical panel to the outlet can present a significant
impedance to transients and voltage surges. This increased impedance will
reduce the effectiveness of the MOV in its attempt to divert current to ground.

Second: MOVs are considered "sacrificial" electrical components. This means
that they have a limited life span that is dependent upon the number and
severity of surges they experience. In other words, MOVs burn-out just like
light bulbs and become ineffective.

If MOVs are installed in a power-distribution device, there should also be an
LED to indicate that they are functioning properly. Also, there is the problem
of replacing the MOVs. Does the customer perform the modification or will the
device be returned to the manufacturer?

For those who live in an area that has frequent electrical storms or severe
power-surge problems, a better solution would be to install surge suppression
at the electrical panel. Many of the new homes built today include this
protection because they are wired for computerized equipment. This solution
protects the entire home and the effectiveness of the MOV is assured because
it is installed at an optimal location with a short path to ground.

For example: G.E. has a surge suppressor that is designed as a circuit-breaker
module so that it simply plugs into an existing electrical panel. It includes
indicator LEDs so that the user can be assured that the unit is operating
properly. If it burns out, you would simply replace it. This unit costs less
than $100 for full-home protection. Contact your electrician if you would like
to install surge suppression for your home.

Thanks again to SoundStage!'s Bill Cowen and Marc Mickelson for the
comprehensive review of the Hydra power-distribution center.

Caelin Gabriel
President and Founder
Shunyata Research Inc.

回复人: LOBO 来 自: 58.34.157.3
回复时间:: 2009-07-17 10:30:54 讨论 返回本版
评述: 已经由上海ZHANG先生接收继续使用. 好不好听过就知道,区别太明显,别说什么Hydra
8 了,就连 v-Ray 都不会占便宜,真是谁用谁知道它的妙处.国内用过这个处理器的到底能
够有几个呢? 答案是聊聊无几,二手市场极其少见.唯一缺点是使用了 Twist Lock 电源借
口,不好烧.
封贴,就此打住.
回复人: LOBO 来 自: 58.34.63.73
回复时间:: 2009-07-10 21:04:24 讨论 返回本版
评述: Original Hydra 比 Hydra8 好过太多! 各位,请自己发邮件问原厂对于 Original
Hydra 的评价吧.
用在新到的器材上,就此封贴.
回复人: diydiydiy 来 自: 222.128.223.2
回复时间:: 2009-07-08 01:20:05 讨论 返回本版
评述: 这么吹捧老产品是不对的,看看懂行的人如何说:当然LOBO能拿出理论说说老款的技术内幕
吗?

虽然新旧两款产品都叫做Hydra,但外表看上去已是南辕北辙,而内部的结构更是

差十万八千里,新款Hydra比旧款强了不知多少倍。旧款Hydra排插最值钱之处是内部空

灌满了用来吸收电磁干扰噪音的[星尘]物质,只此而已,别无其他东西。而新款的Hydra-

8
当然也少不了灌满『星尘』,但就算把Hydra-8里面的星尘完全倒掉,剩下来的结构也完

可以当作一个Hi End极品排插。


Shunyata Research不是现在才推出排插,早在三年多前笔者就试过一款
ShunyataResearch出品,木壳面板的Hydra排插,当时测试时的音效已令笔者折服不已,

终没有留为己用的原因只是没钱而已,想不到事隔三年有多又轮到在下进行测试,这一

试的排插仍然叫做Hydra,不同的是后面多了一个8字,全名叫做Hydra-8,之所以叫做8

显是因为有8个输出插座的缘故。

虽然新旧两款产品都叫做Hydra,但外表看上去已是南辕北辙,而内部的结构更是

差十万八千里,新款Hydra比旧款强了不知多少倍。旧款Hydra排插最值钱之处是内部空

灌满了用来吸收电磁干扰噪音的[星尘]物质,只此而已,别无其他东西。而新款的Hydra-

8
当然也少不了灌满『星尘』,但就算把Hydra-8里面的星尘完全倒掉,剩下来的结构也完

可以当作一个Hi End极品排插。

Shunyata Research公司在Hydra-8上—次过地采取了多项觊声措施,这些措施几

包括了一切电工技术中用来净化电源的[最]理想方法,
Hydra-8可以说是目前市面上一款集成了最多先进技术的电源排插,笔者认为不介绍一下

内容的话对不起厂方的诚意,当然如果看官没兴趣的话可以略过以下的技术简介,直接

至声音测试部份。

三叉戟
Shunyata Research把靓声八招中的头三招合并在一起,叫做TRIDENT Power
Protection System,意思是三又戟电源保护系统。这个系统不单止保护电源安全,同时

保护了声音质素,三叉戟中的第一叉叫做VENOM滤波器,实际上是一个四元件电容阵列
线
路,这个线路的主要目的是消除过电压脉冲,作用范围从数伏特至上千伏特,虽然电容

是消除过电压的一种常用元件,但Hydra-8的电容器却与别不同,原因是经过相当时间的

选,厂方选择了金属/聚酯电容器作VENOM滤波器的主要元件,这种电容器在遭到轻微破

时具有特殊的[自愈合]特性,因此可以某种程度地耐受高出设计值的电压,除此之外金

/聚酯电容在吸收过电压时较不易出现铃震现象。

三叉戟的第二叉是NextGen TMOV,MOV是金属氧化物压敏电阻的简称,其主体原

是氧化锌粉末,经常规陶瓷工艺烧结而成。MOV的用途极广,全部都是应用在各种情形下

过电压抑制,但Hydra-8的TMOV到底是甚么玩意厂方没有透露。笔者个人估计有可能是
SrTiO3复合功能陶瓷压敏电阻,这种压敏电阻在低压电路中对高电平,低频率的干扰具

出色的抑制能力,厂力的资料也明确地指出,TMOV主要是配合VENOM滤波器对大约在340V

6000V范围内的过电压进行抑制。换言之两者之间有一个340V-1000V的工作重叠区,确保

高电压脉冲有杀错无放过。

三叉戟最后一叉是Carling Electromagnetic Breaker,也就是Hydra-8机背那

开关掣,这可不是一个普通的开关掣,而是一个像大部份家庭厨房电掣箱里面的[电掣]

样的保护[跳掣],学名叫做断路器,作用和保险丝一样,当电路发生过电流意外时能迅

地切断电源。普通断路器对音响来说有两大缺点,第一是接触点面积太小,第二是把跳

内部的导电体充作保护元件,例如当出现过载(Overload)时导电体因发热而弯曲,从而

接触点顶开。CarlingElectromagnetic Breaker则摒除了这两项缺点,首先是接触点面

扩大到可以流过比设计值大的电流,其次是采用了独立於主电路之外的保护电路,无论

任何情形下都不影响音质。

包罗万有
除了保护系统外,Hydra-8还有多项靓声措拖,其中一项措施竟然和笔者在数月

摩自己的土炮排插的方法一模一样,当时在下摩完排插後自以为得计,洋洋得意地以为

己是第一个想到此办法的人,怎知看了Hydra-8的资料后才知道自己的想法是大错特错。

个靓声措施就
是一个巨型的汇流排,笔者所选用的是1寸厚铜巴,但Hydra-8用的却是1.5寸厚铜巴,

达5寸,一共三条,总重超过5磅!如此规模的铜巴不要说是20A,就算是1000A也不成问
题,
这还不算,三条铜巴竟然是经过了超低温冷冻处理的,将一切影响电流通过的因素都降

最低。
冷冻处理不单止用在铜巴上,Hydra-8装了8个Hubbell输出插座,全部都经过冷冻处理以

高导电能力,因此对整个Hydra-8来讲,电流的流通都可以用自由行来形容。

在导电和保护方面,Hydra-8是做足101分,但还是不够,作为一个音响排插,

重要的任务是降低噪音。为此Hydra-8沿用了Shunyata Research公司的独门绝活——星
尘,星尘的商品型号叫FeSi-1002,从型号中可以看出,星尘属于硅(矽)铁化台物,是一

人工合成的陶瓷类物质,由于星尘中的铁和硅是以化合物分子形式结合,所以星尘是不

金属的,但星尘却神奇地具有铁氧体/纯铁一般的吸收电磁幅射噪音的能力。有许多人

知的是,铁氧体制成的涂料是隐形战机其中一种用来吸收雷达电波的涂料,而星尘具有

等能力,可想而知其效力如何,星尘还有一样优点,在吸收噪音时不会对电流产生动态

缩效应,在音响来说这绝对是一个优点,不过对隐形战机来说这可能是一个缺点。

声音表现
对于Hydra-8这样一个集诸般武艺于一身,毫无电流限制现象的排插,接驳时当

不用客气,甚么CD机,前后级等等器材我一古脑全插在Hydra-8的屁股上。Hydra-8的电

插座是IEC320的20A扁脚式,为此选用了一条同厂的PYTHON ALPHA电源线,试音菜单如
下:
前级:McIntosh C46
后级:McIntosh MC402
喇叭:Thiel CS 2.4
接线:Zu Warmouth/Gede→-Varial→Ibis

即使是初开声,Hydra-8也具有令人耳目一新的表现,声音非常的开扬,但总觉

有点欲语还休,不太自然的感觉,煲了大约一个星期后,整体表现开始稳定下来,声音

容不迫,是时候考验其功力了。

很少电源系统能做到Hydra-8那种豁然开朗的声音感觉。在声音未出时Hydra-8

完全宁静的,给人一种老僧人定般的寂静感,但声音一出之时,尤其是动感较强的录
音,
Hydra-8就像一部油门踩到底的超级跑车,飞弹而出,无论高中低频、速度和控制力都有

显地加强和改善。

Hydra-8具有超强的空气感,笔者使用中的SonySCD-1本已是空气感出色的产
品,
但Hydra-8仍然能将其空气感多榨出一成以上,听Belafonte at Carnegie HallSACD中

“MATILDA”,本来此张SACD的制作水准很是一般,但有了Hydra-8的扶持下音效竟可以

升一班,细碎的杂音和现场各种反射音纤毫毕现,将整个表演舞台音源:Sony SCD-1幻

出来,舞台的大小和高度清晰可辨,Belafonte和乐队在舞台上的位置以及走动的情况被

代得一清二楚,歌曲的动态明显得到增强,Belafonte和听众及乐队之间的对答,全体一

Jam歌的情形有若身历其境,立体感和像真度非常出色。

试空气感少不了EVA CASSIDY Live at Blues Alley中的Bridge Over
Troubled
Water,声音未出之前我本以为会在歌曲的前奏段听到一大堆刮耳的磁带噪音,但结果却

乎我的意料,不错噪音的量和幅度是有轻微的增加,但听起来却一点也不觉得刺耳,相

地歌曲的真实感和现场感却得到增强。EVA的歌声磁性不减,而位置感和轮廓却被刻划得

外鲜明,谐波余韵和细节的增加使歌曲显得更加动听。因试音的关系,我本来对这首听

N
次之多的歌有点生厌,但Hydra-8却令我在不知不觉间将整首歌听完,完全没有半点讨厌

感觉。

Hydra-8的低频骤听之下除了控制力较为出色外,在力度和下潜力方面似乎没

甚么特别,听去年香港高级视听展[原音精选]CD的第一首A Groovy Kind Of Love便是

此,开头的鼓声除了收放更加自如外,下潜力和冲击力似乎没有甚么明显变化,但到了

后的Rimsky Korsakov:Scheherazade Op35,情况就不大一样了,低音大鼓一出有如排

倒海,超低频像是一堵墙一般地推过来,整个乐队不散不乱,声音快放快收,层次分
明,
每件乐器的位置和声音轮廓都清晰鲜明,即使在高潮合奏之时,解析力也没有降低,声

之中的细节变化听得异常清楚,丰盈的谐波和空气感包围着整个乐团,乐曲变得更加有

命感,更加有活力。两首乐曲的音效分别其实很简单,第一首的A Groovy Kind Of Love

配器较为简单,单一件乐器的重现不容易考起电源器材,但第二首情形就不一样了,低

混入大量的中高频讯号,电源系统处理不了大量猝发性讯号的话极易出现脚软或含混不

的情况,Hydra-8显然轻松地通过了考验。

Hydra-8的售价为19,500大元(去年起又涨了25%),不论声音表现,只计内部

用的科技措施已值回票价,更何况Hydra-8那超级传真的声音质素,绝对值得推荐。
回复人: LOBO 来 自: 58.34.62.238
回复时间:: 2009-07-01 17:48:11 讨论 返回本版
评述: 不行,不行,一定不行,绝对不行,歇歇帮顶.
国外有便宜的,很旧,无包装,鸡线! 而我此台极新,附件全,带 TAIPAN 线.
回复人: springson 来 自: 114.94.93.149
回复时间:: 2009-07-01 00:18:43 讨论 返回本版
评述: 10000?不行当顶了
回复人: LOBO 来 自: 58.34.158.243
回复时间:: 2009-06-27 19:38:10 讨论 返回本版
评述: 12000元包邮,不议价.带1.8MTaipan 线
回复人: LOBO 来 自: 58.34.158.243
回复时间:: 2009-06-22 23:56:02 讨论 返回本版
评述: 12000元包邮,不议价.带1.8MTaipan 线
回复人: LOBO 来 自: 58.34.58.239
回复时间:: 2009-06-14 17:28:03 讨论 返回本版
评述: 12000元.带1.8MTaipan 线
回复人: springson 来 自: 218.80.231.58
回复时间:: 2009-06-09 11:18:28 讨论 返回本版
评述: 10000考虑