Shunyata Power Conditioners – A Rough Guide

Shunyata Research are an American company, based in Poulsbo, a small town in Washington state in the Pacific North West, they are a short boat trip and drive from Seattle.

Shunyata have an impeccable reputation within the industry, Caelin Gabriel their founder, owner and chief designer spend a lot of years working for the US Military designing complex noise reductions systems. Caelin also just so happened to be an audiophile and when military life ended his unique set of skills could be applied to the audio world to help remove noise and improve system performance and in 1998 Shunyata Research was created.

Shunyata had been on my radar for a little while when in 2019 a mutual friend in the industry suggested that I should have a conversation with Guillaume Boyer, the owner of Boyer Audio who is the importer of Shunyata Research within in the UK.

A selection of key products were sent to me to evaluate and after some time in my demonstration room and showing them around a few customers it was obvious that they were something very special. I hit the grounding running and 4 years later it feels like I have barely come up for air.

Shunyata design and manufacture a wide range of products, including loudspeaker cables, analogue and digital cables, plus a fantastic grounding solution to use with their power conditioners. But, they are undoubtedly most well known for their power cables and conditioners.

Addressing power is the primary foundation for improving the performance of any system. The mains power that enters our home is noisy as is many of the devices which we have plugged in at home, kitchen appliances, routers, chargers and countless wi-fi devices.

The components that make up our systems also produce noise, for example amplifiers that pull current in pulses reflect noise back into the mains which can navigate its way through into other components in the system. You obviously cannot hear this noise directly, but if you can remove it you will hear the impact it makes on the performance of your system.

Shunyata lower noise and improve performance via the implementation of several proprietary and patented technologies, I’ve highlighted a selection of the key elements below, there is more much information on these technologies and more on Shunyata’s website

Dynamic Transient Current Delivery (DTCD) – this is a proprietary measurement technique which has given Shunyata a unique advantage in the design of conditioners (and power cables) that can maximise the delivery of current to connected components. Measurements indicate that designing in overrated parts using matched metals throughout the electrical path leads to consistent gains in performance, regardless of the system. Overrating and the custom manufacturing of these parts is also directly linked to reliable products with real longevity. As a result, Shunyata invests enormous resources into creating its own components, all made from ultra-pure copper, that exist nowhere else in the industry. This relates directly to CopperConn below.

Shunyata’s custom designed and manufactured parts include solid copper outlets, AC connectors, internal wiring, power conductors, buss systems, ground posts and noise isolation chambers. All of these bespoke parts are critical to the performance levels that a Shunyata power conditioner will deliver. All of these components are proprietary and are not found in any other product. Together, the collection of DTCD designed parts form the cornerstone of a broad base of intellectual property. I saw a wide selection of these over-engineered parts on the bench in a recent factory visit and Shunyata go to an almost obsessive level of detail with them and it was hugely impressive to see this first hand.

Component to Component Interference or CCI for short – these are filters which reduce component generated mains noise, this filter is unique in that it also prevents noise from one component leaking backwards and polluting other components, they reduce this noise without the use of transformers, choke, capacitors or coils. Current delivery is not restricted by the use of these filters and they do not compress system dynamics or strangle the music – Shunyata often talk about ‘no hum, no buzz and no heat’ and it is the implementation of CCI which prevents this.

Noise Isolation Chamber (NIC) – this is a patented device which reduces high frequency power line noise. Inside the chamber there is a ferroelectric substance which absorbs high frequency noise and it does so passively without any of the reactive negatives associated with transformers and large capacitors as used in many conventional power conditioners.

~ Patent US 8,658,892 ~

KPIP – This stands for Kinetic Phase Inversion Process, this is another patented technology developed by Caelin to address the issues with burn in time of both cables and components, they have developed a machine is applied to every cable and conditioner they make which dramatically minimises burn in time, I’ve seen this process first hand in the Shunyata factory and it was fascinating to observe it and KPIP V2 was introduced with the launch of Gamma and Theta and it will be rolling out to other products very soon.

QR/BB – This is a patented device found only in the Everest, the Typhon T2 and the Typhon T30. QR/BB is a module which enhances the perception of dynamic impact and timing when connected to amplifiers or other high-current electronics. The ‌‌QR/BB™ is unique in that it provides a local reserve of energy, or charge, that mitigates the inductive reactance of the AC power line without using coils, transformers or capacitors. The ‌‌QR/BB™ acts as an instantaneous energy reserve when placed in-line with an AC power supply.

Whenever a demonstration of a Shunyata Conditioner with QR/BB is done, the feedback is always overwhelmingly positive, regardless of the level of the system in use they always deliver a component level upgrade.

— Patent Number: US 10,031,536 —

Simply put Shunyata power conditioners make everything sound better, their products are designed to be neutral, sonically invisible so they can step out of the way of the sound, they do not change or shape the sound and importantly they do not compress or crush system dynamics. Many well known established ‘mid-fi’ brands who make power products can really strangle the music, some of them certainly can reduce noise, but they come with a caveat – this does not happen with Shunyata, even large amplifiers will dramatically improve when connected to a conditioner.

Each model in the range fundamentally does the same thing – they improve every element of a system, detail, clarity, weight, 3d, note decay, as you move up the range the improvement with each model becomes more obvious and more profound as the technologies employed in each model differ. The QR/BB model is only available on the Typhon T2, Typhon T30 and the Everest for example and the isolations zones increase as you move through the range also.

There are 6 power conditioners starting with the Venom V6, this model replaced the popular Venom UK6. Priced at £2500 the V6 has 6 outlets and all are contained within a single zone of isolation.

As with every current Shunyata power conditioner the V2 has a chassis ground terminal on the rear for those who want to add an Altaira grounding hub (the Altaira will be getting it’s own rough guide in due course)

The entry level Gamma XC Power Cable (£649) is the natural power cable to be used with the UK6. As with all Shunyata Power Conditioners the cable you need to feed the V6 requires a C19 IEC connector.

The V6 and the Gamma make an excellent combination and will improve the performance of any system you connect it to. I’ve had superb results with the T+A 200 Series system, plus Melco with the S100 Switch and the N50 Music Library.

When connected to the V6 you get a greater sense of air and space around the musicians, bass response improves and notes develop more texture.

The Delta D6 is the next model up in the range and is the first model in Shunyata’s ‘Performance’ range.  When placed side by side with a Venom V6 there isn’t a lot to tell the 2 models apart visually at initial glance, but upon closer inspection the D6 is marginally larger, the fit and finish is superior and it’s also quite a bit more substantial when you pick one up.

The Delta D6 has been a very popular upgrade for customers here at Audio Therapy and for good reason. The Delta D6 has 6 sockets like the V6,  but here they are split into 3 isolated zones with 2 sockets per zone, there is also greater noise suppression on the Delta.

This gives the D6 a distinct sonic advantage over the V6, it enables you separate analogue and digital components across the zones for example. For example you could connect a integrated amplifier into 1 zone, a DAC into another and connect your Melco server and switch into the 3rd zone. It may not seem like much but the devil is in the detail and as a good as a V6 is when you compare it to the D6 there is only ever one outcome.

The Delta D6 is £3500, the Theta XC has been the most popular power cable we have supplied for this model, they make for a superb combination. Comparing Theta to Gamma you get greater clarity and coherency.

The next model in the range is the Alpha A10, also from the Performance range, this model is best thought of as a larger Delta D6.

The Alpha A10 has 10 outlets and as such it has proven very useful in larger systems. It is physically larger than the D6, build quality and finish are to the same high standard as the D6.

The 10 sockets are divided into 6 zones of isolation. Zone 1 and zone 2 are single sockets making them ideal for the primary components in your system, such as an integrated amplifier and a DAC or network player, the other 4 zones each have 2 sockets per zone.

As with the other models in the range the Alpha A10 does not generate any heat so enclosing it within a cabinet or cupboard is never an issue.

In term of performance the Alpha A10 performs to the same level as the Delta D6. I’ve supplied A10’s that have been used in larger 2 channel systems, plus cinema systems and several where audio and cinema are combined in the same system, one example of this is a Vitus RI-101 mk2 connected to zone 1 and a Denon AVC-A1HD home cinema amplifier connected to zone 2, with the other components zoned out appropriately over the remaining 8 outlets.

Up next is the Typhon T2 and this model has undoubtedly been one of Shunyata’s biggest success stories, it has been a landmark product for them since launch and it certainly has kept me very busy.

The Typhon T2 has 2 UK outlets on it, plus a 3rd outlet which uses a proprietary amphenol connector.

The 2 UK sockets are capable of dealing with very high current loads so we have no issue connecting large power amplifiers or a large integrated amplifier to these sockets.

The 3rd outlet can be used in one of two different ways, with the correct cable it be used to power a 3rd component, or if you already own a Shunyata Power Conditioner you can use this outlet to provide power to your existing conditioner and dramatically improve its performance.

The vast majority of the Typhon T2’s I have installed are being are used as standalone power conditioners, for example a recent system comprised of Vitus RI-101 mk2 Integrated Amplifier connected to the amphenol outlet with a T30 power cable. The 2 standard outlets were used to power a Melco N1 and Metronome Le DAC 2 using Sigma V2 NR power cables, another example is a Linn Klimax DS3 with a Plinius Pre/Power.

One of the key elements of the T2 is the QR/BB module, it is the exact same module as contained within the flagship Everest (this module is 3 x larger than the QR/BB module in the Denali) – it acts like a large reservoir for storing current and delivering it in an instantaneous manner as and when the system demands it, this module can deliver large amounts of current much faster than a direct connection to a wall socket can deliver and as such you give a system incredible headroom and dynamics. (QR/BB Patent Number: US 10,031,536)

The Typhon T2 also has another US patent on it in the form of a ‘Noise Isolation Chamber’ (Patent Number: US 8,658,892), this was created to reduce high frequency noise on the power line. Inside this chamber there is a non-reactive ferroelectric substance that absorbs high frequency noise.  This reduces noise without any of the negatives associated with power filter coils, capacitors and transformers.

Although technically the Everest is Shunyata’s flagship model the Typhon T2 performs to the same level, it simply has less sockets, perfect for those with smaller systems. Each of the 3 sockets are isolated zones. The Typhon T2 is £5500 and has been the most popular power conditioner here at Audio Therapy in terms of numbers sold.

I get asked about the dedicated output quite frequently and which power cables are suitable – there are several options which vary depending on how it is being used in a system.

To use the Typhon T2 with an existing Shunyata conditioner you require an C19 umbilical, there are 3 available – the Performance cable is £750, there is a Reference version available which £1250, the best cable is the T30 which is £1500. All of these cables are 0.5m long by default, longer lengths can be ordered.

If you intend to use this output to power a component, there are 3 options, these are all 1.75m long and come by default with a C15 IEC. The Reference cable is £1000, the Performance is £1500 and the T30C is £2000, the T30C has been the most popular.

Everest or Typhon? – this simply comes down to how many sockets you require, if you have a system that requires less than 3 power sockets the Typhon T2 is the obvious choice, but for those with larger systems the Everest moves into focus, as mentioned above they both perform to the same level, the Everest offers 7 outputs.

Everest is physically larger and is a different shape compared to the Typhon. There are 6 zones of isolation – sockets 6 & 7 are shared on the same zone.

In performance terms the Typhon T2 and Everest offer a sizeable jump in performance when you add one into any system. I have never done a demonstration of either model which has not resulted in a very happy customer, every demonstration results in a customer placing an order for one or the other.

Bass response becomes deeper, faster, tighter and there is a large increase in space, air and subtlety – the music become easier to follow and you get a increase in finer detail, insight and coherency.  The decrease in noise levels is so stark I’ve had many customers almost in shock and bewilderment the first time they have experienced one in their own system. It only ever takes a quick power down and removal before they realise how significant their impact can be in a system.

They both make make the music more natural, more articulate and importantly more enjoyable to listen to, it’s a bit of hi-fi cliche, but listening to music you think you know well with an Everest or Typhon driving the system can be quite an eye opener.

As with the other conditioners both Typhon T2 or Everest do not come supplied with a power cable to connect to the wall, the Sigma XC and Omega XC are the 2 most popular choices for these models.

The new Sigma X XC is £4000, the previous version, the Sigma XC was consistently very popular and I suspect this new version will be even more popular, the Omega XC is £7000 – this is clearly a big jump in financial terms and it can put many off, which I completely understand

Every customer who has compared Sigma XC to Omega XC has ended up with an Omega XC taking up permanent residency in their system, it is a truly magnificent cable, elevating performance to a completely new level. If you haven’t heard a Typhon or Everest with an Omega XC you haven’t heard them perform to the best of their abilities.

There is one more power conditioner in the range, a model which so far has almost slipped under the radar, this is the Typhon T30 and this best thought of as a super-charged version of the Typhon T2. Visually from the front it looks identical to the T2 and it has the same 3 outlets as the T2, it simply takes performance to the next level.

The mains input on the T30 is the same style twist/lock amphenol connector as featured on the 3rd output, as such T30 is the only Shunyata power conditioner that comes included with a power cable for the wall. The quality and connection method employed here is  unrivalled and ensures peak current transfer and the maximum possible performance increase compared to a conventional input.

The T30 is designed primarily for use with large, current hungry amplifiers and it really does excel when used this way.

The Typhon T30 is priced at £9000 including the dedicated 1.75m T30P input cable.

Summing Up

Mains power is the primary foundation for every system and unfortunately it is one of the most overlooked aspects of many systems, it can hold back and restrict a systems ability to convey the music to the best of the systems ability.

Power is subject to large amounts of noise and instability and once this is addressed in a system the impact it can make on system performance can be profound, this is an upgrade that underpins the entire system and can stay in place as and when the system around it gets upgraded.

A bold statement perhaps, but a Shunyata power conditioner improves the performance of any system. Generally speaking the better a system is to begin with the larger the overall impact a conditioner will make, all equipment responds positively – they lower the noise level of a system, which in turn improves clarity, dynamics, depth, sound-stage, textures and layering, they also improve tonality and they simply make the music sound more real and alive.

The amount of customer feedback I’ve received which states that the addition of a power conditioner has been one of the very best upgrades that a customer has ever made to his system is quite substantial to say the least.

Unfortunately too many people ignore the fundamentals of a system yet frequently upgrade their boxes, continuously chasing audio nirvana instead of laying down the correction foundations for their system, which will enable it to perform to a higher standard.