The Denali tower arrived today. I will be writing up a formal review but can't resist a few early observations.
1. This thing is built like a tank. It's expensive at $5K but it feels like you are getting what you pay for. Solid is the best word I have to describe it. Nice fit and finish as the auto reviewers say. Packaging is superb, double boxed, foam protected, nice package of materials and owners manual.
2. Despite already having a dedicated line, Oyaide outlets, and a PS8/Defender combo, this has taken the system to a new level. Everything feels more at ease and the bass is even better than before which has been excellent lately with the arrival of the KT120 tubes. The mids are more clear and vocals seem more natural.
3. The cable cradles are working with all my various power cables. I aspire to 100% Shunyata but it works on my Soundstring ac cord and the Shunyata Venoms. The cradles are a nice innovation. Should become a standard in the industry. It came with the Alpha HC ac cord which I plugged into the wall with the Oyaide. I will soon replace the outlet with a Shunyata outlet as the Oyaide is used and a bit loose.
4. The vertical design is genius. It works so well and it looks fantastic. The brushed black aluminum nicely fades into the background. Classy but doesn't draw too much attention to itself.
5. After a few hours of listening, I added in some Shunyata Venom XLR cables at 1.5 meters. I had some Audio Research litz XLRs (my better cables are mostly RCA) and this represented another major improvement but I suspect these are still breaking in. I heard better bass and more detail. It also seemed to let me play the music at lower gain levels on the Ref 5SE.
I get excited when things work so well. Proper power is the trifecta of sound: better highs, mids, and bass.
Well done Caelin and team. Superb sound. The stereo has taken another leap forward.