Shunyata DENALI

GrantS

Industry Expert
Oct 23, 2013
171
59
333
Why would orientation affect the Triton/Typhon performance?

Hi Bud, thanks for the note. I hope all is well with you.

It may be helpful as context to think of power products such as ours, as high-current amplifiers. Would it be wise to set an amp on its faceplate? Upside down on carpet or wood? God forbid, tile, which I've seen a few times. Nuts.

Forget the simple aesthetic and possible value loss in terms of cosmetics, but you are essentially setting a high-current device that is sensitive to where it rests, on its flattest surface and in many cases on carpet or a hard surface near massive speakers. Power devices like ours or any others, are sensitive to where they rest, which is why we made that a big part of the Denali design. Caelin would not be doing accelerometer tests if it were not so, see our video on the subject on you-tube. Vibration isolation is critical to high-current devices performing at their peak.

We've made it impossible to set the 6000S (Shelf unit) on its face by angling the faceplate. None of this is big-time major depending on your perspective, and the product will still function well, but we are in a detail oriented business, where from our necessary perspective, everything matters. The better oriented components are, the better the sound gets. That is why I recommend products like Stillpoints, HRS for supports. They make components sound better and are properly engineered by smart people.

Anything like a Digital Transport, amplifier or power product that has many component's plugged into it, should receive attention to isolation support to sound its best. Putting power-related components that could be supporting an entire system on their faceplates on carpet or wood or tile or a towel on the floor makes no sense, if systems aspire to top fidelity. I've traveled the world a few times over and seen some big mistakes made related to power, as if its an afterthought. If I can get one point across to anyone, whether choosing our products or another, is that it is not. Isolation for power-related components is critical for best fidelity. The differences are enormous when you correct the problems with a less than ideal set up.

We calibrate torque wrenches for a specific setting because that setting "sounds better". We use sonic-welding for the same reason. We design our own hollow-core wire, pure copper outlets, internal-parts and a new line of products that protect the outlets and seat the power cords optimally. We have 7 published Patents on technology and more pending. If you do all that -- and then visit dealers and distributors who put products on their faceplates for convenience in enormous systems, well, we came up with the Denali :).

Everything to do with power-delivery can make or break a big system and if you do it right, the return is worth more than the outlay. Treat the room first, get great power-delivery second, and the system will likely cost you less. The problem is, people buy with their eyes when they visit a salon and think of power, component isolation and the room as an afterthought.

You already know most of this, Bud. I've been traveling like a demon in medical and audio, so most of this is just me spouting off on what I see and experience--some of it appalling in medical. Just over-answering your question for others and realizing most in medical and audio don't take power-delivery as seriously as they should. It's about more than plunking an iso-transformer in a corner.

Best regards,

Grant
 

cjf

Well-Known Member
Nov 19, 2012
452
101
948
visit dealers and distributors who put products on their faceplates for convenience in enormous systems

I think this is a perfect example and goes to show that a large number of people simply don’t have the ability or interest to put more than a nanosec of forethought into how or why things work the way they do. Its quite scary actually:

1. Work for pay
2. Purchase item
3. Bring home item
4. Plug in under any means necessary
5. Push Button
6. Magic Happens

Time goes by..........

Ooops, Something Bad Happened :confused:

Repeat Step 5 :confused:
Repeat Step 5 :confused:
Repeat Step 5 :(
Repeat Step 5 :eek:
Repeat Step 5 :mad:

7. Declare item broke
8. Call repair man
9. Repair man plugs item power cord back into wall
10. End User Smiles :)
10. Repair man walks away with $300 and a smile of his own :p

Moral of the story is that these days if things are not built in such a way that guides the end-user of said thing towards its ideal operating end state (As Shunyata did with the Denali 2000/6000T in this case) with no thought needed during its installation than its anyone’s guess how something will be deployed and used once released into the wild.
 

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
1,709
406
405
Grant, thanks. I had forgotten about the vibration aspect, even though I am a big fan of vibration elimination. Fortunately, I have the shelf space for my Triton and Typhon to sit on. The Triton is on three Mapleshade Micropoint footers. My two Cyclops are on the floor with spikes and saucers. Anyway, I rarely think of my stereo anymore. I just listen to it. :)
 

GrantS

Industry Expert
Oct 23, 2013
171
59
333
Mapleshade make very good isolation products., so those are fine. Whenever the time is right, I would consider the Denali 2000T as a comparator to Cyclops. You have a great looking system, Bud. Sit back and enjoy it.

Best regards,

Grant
 

GrantS

Industry Expert
Oct 23, 2013
171
59
333
its anyone’s guess how something will be deployed and used once released into the wild.

Hah, wise words.. We have thought about that a great deal since the beginning and Denali is an expression of an obsessive mind or two in that regard. It's a big step toward an ideal in form and function.

Best regards,

Grant
 

cjf

Well-Known Member
Nov 19, 2012
452
101
948
Recieved my Denali 6000T today with an Alpha HC cord. It's been running in for about 6hrs now and I've just started to give it a good listen.

Two things already come to mind as I sit here:

1. It's just become crystal clear to me that my front end system gear must have needed a power conditioner pretty badly
2. Holy $hit, this thing is no joke

And this coming from someone who had given up on all Shunyata gear since the V-Ray II era. Well, what ever they did with this Denali they hit the nail on the head on all counts.

I'm dumbfounded! It may take a while to get my head around a way to explain what I'm hearing :cool:

@GrantS & Team

Congrats on one heck of a piece of gear... One small gripe, if you make a version II model someday please make the feet height adjustable on the Denali
 

Illinimax

Well-Known Member
Aug 16, 2015
11
0
231
Had the same reaction. Ordered another Denali today and a bunch of Sigma PCs for my entire system. Really is an incredible product.
 

asindc

Well-Known Member
Sep 27, 2012
187
20
923
For those who have the Denali in your system, are you also running your amps into it? If so, what are your amps?
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
For those who have the Denali in your system, are you also running your amps into it? If so, what are your amps?

I picked up a Denali to audition in my system yesterday. The way my system is set-up I can either connect my amps or my pre-amp and sources. Initially I have connected my amps and will move it to the other components in a few days. Seems to working nicely with the amps connected.
 

MadFloyd

Member Sponsor
May 30, 2010
3,076
774
1,700
Mass
I picked up a Denali to audition in my system yesterday. The way my system is set-up I can either connect my amps or my pre-amp and sources. Initially I have connected my amps and will move it to the other components in a few days. Seems to working nicely with the amps connected.

What differences do you hear, Jim?
 

RedSectorA

New Member
Feb 19, 2014
28
0
0
Running a pair of Ayre MXR's into a 2000T for the past week. Denali reduced noise considerably compared to straight in duplexes with a Typhon in the same circuit. I now have the Typhon connected to a Triton II.

I initially connected the Denali to an Anaconda CX which appeared to choke the MXR's, I could hear more detail but at the same time it was flat sounding. Anyways replaced the Anaconda CX to a King Cobra CX and I now have the dynamics as well as the lower noise floor.
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
What differences do you hear, Jim?

I also borrowed a unbroken in 20amp Alpha HC power cord to connect the unit to my wall plugs. All observations are very preliminary.
Very, very quiet. I hear nothing from my speakers or amps between tracks. When music is playing it seems more dynamic. there is more bass energy with very quiet backgrounds.

I will keep updating my progress.
 

Odyssey

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2015
24
0
231
I've had the Denali in my system for about a week now. I would say that it is easily the most important addition to my system this year.

Earlier this summer I had the Stromtank battery unit in my room. Unfortunately it was a prototype and didn't operate properly all of the time.

I would put this up there with that type of magnitude of change.

The Denali is leading to longer intervals of listening. There is "space between the notes". Digital hash is removed. Noise floor is as low as I have ever heard.

I can play music (all kinds) at higher SPL's with much lower auditory distress. I am amazed at how well it works! I may be buying a second one.
 

asindc

Well-Known Member
Sep 27, 2012
187
20
923
I've had the Denali in my system for about a week now. I would say that it is easily the most important addition to my system this year.

Earlier this summer I had the Stromtank battery unit in my room. Unfortunately it was a prototype and didn't operate properly all of the time.

I would put this up there with that type of magnitude of change.

The Denali is leading to longer intervals of listening. There is "space between the notes". Digital hash is removed. Noise floor is as low as I have ever heard.

I can play music (all kinds) at higher SPL's with much lower auditory distress. I am amazed at how well it works! I may be buying a second one.

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Are you plugging your amps into it?
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
Yes, according to Shunyata there is no compromise of current when the amps are plugged into the bottom most two sockets.

Caelin, also informed me that the other sockets will handle a full 15 amps. Under normal circumstances there shouldn't be an issue with any of them.
 

kennyb123

Well-Known Member
Nov 30, 2012
856
796
1,155
Kirkland, WA
I received a brand new Denali D6000/S yesterday along with a brand new Alpha HC to connect it to the wall. My early impressions align well with what others have reported.

Three areas that really improved with the Denali:

1) Tonal density. There’s just more there there. The food is just packed with more flavor.
2) Explosiveness. There’s been an increase in dynamic explosiveness/expressiveness across the board. This is most noticeable in cymbals, which explode more realistically than ever (I’m a drummer so this is important to me). There was a similar thing going on with voices and horns too and this may be the most thrilling aspect of the improvements as it really enhanced the sense of hearing live music. It gets even more thrilling the more I crank the volume. If one's goal is to increase the sense that you're hearing live music from your audio system, then adding a Denali seems like a no-brainer.
3) Reduced noise. The noise floor is lower for sure, but what impressed me most was how much grain has been removed from the music itself. This increased the realism factor as well.

The explosiveness was a surprise to me. I was expecting maybe a slight dulling of transients by adding a power conditioner - or at best a wash. No way was I expecting dynamics to actually improve.

I played a few tracks from Chris Cornell’s “Songbook” album. I saw him play live here in Seattle three years ago and last night my system transported me back to that night. The power in Chris’ voice was riveting. And it sounded so darn clear and so tonally correct - it was as if I was sitting there in the venue and not actually listening to a recording in my home. Powerful stuff - and yet by that time the Denali and new Alpha HC had only been out of the box for a few hours. I’m eager to hear how much more things improve as things settle in.
 

cjf

Well-Known Member
Nov 19, 2012
452
101
948
1) Tonal density. There’s just more there there. The food is just packed with more flavor.
2) Explosiveness. There’s been an increase in dynamic explosiveness/expressiveness across the board.

The explosiveness was a surprise to me. I was expecting maybe a slight dulling of transients by adding a power conditioner - or at best a wash. No way was I expecting dynamics to actually improve

Agreed 100% on these aspects.

I'm using mine only on the PreAmp & DAC Front End components in my system. I wasn't expecting the added punch in the Mid Bass and Lower Bass registers from the additin of this unit considering my usage scenerio but I'll be damned if it didn't somehow make both of those areas sound much improved. Areas in the Mid Bass region that used to be audible but lacked a bit of meat on the bones now sounds much more fleshed out and present.

I'm a big Metallica fan and use their "Black" Album often for testing system changes. With the Denali 6000T & Alpha HC cord in place Lars drum work that falls more in the Mid Bass region has "punch you in the face" slam to it now that was more like a sissy slap before :)

Another good go to for me is Peter Gabriel's "SO" Album. The bass line strumming towards the end of "Don't give up" sound very convincing and real now with more flavor and texture to the notes.

I could go on about the Denalis benefits but ultimatly I can sum up my impression of it by saying that it's been one of the best purchases I've made in a long time in this hobby and that I'm a big fan of its tower layout almost as much as the SQ benefits it offers :)
 

kennyb123

Well-Known Member
Nov 30, 2012
856
796
1,155
Kirkland, WA
The increase in clarity and transparency has been what's been blowing my mind the last few nights.

I was reminded of my reaction when I got my first pair of eyeglasses only a few years ago. I had been walking around with poor vision for many years - totally unaware that I wasn’t able to see things clearly. That's kind of how it's been with my system all these years.
 

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
1,709
406
405
Are any Denali users upgrading, and if so what was your previous power conditioner.

Or is this your first power conditioner.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing