I’ve used one for 15 years following recommendations from Naim after a factory visit.
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My issues with hydras are:
- I would only buy a hydra if I knew that I had no chance of getting more or less boxes for many years to come. But I’ve never been in that situation since learning that they exist.
- Before buying a hydra I’d consider investing in individual Naim Powerlines
But if buying Powerlines for say 4 or more boxes you’re spending a grand, which could be spent instead on a dedicated radial or ring. With a hydra or Powerlines lites or Powerlines ?
So the electrical supply options can be quite complex and are probably best considered as a unified part of the system.
And I like to leapfrog intermediate steps if possible.
I have been using the music line Powerigel for 8-9 years. I am very satisfied with it. There is also a more expensive version made of Powerlines: https://www.music-line.biz/cms/POWERIGEL.500.0.html
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Is yours the Graham’s one?
At the moment, I use the standard Naim cables, as they seem to work pretty well. They are plugged into a balanced mains unit, so It’s possible there is start earthing there
Me too.
So for the present I’m focusing on upgrading my boxes instead.
Yes it is.
I may soon end up with a 3 box system, plus a Cisco, which I’d be very likely to not change for many years.
So then I could get a hydra.
But should I get a three or four lined Hydra?
ie to include the the Cisco in the hydra, or not?
I would leave the Cisco switch out of the loop in my view. Too noisy and I think it’s best being isolated
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Yes. What was I thinking.
Get it away from the naim gear.
Another Graham’s hydra user here. Bought when I had 5 boxes so mine’s a five-headed one. I found it a neat and cost-effective solution at the time.
Roger
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I have a 4 headed Grahams Hydra which I bought last year. Very pleased with it. It’s hard to describe what it does but I would say it adds a greater solidity to the sound, cohesion etc. Like Roger, pleased.
C.
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I have my 2960 off a Hydra head. No discernible negative effect and nice and tidy.
G
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What’s a balanced mains unit, Dave?
My Hydra goes straight into the wall.
C.
A balanced mains unit is, basically, a box that plugs straight into the wall. On the box itself there are (in my case) two sockets that my two Naim units are plugged into. The box contains an isolating mains transformer, and this sits between the hi-fi and the household power, but what makes this unit so different is down to the way the transformer is configured.
Most outlets set the mains at either 230v/120v AC on the line (depending on where you live), with Neutral set at, roughly, earth potential; on the balanced transformer, you see 115v/60v on both pins. I won’t bore you with all the detail, but the principle is that mains noise is effectively cancelled out - it’s called “common mode rejection”.
It works extremely well and almost eliminates mains noise without increasing line impedance in the way that filters do - and this is important especially for amplifiers as they demand current to be delivered quickly when dealing with transients. There are other types of noise, such as differential mode noise that this can’t deal with, but, by and large, it works extremely well and I’m very pleased with mine. I’ve been using mine for about ten years now with excellent results. Hope this helps
It was a company called “Airlink Transformers” They are fully compliant with the LV Directive and are CE marked. I’ve had mine for about ten years now and it’s very effective.
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