Below, are questions we believe will help separate legitimate companies and products that are likely to offer consistent value and performance, from those that don’t.

In addition to the following list of questions, we have provided detailed answers regarding Shunyata Research, the company and our products.

DOES ANY IDENTIFIABLE TECHNOLOGY EXIST?
Shunyata Research holds multiple patents, US#6,242,689 and US#6,545,213, that protect the exclusive technologies used within its cable and power cord products. No comparable technology exists in the industry.

• The Patented FeSi 1000 compounds (at left), developed by former NSA scientist Caelin Gabriel are used in the Hydra Model-8 and vX model power cords -- and for digital output electronics such as Transports and CD players. These crystalline compounds absorb digitally generated noise and dissipate it as heat within their molecular structure, much in the same way that ferrites do, but without the negative effects of magnetized Ferrous material.

• Shunyata’s HELIX geometry was granted a Patent for its proven ability to minimize inductive and capacitive reactance, while at the same time providing rejection of EMI and RFI noise that interferes with signal integrity. This hand-braided Geometry is utilized in all of Shunyata Research’s top performing signal and power cord products.

• All the parts and materials used in Shunyata cable products are manufactured exclusively for Shunyata Research. The proprietary connectors, CDA 101 copper, plating processes, on-site cryogenic treatments and discrete termination procedures are the direct result of Caelin Gabriel’s exhaustive research and widely acclaimed design talents.

In depth information is available in Shunyata Research’s Technical sections. Top

WHAT TYPE OF HAND-ASSEMBLY IS INVOLVED IN MANUFACTURING?
OR ARE THE PRODUCTS MACHINE MADE?
There are extremely complex hand assembly processes that are crucial to the design of Shunyata Research’s HELIX signal and power cord products. Depending on the model, anywhere from 4, 6, 8 and 16 conductors must be precisely interwoven and crossed at ninety-degree angles to meet the patent specifications. This Geometry is far too complex for even the most sophisticated machine to complete and must be braided by hand.

Shunyata Research hires and trains qualified craftsmen to hand-braid its HELIX Series power cord and signal products. Qualifying for this work requires many hours of training, and only a very few of these individuals are qualified to hand-braid Shunyata’s more complex designs. The most complex HELIX braids can take up to eight-hours to braid a single cable. Terminating the products is also a job unto itself, as many Shunyata products are hermetically sealed and require special tool-sets and training to complete. Top

ARE THE MATERIALS USED IN THE CABLE PATENTED, UNIQUE OR PROPRIETARY?
In addition to the Patents Shunyata holds, all parts and materials used in its signal and power cord lines are proprietary. Nothing is off-the-shelf.

Shunyata Research purchases solid ingots of CDA 101 copper (the highest purity copper that can be certified). The ingots are melted and drawn into the various specified wire configurations that go into both the cable and Hydra products.

Shunyata Research has its own on-site cryogenic facility, where the parts and materials that go into the products are treated.

The silver, gold and rhodium plated AC connectors used in Shunyata’s power cord products are also proprietary, and are the exclusive intellectual property of Shunyata’s designer, Caelin Gabriel.

Even the terminations on Shunyata products are unique, including specialized soldering techniques and proprietary alloys. Top

ARE THE EXPLANATIONS OFFERED FOR THE CABLE DESIGN PLAUSIBLE?
Shunyata Research provides clear descriptions of its patented technologies, custom-made designs and proprietary parts. These descriptions also explain how these various design elements impact performance. Top

WHAT HAVE THE PRODUCTS LEGITIMATELY ACHIEVED?
Shunyata Research products stand alone in their product class as the most professionally and commercially endorsed products of their kind.

Normally, companies in the cable and power distribution industry have a quote from a review, or an industry endorsement that they use to back up their performance claims. Shunyata Research has achieved universal acclaim, not only from every magazine that has reviewed them, but just as importantly, from leading engineers such as those at Sony Music, Phillips International, Skywalker Ranch, Astoria Studio (Pink Floyd), as well as endorsements from Grammy Award winning recording professionals such as James Guthrie, Doug Sax, Rick Rubin, Stephen Epstien and a host of others.

Shunyata Research is extremely proud of the multitude of outspoken endorsements from electronics and speaker manufacturers, major studios, recording artists, top mastering engineers, movie and music producers, orchestras, as well as the awards given from all the industries top magazines, often by the editors and publishers themselves.

Any reasonable product can get a quote from a review or a nod from an industry person, but the sheer volume of awards and endorsements earned from all over the world, and in such a wide array of contexts has to be viewed as a remarkable achievement by anyone’s standard. Click here to read professional endorsements of our product. Top

IS THE CABLE PRODUCT FINISHED PROFESSIONALLY?
All Shunyata Research products are meticulously crafted, perfectly finished and without flaw in terms of cosmetics, ease of use and build quality. Every product is rigorously tested for Quality Control and functionality three times before being shipped. Top

DO THE INDIVIDUALS WHO DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE THE CABLES HAVE LEGITIMATE TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDS?
Within the audio-video industry, there is no engineer with a more complete understanding of the scientific tenets critical to signal isolation and current delivery.

While in college, Caelin Gabriel’s performance in the physical sciences attracted the attention of the US military. Gabriel was recruited and selected for training at a secret Navy cadre, and was subsequently assigned to the Military division of the National Security Agency. The NSA is the governmental information-gathering agency, with the world's most elaborate high-speed computers and signal decoding equipment. Gabriel was involved in the extensive R&D of ultra-sensitive data acquisition systems. These systems were designed to detect extremely low-level signals that required an outside-the-box approach to signal and noise-isolation. Equipment used by Gabriel and the team of NSA scientists could lock onto a correlated signal virtually obscured by random noise -- a feat believed impossible by engineers using commercial electronics of that era.

Subsequent to his military career, Gabriel became involved in the computer industry during the early Internet days under DARPA, working on network architecture. Later, he became involved with the development of high-speed networking devices like the 1GB/s fibre-channel interface and the present 100MB/s and 1GB/s Ethernet devices. Working with super-high-speed circuits wreaks havoc with textbook engineering school truisms. One cannot assume that wire has zero resistance, inductance or relative capacitance. In fact, Gabriel learned that whether a circuit works at all may well depend on the quality of connectors, interfaces and the buss system architecture.

These unique work related experiences at the highest levels of government and computer science led Caelin Gabriel to develop a series of fundamental precepts for the patented technologies and custom-designed parts that form the cornerstone of Shunyata Research products. Top

CAN THE DESIGN, PARTS AND LABOR INVOLVED JUSTIFY THE RETAIL COST?
In terms of Shunyata products? Absolutely. A number of competing cable manufacturers inflate retail prices so that  dealers and distributors have incentive to sell their products over others, or in some cases, to sell their product exclusively. Ultimately, we feel this devalues the product, and its second-market value will drop as a result, costing the consumer more than it should up front, and then again on the secondary market (internet), when the consumer realizes his “expensive cable product isn’t even worth half of what he paid for it.

Shunyata Research competes in the marketplace by holding retail prices down and promoting the superior performance, reliability and quality of our products when compared with inflated-margin lines.

Shunyata Research is proud to be represented by a majority of the industry’s finest brick and mortar dealers. These top salons care deeply about reliability, re-sale value and superior performance from the products they represent.

An easy way to discern whether a company is inflating retail costs is to check their second-market prices. If current market products are selling for below 50% of their retail cost, it is a strong indicator that the products retail price was artificially inflated to begin with. Current model Shunyata products routinely sell for 75% -- 80% of their retail cost on the used markets! Even Shunyata’s discontinued products sell for over 60% of their original retail cost.

Dealer margins on Shunyata products are the same margins offered by the majority of electronics and speaker manufacturers. In some cases, this is a disadvantage because some “inflated margin" companies offer up to 75% off of retail for their products as a means of keeping competitors performance oriented products from getting into the same store. Consumers that encounter a dealer that promotes only a single line of highly commercial cable may want to take note, and check the products aftermarket value before purchase. Over the long run, Shunyata Research believes these deeply discounted cable lines will fail. It is Shunyata Research’s belief that Value, Performance and Quality always prevail eventually.

Shunyata Research is the only company in its category to have its own wire made from copper certified as the purest available. Shunyata invests heavily in designing its own connectors and their three-stage plating process. Other significant and expensive investments include Shunyata’s on-site cryogenic facilities, patented geometries, proprietary termination alloys and patented compounds.

Shunyata Research products are made in the United States, in a Washington State based factory with over 20 full time employees, and fifteen part time employees. Shunyata also contracts with in-State metal workers, powder coaters, and machine shops in the interests of quality control and supporting local economies. Top

ARE THERE INDEPENDENT AGENCY ASSURANCES THAT THE PRODUCT IS SAFE TO USE?
Shunyata Research invested thousands of man-hours and dollars in testing and approvals to gain the Government issued UL seal of safety and quality assurance for its parts, materials and cable designs.

Despite the high-cost and two year quest for these approvals, the UL seal remains one of the few unquestioned earmarks of safety and quality assurance. Top

CAN THE PRODUCTS BE EASILY HANDLED AND MANIPULATED?
All Shunyata cable products are lightweight -- some weighing only a few ounces, easy to maneuver and extremely flexible. Top

WHAT TYPE OF COMPANY, SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE STAND BEHIND THE PRODUCT?
Shunyata Research has been manufacturing cables and power system products for almost seven years. In that time, there has been virtually a zero failure rate for the products, excepting those that have been reverse-engineered or otherwise tampered with by curious DIY enthusiasts

With a full staff, capable technicians, engineers and dedicated customer service people, there is always someone available to help answer questions or provide specific advice related to our products.

Cumulatively, we have over 50 years of high-performance electronics, cable and power-related experience. Our close relationships with a majority of the industry’s finest electronics and speaker manufacturers, studios and recording engineers allows Shunyata Research to provide system specific advice regarding our products. These, and countless other tangible advantages listed on our web-site, are what distinguishes Shunyata Research cable and power products as being in a class by themselves. Top