I don't want to get into a debate about if powercords and/or cables sound different or not. I just want to talk about the differences between the Audioquest Dragon and Audioquest Hurricane powercords in my system, based on my ears and preferences. My system consists of a Jeff Rowland 625 S2 amplifier, Jeff Rowland Corus preamp, Chord Dave DAC, Antipodes DS GT music server, Monitor Audio PL500 ii speakers, JL Audio F112 v2, Clarus Crimson speaker cables, Wireworld Platinum series 8 XLRs, and all Audioquest Hurricane power cords. I have two Dragon powercords for a home audition. I put one on my DAC and the other on my preamp. My initial thought is the Dragon added a lot of detail. I usually listen with the volume set at 60, but had to reduce it to 58 with the Dragon inserted. After letting the music play for awhile, I did some critical listening for 90 minutes or so. I'm pretty certain that I will keep all Hurricanes and not purchase any Dragon powercords. It isn't because I think the Hurricane is better. I submit they are different and I always say cables are system dependent. In my system the Hurricane is a more balanced cable, where the Dragon is forward to my ears and it's a cable that really highlights details in a way that I don't like. E.g. when I listened to a blues track by KEB MO, with the Dragons the guitar was very forward and dominate, his voice was out of balance and the bass wasn't as full. Returning to the Hurricanes provided excellent balance with detail and fuller bass. Things may change over the next couple of days, but I don't usually change from my initial thoughts. There are no absolutes in audio and careful component matching is more important than how much a component cost.
I just can’t believe power cable can make a difference in sound quality.
You are not alone! Do you base this belief on theory, or have you actually experimented with various power cables? At one time, I was a non-believer, too.
"You run an interesting combination of Audioquest, Clarus and WireWorld, cabling."
I've had the pleasure of auditioning every cable in my system. Cables from Wireworld, Audience. Shunyata, Transparent, Audioquest, High Fidelity, and a couple more. I tried several different speaker cables, powercords, and XLR cables. I simply choose what sounds best to my ears.
What's clarity and detail? Do you think it's an absolute or is it subjective? Your clarity and detail can easily be my sterile and bright. Whose right?
millercarbon. I agree with everything you said. The other factor to consider is the quality of the recording. Rock/pop are heavily processed in general, whereas classical recordings usually are natural. If the goal is high fidelity (HF) and not arbitrary "preferences", then clarity/detail is all important. It is difficult to judge HF if a processed recording gives no reference for HF, but if the recording is natural, the clear/detailed component will allow the listener to come closer to HF. Each component that is clear/detailed will enable more steps toward the goal of HF. This is a straightforward approach that avoids the confusing and sideways method of combining complementary colorations.
I just can’t believe power cable can make a difference in sound quality.
i can’t hear the difference between the metal jumpers on my speakers vs the original jumper plates. Tara said the job Moët wires need to burn in. In theory the jumper wires should conduct current better and perhaps this will improve speaker efficiency and reduce distortion.
DBS = dielectric-bias system. It creates a constant dielectric field for the cable's primary capacitance field. It's supposed to dissipate noise and eliminate distortions.
"Why so many embrace such an obviously flawed approach is beyond me." I'm not going to argue with you. This won't be that kind of thread. You assemble your system whatever way you prefer and I'll do the same. Nothing becomes out of balance if you have the opportunity to compare components in your own system prior to purchase.
I recently picked up a dealer demo of the low end of this line, the Thunder, and had not considered your quote below but it makes a ton of sense from my own experience. The PC sounded "ok" the first day I plugged it in but 24 hrs later it was amazingly changed...and in a really good way. Astounding actually. I can only imagine what your Dragon and Hurricane PCs must sound like.
if the DBS has been disconnected, it takes a good 24 hours for the cable to resettle if you need to plug the DBS in, and as AQ often ship with the DBS disconnected please do allow for this.
Here’s the problem with "system matching": complimentary flaws.
Too analytical? Match it up with too warm. Too bright? Match it up with too dark. Too lean? Match it up with too full.
On and on. Which granted you might be able to pull off. Until you change one component. Now your flaws are all out of balance. There’s no end to it.
My hunch is the whole red herring of matching was hatched by manufacturers to sell more stuff. Because your odds of ever having this work out are somewhere between slim, and none. Why so many embrace such an obviously flawed approach is beyond me.
I've heard this said before, "sometimes you need to let your ears adjust to what you're hearing, before you begin evaluating." The Dragons sound different from any powercord I've ever had. I need to adjust how I listen to capture the true essence of this powercord.
Elizabeth and Folkfreak very good points. They are demo pairs and the dealer told me they are completely broken in. I’ll keep them for several more days to do additional listening. I really just want to reiterate that I’m not saying the Hurricanes are better, but due to the rest of my system and preferences I may end up preferring the Hurricanes. All I can do is post what I hear.
Folkfreak, "The Hurricanes are more laid back and have a nice warm bass sound. In my system on big tube amps and Magico M3s the Dragons work extremely well so as the OP suggests systems matching is, as always, key. System matching is really the point of my post.
I’d say that what you describe @ricred1 captures the Dragons pretty well. They’re an unforgiving cable and stress clarity, speed and directness above all. What strikes first as less bass is likely actually an absence of lower mid bass emphasis, instead it passes the true bottom octave very cleanly. You can read more of this in my various postings about these cables.
The Hurricanes are more laid back and have a nice warm bass sound. In my system on big tube amps and Magico M3s the Dragons work extremely well so as the OP suggests systems matching is, as always, key.
One caveat to the above, and perhaps pertinent to what @elizabeth notes is that while I’ve found all AQ power cords to sound pretty much consistent straight out of the box this is not true if the DBS has been disconnected, it takes a good 24 hours for the cable to resettle if you need to plug the DBS in, and as AQ often ship with the DBS disconnected please do allow for this,
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