My experience with AQ Thunder and Tornado mimics yours.
The Hurricane is better but is still a dark sounding bass heavy power cable.
I now use Nordost Frey 2 power cables. Fast, open, extended and very musical sound.
Cable agnostic to convert (within budget)
The addition of both the AQ tornado HC and Source power cords to my dac and amp proved a bit of a letdown. I in turn was becoming jaded with the overall sound delivery and at times was starting to tire of music in general. During my time with the tornado combo, it became vital to cherry pick music more conducive to work alongside the power cords. Never once was it possible to put on any music in my collection and be amazed or even satisfied with the result. Even music with strong production quality was invariably underwhelming and lackluster overall. Something had to give. Then my pure chance, while on amazon , I came across a relatively expensive power cord , albeit for a non brand name company and was taken in by the looks and overall design. The power cord in question was the TODN power cord master retailing for $400 and through subsequent research found it to be largely inspired (for all intents and purposes a knockoff) of the Nordost Odin power cord. Well this very same knockoff has proven to be knock out. The sound has become filled with life again. There is so much presence lent by the new TODN power cord to my system sound , a laser-like focus of light pushing the AQ sound print to the background. Now, two aspects to the TODN power cord which telegraph a very good design even before usage are the quality of construction of the connectors on each end and how pliable and manageable is the cord inself. Gone are the wrangling or wrestling episodes associated with working with the AQ power cords and pretty much else they offer.
With the tornado hc and source power cord combo, the system sound had taken a turn for the worse. Dark, dense, dull, dreary and oftentimes possibly even depressing. The addition of the TODN revitalized and energized a system in decline. True, they claim more silver utilized in construction. Unlike the tornado combo. All things considered the TODN seemed to do more of everything better in all audiophile areas of consideration. My first listening experience was with plain ole news commentary on cable tv. I instantly had to perform a double take with the amount of inner detail to the biomechanics expressed in the vocal note decay of the presenter. Almost unnervingly realistic as the individual inhale/exhale patterns of each reporter was presented like never before. Secondly, some techno tracks were now presented with so much realism, it became nearly impossible to separate the music from outside noise e.g. neighbor scaffolding project.
Imagine if you can , a live music venue , the plush interior now manky from periods of neglect, heavy curtains concealing dirty windows to the outside. The resident band went through on and off stage problems with substance abuse. AQ tornado combo in other words. Then the venue is under new ownership. They strip down the interior , open the windows , clean the place up as does the band. Now the band actually enjoys performing again and so does the audience. This is the TODN (Odin knockoff)
In terms of inner detail, fluidity of musical elements, detail retrieval, even handed treatment of lows/mids/highs, clarity, ability to convey and communicate the storyline in each song/musical piece and sheer musicality, the TODN stands apart.
The AQ tornado or any of my AQ thunders or blizzards do not come even close to offering the same sound delivery as the TODN. Bearing in mind as many readers know so well the latter priced at approx. 25% - 40% of the AQ tornado.
I approached the purchase of the TODN with an open mind. If it failed to deliver , then the power cord was one its way back to Amazon the next day. It is now a definite keeper. Still quite amazed in fact at how good this thing is. Some report offering a good taste, although not a completely exact rendition of what the original Odin power cord can offer at a relatively minuscule price. Bringing into focus the real argument to make for choosing higher priced & not the cheapish replicas of ultra high end audio cables over low mid or mid tier offerings from these same companies. Imho, the increase in overall sound quality from the Tornado source power cord to the TODN (Odin inspired) power cord is at least a 20% difference. I seemed to have snagged the very last one on Amazon. However, if you can find it elsewhere , give it a whirl and nothing to lose if a 30 day return policy applies.
To end, the original high end cable companies have little to fear from the replica/knock off industry. Most consumers who partake in the latter, will likely never be in a position anyways to purchase the ultra high priced stuff. The high end cable companies will always have a loyal following of dedicated fans. In fact the replica/knockoff industry might be providing a public service in providing a genuinely viable alternative to those audiophiles at risk of making cable purchases well beyond their means.
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@audphile1 So true. The transient speed along with full micro detail capture is quite enjoyable. The Nordost (type) sound is akin to putting life back into the music. No dbs boxes or stiff and cumbersome cables to work with it either like AQ. |
I am a big believer in cables and can hear the differences with each change in interconnects, digital and speaker cables. I have yet to have a system changing moment when adding a new power cable. I have had a couple that were like blankets on the sound, but nothing on the positive side that was revelatory. It is something I need to explore further, and throw some money at I guess. |
I went to Amazon to look for this cable. I found three TODN "audiophile" PCs there. They were priced from $69. to $169. and all claimed to be 3 conductor 7AWG (in toto) OHNO continuous cast copper. Under product information, though, all were listed as 10 AWG. Ask Rufus could not clear up the discrepancy, Amazon provided a direct link to the mfr. Their site showed the same three PCs. Nowhere was a $400 PC to be found but Amazon did offer a package deal with any of the three PCs paired with a TODN power conditioner for from about $300 to $400. FWIW |
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Perhaps this is the conditioner and cable to which the OP referred. https://a.co/d/ddR23Ud |
If one really wants to get the experience of what is on offer from the Big Price Ticket Cables sold today by Brands, there is the option to buy into Cables using the same Type of Wire these Brands are adopting. Cables today using PC Triple C Wire can be found in the $ multi thousand price range. Cables today using D.U.C.C Wire can be found in the $ multi thousand price range, even learnt recently up to $10K for a Metre Length. To experience these Wire Types need not be costly, and the impression able to be made will be very very similar to what the very very expensive Cable is able to offer. https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/japan/en/auction/yahoo/input/c1189707543/ https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/japan/en/auction/yahoo/input/l1182833443/ https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/japan/en/auction/yahoo/input/c1189707543/#
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Some updates on the recent audio cable upgrade adventure. I use the word upgrade carefully and only where appropriate after critical comparison to the previous cable setup. Still seems difficult to ever conceive a pc/rca/sc cable combo priced for under $1.2k could surpass the overall sound quality of the prior loom in the $4k+ price range. It certainly did so and in many ways the contest was not even close. After the positive experience with the TODN master power cable purchased from amazon for $350, my curiosity was piqued enough to explore further. Always making it a point to avoid the super cheap stuff on the likes of Aliexpress and focus instead on sellers there with good product feedback at a higher price point. There is one thing quite praiseworthy about Aliexpress and that is how only verified purchases can post reviews there. With reviews being quite candid and to the point giving off that sense of brutal honesty where value for money is paramount. Forget about fancy boxes and cases for the cables, in some cases you are lucky to even get bubble wrap in the mailed package. Well as long as there is no damage to the contents in transit then I will wholeheartedly endorse this approach. A quick breakdown of the purchases post the intitial TODN master power cable purchase :
Odin 2 (not the original but we all should know that by now ) power cords - At $225 a piece, purchased 3 of them. Really well constructed and offers a more refined and slightly more rounded sound to the TODN pc, copious detail retrieval, speed of transients & overall pace and rhythm are unwavering and completely satisfying. Odin 2 rca interconnects remind me of my AQ Earth interconnects they replaced and appear more assertive and authoritative while still retaining a neutral balanced quality.They just sound more expensive that the Earth interconnects. Odin 2 speaker cables - After the source pc , the speaker cables made the most significant difference. To sum it up : my previous AQ Robin Hood cables seemed like Robin Hood was asleep somewhere in the forest. Were the Robin Hood speaker cables even offering anything ?.....That was the ultimate conclusion
With the success of the Odin 2 cable loom under my belt. The prospect of more fun and surprises awaits as a loom of AQ Dragon and TODN audio cables are on their way.
There may be those who decry such audio cable reproduction efforts as sacrilege. Some will even dissect the cables and run scientific tests and analysis on their construction etc. Then there are those who view all audio cables as snake oil. However, there does in fact exist another group of audiophiles . Those with sensitive enough hearing and cognitive spatial awareness to recognize changes in sound quality when they hear it. With that in mind, my recent foray into Odin 2 reproduction cables yielded the best sound ever emanating from my audio system. |
Sorry, going back, I guess I might have read your review too quickly. Just to make sure no-one is being mislead. You purchased a full loom of counterfeit Nordost Odin 2. And... are next going to purchase full loom of counterfeit Audio Quest Dragon from China? Unless I am mistaken. So you are reporting on and recommending buying counterfeit interconnects and power cords? |