Differences in Audioquest Storm series (Thunder, Tornado, Hurricane)

Johnny R at Audio connection is also an AQ dealer, call him

Really?  I haven't found that to be the case.  I'm a long time dealer so grain of salt, but I'm using a Dragon HC on my Niagara, Dragon Source on the preamp and Hurricane HC on my amp.  I find the Hurricanes to be a great value, if you can use that term in this context, but for me the difference between Hurricane and Dragon Hc is all positive, including the bass.  Garth, the designer, feels the same way.  Not to insult you at all but you are using the HC Dragon and not the source on an amp or Niagara, right?  The Source on all of them actually sound better than their HC counterparts if used on appropriate pieces.  Incidentally this is all on my personal system, not demo stuff.  

saleh84,
You can temporarily replace the FireBird power cords with stock power cords and put them on your subs.  I've had Thunders, Tornados,  Hurricanes,  and Dragons in my system. I would choose Hurricanes because in my opinion they provide deeper bass and compared to Dragon's are reasonably priced. 

Ricerd1,

Wish i have 2 extra cables of firebird, hurricane and tornado to try them out on the subs. But don't have any and need my current firebird cables to power the main components itself. 

From a humble experience in the past, changing from Thunderbird to hurricane on my amplifier changed the bass nature and texture. So my concern is for a subwoofer it would be the same. I don't believe there is a single audio component which is immune to change in sound when power cord is changed, no matter how small the change could be, it would be present.

I was hoping for a feedback from someone who actually tried both tornado and hurricane on active subwoofers. 

Stringreen, thank you for your thoughts, but i advise you to try different cords just out of curiosity. Its not just a matter of gauge and sufficient power delivery. All storm series from audioquest has same gauge, but varying metal type and its surface finish create huge differences in SQ. I wish to understand the science behind this, but for now I'm certain its true without knowing why...!

saleh84,

Why don't you try your current powercords on your subs? 

my gut feeling is that the change in power cord on sub...if sufficient power was delivered with stock....that there would be no change.  My Vandersteen stock is as good as any of the high priced spread power cord.

For a pair of powered subwoofers, I'm lost between tornado and hurricane.
For my streamer, dac and amp, and wall to power strip, i have firebirds high current and source (simply amazing, upgraded to from Thunder and hurricanes).
Wondering though for a subwoofer if i should save and get two tornado, or splash extra a get 2 hurricanes. Its a one time purchase but still some decent savings.
Happy new year everyone btw ))

@folkfreak $150 plus is retail pricing that has 2-3 layers of profit margin built in. That's not a comparable proposition than AQ using their own materials and labor, which would be no more than $75. You are still paying >2x profit margin.

And before the peanut gallery weigh in on “$200 to change a plug 🤯” the plug alone is $150 plus if you go through a dealer there are no shipping costs. Also AQ will return the 15A plug for future use should you need it. All in all I think it’s pretty reasonable and it’s still a full AQ cable which it wouldn’t be if you DIY

I just called AudioQuest $200 to switch the end of my PC.  Instead of switching the end on my Thunder I am going to have  one of my Tornado’s done instead.  Thank you  folkfreak for the info .

dave-t

@dave-t there's no need to sell your 15A Thunder as AQ will change the IEC to a 20A for a nominal charge. The after care from AQ is great so simply talk to your dealer and they'll ship it back to the AQ factory and you'll have the cable you need in a couple of weeks. Ive done this on many of their cables and also had them cut down a longer cable to multiple shorter lengths. The cost of doing it this way is definitely less then the bath you will take on a sale and repurchase.

I have a 1m thunder 15amp power cord I may be selling next week. I am buying a new amp that takes a 20amp power cord so I have to get a 20amp version to replace it.  I also have 4 1m tornados. I use a tornado on my line conditioner which connects to the wall, another tornado on my class an amp another tornado on my processor amp the last one on my oppo 203.  The thunder was  on my other amp which I sold last week.  I feel the tornado has the same qualities as the thunder but just slightly up the game.  From a standard run of the mill stock pc the thunder is a huge jump forward, a thunder to a tornado not that much 

FWIW I originally upgraded to a tornado feeding a Niagra 7000 and thought it made a huge difference. I have now upgraded to a hurricane and can hear a very significantly better sound - tighter, more definition, firmer bass, and much deeper black background. Like a thunder x 2

Now need to consider upgrading the source/amp cables from the NRG 3Z....could be getting expensive again

Curious if anyone has used the new Storm Series Source cables?

I'm considering one for my digital source and wondering what are the sonic benefits of using a Tornado/Hurricane 16 gauge source cable vs the AQ 12 gauge power cables?  Thanks!

I run a Tornado from the wall to the Niagara 1000, a Tornado from that to a Pangea power block, Shunyata Zi-Tron cobra to amp, Pangea 9 mkii se to sub from the power block. Shunyata Black Mamba and Black Mamba HC to dac/pre/ and phono pre amp, Pangea 14 mkii se to SACD player, and a Pangea 9 mkii se to RGPC.

I tried the Tornado on the amp and it had more low level detail than the Shunyata Cobra but switched it back to the power block in favor of the smother-sounding Shunyayta.

hi guys,

have a 1M, 20 AMP IEC AQ Thunder cable for sale here:

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9ce07-audioquest-thunder-power-cable-ac-cables

In my experience put your best power cord wall to conditioner..

Thanks for the reply guys.
@nolacap, with the tornado feeding the Niagara 1000, what cords are you using to feed your components? I read that power cable upgrades are more effective going from the conditioner to the components rather than wall to the conditioner, but I'm not sure. I wonder if in a system of all Thunder cables, it's best to upgrade the wall feeding the conditioner or a DAC...

I own both a Niagara 1000 and a 7000. I installed a Hurricane on the 7000, but IMHO the hurricane would be better but probably overkill for the 1000.

ozzy

The Cable Company lends cables for trial.

Btw, the Thunder had replaced a Shunyata Black Mamba HC CX and was an improvement over that.

I upgraded from the Thunder to the Tornado feeding my Niagara 1000. There were noticeable improvements. More of everything the Thunder produced. Better low level detail, more clearly defined imaging, quieter, etc..

Now I'm thinking of trying the Hurricane.

No, I made it clear what I wanted. We'll see f they come thru.

I wonder if they are talking about the new Wind series ( Monsoon and Blizzard)cables, which is one series down from Storm. Those literally just got released. The storm series have been out for a year now.

I have a pretty good store in my area and they handle Audioquest. I called to see if they had any demos setup for me to hear and they told me that Audioquest hadn't started shipping them yet. When I told him there are reviews online from guys that own them, he said he'd get back to me tomorrow . Maybe there just online sales. We'll see.

Unfortunately my area only has Best Buy and whole home system installers.

I upgrade my previous Z3s to the Thunder and heard material enough of a difference in both areas to keep them. My disease is making me curious as to what happens if I go even more up the line...

For what it's worth, I tried a Thunder on my tube integrated in place of a Pangea AC-9, and the difference was sufficient that I had to keep it.

If you are truly serious, genuine, and straightforward about your inquiry and question, I heartily suggest, recommend and encourage you to visit a local authorized dealer and determine for yourself the characteristics, traits, and qualities of the cables about which you inquire here there is no reason to accept the opinion, beliefs, and observations of those here on such a topic when you're own evaluation, determination, and findings can be so readily obtained and acquired.

I'm in the market too. Looking at the Thunder or Tornado for my amp.Any info would be appreciated.