Results with Audioquest Niagara 5000 / Dragon HC

Listening longer - wondering if there is TOO much grip with the Niagara 5000.  It’s quite “forceful” with power correction set to “engaged”.  Definitely adds life and energy and drive to music though, but it may be a bit more than is natural.  It adds a muscular and aggressive drive to the music.

I have to consider what I want a conditioner for.  Is it to alter the sound so that music has more impact and slam?  Not really, no…  I want a conditioner to set music free, open up the soundstage, add air, and detail, by dealing with noise.

It’s possible the Niagara is doing more than I really want it to be doing to my sound.  But I have to say it’s fun listening to driving rock music with it.  I don’t not enjoy it.

Too early to tell yet, but I might simply opt for the lower cost Torus RM20 first, just to see if it is more focused on just “releasing” the mid and upper frequencies from the AC noise without impacting the overall sound quite this much…

@ozzy , I totally believe Dragon Sources would help but I’d need THREE for my digital chain (streamer, reclocker, network isolation switch)…..

Plus, my system is everything I want it to be after 11:30pm each night, with NO conditioner. All I really want is to hopefully enable this performance in the day - nothing more. The reason I’m interested in Torus (RM 20) is that everyone who has tried it seems to say it improves the sound EXACTLY in the ways my sound improves late at night - more open, more unrestrained, more detailed, with a soundstage that opens up to be “holographic”. It is super frustrating that I get this sound at night but not during the day.

While I really do like what my Niagara 5000 demo is doing, no doubt, it is NOT making my system sound like it does at night.

So yeah, upgrading my Hurricane Source cables to Dragons would be awesome, but I know it shouldn’t be necessary to get that sound I’m looking for because I already do get that sound late at night! As I’d actually need four including a turntable I’d eventually get, I think an upgrade to Firebird Sources might be slightly less crazy money at almost half the cost of Dragons. But still crazy money….

After listening to the Niagara 5000 late last night and not getting those qualities I get at that time with NO conditioner, I am starting to lean towards a Torus RM20.  
 

The Torus is a different approach to the rest, as it’s not a “conditioner”.  It’s simply a  massive isolation transformer, and nothing more.

I just realized I’m making the same mistake I always do - judging things before burn-in. The Niagara 5000 demo is well burned-in by my local shop, but my Dragon HC cord powering it is brand new. The shop claims that Garth Powell of Audioquest says burnin is no longer needed, but that was not my experience with my Dragon HC I recently bought to power my Diablo 300. After around 5 days the sound had more depth and detail to it; it became more open. The tonal balance didn’t change other than the added clarity in the high frequencies.

Not sure how much difference burn-in will make in my Dragon that powers the Niagara 5000 demo however. I will find out. Been playing music constantly.

That said, I may just spring for the Torus RM20 anyways, as it’s cheaper and purported to do what I want it to do.  If I feel that it is inferior to the Niagara 5000 (I will have to imagine how the 7000 sounds..) then I should be able to sell it easily.  Since it’s worth less than half the cost of an AQ 7000, I shouldn’t lose too much if I were to lose the Torus.  But we’ll see.  The Niagara could win me over by next week if my Dragon breakin makes a big difference.

@ozzy , thanks, and actually I’d already read your post on this!

It’s too bad (for me) that your post/experience wasn’t with the Dragon from the wall to that conditioner, or else I could have used it as a predictor of how the sound will change!

But yeah I totally agree, my experience was the same with my Dragon HC for my amp.  I was demoing it against the top-tier Shunyata Omega QR which was broken in at the time I received the Dragon HC demo.  At first the Shunyata crushed the Dragon, in detail and soundstage immersion.  After a week, there was no clear winner!  They did have much different sonic characteristics but I’d rate them both equally.

Yes, listening tonight I am starting to have to eat my words on the lack of openness in the mids and high frequencies. It’s starting to open up, and it’s even not late yet (when my AC noise issues go away)….

Enjoying things quite a bit actually!

@ozzy yes I recall reading that in your post, which is why your post doesn’t help predict in my case how the sound will evolve, since it’s a different scenario.

Question for you on the 7000? Do you hear the dreaded buzzing coming from the box when the music is off? AudioQuest acknowledges the buzzing sound that some may hear in their manual. I’ve heard that for people that have the buzzing in the 5000, it’s even worse in the 7000.

This morning I noticed my Niagara 5000 demo was buzzing and could be heard from my couch when the house was quiet and the music was off. It was barely noticeable but definitely audible. As there is usually some sort of household background sound, it’s acceptable to me but I could see it being problematic for others. If the buzzing was any louder I would have an issue with it, which is why I think the 7000 is out of the question now.

Beyond that, the system is sounding better every time I listen to it. The benefits outweigh the small buzzing of the unit which again you can only notice when everything around you is ultra quiet.

No one has complained about a Torus buzzing though. I think my choices are now between a Torus RM20 and a Niagara 5000 - the 7000 is out as it’s almost a certainty the buzzing will be louder from what I’ve read.

Just to reiterate- the Niagara 5000 is really starting to sound great, despite the very mild buzzing which I don’t think will be an issue.  Any louder and it would absolutely be a problem.

The breakin improvements seems to be going faster than the r improvements I observed with my amp’s Dragon HC.  I think maybe because this Dragon is supplying power to the Niagara which is powering my entire system including sources.  Also maybe because with the Niagara, my amp and all devices drawing current through it, there is more current and breakin is faster.  Just my theories.

@ozzy , with my streamer, USB reclocker, network isolation switch (which all together is absolutely sublime by the way), I don’t have a whole lot of choice.  My Gryphon Diablo 300 is an integrated so it’s the only thing plugged into the high current socket.

Checked with my dealer and unfortunately there is no way to test the 7000 first.

I’m going to email AudioQuest and get their advice in this situation. 
 

The buzzing aside which I can live with, I am really liking the sound now.  It’s definitely not the same as the “pure” amp connected to the wall sound (when AC noise is low late at night), but it’s extremely good in other ways - including during the day now.  If I’m happy with the sound in a few days I might just go with the Niagara 5000 rather than risking the unknown with the Torus.  Unless AudioQuest can convince me that the 7000’s buzzing won’t be an issue after I contact them….