I know all of the Audioquest cables especially the higher tier level cables Dragon, Firebird, Thunderbird etc… need hundreds of hours before they come into their own. For this reason of Audioquest is reading this I will volunteer my time and system to give these cable the burn in they need! Joking aside, if you bought your AQ Dragon from Nick at TMR remember you have 60 days before you have to return and if that’s not enough time for you I’m sure Nick can extend the trial period and still offer your money back. Like @waymanchen11 says it is a system transforming cable once broken in! Mine is staying put. I have to save for Dragon number 2 now!
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The Dragon was an out-of-the box winner for me and has replaced the RAL and WWPL7. But, that said, I have not always heard the magic claimed buy “better” cables and fuses. Auditioning several designs with break-in at the same time (Cable Co.) is the only way I feel confident that I am making the right choice and often that is a toss-up. I, like Ron, do not have the patience for a long term demo and it better grab me up front. I’m currently wrestling with the EMI absorber mod (thanks Vmax) on the P20, both on top and inside the unit. I cannot pinpoint if it is better or not. Confessions of a tweek-o-phile.
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@straightwire Did you measure the P-20 center fastener of Toroidal to the front of unit? There is always a chance of assembly variation having three holes to choose from and getting a unit built on Friday at 4PM or Monday 7AM.
Believe me having chased assembly issues in automotive and Aerospace elimination of human element and error proofing is difficult.
Yes, out of the box, I need to at least hear what it can become.
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Sorry it didn’t work for you Ron. It’s one of the sure thing’s in audio I feel confident recommending to everyone that can justify the cost. In my opinion the best HDMI cable currently on the market.
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I still own Three AQ HDMI; Coffee, Firebird48 and Dragon48. All of them took some 6 weeks (estimated 400 hrs) to sound best. The first week they don’t sound that great and even at three week the cheaper one still sounded better. I wish AQ can do more break in on their cables before sending them out.
The speaker cables take even longer!
Yes, I measured the toroidal from center to front…just under 4 inches. I will take another listen soon and report. The biggest difference I think I hear is that the absorber seems present an image with more depth. My speakers are dipole designs (Maggies) and they already have that in spades vs. cone drivers.
If you’re at 3.75 dimension you have to use about 3/16 to1/4” of the absorber to go up over and slightly over lap the bonding fingers on the front of the lid on the P20 to get the best clarity and open sound all dimensions If it is already stuck and it is a 3.75” piece and not overlapped I would try trim off that much at rear edge. This is how I installed it in mine.
You are correct it adds more depth. I don’t run dipoles and my line arrays are close to the front wall per design.
Is the 3M tweak to a p10 similar to the p20. Shielding the display? Thanks
Paul,
Looking at images Of P10 found online. It appears to be similar to P12 and P15 absorber tweaks. One appears to be a EU model likely larger transformer.
I would try a rectangle over the forward half of Toroidal Transformer. Plus a smaller strip above display. I would measure where the center bolt is from front. If transformer is set way back from front its piece may not need to extend all the way to front.
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Thank you
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I’ve just had chance thanks to @zalan to try pair of AQ cables in my system:
- Dragon HDMI (0,6m) replacing W4W Silver Sphere HDMI 2.1 (1m) [between DS Sr and Matrix]
- Diamond USB (0,6m) cable replacing JCAT Reference USB Cable (1m) [between Matrix and transport]
The sound got more immediate and clean, revealing more details, sounding more like real thing. The mid-treble got better integrated and prominent. (deep) bass was still there, however I think there was less boominess / more definition in around 50-120hHz range, Overall the tonal balance was more on spot with Dragon.
As the JCAT is “Y” cable, with power leg connected to relatively cheap LPS instead of transport, I thought it should be more fair to pull out of drawer my Silver Starlight USB 2.0 (0,5m) for comparison. This one was closer to Dragon with more power on the treble, however Dragon was evidently cleaner and more natural. Like I could much better identify some maracas quietly playing in background etc.
I’m in month 10 waiting for my 1,5m RAL HDMI to be crafted and delivered (hopefully in next 2-3 months…) , so for now I do not plan to order Dragon, however I am seriously considering the USB Diamond (which is also more acceptable from the price point than Dragon which is kinda insane to me with 2,1k eur/ 0,6m 
).
I couldn’t imagine before that digital cable can make this kind of difference , but here we are… 
Just to add, thanks to folks on this forum I’ve sourced 3M EMI plates few days ago and put them into DS Sr. (usb, fpga and gasket around display with it’s board). To me it sounds like it improved dynamics in 1st place, e.g. quieter sounds are even more quiet, while retaining the attack. Another thing i’ve noticed is that very fast attack sounds have shorter decay (like better controlled speaker diaphragms when you get amp with more damping factor).
Happy weekend to all!
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If I can make a recommendation try the WireWorld Starlight Platinum 8 USB. I had the AQ Diamond and switched to the WWSP 8. Better sound and it was a better price than the Diamond. As far as the RAL goes 10 months? What ever you paid with file a dispute. It will arrive in 2-3weeks. My best advise cancel the RAL and get a AQ Firebird or Dragon. Call Nick at 720.441.6172 The Music Room for the best price on Audioquest.
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Maniac is not in the US, he’s in Europe, I think. Hence the delays and TMR may not work for him.
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TMR might not work but I have read many of people claiming super fast shipping of RAL over seas. Are the claims true? I guess we will never know but at 10 months yikes! Good luck what ever your decision! Try the WireWorld 8! I’m using it with my Dragon on the matrix and it’s magic!
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If he’s in the EU I would look into the Inakustik HDMI cables. Should be easy to source even it big discounts.
Has anyone tried the inakustik hdmi yet? I’ve been curious but hadn’t seen much of anything on it.
Is there even such a thing? I would have tried an Inakustik HDMI if one existed.
I believe the Inakustik USB cable is a much better sounding cable than the AQ Diamond.
I own both.
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@Somppsa has I believe before a Dragon.
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