Audioquest Dragon Thread

I think that’s about what I paid too. Money well spent for the noise reduction and I haven’t done any of the chip masking yet.
My system is so quiet that I dont feel the need to fuss with it anymore at this particular moment. But you all know how that goes.

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The AB6005S. Is around 30 or 40. Yes the thicker one is more.like 80. It is easier to wrap transformer with shielded then version.

Is there a heating problem with the chips?

I covered all mine and have not had issues. The absorber is to turn RF emissions to heat the absorber with foil blocks emissions coming in or going out snd turns RF to heat.

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I am getting the Edcor XS4400 transformers and I am having a RKRichards board installed which will be powered by a Keces P3 power supply. I will also be using Synergistic Research purple fuses in the Keces and Directstream along with Furutech NCF iec inlets in the Directstream and possibly the Keces if possible. I think this pretty much covers it. Am I missing anything?

Maybe @Vmax can chime in on RF absorbors inside the DAC, he’s the expert on this. Boy, you’re going to have one hell of DAC when you’re done. Settle back and enjoy the music.

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I don’t use RCA inputs in my system. I am balanced everywhere.

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I think you are all good! I love my modified DSD! I haven’t done the Furutech inlet or purple fuse so you have already modded past me!

What power supply are you using?

@mitchb105

Here is the go to Modding The Directstream DAC thread where all of Ted’s absorber mod recommendations lie. Post 1647 on Sep 7.

The DS digital board even after RF absorber mods and separate LPS still responds to a great AC power cord. Lots of choices there from AL and Cu foil wrap of best cord you have there now to anyone that addresses good RF low impedance ground drain. I have found the Whisper Power cord by Common Ground Cable the best I have tried there so far. The Cable Sutra thread I started in cables section is a Chronicle of that fun journey with a couple of Whispers using Duncan’s latest recipe for low impedance grounds and silver conductors in his proprietary weave.

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@paul172
Happy cake day! It’s a pleasure to read your posts and learn from your experience!

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Thank you Serhan!

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I won’t be using RF absorbers but my power cable for my Keces P3 will be consistent with the rest of the power cables in my system and will be an Audio Art Statement E2plus power cable which are beautiful power cables. I will have 10 of them powering my system. After years of trial and error with $1500 to $2000 power cables I have found a fine cable in the Audio Art Statement E2plus power cable.

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The modded Directstream dac sounds incredible at about 140 hours play. It keeps sounding better and better. My Auralic Aries G2.1 streamer sounds good but my Perfectwave transport PWT sounds even better. I am after a PST which will complete my upgrades for now. The only remaining original component is my modded 23 year old Hales Transcendent 5 speakers which aren’t going anywhere. I just had them tuned up 9 months ago and they are keepers for sure.

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Return of the Dragon thread! Lol

Audioquest has finally launched the new Mythical Creatures info website. Interesting but no discount coupons! Lol

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There’s a whole lot of pieces to that puzzle.

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Lots of Shielding layers present there only outdone by the silver.

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Time for a Vmax Dragon HC Power Cord tweak of the week. I previously mentioned in the cable sutra thread how the AB7050HF tuning ring at the Female IEC end improved the stock Dragon power cord to next level hooked ito P-20. The amp and P20 heat and power cord angle and base kept making the tuning ring slip. The painters tape was no help. My P-20 sits on Sorbotane feet. isolators from Thor Labs the connection is quite loose with they PsSaudio stock IEC.

I figured time to kill two birds one stone. I took a cheap rebar chair holder from Lowes I had been using for speaker wire elevators Stacked a Thorlabs isolator on top and preloaded the Dragon Hc female end connector in the IEC directly under the tuning ring Results in Instantaneous solidified images damping the micro vibration of the power cord. Like many of my tweaks not pretty to look at but hey now it is a killer performance improvement This is a cheap extremely winner in immediate sound improvement.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Grip-Rite-3-in-x-4-5-in-x-4-5-in-Polypropylene-Rebar-Chairs/1000428987?cm_mmc=shp--c--prd--bdm--ggl--LIA_BDM_210_Concrete-Block--1000428987--local--0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W9Sh2ZCY2aMdWvBQ8rBgiLrh&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1I68_6G7-AIVZw6tBh17GA0ZEAQYAyABEgLHk_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


Thorlabs is an engineer’s site and provide real isolation data by frequency and preload weight
Depending on your footers under your regenerator you might be able to stack the sorbothane feet using the threaded rod to adjust height.

Not wanting to boast but this is one of my better tweaks. Takes a Audio Magic M-1 Fuse to another level seriously. .

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Sounds promising! Definitively a nice sonic improvement to further investigate myself. As for its looks: no problem if it’s hiding behind a rack.

Perhaps somehow related: I’m pondering over a nice sonic and visual attractive way to uphold my Fidelium spreker cable. If anybody already has a solution he/she likes to share, I’m very much interested.

One more thing: can you please look into the correct pasting of the lowes link (by clicking the link, it unfortunately responds with ‘access denied’)? I’m sure I can find the product, but it would benefit all if the link just works like you intended. BTW probably I’ll need to find an alternative anyway living on the old continent. Thanks!