Thank you. I’m very patient I’ve dealt with Audioquest cable break in for some time now. I have no doubt it’s the finest I2S connection currently available.
So glad Dragon HDMI is working out. Last night I was still getting some power cable unpleasantness with the Dragon or perhaps the HDMI. Everything went thin again and flat. I thought i had misjudged my 3M RF and EMI absorber placement on P20. Pulling it made it even worse.
I canned the music and went for movies. Even there things were not right. So I let it run more burn in and decided to look at speaker toe in prior to listening tonight. Low and behold i had a bit of toe out going on. So I squared that back flat so tweeters are pointing straight forward. Seems to have cured all my ills. Perhaps cable burn in had started showing my alignment issues? After at least 400 hours I will recheck my DSP filters.
Balance across frequency bands imaging and razor sharp focus and clarity tonight . All music has that perfect live edge. Playing the PS audio Reference Playlist on Qobuz. Not a cloud on any track or harshness.
Tonight I have decided that the difference between the RAL HDMI cable and the Dragon HDMI cable is extremely large. In fact, I think my little computer system sounds so good with this silly cable added that I may stop listening to my big boy system.
This is not a cable, it’s a foundation for a religion.
I believe!
Or perhaps find an excuse to swap some hardware into your big system to see if your thoughts follow the cable performance.
I have thought of trying it in my bedroom system where the Roon endpoint is only a lowly Apple TV. But I really don’t think I want another excuse to buy an expensive AQ Dragon cable.
Really? In what way?
So they’re worth the goofy price?
Everything is better with the Dragon vs. the RAL. Made the plunge months ago. Yes, worth the silly money. A component level upgrade.
I agree and mine is still breaking in! If there was a cable that can be called a component level upgrade this is definitely one of them! You will hear 100% of the performance whatever device is plugged into it! If you have a quality I2S component that plugs into a compatible DAC it deserves this cable IMO! I don’t own a PST but if I did this would be at the top of my list! Don’t pay the ridiculous list price! Pay the ridiculous discounted price which is still expensive but I believe it won’t be as painful once you hear what it can do!
I dunno, guys…about $3K for an HDMI cable plugged into a pair of components only costing about twice that, each?
I am all-in, in this crazy hobby of ours; and I have spent sums on boxes, bits, pieces, cables, etc., that non-mavens would observe as evidence that I am certifiable.
That said, this latest and greatest upgrade would have to be heard by me in order to justify the somewhat luxurious price tag.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not questioning the benefits espoused by those that have taken the plunge. Rather, I am starting to question my sanity (like those non-mavens I mentioned) because I am growing increasingly convinced that I have to give one of these a try.
My target deployment would be to replace the Pink Faun Digital interlink I2S I have between my PSA DMP and my PSA DSD Sr. DAC.
Do y’all expect I would have a similar sense of great improvement in the music extracted from those shiny discs by the DMP?
The rest of the kit downstream of the DAC includes the Anthem AVM 50v2 Pre/Pro, Emotiva XPA-1 (MK I) mono block amplifiers and Anthony Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.1 speakers.
To date (over many, many years), the Anthem, with ARC room correction, and the Gallos have never failed to eke out material improvements from worthy “upstream” improvements to the signal.
Does the Cable Company offer these for trial, I wonder?
Cheers.
No trial on HDMI from The Cable Company.
I tried.
Thanks for that info. @Mcroth.
Regards.
When I first got the Dragon, I didn’t have the PST or my Esoteric streamer which was in the shop being fixed. I used it with the DMP hoping it will ease the pain of losing my Esoteric. It really surprised me how much better it made my DMP sounded to the point I thought along with my brother that it sounded even better than my Esoteric. I was using RAL with the DMP at that time. The Dragon really put this DMP into another league. Long story short, I ended up buying 2 Dragons, one for my PST and one for the Esoteric. Going back to the RAL to check how it sounded was a real disappointment after using the Dragon.
I bought both cables from the Cable Company. They have the frequent flyer discount. If you want to borrow the cable, they charged a non-refundable 5% of the cables purchase price. You can use this 5% fee towards your next purchase of something else from the Cable Company.
Wrong answer, @waymanchen11; wrong answer!
Now this urge will gnaw at me until I “see” for myself.
Plan A is to watch this forum and my other usual haunts like a hawk for an opportunity to get a gently used Dragon at a price I can justify.
Scott
Contact Nick at the Music Room. I guarantee you won’t pay full price. I’m not sure what the exact discount is but it’s far from $2995 for the 1.5m! 60 day trial if you don’t like it send it back and get your refund. There’s no chance you will send it back. PM me
If you need Nicks direct line. I might need to get another or a power cable.
I think I may of got Nick in trouble the last time I mentioned his discount so I don’t but it’s more substantial than cable company’s 5% so save and enjoy!
Wrong answer @paul172; wrong answer!!
Thank you for the helpful information, seriously. My DMP and DSD sit less than yard apart, vertically in my rack. Is there an optimal length you would recommend? IIRC, the consensus seems be .75m or no less than .75m.
Cheers.
I used to think spending 20% on cables is insane. The way I am thinking now is go all out on Dragon, and I have not even received my first order of dragon HC yet.
I have a bad feeling about this, it may exceed my expectation.
Be ready with your wallet. I really didn’t expect to be so impressed to decide to change all my cables (again) from italian brand Ricable Invictus (sizes totally tailor made on my request) to standard soooo expensive Dragons. Here I am now.
Honestly the impact of Dragon HC power cord on my 2 P12s regens was the most remarkable. Even for an hard skeptical.
Second the Dragon HDMI. Thanks to guys here on forum!
Now the journey must go on… with Source power cords, with the aim to create a full system Dragon. Here the improvement IMO is less evident even if clearly audible. Maybe the sum counts more than the single parts.
Interconnects may (need) wait, due to new launch of AQ (Dragon?) models early next year.
OMG! 
at least I don’t have vinyl anymore.
You should be able to get good money for your AQ fire when you decide to upgrade!
.75 is 2’6”. AQ doesn’t make a 1m. 1.5m is the next size and of course the cost starts jumping up quickly.
I think I may just try a Dragon48. Someone has to compare it to the Firebird48; it is only $900 difference for a 3/4 meter anyway 
I probably will keep both because I have been waiting for a PS streamer forever, and we know it needs a I2S. The PST with Firebird makes the Bridge2 sounded like an iPhone (ok, don’t jump up and down for your Bridge2 fans out there; PST is just too good).