Have a great trip! I have a big responsibility and I’ll promise to give a honest review on both power cables.
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Thanks to @vmax for loaning me the Whisper PC with tuning ring to try out in my system. Whisper arrived a few days ago, and I have been using it to power the IFI iPower Elite PS for the Euphony Summus2 server. I ran a Purist Audio break-in CD for 12 hours before listening to any music. Also, the tuning ring was on the cord because it sounds better with it.
Currently I use an old Purist Audio Colossus PC with vmax’s RFI draining Al/Cu wrapper plus a 3M tunning ring powering the PS, and these tweaks have improved its SQ greatly. But Whisper is in a different league. It produces a big soundstage and a gravitational presentation I have never heard from streaming before. When playing the ripped files, I heard a better sound than original CDs. The SQ is still improving, and it seems Whisper PC has more room to settle.
During this time Dragon Source has been broken in by the big wine cellar, and in a couple of days it should be ready for a comparison.
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I had not ran that cable since I started M-1 Tweaking. It may need a healthy run in. I am interested wheter a Whisper on PST beats Whisper streamng a ripped file?
It seems that to order a Whisper A/C cables, you have to go thru e-mails to start the process. This looks like very small business !
Yes personalized service and built to order and worth the wait. Communication throughout the build process.
All my CDs were up sampling to AIFF files, and they sounded better than original CDs especially with Whisper. But PST playing SACD is better than 192/24 files in any case.
I may need to change my plan using PST; it sits on top shelf, and it is a stretch to use one meter PC. I will test them in DS instead. Tomorrow Dragon will have 72-hour high-power burn in, and it is close enough.
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It turns out PST is the most sensitive gear in testing power cords. So, I unplug everything and rearrange all cords. There is enough room to test both cords on PST now, and I supported all cords with combinations of sorbothane feet, iso-pucks, and wine corks. The thing is everything doesn’t sound right and I hope by tomorrow they will settle. 
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I know too well about too many changes. The RF and EMF changes also moving components and how the fields on transformers can affect other components Time alone may not be enough. Just connect and reconnect can cause tuning ring slipping down cord. My stands for sorbothane isolator prop started moving tuning rings from bass loading last night so i need to look at anti-slip stuck to bottom of my rebar chairs holding sorbothane and tuning rings in place. Hopefully you can get back to stable settings and sound then swap cords.
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I have to admit I didn’t search this thread, but I did go to the website (commongroundcables dot com) for these power cables and there doesn’t seem to be any way to contact Duncan or the company.
Did I miss something? Is there an email address to contact them?
They visit you in your dreams once they become aware of you.
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From what I understand, you put a cable deemed unworthy under your pillow with $1500 in non-consecutive $100 bills. In the morning you wake up, and voila! a Whisper will be there.
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Well crap! Now I have to dump this huge stack of consecutive $100s…
Edit: I emailed him. Let’s see if a guardian angel is looking out for me.
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Leaving for a round of golf, but I want to get my review of Whisper vs. Dragon out:
The sounds of the Dragon PC and Whisper PC are distinctly different in my system. Dragon powering the Summus 2 provides a clean, clear, and speedy sound that I have heard similarly from Dragon HC, and I enjoyed it very much. Whisper on the other hand sounds warmer with a stronger gravitational presentation. In my streamer both sounded excellent but different.
When comparing them in PST, I heard more of their differences. Whisper exhibits a slight emphasis on tonal energy in mid and low-mid frequencies which contributed to its warmer sound. However, this only appears in a side-by-side comparison. Dragon Source, on the other hand, sounded as clean and speedy as in streamer, but it also sounds neutral, without any coloration. Dragon’s biggest strength is in high frequency. This may have to do with Dragon’s 100% silver conductors, and AQ does it so right with the top dog. There is no hint of aggression; rather, it has a silky-smooth delivery in the highest high frequency that I have yet heard in any cord. Whisper’s strength is in its soundstage: it is deep and holographic, and the music notes seem to carry more weight. One culprit I heard, again in comparison to Dragon, is that Whisper loses a bit of transparency during complex music playback. Dragon has done an excellent job in lowering the noise floor. My understanding is that the newer versions of Whisper and Whisper Elite have addressed this issue. I believe this is an area where Whisper can really improve.
I have a Dragon48 HDMI between PST and DS, and a Dragon HC PC in P15. The third Dragon Source has elevated their combined strength into a total coherence in my system. This synergy may give Dragon the home court advantage and influenced my preference towards it too.
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Great review. It much mirrors my observations with the bass Whisper and Dragon HC. . When ypu have experimented with it enough let’s send it back to Duncan so he can do the high frequency burn in and RF diminishment techniques he developed. I am curious how much that brings it closer to the Whisper Elite where Duncan made some ground alterations and burn in changes and started using RF absorption outer weave. Feel free to swap it around more in your system before sending it on to Duncan.
@dchang05 We will have Duncan ship updated Whisper to you first since you can then make Dragon source power cord comparison.
After you are done with that comparison you can return the updated cable to me and then. I will compare it to my Whisper Elite. Then if the Elite is still way better. Maybe I can let you trial that versus your Dragon source cord.
I believe Duncan learned of Ground burn in technique from Garth Powell designer of the Dragon. I know i like my Dragon HC and Whisper Elite equally well after doing RF tuning rings to both. But without a tuning ring the Whisper Elite is ahead. I only have two Dragons in my system now.
Sounds like a plan. After the updates I’ll send it back to him for more listening. Thanks for the comparison @dchang05, these notes are in line with what I hear on the standard Whisper versus the Dragon. Elite contains more pure silver as well, and competes much better in the very top frequencies. The EMI shielding lowers the noise floor as well.
But we’ll see what you hear with a standard Whisper plus the EMI shielding and with the new burn-in technique added. Curious to hear the results!
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Good evening, for having experimented on several cables (Furutech, NBS, MIT, Oyaide…) the Furutech NCF connectors provide noise reduction and extension at both ends of the sound spectrum.
Ducan who tested Furutech NCF on an Elite will be able to complete his feelings.
Normally, after receiving my second Elite, I should be able to compare the Elite with Furutech NCF connectors with an Audience Frontrow High Power.
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I can ship Whisper out tomorrow morning to Duncan.
Thanks @vmax for the opportunity to try out this great power cord. The Whisper with lower noise floor will be a superb power cord, and at that level both Whisper and Dragon will just be different sounding. Both will do well in most hi-end systems.
Therefore, I prefer not to go through another round of Dragon vs. Whisper. Because it is too hard a task to say one is better than another. Considering the price difference, Whisper is a winner already.
Thanks. I will be able to compare sound difference after Duncans update since i will have three different whisper configurations at that point.
Appreciate your evaluation. If you want to try a whisper elite please let me know after I report out differences before and after on the base model. On various components. I suspect the EMI braid will make things less warm and high frequencies would open more.
My sollid state amps love the base whisper. I have no tube input stages at preamp or amp like your PSA equipment. I imagine my system is les warm. . I plan to do a left right comparison with mono and stereo sources just different ground break in and braid treatments.
Interesting I found a n Elite Whisper less warm than Al’s Stealth and n much cleaner than a Dragon without the tuning ring.