Hey Phil - How does the AQ cable compare to the RAL?
Well, so far, the RAL is at a comparable level, I donāt hear a big difference. Maybe I will check again with more break in on the Dragon 48 when I come back from my vacation. This is all the streaming side.
thx - ordered a 1m RAL. It seems to be a bargain at 599 for a meterā¦ What a strange thing to say - arenāt we luckyā¦
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I hope your luck is better than mine. I ordered a 1m I2S HDMI cable from Brad at RAL back in mid July. Still waitingā¦ I have sent follow up requests for status and nothing. He was quick to send an invoice and take the money but the backend of his customer service is lacking. Iāll be patient for a little while longer and ask again on delivery status but I suspect I, like many other reports, will have to get my card provider involved to get any response. Maybe a great cable, (if mine ever comes) but RAL coming up short on the service front.
I donāt care how good a product may be, no way I throw my money in the hands of a company with such lousy customer service.
Itās only been a month and if after following the discussions here you think that is a long time then you ordered from the wrong place. Unlike many others here I had no issues with Brad either communication or delivery wise as my preamp umbilical cord showed up nine days after I ordered it. I would imagine that in the current environment he is having the same or worse supply chain issues that the big boys are having. All of the smaller Internet Direct companies on Audio Circle have been talking openly about it for a year. All of my cables are from smaller ID companies like Triode Wire Labs, Audio Envy and now RAL. Even before the pandemic three weeks or more was standard for shipment as they donāt keep pre-made inventory lying around. Thatās the price trade off for having no middle man to cause higher markups.
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He got back to me via email a few times and said Iād have the cable by the end of the week. Weāll seeā¦
It is two to three months. I did not sweat it. He always eventually delivers. The aged result doesnāt disappoint This hobby is like crack many need their next fix. If youāre not willing to wait, donāt order. If you can enjoy a nice bottle of wine months after it was bought and paid for in your wine cellar. Then the RAL HDMI meets your needs.
If not there are both cheaper and more costly strains of crack to smoke. Choose your street corner.
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That all may be the case, but that doesnāt excuse poor communication with the customer.
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I bought the cable with the promise it would arrive by the end of the week. Brad responded to all my emails. Got a tracking # yesterday. Will arrive tomorrow via USPS.
ā¦ Update - cable just arrived via 1 day UPS. So in my case the entire process was less than a week.
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Well, maybe RALās resources, focus and feedback here (and elsewhere) have led to improvement (?).
Anyone have any experience with break in with the RAL HDMI? How long did it take?
I believe Brad recommended 125 hours. I never recall any harsh sound just smoother with burn in. . If you move the cable the clock resets due to conductor touching air tube and dielectric burn in. Make sure you note directionality with arrow.