Anyone have experience between these two cables? I am enjoying the RAL umbilical cords for my XP-32 and I am enjoying a RAL balanced interconnects. I as well am enjoying an AQ Dragon HDMI cable and an AQ WEL Signature AES/EBU digital cables between my Auralic G2.1 streamer and PST SACD player to my DS mk1 APS modded dac. I will be getting a full loom of RAL cables at a very sweet transaction and I will have a RAL HDMI and a RAL AES/EBU digital cables to compare to my Audioquest Dragon HDMI and Wel Signature AES/EBU digital cables. I was wondering if other people have compared. I will have the privilege to compare for myself but I am wondering if the RAL digital cables will synergize with my full loom of RAL cables to come. I have been dealing with Brad and I can honestly say that he has proven to be one of my best audio contacts I have ever dealt with.
Lots of commentary on this forum addressing the hunt for the “best” I2S cable.
IIRC, the consensus was the Dragon bests the RAL, but the significance of the difference was in the ear of the beholder, so to speak.
I have three RALs serving two DACs. They are the best I have heard in my system but the improvement over my second favorite (PinkFaun) was incremental, not revelatory.
FWIW.
Tubulus also has a new flagship, the Ximius. At the time most of those comparisons were being made, their top model was the Concentus v2.
The RAL is very good, the Dragon is better. Owned both. I thought the difference warranted the difference in cost, if you don’t pay list.
Never tried the Concentus.
I had a RAL I bought used from the Music Room. Don’t think it was a good representation of the product though, as it had some issues, the signal would cut in and out. I returned it and bought an AQ Firebird HDMI cable, which I thought sounded noticeably better.
I have an RAL and it sounds slightly better than the PS Audio I2S 12.
Recently I tried a Wireworld Platinum 48. That one is transformative, makes my system sound twice as expensive or maybe thrice.
The gardener next door turned off his mower and knocked on my door asking what I changed in my stereo. It’s that good. Really. Honest.
Did the gardener take off his earmuffs when listening to your music doing mowing?
Good question. I don’t think he did.
I had the Wireworld and liked it but it I upgraded to the Audioquest Dragon. I am now moving towards the RAL HDMI as I will have all RAL cables in my system and there’s apparently a synergy with all RAL cables. I get 10 RAL cables tomorrow. You could say that I am excited. A box with 10 cables were lost by FedEx for 2 weeks. I just got confirmation of delivery tomorrow.
The idea that the sum of the cable parts of a common model and manufacturer can be better than individually different brands has always intrigued me.
You probably could not prove it on paper, but I believe that staying in the family has a positive, cumulative, effect. Since cables have “character”, it seems that piling up with the one you like is only natural.
I think there is something to it. All my power cables are PS Audio, and all my signal cables (except the PS Audio HDMI AC-12 and , and PS Audio OCC speaker cable) are VooDoo Cable Stradivarius. I really like the system sound.
I replaced my AQ Dragon and WEL Signature with RAL digital cables and the sound is glorious. Of course I put all my 4 pairs XLR’s to RAL cables and the Umbilical cables on my Pass XP-32 to RAL cables. The sound is amazing. I also got a RAL headphone cable and it favourably replaced a very pricey Danacable Nirvana cable. I wait on the shotgun speaker cables with excitement.