Just arrived the new Dragon last Monday, still burning in. Very impressed about improved result compared to AQ Coffee previously hooked to PST-DAC DS SR.
All seems to be opened, unveiled and realistic. If I close my eyes it seems to be in a club, soundstage in front of me and voices truly realistic. Bass are so rounded and plain and relaxed. A sort of live feeling. Maybe the highs are a little bit too bright, not fatigue but not pleasant as mid and bass. I hope next days burning in will reduce this impression. Finally a chance to appreciate CD listening same or more as analogue rig (SPP and BHK pre). M1200s hooked to 2 P12 (right and left dedicated). All these pieces of beauty entered my life during last months and I can’t be happier. It’s a wonderful journey looking forward…
The highs on this cable takes much longer to break in than the other frequencies. Give it more time. You realize that like all the other frequencies, it is revealing more information so you’re hearing a lot of highs that your other cable is obscuring. The cymbals and bells you hear not only has more body, but more extension and air as well. Enjoy your Dragon.
Ordered Transport & DAC today, will be using AQ Diamond HDMI cable for i2s.
I had the AQ Diamond. Ultimately I preferred the RAL for I2S application. I have not heard the newer AQ cables Thunderbird, Firebird, or Dragon.
I have the RAL. No comparison. Dragon is the one to beat.
TKS, I was using this cable w/Ayre DX-5 audio out to Bryston BDA3. Waiting for new components. ? RAL ?
I wouldn’t go down the RAL path again. If you order a RAL now, you probably will get it sometime next year, if you’re lucky. I would look at the new AQ line, maybe Thunderbird or Firebird, if you can’t afford the Dragon. They probably will beat the RAL anyway.
RAL stands for Revelation Audio labs. The Revelation Audio labs I2S cable is well liked and reviewed here. Tho the shipping and customer service for the most part not so much! You just missed a great buy on a RAL here on the marketplace. I have no doubt that the newer AQ cables will sound better than the Diamond but they also cost substantially more! If they compare in quality to the Audioquest Mythical Creature speaker cables than they must be superb performers! I love my Thunderbird speaker cables!
Thank you, 1.5m is better than .6m too.
AQ Diamond was recommended to me when purchasing Bryston BDA3 for upgrading my Ayre DX-5 Jan 2020.
It’s a good cable once top of the line Audioquest. You must of got one of the last ones before it was discontinued. I bought mine and a month later it was discontinued. I was offered full price trade in toward the Firebird or Dragon but I thought I’d give the RAL a try. Eat is history! Enjoy the transport and DAC! Can’t wait to read what you think!
TKS, RAL i2s, great prices for either lgth…
Great prices but if you not familiar with the company sometimes it can take months for the cable to arrive after the order is placed. Mine took 3 months to arrive. Some others have experienced much shorter delivery times some longer! It’s kind of a crap shoot. Good luck either way!
DAC & Transport should be here SUN., just got notified…Who offered for trade? TKS for info, much appreciated!
The Dragon is $2800 for 1.5M and the RAL is $799 for a 1.5M
Do you really hear 3.5X more info and better sound ??
I also have a problem with the Dragon costing $300 more then a Jay’s CDT2 - MK3 transport.
That’s just me and my retired budget talking 
If you do not want to spend that much on a Dragon, then there’s the Thunderbird or Firebird, or RAL, if you want to take the chance on the waiting period. You may get lucky and get it within a week. That has happened before. All I can tell you is after listening to the Dragon, I would not want to listen to my system with the RAL period. That’s how much my system loses with the RAL.
I think I’ll stick with my Esoteric K-03XD SACD Player for a while.
I also use a outboard 10Mhz clock for my Esoteric and that elevated its sonic performance a great deal!
With an all-in-one player, I don’t have to think about what cables to buy to connect a transport to a dac.
I appreciate your honesty.
It’s all relevant. If you have a revealing system that cost upwards of six figures or more and you are looking to squeeze that extra bit of sound quality out of the speakers than $2800 isn’t a big deal I guess.
Al, what would be your current recommendation what’s necessary as HDMI cabling from streamer to DAC?
I’m a HDMI beginner and not sure about the necessary effort and the improvement compared to what we’re used to from analog cabling.
We were searching for the cost no object very best. If your budget for an HDMI cable tops out at $150 then our discussion isn’t relevant.
My personal journey started with a Wireworld Silver Starlight 7. The the Platinum Starlight 7. Then the RAL, then an AQ Dragon. Each step of the way brought a nice improvement.
Anything below my start point is unfamiliar to me. With a Matrix between streamer and PS Audio DAC the USB cable and the HDMI cable make obvious differences. The slope is quite slippery!