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Audioquest Dragon Powercord vs Hurricane

I don't want to get into a debate about if powercords and/or cables sound different or not. I just want to talk about the differences between the Audioquest Dragon and Audioquest Hurricane powercords in my system, based on my ears and preferences. My system consists of a Jeff Rowland 625 S2 amplifier, Jeff Rowland Corus preamp, Chord Dave DAC, Antipodes DS GT music server, Monitor Audio PL500 ii speakers, JL Audio F112 v2,  Clarus Crimson speaker cables, Wireworld Platinum series 8 XLRs, and all Audioquest Hurricane power cords.
I have two Dragon powercords for a home audition. I put one on my DAC and the other on my preamp. My initial thought is the Dragon added a lot of detail. I usually listen with the volume set at 60, but had to reduce it to 58 with the Dragon inserted. After letting the music play for awhile, I did some critical listening for 90 minutes or so. I'm pretty certain that I will keep all Hurricanes and not purchase any Dragon powercords. It isn't because I think the Hurricane is better. I submit they are different and I always say cables are system dependent. In my system the Hurricane is a more balanced cable, where the Dragon is forward to my ears and it's a cable that really highlights details in a way that I don't like. E.g. when I listened to a blues track by KEB MO, with the Dragons the guitar was very forward and dominate, his voice was out of balance and the bass wasn't as full. Returning to the Hurricanes provided excellent balance with detail and fuller bass. Things may change over the next couple of days, but I don't usually change from my initial thoughts. There are no absolutes in audio and careful component matching is more important than how much a component cost.  
ricred1
larry5729's avatar
larry5729
1,008 posts
 
I just can’t believe power cable can make a difference in sound quality.

i can’t hear the difference between the metal jumpers on my speakers vs the original jumper plates.  Tara said the job Moët wires need to burn in.  In theory the jumper wires should conduct current better and perhaps this will improve speaker efficiency and reduce distortion.
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,601 posts
 

ricred1


Thank You for taking the time to write this PC comparison. You run an interesting combination of Audioquest, Clarus and WireWorld, cabling.

Enjoy the Audio journey.


Happy Listening!


viber6
2,448 posts
 
millercarbon.
I agree with everything you said.  The other factor to consider is the quality of the recording.  Rock/pop are heavily processed in general, whereas classical recordings usually are natural.  If the goal is high fidelity (HF) and not arbitrary "preferences", then clarity/detail is all important.  It is difficult to judge HF if a processed recording gives no reference for HF, but if the recording is natural, the clear/detailed component will allow the listener to come closer to HF.  Each component that is clear/detailed will enable more steps toward the goal of HF.  This is a straightforward approach that avoids the confusing and sideways method of combining complementary colorations.
ricred1 OP
2,004 posts
 
Viber6,

What's clarity and detail? Do you think it's an absolute or is it subjective? Your clarity and detail can easily be my sterile and bright. Whose right?
ricred1 OP
2,004 posts
 
Jafant,

"You run an interesting combination of Audioquest, Clarus and WireWorld, cabling."

I've had the pleasure of auditioning every cable in my system. Cables from Wireworld,  Audience. Shunyata, Transparent, Audioquest, High Fidelity,  and a couple more. I tried several different speaker cables,  powercords,  and XLR cables. I simply choose what sounds best to my ears. 
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