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  3. 175954-41

Power Cable Break In - Such a Change!

I installed a new AudioQuest Dragon Source power cord from my Lumin X1 to my Niagara 7000. The power cord from the wall to the Niagara 7000 is also a Dragon but the High Current version. I bought that cord used.

So, when I first started using the new power cord everything sounded great. However, after a couple of days I started hearing a strident sound. Especially in the upper mid/ treble region. The bass was also constricted. I started blaming the sound change on another piece of equipment that was installed concurrently.

Now, I was under the impression that the Dragon power cord with its DBS system required no break in. But I did inquire about it to AudioQuest who responded that it would still need about 150 hours to break in. It's been close to that now and sure enough yesterday I started hearing the glorious sound that I heard from day one with the power cord only perhaps better.

I must say the difference during break in and now is quite remarkable, I don't remember any other power cord going through this amount of dramatic change.

ozzy

128x128ozzy
jssmith
322 posts
 

@wesheadley 

...you have just entered the land of confirmation bias ...

Which inevitably leads to the sea of cognitive dissonance.

 

Is there any other hobby that makes more wildly unprovable claims than this one?

Yes. Electric guitars and tonewood. That myth has been busted many times, but is still going strong.

carlsbad's avatar
carlsbad
1,551 posts
 

I’m not going to say there is no such thing as "burn in" but there is no physics that says a copper wire will change with low levels of current flowing through it for 300 hours. Hot things, such as tubes, will certainly change. Anything that glows is undergoing metalurgical changes that hopefully will mostly stabilize, hopefully for a long period of time.

But if you were a seller and had a buyer thinking about returning an item, any item, even a rock or a nail that he just bought, if you could convince him that it will get better if he sits with it for 300 hours, that will greatly reduce the risk that he will return it.

And "audiophiles" have pretty much posted all over the internet that they will believe the "burn in" theory for any and all components.

Make your own decisions but I will suggest that you don’t believe eveything you see on the internet. Make sure you read the last line:

Jerry

jafant's avatar
jafant
19,798 posts
 

Ozzy,

 

any system changes headed your way this year?  You run a very interesting combination of Cables/Cords my Audiophile friend.

 

Happy Listening!

jl35
4,025 posts
 

just found a forgotten Audience PowerChord E in cable box...replaced stock cord from Quad Vena ll Integrated, and immediate improvement...Audience hasn't been used in many months, wonder if it will get even better with use...

ghdprentice
7,110 posts
 

@jakesnak

@ozzy

 

Interesting you bring up the AudioQuest Dragon. My dealer dropped off a AQ Power cord for me to try last week. I had been using a Cardas Clear Beyond on my amp. Very warm and romantic sounding. a bit too warm. Trying the AQ it was a huge difference… more detailed, quieter background… but not cold or harsh at all.

I didn’t even know what it cost… so I looked it up, it is a Hurricane, and checked out how it was made and looked upstream and found the Dragon. I immediately thought… that is going to be more detailed… but that silver is likely to be a bit harsh or at least cool a bit of the natural warmth of my system

 

Then today I went back to looking over recent posts and realized you guys had been discussing a Dragon. What was said is exactly what I would have thought. While certainly dependent on your system… I am very carefully doing the final tuning of my system… and after carefull consideration the Hurricane (I have not been a fan of Audio Quest… it was a 30 year ago thing) it is a perfect match for my amp. This discussion confirmed exactly what I thought a Dragon would do.

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