My guy at The Cable Co.suggested I try gently bending the "leaves" inside the male rca barrel inward and doing so, I was able to get the connection seated without slipping off. Ideally, I'd like it to be tighter and I may experiment further but for now, I'm going to concentrate on evaluating the DAC. It's certainly brought more resolution (without sibilance, so far) and improved the bass reach and presence in the mix. I don't know how long it's been powered off, so I'll continue to listen, give it more time