วีดีโอ

There's also another comment from you for this vid on WBC ones, and here you say all your ICs are Maplin?

@k4syx I should have said all my RCA are Maplin Pro. RME DAC to amp is XLR.

And they may be right, though my observations were with DBS powered. DBS (to my ears) makes them sound a little smoother and organic. But I prefer them with DBS disconnected because I can clearly hear more micro details without DBS. It was the same with real AQ XLRs I owned (and sold now like Water or Yukon). Maybe it's like with tube preamps: maybe we perceive these distortion as something we like. I need to take a look at that video tomorrow, I wonder what exactly and how they measured. Thanks!

@@k4syx That's the problem with subjective listening - you are open to placebo effect and expectation bias.

How do you get direct connection between DAC and preamp or preamp and amp? Just asking, as you've spiked my curiosity here.

Thank you!! Again ;)

Imagine the cost of real AQ Dragons. I could buy a car or more like a small flat maybe for that kind of money.

lol

Yes, LPS does make very big difference especially at the source. Its an instant level up for all the equipement Ive tried LPSes with so far

@@thomaswhitestone8807 zobacz zasilacz oparty o sigma11 albo sigma 22 tylko na dobrych elementach. Rewelacja.

@@thomaswhitestone8807 Omg, just notice send you nice respond in Polish language hahahah. Hope you decode my words using translator.

Could you provide a link to the item, please?

Try power supply based on sigma11 or sigma 22 circuit. It needs good quality parts but sound amazing. Chage capacitors for Mundorf and Audionote Kaisei. and diodes for some fast and decent. I made mine for my Allo Usbridge Signature and effect is amazing. Hard to find streamer sounding better.

And just think that real ones are 13k Euro for 1m set :D Yes, these are like another amp when it comes to money and I was really really thinking about them. But I decided to try them after getting WELs and after first pair I got two more (one is RCA) because I dont believe them to be fake. And they sound so faboulous that I am sure they will stay with me with all future amp, dac changes.

I am using solid silver in teflon for short critical runs inside of audio equipement I am modding, it works wonders. But its expensive! For my main speaker setup I would need four 3m long runs (biamp) so thats 12m of solid silver! I've done the math some time ago and it was more expensive than my whole current setup :D BTW the cheapest way to get silver wires is to buy them in jewelry stores (not the retail jewelers, just the guys that supply raw materials). Still, to expensive...

@k4syx arent you using to thick silver than?? 0.4mm i just pay €4.60 per meter so ye its not exactly cheap... But it is as it defeats or atleast matches the performance of what ever cable existing on earth.. as far as i know ofcourse Really 0.4mm try it in a 30-40cm RCA inter connect. But do not!!, do not buy jewlry silver!!! Thats not pure!! Its harsh evilnes for audio😅 i get my wire from a company specialized in transformers maybe thats something to look at😉

Hi! I would start with DAC - the impact will be biggest there, but I would also replace opamps in amplifiers - again, level up. But in DAC its a must as long as its using nasty 5532. I hate these ;)

@ 👍🏻

If they upgraded the connectors I would have kept it as it’s otherwise an exceptional cable. Works well with solid state, some tube amps can sound a little brittle/harsh in the highs with them (even after 200hrs break in) - so caution, but AliExpress is good on returns if you do find that this occurs with your equipment. But, these are fakes - the conductors aren’t pure silver, as pure silver is also more soft, if you open the XLR and bend one of the wires it’s stiffer… like copper - but you have confirmed that the conductor is silver plated copper anyway… The geometry is a good match for the original - but I very much doubt there’s any graphene in there. The silver plated copper, as well the poor XLR connectors, are likely why I could hear harshness in the highs with tube amps. This all being said - it is still an exceptional cable and very very difficult to beat for the price. Even though it’s a clone the Audioquest cable geometry that they’ve followed pretty well must play a large part in this cable’s performance. I still have the Dragon speaker cables (no appreciable faults and the connectors are much better quality/metal) and for interconnects I’m not doing my own DIY silver - once you hear silver you can’t unhear it.

I hope this helps others with a purchasing decision.

Thats interesting, where did you get yours? Which shop (name)? Mine are solid metal, all three of them (2x XLR and 1x RCA) - nothing made of pastic there.

@ Yes, solid silver rules. If it would be just a tad bit cheaper :) These are silver plated copper, the plating is pretty thick but its no solid silver. I also think that the secret sauce is the geometry and shielding, seems like the material is of secondary importance. Thats what I got so far from all the different fakes (and some original ones I owned).. But as you say: all in all this is exceptional interconnect for what it is!

@@k4syx Audioson. How about you? I will retry if they are metal - mine definitely plastic (but externally/visually look the same as yours). I can send you pic…

Thanks!

@k4syx you are welcome my friend

I have RCA version too. Couldn't resist getting one as I think AQ will step in and shut them down at some point in time

I've had this discussion (on cable making difference) a couple of times already - in the comments below my previous cable reviews. As long as you are not electronic engineer (like I am) I wouldnt like to repeat stuff I already wrote there :) There is just no point as I am no preacher :)

@k4syx Gene at Audioholics is an electronic engineer. Amir at Audio Science Review is an electronic engineer. They both will tell you cables make no difference to the sound and will show you why.

Amir? Is that you?😂

@RonaldHeal-j6f No I'm just some guy who reads and listens to what the experts are saying.

@jobertvangool9961 Back in 1986 or so, I borrowed a pair of MH 750 Shotgun speaker cables...they were astoundingly better than the home made star quad wires i had been using with my Audio Research D70mk2 amp. Suddenly my speakers sounded 3x as expensive.

@@rontoolsie lol

The problem here is that once you will hear that kind of change you cannot unhear it. Its very hard to get back to previous setup...

@k4syx once you think you hear a difference

Haha it was the same for me after I bit the bullet and bought the first one. Thanks for sharing, you have a way with words and it was a pleasure to read. I had also owned R26 but my electrostats had clearly shown all problems with detail loss coming from resistor ladder (as compared to delta sigma stuff). But I also found out that external 10MHz clock is game changer, I am still using it with my X26Pro and probably will with X26 III that was delivered here on Friday. But I got 10MHz OCXO built for radio astronomy and amateur radio communication, it was way cheaper than "audio" ones. Technically speaking mine is even better because its OCXO with GPS clock control and sync (which doesnt make any difference for Gustard, but still!:))

Yes for a long time I was using Mogami and Canare DIY stuff and I loved them. I still have them! But once I've heard and compared them to loaned AQ Red River and Yukon, then Water - there was no going back. The difference is very big. But the reality is that no studio will buy 100m of AQ cables to be mingled stepped on laying on the floors. They are too expensive for that kind of abuse. Weird real life example: I have a couple of diamond drills that I had to get for some crazy stuff I needed to do around the house. I do. But for 99.99% of the holes I make in my concrete walls I am using regular steel ones. It takes longer, usually one drill = 1 hole, so I throw away a lot of them, but its still SOOOO much cheaper than using diamond ones :)

​@@k4syx And a good SDS drill.👍

That's a waste. they wont sound difference to any other cables.

@@mccririck01 yes, 600 euros for a aliexpress cable is a waste

Ive opened them and thats in first look video that was posted some time ago. Its exactly the same internal build as in AQ official materials, with air tubes and markings on the insulation. There are two differences: these are thickly silver plated solid copper (not solid silver) and the plugs are soldered not cramped

Try the Nordost Odin 2 gold first. They are supposed to be fast, detailed and slightly on the warmer side.

@@wegardfjeld3789 I see some cables from Chinese brands called Xangsane and Grey Knight that might be worth looking at. Not clones but expensive from 350 to 400 euro for 2 meter cables.

The original Dragons are 13k Euro for 1m so these are cheap in comparison :) But getting down to earh my value kings are gold odins, as recommended below. Best price to sound quality ratio.

@@k4syx well let's see if they can best the Cordials then ;)

Exactly. At least no money goes to Audioquest when you buy these. But it does go to China...

So far I think that most of the "secret" lies in the geometry not in the conductor material. These ones have silver plated copper inside (check my earlier video with internal build) instead of solid silver claimed by AQ to be used in real ones. But the build and the geometry is the same.

Thank you! What Ive learned so far is that all clones look like that inside, these are DIY constructions so they are designed with accessibility and easy mainteance for someone building them with hands. And the result is that they look very good :)

These are XLRs not speakers, but you are right. I also have fake Dragon speaker cables and though they are better than K2s, the difference in sound quality does not reflect difference in price. Law of dimishing returns works here.

And the best part is that I am being scammed by my own ears here ;)

I used 2 speaker cables recently prior to getting the Dragon speaker cables...some Ultimate Performance 7ga TODN ones (for close to $500) and some Cardas ones. The Dragons were much faster than both of them.

I got the Gallion speaker cables. They are very good for the money. In my ears they outperformed my audio quest rocket 22 by a good margin and that was very unexpected as I found the rockets to be the value/quality champs. They have a cleaner, deeper and better detailed tone to them.

Have you tried them with DBS disconnected? DBS makes them very smooth, there is a noticeable difference when DBS plugs are disconnected.

Because of hifi zone I bought the k2 and the dragon. The k2 is fantastic, but the dragon is better in almost all aspects. There is something in the upper mids of the k2 I wish the dragon has it too. But with everything else the dragon is a clear winner. Hifi zone mentioned the k2 is more 3D, not in my case, listening on the dynaudio heritage it's quite equal. Concerning the dbs, I like it better with dbs plugged in, in a certain way it is more detailed using dbs. For example listening to a acoustic guitar, it sounds more natural to me. As a professional musician I listen to it and when I unplug the dbs I always think yeah great but it's not that instrument anymore, that's not "exactly" as a guitar sounds. I try to figure out what's the body and the strings of that guitar, listening to the resonance of the guitar, comparing how low and high tones work together etc... Dbs makes it noticeable better. That's just what I think to hear. Thank you very much for your very good videos, hifi zone ! Because of you my sound is way better. By the way, I bought the Wel signature xlr, it's absolutely great as you mentioned. No question that I'm interested in the dragon xlr now, you make me poor buddy . 😂 Is the dragon xlr a noticeable step up for you ?

After you first tried the dragons. I bought a set of zero speaker cables on your recommendation. On the first listen, I said "Wow!" and purchased the bass version for bi wiring. Then full set of interconnects and Dragon power cables. This is an opportunity to get cables you could never afford. On another note, I have tried many op amps in the D5Pro. The sparkos 3602 does not work. A pair of LIEEWHO EQ200 works and is the best sounding opamp out of the discrete and ic op amps. Better than the OPA828 in my opinion.

Thats interesting. I was wondering when they will cut this supply so I was stockpiling them form my use last year. I feel theres a room for shipping forwarder based in EU :D

There is a company that ships to the US. Clue: Your kid is into hifi. Not going out them directly.

All Audioquest know is they are losing revenue to these Chinese fakes. And I'm glad they are as Audioquest are scammers.

Remember that this one is fake. Real one is 13k Euro for 1m :)

@ even with 13k euro audio analyzer, you’ll not be able to measure a difference between real, fake, or $50 homebrew cable. By the way once you declined to get $200 ADC, that able to show the objective performance of the gear, you talking about, because $200, is one piece of gear less. What about $500 wire?))) Coins from it’s review are worth more than the ability to show the truth to your watchers? And when you planning to rewiv a grounding box, or the wire stands?

Look up the price of genuine Dragon XLRs for a reality check.

​@@rontoolsieThe reality check that's needed is for straight up nutjobs paying the price for that original. Idgaf how rich you are. It's still stupid

The reality is that the more expensive stupidity is, the more it is valued.

@@petko9133 absolutely correct

The real ones are 13k Euro for 1m long pair :)

For me, at this point, there is just one thing: an original of purchase invoice from official authorised dealer. Box, the cable etc - I woulndt be able to tell. For sound/picture quality - probably, when you have an original one, but thats after the purchase so its too late.

Thank you for your kind words! Cary will be a great pairing for D9Pro as it is for D5Pro, but remember that cary is SE only (meaning only RCA inputs/outputs). And this means that you will have no use for XLRs on D9Pro, so you may as well get D5Pro that is like almost two times cheaper :)

@@k4syx Thank you very much friend, and the D5 Pro compared to the Master D9 Pro, what big differences does it have?? Your comments matter a lot to me.

@@k4syx Friend, another thing, I see that you know a lot of top quality material in clones, that another preamp of the best possible quality can you advise me and that has XLR? for these teams that I mentioned?

No, just the amp. you could use remote with preamp (I am recommending bypassing the volume control here anyway) or with the source, like DAC

Thanks for sharing! Wait for it, it will be even better :)

Warm is good. The cool running specimens sound bad. The bias of each output device has to be at least 60mA to sound decent.