The Sound
Contents
Clean and… yes, well: very clean! That’s the first thing that comes to mind. The Audioquest NRG-1000 is not a bad cable at all. Especially when compared to a standard cable that you also get with a Yoko radio. And of course it should be a lot better. But the Dragon Source is really another class. There is more calmness and control audible, more air and the stereo image is simply tighter. The Dragon Source offers – as it seems – precision on the centimeter.
No cable?
The greatest strength of a cable is that it is no longer audible. The best cable is in fact no cable. But there are very few cables that make us feel like they’re not there. Grimm realizes this disappearing trick in our opinion with the TPM. Driade with the Flow speaker cable and Audioquest succeeds in our opinion with his power-cable series. And certainly this Dragon. We simply hear no limits on dynamics, detailing and air… speed. The Pass Labs is obviously very happy with this cable.
Now some cables may tend to get a bit sharp when they create openness and detail. Fortunately that is not the case with this Audioquest Dragon Source. High detailing is present, but the whole is still easy to follow and the music still remains pleasant fluid. This is very well audible with Opéra by Emanuel Santarromana. But also with Artillery by Infected Mushroom. Vocal work get a special ‘presence’ with this Dragon. And the piano with Jacques Loussier? Just listen to the resonance and harmonics in the samples… impressive.
Punchy
We can’t ignore the punchy bass when talking about Audioquest. Also the Dragon is ‘spot on’ at this point. A home-run. What a deliciously defined and tight bass! Great. It is perhaps in some ways less ’round’ than the NRG-1000, but better defined and framed. Especially when you hear the standard cable next to it, you suddenly know how a bass kick can sound on your own system. Dry, powerful, tight. Should your speakers be able to follow the signal, of course…
NRG-1000?
What are the big differences with our own Audioquest NRG-1000? It’s quite simple: focus in the stereo image and tonal coloring. With the Audioquest Dragon we seem to be wearing prescription glasses again. Everything is just sharper. Also a layer of coloring disappears. More clarity. More… distinction between layers. In short: more insight into the music. And that has always been the goal of hifi.
