Cable Asylum: REVIEW: VooDoo Power Cords Dragon Cable by LowPhreak

Model:	Dragon
Category:	Cable
Suggested Retail Price:	$499.00/6'
Description:	Has gold-plated Blue Star audio-grade Wattgate 350 IEC PermaLock connector, and the Wattgate 330 PermaLock plug. Silver-clad copper conductors, Teflon dielectric.
Manufacturer URL:	VooDoo Power Cords
Model Picture:	View

Review by LowPhreak ( A ) on January 08, 2004 at 11:23:25
IP Address: 65.110.134.154

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for the Dragon

This review is for the original non-cryo treated, regular "Dragon" PC. (Speaking of which: I'll say right up front that I think "freezing" cables is a load of crap - just another marketing gimmick to the uninitiated.) These were bought a couple of years ago, when VooDoo was offering a special "introductory price" on AudioGon, so I snapped up as many as I needed at the time:
Once they arrived, I immediately installed the new Dragon Power Cords on my subwoofer (REL Stentor III), DAC (Pass Labs D1), pre-amp (Audio Research LS-25 Mk II), and 1 for each channel on the power amp (Mesa Baron, with WIMA caps upgrade and Svetlana EL34 output tubes). The existing Dragon PC that had been on the sub was moved to the CD transport (C.E.C. TL-1X), since that cable is probably fully broken-in by now. Instantly, any of the leftover 'hardness' or 'forward' sound and/or 'thinness' in the system was gone - but there wasn't much of that to begin with. Soundstage and layering was improved, as was the overall sense of ease. The system seemed more powerful (louder), yet better controlled, and the whole range from the low bass up through the lower midrange seemed cleaner and better detailed. All of this was not unexpected, considering that low frequency extention had already improved, from my experience with the lone Dragon on the sub.
Subsequently, I noticed that the Dragon's had a much larger effect on the sub and the power amp (the higher-current components), but less so on the pre-amp and front-end components (lower-current). However, the improvements were generally cumulative, where the entire system seemed to benefit as more PC's were added. But in my case, the return on investment was definitely diminishing as the PC's were added to the lower-powered units.
> Thus, I think this suggests simply that I got better current delivery to the big transformers with the Dragon's than with the OEM PC's, with perhaps a little noise reduction thrown in. <
I must admit that I've previously been VERY skeptical of a power cord doing much to improve the sound of an already fine system. For some components, they do help, for others - not so much if at all. My advice is: try before you buy, and eat large grains of salt before you jump to any conclusions.

Product Weakness: ~ Cost.
~ Thick and bulky.
~ May not improve certain components.
Product Strengths: ~ Overall cleaner, stronger, less strained delivery of the music.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Mesa Baron w.
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	ARC LS-25 MkII & Audible Illusions Modulus 3
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	VPI HW 19 MkIII, Well-Tempered Classic arm, Sumiko BPS & VandenHul Frog carts.
Speakers:	B&W Nautilus 803, REL Stentor III
Cables/Interconnects:	XLO Signature 1.1, Audioquest Anaconda, Nordost SPM Ref.
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Nearly everything except Rap and C&W
Room Size (LxWxH):	20 x 13.5 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	avg. Living Room
Time Period/Length of Audition:	several months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	~ Cost. ~ Thick and bulky. ~ May not improve certain components.
Product Strengths:	~ Overall cleaner, stronger, less strained delivery of the music.