AudioQuest Dragon Source

AudioQuest Dragon Source power cable

3-pole alternating current cable with low Z / noise dissipation

• Solid PSS conductors (Perfect-Surface Silver)
• Optimized for source components
• Ground Noise Dissipation Technology (US Patent No. 9,373,439)
• NULL: No characteristic impedance
• Dielectric bias system with high frequency noise trap
• Directionally controlled conductors

Alternating current (AC) is anything but a perfect power source. AC technology is well over a century old and was never developed to meet the high standards of today's high-definition audio-video components. AC noise is present at the power source and is then amplified by high frequency noise that is induced (picked up by the AC cable) and coupled to the component power supplies and circuit ground. This produces low level distortion and signal loss via the "masking effect". Most power cords and power conditioner-regenerators are helpful up to a point, but simply not up to the task.

Note:The AudioQuest Dragon / Source AC cable is not for use with AC conditioners, power regenerators, AC isolating transformers, AC battery backup devices, or power amplifiers, active subwoofers, active speakers, active receivers, or integrated amplifiers (whether tube, solid state, or digital switching). These products require a higher RMS value and higher transient current capacity. In extreme cases, they may suffer performance degradation and/or pose an electrical hazard if they exceed the maximum current capacity of the AudioQuest Dragon / Source AC cable. For these applications we strongly recommend selecting the Dragon / High-Current power cable [b] from AudioQuest [b].

Properties:

SOLID PSS-WIRE (PERFECT-SURFACE SILVER)

Perfect Surface Technology for ultra-pure silver offers unparalleled clarity and dynamic contrast. Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) is AudioQuest's highest quality metal. Solid conductors prevent the interaction of strands, a major cause of cable distortion. Extremely high purity Perfect-Surface Silver minimises the distortion caused by the grain boundaries in each metal conductor, virtually eliminating hardness and significantly increasing clarity compared to OFHC, OCC, 8N and other copper.

GND (GROUND NOISE DISSIPATION)

AC grounding cables provide protection against power wiring faults, but also serve as antennas. They are therefore exposed to induced radio frequency (RF) noise. This RF noise bypasses component power supplies and is typically coupled directly into the most sensitive audio/video circuits of a system. AudioQuest's patented Ground Noise Dissipation (GND) significantly reduces this distortion and results in unprecedented noise dissipation over the widest possible bandwidth (range) of radio frequencies. Our unique circuit topology uses a common mode phase cancellation array in conjunction with proprietary dielectric materials that provide additional linear differential filtering. (US Patent No. 9,373,439)

DIELECTRIC BIASING SYSTEM WITH HIGH FREQUENCY TRAP

All insulation between two or more conductors is also a dielectric whose properties affect the integrity of the signal. When the dielectric is undistorted, the involvement of the dielectric (absorption and non-linear energy release) causes different time delays (phase shift) for different frequencies and energy levels, which is a real problem for very time sensitive multi-octave audio. The use of an RF trap (developed for AudioQuest Niagara Series power supply products) ensures that no RF noise is induced into the signal conductors by the DBS field elements. (DBS, US Patent No. 7,126,055 & 7,872,195 B1)

DIRECTIONALITY

All drawn metal strands or conductors have a non-symmetrical and therefore directional grain structure. AudioQuest controls the resulting change in RF impedance so that the noise is directed away from the point where it causes distortion. The correct direction is determined by listening to each batch of metal conductors used in each AudioQuest audio cable. Where applicable, the arrows on the connectors are clearly marked to ensure excellent sound quality. On most AQ cable models, the arrows indicate not only the direction in which the metal direction is optimized for noise dissipation, but also the unbalanced placement of shielding and GND to optimize the performance of the entire system.