Audioquest: Fire XLR, Water RCA, Hurricane 20a

Joey_V

Alright, we have 3 new arrivals... thanks to my dealer. Time to put them through their paces.

Joey_V

2 nights in the audio lab.

So far, I have tried out the AQ Fire XLR and Water RCA in between Emm Dac and ARC 40th Preamp.

I also tried stock Mogami XLR and the Wireworld Platinum 7 XLR.

It's difficult to put into words the overall difference. There are differences, but not as much as I thought.

1. Stock - more hazy imaging, but not bad. The perimeter of the imaging (center, vocal) is a little more fluffy (for lack of better term). The tone is a little more raw.
2. WW Platinum 7 - definitely sounds sweeter, imaging is a little better than stock. The imaging front to back is not as "popped out" as the AQ.
3. AQ Water - only problem with this comparison is it is coming out of the RCA connection, it sounds significantly quieter than the XLR Fire/WW/Stock output, so I have to level match. There is more "pop" to the vocalist, more like the singer is standing distinctly in front of the backdrop. I'm thinking the copper contributes to the sound of being a little more raw and less smooth than the Fire.
4. AQ Fire - I believe tone is better. Dynamics seem ever so slightly better. The vocalist has that "pop" to it, removed from the backdrop. Vertical imaging height is similar to the Water (a little shorter than the WW Platinum 7 I believe), the mouth. Smoother fringe around the perimeter of the vocal image. The imaging is also easier to follow, maybe because it seems more dense.

Not sure what I prefer.
I think the imaging is best on the AQ Fire.
I prefer the rawness of the AQ Water, atleast on the vocalist.
I do like the smoothness of the WW7, I prefer more of a pop to the vocalist however.
Mogami is the cheapest and sounds pretty decent.

I spent a couple hours last night going back and forth.
Adele 21 CD, tracks 9,10,11 - via Emm
Acoustic Cover Taylor Swift - Tidal
Dean Martin - I'm Confessing - Tidal

After spending 2 hours going back and forth, I gave up. Too much work.

Clipdat

Thanks for sharing your observations. It sounds like none of the interconnects gave you a "you know it when you hear it - wow!" moment.

phipiper10

Switching cables is tough. We’re you turning off equipment for each switch or did you have them already connected to alternate outputs?

Joey_V

phipiper10 wrote: »

Switching cables is tough. We’re you turning off equipment for each switch or did you have them already connected to alternate outputs?

Alternate inputs

Joey_V

Alright, back to the lab tonight. Looking forward to powering the system up after being shut out for almost a week secondary to the Texas Deep Freeze 2021.

Will work on more comparisons.

Also, I need to get the Hurricane in.

Joey_V

Further thoughts. Now I understand the Fire. I have used different volume levels to compare and contrast. It is definitely a very good unit. The imaging is definitely denser and more grounded to the floor. The water is still very good but it’s a little lighter in weight of image and is not as distinct in terms of imaging.

Tried the hurricane.
It has similar bass to the wel power cords, but weaker imaging specificity and more cloudy imaging. I did enjoy the piano on the Hurricane however. Not sure if it had to do with the fact that the hurricane was a little diffuse in comparison to the tighter Wel power.

Joey_V

Compared WW platinum 7 xlr to fire xlr. Oh how I wish the ww was just as good or better than the fire but it’s just not the case to my ears. Would be so much simpler and easier this way. All I would have to do is just complete the ww loom... but it just doesn’t have the imaging capability of the fire unfortunately.

Back to the drawing board