Review Audioquest Hurricane (part 1)


We started frequent testing of power cables at the beginnig of this century, since 2002 to be precise. AC-power is actually the foundation of any audio system. It feeds and provides every sound system with the necessary energy. Fifteen years ago we were already surprised how much impact different power cables could have on the end result of any system.

In nearly 20 years AudioFacts carried out thousands of tests especially in audio. We distinguish ourselves from others by structurally spending much time at research and test work, in which we think and work by our Tru-Fi philosophy.

When you're working from Tru-Fi in audio you always focus on all the different properties that sound possesses. You can understand audio only when you exactly know why the sound and stage of your audio system is as what you're listening to.

Therefore you should know of each individual component in your system the full DNA (properties) it owns. Because the sound you hear from your own system is formed by all properties of each individual component together, the acoustics and other factors that affect the sound negatively.

Most people still have no idea of how important power cables actually are. In 2004 we already had created a method to convince customers that they are essential in each system. That is why we figured out shootouts so we could prove how important power cables actually are.

We did a shootout between a cd player of 2000 euro and a power cord of 2400 euro. Against a 5000 euro cd player along with our most sold power cable of 100 euro.

Almost everyone had a preference for the cd player of 2000 euro combined with the power cable of 2400 euro. While everyone was convinced that the most expensive cd player would become the winner.

Working from Tru-Fi it becomes so much easier for us to hear and understand the differences between brands and power cables exactly. In over 15 years we've tested many power cables. And the differences between all these power cables of different brands are huge.

Tru-Fi shows us that Audioquest power cables are able to reveal all the different properties sound possesses. But in addition, the most important properties also reveal a natural sound and realistic proportions of voices and instruments.

All our tests in cables over the years showed that unfortunately there are several brands which cannot reveal all the different properties of sound. And in addition, certain properties are not filled in the right way. We found out that various cable brands present both voices and instruments out of proportion (often too big).

In reality both voices and instruments are very direct (tangible) and small in proportion. We call that 'intimate' individual focus. In addition, various cables emphasize a certain frequency range, but you want the full frequency range to be evenly played.

The Hurricane is a power cable by Audioquest from the all-new 'Storm Series'. And it cannot even be compared to the previous power cables from Audioquest. Because it is a new level in quality that stands on its own in its price range.

A number of years ago, Audioquest hired AC-power specialist Garth Powell. From his knowledge and insight he has developed new AC-power products for Audioquest. And the Storm Series are the first new power cables he developed.

AudioFacts knows from all our research and test work how important AC-power is and that this is a profession on its own. We continuously share information with various specialists in specific parts in sound&vision. That is why it is nice to see that even Audioquest now specializes in this part.

The Hurricane also features a new DBS battery pack. That has become even more effective now that the bandwidth is increased. In addition, the level in noise is also decreased. Because the cable is twisted now it decreases the level of interference also.

Audioquest uses the best quality in solid copper (PSC+) for the Hurricane, which they apply in all their best copper cables. This can be heared by a richer sound with even more diversity (layering). And there is more grip and control in the high frequencies. And it also creates a more powerful low frequency range.

In part 2 we will explain in details why the Hurricane is so different compared to the older Audioquest powercables. But also compared to other competitors.

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I suspect that ClearThink and Bo1972 may be residing in the same physical human... Whether or not BO and ClearThink are the same "persona", or the latter a fragment spun off  by the former... That is a different matter, as there are some minor differences in writing style, while the "thinking" in the post is essentially the same as BO’s.


G.


In the hope of adding something useful and not entirely tangential to this thread here follows my impressions of the AQ Dragon.

I have been using AQ WEL power cords for about five years now. Initially I had them powering my ARC Ref 2 Phono SE and Ref 40 and one on the PSU for my EAR table. I also have a pair on my VTL MB450III MonoBlocks. I selected WEL mainly as it was the cable one of my major dealers used, and available at good prices. Compared with stock cables the WEL brings great authority, precision and clarity -- maybe a little on the crisp/tight/"yin" side

Over the past several years I have swapped out many of the WELs for a variety of reasons -- for the Ref 40 I needed an 8’ cable and changed to SR Galileo LE which was much richer and more natural sounding. On the table PSU I swapped in a Marigo Iridium which seemed much more authoritative.

One place I had not sought an alternative was on my power amps. I’d been awaiting the new AQ cords with some interest and as soon as I heard they were available I asked my local dealer for a pair of the Dragon High Current 20A cords to try. As Bo notes the new AQ cords have a very different helical twisted geometry -- the Dragon implementing this across a mix of copper and silver wires. Be aware these cords are quite difficult to work with -- they resist twisting and so it’s imperative you check that the size you buy will work with the orientation of the IECs on your components. The good news is that the connections once made are secure and likely will hold in place (I have had other cables that are so heavy they pull themselves out of their mains sockets).

So how do they sound? Straight up I was flabbergasted by a completely different presentation of the Dragon vs the WEL. Bass seems less pronounced but there is much more air and space all around. As you listen more you realize that low level dynamics and inflections are now apparent that you had previously not been aware of -- and overall the ability of the amps with these new cables to communicate emotion has gone up in strides. One odd effect is to seemingly amplify dynamic range -- what I mean by this is that while perhaps previously I’d been using a range of say 36-46 on my pre amp to accommodate the optimal loudness for all my CDs, now I found myself using 28-52 -- with the Dragon’s it seems the power cord is no longer compressing the peaks which in some cases (i.e. a more compressed recording) might mean a lower volume setting is optimal while more purist recordings can take a higher.

Needless to say I kept the demos and sold the WELs. I have no opinion on how the Dragon’s compare to other similarly priced cords but would suggest that anyone in the market for a power amp cord check them out. As the Dragon low current (for sources) are much cheaper I would suspect they are quite a bargain but currently have no need of such a cord (my last remaining WEL on my phono is soon to be redundant as I switch to a battery based phono)

Hopefully these musings are helpful for anyone in the market for the latest from AQ -- they certainly have my endorsement
@folkfreak 

I am glad to read your review.  Light on bass?  Sounds concerning to me.

I have AS Wel PC x2 and I'm happy with them that I'm nk t selling it switching anytime soon
@joey_v thanks for asking about my comment “light on bass” as I meant to expand. Too many audio systems add an emphasis, a boom or low/mid bass stress that seems superficially attractive and is often quite exciting. But real bass isn’t like that, it grows naturally and kind of sits under the Music with its own texture and intensity. With the WELs in my setup I had that hyped up bass, with the Dragons it’s more organic and real world. You can read more on this in AudioGon member bdp24's observations on listening to my system

So yes, it might seem like less bass but the bass is of better quality, with more detail and about a half octave deeper once you listen into it.

It’s also more in scale. With the old power cords intense loud music (think the "Gladiator" soundtrack) often swelled up and expanded outside the speakers. It’s as if the orchestra got amped up and expanded like a balloon. Now the music remains in scale, the depth and detail is there but it is never blown out of scale