Roman Johnston wrote: Dragonfly Red

Dragonfly RED. Check it out. Even if you have an iPhone or Android...it will work.

Do the research. I have one in my future.

Audioquest to the rescue.

Roman

Thanks, Roman!

I researched the Dragonfly Red today, and it is impressive. It doesn't have features I don't need like music storage, is a nice small size and works on smartphones as well. The reviews are very favorable.

I'm a newbie to the headphone/iem world, but this is the first device in the $200 range I've seen that looks promising. It may not have all the features of the iBasso and Decware models, but I think for me it's a good start point, as I don't need separate music storage.. I can access my music collection via the cloud, or stream, on any device. I'll be ordering one next week. I'll report on what it does for SQ. I haven't ruled out iBasso's or Decware Zen Heads in the future, but I think this is a reasonable "this summer GEt "replacement therapy". We'll see. if I don't like the SQ, I'll return it and try other options (IBasso? Decware?).

Thanks to all for getting me more up to speed on the world of headphones/iems/amps/DAC's options. You've all helped me. Thank you!

Happy listening!

Rick

Good for you, Rick! No more Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me.
As always, report back...be it good or bad.

Though I have grown rather fond of Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me...

Rick

At the risk of stirring up a hornets nest, I wanted to share my impressions of the Level 3 AntiCables Power Cord. Thanks to the feedback from Anthem and Rick (primarily), I recently ordered this power cord to test in my home theater and 2-channel set up. To cut to the end, I've ordered a second cable for my home theater surround components. Read on if you want the long version.

Anticables website is fairly straight forward and easy to navigate. Buying options for the Level 3 power cord are easy to select. The price for the power cord is the same for both the 3 and 5 foot versions. This is very nice considering the other power cords I have purchased go up significantly with the extra length. You have to check out with PayPal, so not having an account setup with them added an extra step but this was also fairly straight forward. I received an e-mail from PayPal and AntiCables immediately after placing my order confirming the transaction.

The power cord arrived after about a two weeks via first class USPS mail. Packaging was sufficient to protect the cable but was a bit plain in comparison to my other power cords (Pangea and Nordost). The build quality of the cable was very good, though again, a bit utilitarian. The plugs were flat black, the braiding of the 3 wires consistent, and the feel was very solid. What struck me as odd was the raw copper prongs on the plug. I'm used to seeing gold plated or shiny prongs. The wires were rather rigid and will hold a shape if you form it but not so rigid as to be difficult to work with. Build quality is 4/5.

My first test of the cord was in my home theater. In short, the product worked as advertised and the sound improved with each component I tested. Sound was more open an dynamic. Vocals sounded much less boxy. The surround effects were more prominent and submersive. While the improvement on my Oppo was noticeable, everything was even better with the AntiCable on my 5-channel amp and a Nordost Red Dawn cord going into my Anthem AVM 60. This left me with a Pangea currently plugged into my BDP-103D. The additional Level 3 cord will replace the Pangea and round out my power cable needs for my theater.

After sorting out my theater with a few days of testing, I proceeded to test the AntiCable cord in my 2-channel setup. Differences in this setup were much more subtle. One thing for sure is that the AntiCable matches up better with the Nordost cables than the Pangeas. In truth, the results were pretty close but I believe the more expensive Nordost cables had the edge. The transients and focus seemed a bit better and the sound was just a bit more bright and airy. I admit I went into this testing with mixed feelings. I wanted the AntiCables to sound better but feared the results at the same time since I've already invested a significant amount in the Nordost Heimdall and Red Dawn cables. Sound quality is 4.5/5.

Well, there you have it. Anthem and Rick are correct, these cords are a significant improvement over stock power cords. They also run circles around my Pangea cables, in my opinion. They have matched up quite well with my Oppo and Emotiva amps. I won't be replacing my Nordost cables, but these will certainly work their way into my system: replacing my current Pangeas. I look forward to having my Oppo running on AntiCable level 3 cord! I think I may sample their XLRs and speaker cables as well. If their performance is on par with the power cables, I should be able to improve things quite a bit for far less money than continuing with Nordost.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Very interesting report T Cobe!

Not to divert attn away from it, I just wanted to ask for prayers as I just had a heart attack, not too much damage I hope, and am in the hospital awaiting an angiogram n stint I hope.
Thanks,
God bless,
Wayne

Wayne,

So sorry to hear that! At least you're telling the tale. Massive heart attacks don't usually afford that opportunity. Focus on getting better and completing the required rehab and lifestyle changes. All of the people I've known that survived heart attacks and made major lifestyle changes went on to live many happy years. I'll pray for your speedy recovery. God bless!

Sincerely,

T Cobe